Category Archives: Local News
Longtime church reopens with new name, commitment to Peoria's East Bluff
PEORIA, Ill. (25 News) - A familiar church building in the East Bluff is again welcoming worshippers, but under a new name. Centerpoint Community Church officially opened its doors Sunday inside the f...
Aug 3, 2026 (25 News)
Gas prices continue upward climb in the Peoria-area
PEORIA, Ill. - It's getting more expensive to fill the car up in the Peoria-area. GasBuddy reports the average price for a gallon of unleaded on Monday was $4.35/g, up 13.6 cents in the past week. AAA...
Aug 3, 2026 Orin Zebest / CC
Illinois launches new program to provide food benefits to people who lost SNAP
Article Summary Households that lost SNAP eligibility in recent months will become eligible for a one-time $400 payment from the state beginning Aug. 1. State lawmakers appropriated $70 million in the...
Aug 3, 2026 Fruits and vegetables are pictured at a County Market grocery store in Springfield. The items are eligible for purchase under the federal SNAP program. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Andrew Campbell)
'Curing every child,' Peoria's St. Jude Telethon soars above last year's fundraising record
PEORIA, Ill. (25 News) - The 49th annual St. Jude Telethon is in the books with Central Illinoisans showing again how much they care for children battling cancer. The telethon, broadcast Saturday on W...
Aug 3, 2026 (25 News)
Expect road closures in downtown Peoria Saturday for St. Jude Runs
PEORIA, Ill. - Heads up if you're planning to head downtown this Saturday, August 1st. The annual St. Jude Runs are hitting the streets, and that means a good chunk of downtown Peoria is going to be b...
Aug 1, 2026 (stjuderuns.org)
Powerball jackpot grows to $707 million for Saturday night's drawing
CHICAGO, Ill. - The Powerball jackpot has grown to an estimated $707 million, with a cash value of $309.7 million for the Saturday night's drawing. This increase follows consecutive drawings without a...
Aug 1, 2026 (Powerball)
Bloomington-Normal St. Jude coordinator still hooked after 29 years of running
BLOOMINGTON-NORMAL, Ill. - The Bloomington-Normal St. Jude runners hit the pavement Saturday morning bound for Peoria. Run Coordinator Dennis Cler has been with the team for 29 years. He says once you...
Aug 1, 2026 The Bloomington-Normal St. Jude Run boasts runners who have been with the team for 15, 20, and nearly 30 years. (Facebook page)
Compromise reached allowing outside agency to work with at-risk Peoria students
By Howard Packowitz and Kayla Johnson PEORIA, Ill. (25 News) - The Board of Education for Peoria Public Schools has reached a compromise enabling Elite Community Outreach to work with at-risk students...
Aug 1, 2026 The Peoria Public Schools Board of Education approved funding for the ELITE program Friday night, but only half of the proposed amount. (25 News)
Pritzker signs law regulating how social media platforms interact with children
Article Summary JB Pritzker signed the Children's Social Media Safety Act - a bill designed to protect children online and limit their access to addictive social media algorithms. The bill would requi...
Jul 31, 2026 Gov. JB Pritzker signs a bill into law. (Capitol News Illinois file photo)
Welch 'committed' to more funding for Chicago Public Schools - and the school board is banking on it
Article Summary The Chicago School Board approved a budget that's reliant on $150 million from the state that it has not allocated. House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch says he's committed to passing a...
Jul 31, 2026 House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, D-Hillside, speaks on the floor. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)
