Author Archives: Rick Hirschmann
Peoria schools further discuss year-round schooling
PEORIA, Ill. -- The Peoria Public Schools' Balanced Calendar Committee presented an update on its studies and findings during Monday night's District 150 Board of Education meeting. Essentially, a "ba...
Feb 22, 2021 Mike Sabol/1470-100.3 WMBD
Biden calls for national moment of silence for 500,000 U.S. COVID-19 deaths
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Joe Biden called on Americans to observe a moment of silence on Monday to commemorate the grim milestone of 500,000 U.S. deaths from COVID-19. Biden, Vice President Ka...
Feb 22, 2021 REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
U.S. House budget panel approves $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid bill
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives Budget Committee on Monday approved legislation with $1.9 trillion in new coronavirus relief, advancing a top priority of President Joe Biden t...
Feb 22, 2021 REUTERS/Sarah Silbiger
Local COVID roundup 2/19: region metrics don't improve
PEORIA, Ill. -- A Woodford County woman in her 70s died between Thursday and Friday of COVID-19 complications. She did not live in long-term care. A total of 76 new cases were reported throughout Peor...
Feb 19, 2021 Midwest Communications
State COVID roundup 2/19: 2M mark surpassed
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- After a week of delays in COVID-19 vaccine shipments and low numbers of people throughout Illinois going out to get their shots, both because of inclement weather, the state betwe...
Feb 19, 2021 Midwest Communications
NASA's astrobiology rover Perseverance makes historic Mars landing
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - NASA's science rover Perseverance, the most advanced astrobiology laboratory ever sent to another world, streaked through the Martian atmosphere on Thursday and landed safely o...
Feb 18, 2021 NASA/JPL-Caltech/Handout via REUTERS
Local COVID roundup 2/18: region ICU bed availability drops again
PEORIA, Ill. -- Three residents of the Peoria-Tazewell-Woodford tri-county died between Wednesday and Thursday from COVID-19 complications. In Tazewell, a man in his 50s passed. A Peoria County man an...
Feb 18, 2021 Midwest Communications
State COVID roundup 2/18: vax delivery still slow
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Wintry weather continued between Wednesday and Thursday to stifle shipments to Illinois of the coronavirus vaccine. The Illinois Department of Public Health reported only 4,300 mo...
Feb 18, 2021 Midwest Communications
Madigan resigning IL House seat
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - Longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has announced he is stepping down from the seat he has held for decades. He released a statement: The 78-year-old Chicago Democrat w...
Feb 18, 2021 (Illiniois General Assembly)
Local COVID roundup 2/17: region ICU capacity goes down
PEORIA, Ill. -- Five Peoria County residents between Tuesday and Wednesday became casualties of COVID-19. Two of them, both women in their 80s, were long-term care facility residents. One lived at Cor...
Feb 17, 2021 Midwest Communications
