WCBU Reports

A Cincinnati-based Americana duo which used to call Bloomington-Normal home is returning to its stomping grounds, playing a trio of shows in Central Illinois next week. Stone & Snow's upcoming appearance in Peoria Heights is on the heels of an unexpected invitation to perform at the Great American State Fair.

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In the past, Peoria built things that could only have been built here — Victorian mansions on the bluffs, a sandstone city hall once voted the best in the country, a hillside of mid-century modern homes designed by local architects. But the buildings going up in the Peoria area lately tend to look the same — flat-roofed blocks of brick, metal panel, and glass — the kind of efficient, from-nowhere construction spreading across every mid-sized American city. It wasn't always like this.

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Eric Sorensen is the only meteorologist serving in Congress. The former television weatherman is looking to use that experience to help shape federal policy to help keep Americans safe from weather disasters. Sorensen found a Republican colleague, U.S. Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska — another former broadcaster — to help form the Weather Enterprise Caucus.

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Immigration enforcement is ramping up again in Illinois. The Illinois Head Start Association recently released a report sharing anonymous community stories about how Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, activity has affected children at Head Start centers. IPR's Peter Medlin sat down with Illinois Head Start Executive Director Lauri Morrison-Frichtl to discuss the report.

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Silos — tower-like structures on farms that hold fermented feed for livestock — have dotted the Midwestern landscape for 150 years. But they’re threatened by development and old age. One “silo hunter” in northern Illinois has been tracking down silos her grandfather built before they disappear.

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On this week’s episode of Out and About, Mae Gilliland of ArtsPartners of Central Illinois talks with Cory Boulton, Coordinator of Music Education and Director of Choral Activities at Bradley University, about The Lost Birds, an upcoming performance by the Gratus Choral Ensemble.

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The American Heart Association is looking to broaden fundraising and prevention efforts to include more of Central Illinois. Historically, the group's focus has been on Champaign and Peoria. Dr. Colleen Blackburn, vice president of operations at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, wants to change that.

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The Riverview Plaza tower in Downtown Peoria has been shuttered for more than two years, as the city pushes building owner MJ Illinois to fix the fire suppression, sprinkler and electrical systems.

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Five employees of Pop-Up Chicken Shop lost their jobs on the Fourth of July after telling owner Aaron Francis they wouldn't work without the time-and-a-half listed in the company's employee handbook.

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In the resumption of a quarterly interview series, East Peoria Mayor John Kahl says optimizing city growth is a key component of the 20-year comprehensive plan adopted in January.

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