Author Archives: TJ Carson
Former Peoria High coach released from custody for second time after alleged sexual abuse allegations
PEORIA, Ill. - The former Peoria High boys' basketball coach has been released from jail again after allegations of sexual abuse against a student at the school. The Peoria County State's Attorney's O...
Feb 13, 2026 Daniel Ruffin mugshot (Peoria County Jail Records)
Dunlap High School students protest immigration enforcement efforts
DUNLAP, Ill. - Protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement have come to one central Illinois high school. On Friday afternoon, at the end of a half-day of school, around 40 Dunlap High School...
Feb 13, 2026 Dunlap High School students gather outside the district office building to protest ICE after the end of a half-day of school on February 13th, 2026. (T.J. Carson/1470 & 100.3 WMBD)
Rick Heidner casts himself as 'Trump Republican' in bid to unseat Pritzker
Article Summary Rick Heidner was a late entrant into the GOP gubernatorial primary, but is betting that his alignment with President Donald Trump, business background and outsider status will persuade...
Feb 12, 2026 Rick Heidner, a Republican from Barrington, speaks to voters following a candidate forum in Tazewell County on Jan. 15, 2026. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Brenden Moore)
US senators sharply question Trump officials about Pretti shooting, use of force
Feb 12 (Reuters) - The top Republican and Democrat on a U.S. Senate committee played video showing the lead-up to the shooting of U.S. citizen Alex Pretti to Trump immigration officials at a hearing o...
Feb 12, 2026 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Rodney Scott sits next to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons as they attend a Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 12, 2026. REUTERS/Kent Nishimura
Trump revokes basis of US climate regulation, ends vehicle emission standards
WASHINGTON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The administration of President Donald Trump on Thursday announced the repeal of a scientific finding that greenhouse gas emissions endanger human health, removing the l...
Feb 12, 2026 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin speaks accompanied by U.S. President Donald Trump, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 12, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Illinois GOP Senate candidates take stage in first major debate
Article Summary Don Tracy, Jeannie Evans and Casey Chlebek pitched themselves as best positioned to flip a Senate seat Democrats have held since 1985. None directly criticized President Donald Trump, ...
Feb 12, 2026 Visual: Republican candidates for U.S. Senate participate in a debate hosted by hosted by ABC-7 Chicago in partnership with Univision and the League of Women Voters on Feb. 11, 2026. (Screenshot of ABC-7’s debate feed)
Trump agrees to end deportation surge in Minnesota, White House border czar says
WASHINGTON, Feb 12 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's border czar Tom Homan said on Thursday that a significant drawdown of immigration enforcement agents in Minnesota was underway and that he ...
Feb 12, 2026 A law enforcement officer uses a battering ram to force entry into a home during an immigration raid in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S., days after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, January 18, 2026. REUTERS/Leah Millis
POWER Act: Lawmakers seek to regulate new data centers' power, water usage
Article Summary Illinois lawmakers are pursuing data center regulations to address concerns about price increases, electricity shortages and environmental impacts. The POWER Act addresses all three by...
Feb 11, 2026 Sen. Ram Villivalam, D-Chicago, joins advocates on Feb. 11, 2026, in Chicago to introduce a bill regulating data centers in Illinois. (Medill Illinois News Bureau photo by Gabriel Castilho)
TIF district approved for Northwoods Mall to encourage development
PEORIA, Ill. - The Peoria City Council has paved the way for potential new development at Northwoods Mall. On Tuesday night, the council approved the creation of a new TIF district that encompasses th...
Feb 11, 2026 (Northwoods Mall Facebook Page)
PPS releases statement regarding status of basketball coaches after inappropriate conduct allegations
PEORIA, Ill. - Peoria Public Schools says two former high school basketball coaches at Peoria High and Richwoods are no longer employed by the district. In a statement released Wednesday, Superintende...
Feb 11, 2026 1470 WMBD/Kristina Leahy
