Category Archives: Top Stories
Peoria Heights plans $8.5 million water system overhaul in 2026
Peoria Heights, Ill. (25 News) - Peoria Heights is preparing for a major infrastructure investment this year as the village moves forward with an ambitious plan to upgrade its aging water system. Acco...
Jan 05, 2026 (Village of Peoria Heights)
Two teens arrested for November armed robbery in Peoria
PEORIA, Ill. - Peoria Police have arrested two teenagers in connection with an armed robbery and assault that occurred more than a month ago. On Friday, November 21, 2025, at approximately 9:37 p.m., ...
Jan 05, 2026
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)
Edith Renfrow Smith, who witnessed more than a century of Black American history, dies at 111
By Donna Bryson Jan 5 (Reuters) - Edith Renfrow Smith grew up in the 1910s hearing her grandparents' stories of surviving slavery, including a grandfather who escaped bondage with a group led by aboli...
Jan 05, 2026 Edith Renfrow Smith smiles on the day of the Grinnell College's dedication celebration of Renfrow Hall, named in her honor, in Grinnell, Iowa, U.S., September 28, 2024. Justin Hayworth, Grinnell College/Handout via REUTERS
Shackled and defiant, Maduro pleads not guilty to US narcotics charges
NEW YORK, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Shackled at the ankles and dressed in prison garb, toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro stood before a U.S. judge on Monday and declared he was still his country's r...
Jan 05, 2026 Venezuela's captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores attend their arraignment with defense lawyer Mark Donnelly to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others, at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., January 5, 2026 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg
Minnesota Governor Walz will not seek third term, to focus on welfare fraud scandal
Jan 5 (Reuters) - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz will not seek a third term in office, he announced on Monday, saying he would instead focus on allegations of fraud in the state's welfare system that has...
Jan 05, 2026 FILE PHOTO: Minnesota Governor Tim Walz looks on, as he visits Columbus, Ohio, U.S., April 6, 2025. REUTERS/Megan Jelinger/File Photo
Accidental fire displaces six residents in Peoria
PEORIA, Ill. - An electrical fire displaced six residents of a Peoria home Saturday night. Fire Battalion Chief Stephen Rada said crews were called to a home in the 5900 block of N. Frostwood Parkway,...
Jan 05, 2026 (Midwest Communications)
Venezuela's Maduro at US court, substitute leader softens stance
Updated at 7:29 a.m. NEW YORK, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Venezuela's deposed leader Nicolas Maduro arrived at a New York court on Monday to face drug charges while the U.N. was to debate the legality of U.S. ...
Jan 05, 2026 Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport, as he heads towards the Daniel Patrick Manhattan United States Courthouse for an initial appearance to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others in New York City, U.S., January 5, 2026. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
Peoria Riverfront Museum preps for celebration of the nation's 250th birthday
PEORIA, Ill. (25 News) - The Peoria Riverfront Museum is marking America's 250th birthday with a year-long celebration beginning January 31, featuring seven exhibits, special programming, films, and p...
Jan 05, 2026 Peoria Riverfront Museum is preparing for a year-long celebration of the nation's 250th birthday. (25 News)
