Category Archives: Top Stories
Marquette Heights man arrested on alleged child exploitation charges
TAZEWELL COUNTY, Ill. - A Marquette Heights man has been arrested on alleged child exploitation charges. The Tazewell County Sheriff's Office says 35-year-old Wesley Ratliff was arrested on Thursday a...
Feb 26, 2026 Will Stevenson/1470-100.3 WMBD
Hillary Clinton tells congressional panel she has no information on Epstein
Feb 26 (Reuters) - Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told a congressional committee on Thursday that she did not remember ever meeting the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and had no inf...
Feb 26, 2026 Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton listens to speakers during the international conference to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, April 19, 2023. Niall Carson/Pool via REUTERS
Trump's White House ballroom can move ahead for now, judge rules
WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Thursday declined to block President Donald Trump from proceeding with construction of a $400 million White House ballroom to replace the demolished East...
Feb 26, 2026 Cranes loom over the construction zone of U.S. President Donald Trump’s ballroom at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., February 25, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
US and Iran could reach deal if nuclear and non-nuclear issues are separated, says Iranian official
GENEVA, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The United States and Iran could reach a framework for a deal if Washington separates "nuclear and non-nuclear issues", a senior Iranian official told Reuters, adding that r...
Feb 26, 2026 An Iranian woman walks past an anti-U.S. billboard in Tehran, Iran, February 26, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
'Peoria Plays America' series gets underway at Peoria Riverfront Museum
PEORIA, Ill. - The Peoria Riverfront Museum is launching its inaugural Peoria Plays America series as part of its recognition of America 250. The series celebrates local figures from Peoria who have m...
Feb 26, 2026
Late Peoria-born, East Peoria-raised guitar icon Gary Dean Richrath (1949-2015), lead guitarist for REO Speedwagon, is featured in A Peoria Plays Exhibition at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. (Photo courtesy of Peoria Riverfront Museum)
Illinois Gaming Board approves plans for new Par-A-Dice casino on a barge
CHICAGO, Ill. - Boyd Gaming has received the go-ahead with plans to build a new Par-A-Dice casino in East Peoria. In a special session Thursday morning, the Illinois Gaming Board unanimously approved ...
Feb 26, 2026 A screencap of a slide from a video on the Feb. 5th presentation to the Illinois Gaming Board by Boyd Gaming shows an updated plan for the proposed new Par-A-Dice Casino. (Body Gaming/Illinois Gaming Board)
Trump asks US Supreme Court to end protections for Syrian immigrants
By Andrew Chung Feb 26 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to intervene in its effort to strip deportation protections from about 6,000 Syrians...
Feb 26, 2026 FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the 56th annual World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, January 21, 2026. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
Illinois soybean farmers welcome federal aid, but fear long-term trade damage
Article Summary At the end of February, Illinois soybean farmers are set to receive special federal payments through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. A total of $12 billion nationwide, with $11 bil...
Feb 26, 2026 A view of Illinois soybeans being harvested from the cab of a combine. (Medill Illinois
News Bureau/ courtesy Albers Farms, Blue Mound, Illinois)
US weekly jobless claims increase marginally as labor market stabilizes
WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Reuters) - The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits increased marginally last week and the unemployment rate appeared to hold steady in February amid a ...
Feb 26, 2026 A "Now Hiring" sign hangs in the window of a hair salon in the Greater Boston town of Medford, Massachusetts, U.S., August 12, 2025. REUTERS/Brian Snyder
Chicago honors Rev. Jesse Jackson with lineup of memorial events
By Bianca Flowers CHICAGO, Feb 26 (Chicago) - Memorial events honoring the life and legacy of civil rights leader Jesse Jackson begin this week in Chicago, likely drawing elected officials, advocates ...
Feb 26, 2026 FILE PHOTO: Rev. Al Sharpton and Rev. Jesse Jackson attend Day one of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., August 19, 2024. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo
