Author Archives: Caleb Kelch
IDPH warns of "very high" flu activity this season
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Illinois health officials are urging residents to take immediate action against seasonal respiratory illnesses as influenza rates surge to alarming levels across the state. The Ill...
Jan 05, 2026 Illinois Department of Public Health Facebook Page
Despite mounting budget pressure, graduated income tax remains political longshot
Article Summary JB Pritzker is not making a graduated income tax a priority in 2026, despite backing the idea in principle and mounting budget pressures. Democratic lawmakers have introduced proposals...
Jan 05, 2026 Gov. JB Pritzker is pictured in his Capitol office in 2019 during a news conference promoting a graduated income tax proposal. Voters rejected the constitutional amendment in 2020, and Pritzker says it’s no longer a legislative priority. (Capitol News Illinois file photo by Jerry Nowicki)
US CDC says 2025-26 flu season 'moderately severe' as cases hit 11 million
Jan 5 (Reuters) - Seasonal influenza activity remained elevated and rose in the final week of December, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showed on Monday, as the agency for the fir...
Jan 05, 2026 The exterior of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., December 5, 2025. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer
Tazewell County charges former pastor with sending explicit material to minor
TAZEWELL COUNTY, Ill. (25 News) - A man who served as lead pastor at a Peoria church and held positions in local government and education now faces a felony charge for allegedly sending explicit conte...
Dec 23, 2025 Midwest Communications
US Supreme Court rejects Trump's military deployment in Chicago area, for now
WASHINGTON, Dec 23 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court refused on Tuesday to let Donald Trump send National Guard troops to the Chicago area as the Republican president expands the use of the military ...
Dec 23, 2025 National Guard members walk at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Broadview facility in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., October 9, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
US, Iran spar over nuclear talks at UN
Dec 23 (Reuters) - The United States and Iran traded barbs at the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday over conditions for reviving nuclear talks, with the U.S. saying it remains ready for direc...
Dec 23, 2025 U.S. and Iran flags are seen in this illustration taken June 18, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration
Woman charged in friend's shooting death claims it was 'horrific accident'
PEORIA, Ill. (25 News)- The attorney for a young woman charged with shooting her friend to death near Peoria's Riverfront is asking that his client be released from jail before trial, claiming the tee...
Dec 19, 2025 (Peoria County Sheriff's Office)
US Epstein files release highlights Clinton, makes scant reference to Trump
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department released hundreds of thousands of pages of documents related to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on Friday that ...
Dec 19, 2025 A newly-released unsealed indictment of disgraced late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is seen in this handout image released by the U.S. Justice Department and printed and arranged for a photograph by Reuters in Washington, D.C., U.S., December 19, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Four juveniles arrested after stolen vehicle abandoned on Peoria's South Side
PEORIA, Ill. - Four teenagers are facing multiple charges after allegedly stealing a vehicle Thursday evening and fleeing from police on foot. On December 18, 2025, at approximately 6:10 p.m., Peoria ...
Dec 19, 2025
US farm agency unlikely to issue more farm aid, says official
WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture is not considering issuing more farm aid beyond its recently announced $12 billion package meant to help farmers weather poor economic...
Dec 19, 2025 A combine harvests wheat in Kremlin, Oklahoma, U.S., June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Nick Oxford
