The Veteran Warriors hockey team touts itself as the only sports program in Central Illinois dedicated to rehabilitation and therapy for disabled veterans. They strive to provide a buddy-check support system and an experience for veterans suffering from PTSD, substance abuse, or other issues.

League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria President Chris Kaergard speaks to WCBU reporter Joe Deacon about Monday night's “Refuse to be Silenced” teach-in speaking engagement, featuring five area leaders discussing the possible local impacts from the “Big Beautiful Bill” and other federal policies.

Chuck Grayeb’s last regular Peoria City Council meeting is Tuesday, as his 24-year tenure is drawing to a close. Grayeb originally served three terms as an at-large council member, and now has spent the last 12 years as the District 2 representative. Heading into his final weeks as a council member, Grayeb spoke to WCBU reporter Joe Deacon to reflect on his years of service.

Amid recent calls to host a town hall meeting with constituents, U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood said he frequently makes himself available to the public. “I come back every single weekend to my district. I meet with any constituent that wants to meet with me. I’ve had numerous telephone town halls. In the past, I’ve had lots of town halls throughout my district,” said LaHood. The Dunlap Republican did not commit one way or another to holding a town hall. Earlier this month, the National Republican Congressional Committee discouraged House Republicans from holding in-person town halls to avoid confrontations. “Anybody that wants to meet with me, I will meet with them,” said LaHood, whose 16th District includes parts of Peoria, McLean, Tazewell and Woodford counties visited the Peoria area Wednesday.

A popular, decades-old Woodford County eatery is fully reopened after a November fire led to a prolonged closure. Busy Corner in Goodfield started welcoming customers back into the building Thursday, four months to the day after the overnight blaze caused significant interior damage. For owner Derek Vollmer, the timing could not have worked out much better.

Among the agencies targeted for staff reductions by the Trump Administration are the National Weather Service and its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Illinois State Climatologist Trent Ford says the cuts will have wide-ranging detrimental effects.

Chris Waible is nearly four months into his new position as the president and CEO of Peoria's non-profit Downtown Development Corporation.  The Peoria native is back in his hometown after spending the past four years working in real estate business development in Wisconsin. He takes over leadership of the DDC from Michael Freilinger, the organization's original president and CEO who retired after 11 years.  Waible joins the challenge to restore vibrancy to Peoria's downtown amid a glut of vacant office space and a need for reinvestment. He explains why that's an opportunity he's eager to tackle.

Peoria City leaders continue to explore possible opportunities to restore vibrancy to the downtown area. Last fall, the city purchased the PNC Bank building, also known as the Tower on Adams complex, in hopes of attracting a private developer to pursue a mixed use, commercial and residential development. Meanwhile, the Riverview Plaza tower commonly known as the Chase Bank building remains shut down due to code violations that remain unresolved. City Manager Patrick Urich discusses how Peoria is eager to find ways to bring more people to the central business district.

The Trump Administration’s plans sweeping cuts to curtail federal spending have put the U.S. Department of Education in the crosshairs. How much of an impact could a potential dissolution of the federal Education Department have on public schools in Peoria County?

A lengthy career in the finance world has taken Omar Yunus from Peoria to Europe and now back, as he works to grow a startup aimed at helping nonprofit organizations find sustainable funding.

The dangers of air pollution from the smoke generated by West Coast wildfires can be more widespread and long-term, potentially impacting Central Illinois.

With owner Boyd Gaming preparing plans for a new gambling facility, Peoria city leaders have taken steps to make sure any land-based casino is located within their city’s boundaries. But what does this mean for East Peoria?

A City of Peoria program is helping unhoused people overcome the last few barriers between them and a home.

Wild rice grows in shallow waterways in the Great Lakes region and parts of Canada. It’s a plant that holds important ecological and cultural significance, but it’s been on the decline since the early 1900s.

Three candidates want to represent the district that includes downtown, much of the West and Center Bluffs, and a swath of Central Peoria that runs up to Glen Ave. That area also includes major higher ed institutions like Illinois Central College and Bradley University.

A wood building material can be used in high-rise structures, giving it the potential to replace materials that are bad for the climate, while also locking carbon into buildings for decades.

Anxious. Uncertain. Fearful. These are just a few of the emotions Peoria’s unsheltered residents and advocacy groups are feeling in the aftermath of the city’s recently approved public encampment ban.

WCBU Reports airs weekdays with an in-depth local news story from the WCBU Peoria Public Radio newsroom. New features are available every weekday by 5 a.m. WCBU Reports is also available wherever you get your podcasts.

Access to news in rural communities is dwindling, as newspaper staffs shrink and publications shutter. For these communities, some reports are coming from unexpected places.

The pumpkin pie Americans enjoy each Thanksgiving often comes from pumpkins grown near Morton, Illinois. The region accounts for more than 95% of canned pumpkin in the U.S.

Peoria Public Schools currently has 326 children identified as homeless.

Thousands of insect species use vibrations to communicate. Now, in part because of the foundational research of a Midwestern biology professor, more researchers are exploring insect vibrational communication to ward against pests and understand climate change.

District 150’s chronic absentee rate was 39.4% during the 2023-24 school year, compared to the state average of 26.3%. That's according to the latest state report card.

Greater Peoria’s LGBTQ community is anxious about what Donald Trump’s second presidency will mean for them.

WCBU Reports airs weekdays with an in-depth local news story from the WCBU Peoria Public Radio newsroom. New features are available every weekday by 5 a.m. WCBU Reports is also available wherever you get your podcasts.

The need for mental healthcare services is constant. In some places, particularly rural areas, it can be a struggle to find a provider.

The construction of Peoria County's third landfill is back on track, even if it is coming later than anyone expected. But if you ask any member of the deliberation group who hammered out the latest agreement on Landfill Three, the end was nowhere in sight just a few short months ago.

You might have an image of a farmer in their tractor or with a bucket feeding livestock. The reality is farmers can often be found in office cubicles, driving school buses or stocking shelves.

WCBU Reports airs weekdays with an in-depth local news story from the WCBU Peoria Public Radio newsroom. New features are available every weekday by 5 a.m. WCBU Reports is also available wherever you get your podcasts.

The most recent hire for the position says he's prepared to bring some stability.

WCBU Reports airs weekdays with an in-depth local news story from the WCBU Peoria Public Radio newsroom. New features are available every weekday by 5 a.m. WCBU Reports is also available wherever you get your podcasts.

The Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge is the core of a major flyway for migrating birds and one of the most visited refuges in the U.S. Anglers and outdoor enthusiasts saved it from being drained 100 years ago, but the next century brings new challenges.

Fueled by interest rate cuts and rising consumer confidence, home sales in the Peoria market seem to be turning a corner.

This year's inductees for the Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame include an archer with an incredible resume tucked into his quiver.

On election day, you may take just a few minutes to go to your nearest polling place, make sure your registration is in order and cast your ballot. A handful of students from a Bradley University government class will be spending their entire day there to make that process go smoothly.

WCBU Reports airs weekdays with an in-depth local news story from the WCBU Peoria Public Radio newsroom. New features are available every weekday by 5 a.m. WCBU Reports is also available wherever you get your podcasts.

Sandwiched between Roanoke and Benson a little less than an hour outside Peoria, there's a white farmhouse sitting on almost an acre of land. That's the new home of Down River Farm and its owner, first generation farmer Evan Barry.

A $6 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development will be used to continue the health department's Lead Safe Program that provides inspections and lead removal for Peoria homes built prior to 1978, when the federal ban on lead paint went into effect.

A broad coalition of city, county and state organizations are working on a new approach to juvenile justice.

Imagine today’s Major League Baseball stars picking up offseason side jobs as theater actors. It may sound strange now, but it happened relatively often in the sports “deadball” era.

WCBU Reports airs weekdays with an in-depth local news story from the WCBU Peoria Public Radio newsroom. New features are available every weekday by 5 a.m. WCBU Reports is also available wherever you get your podcasts.

WCBU Reports airs weekdays with an in-depth local news story from the WCBU Peoria Public Radio newsroom. New features are available every weekday by 5 a.m. WCBU Reports is also available wherever you get your podcasts.

Getting a new small business off the ground can be challenging, and even more so in some smaller communities. But one local company is working to help people across Peoria and Tazewell Counties navigate the process.

WCBU Reports airs weekdays with an in-depth local news story from the WCBU Peoria Public Radio newsroom. New features are available every weekday by 5 a.m. WCBU Reports is also available wherever you get your podcasts.

As the fall harvest season arrives each year, the economic significance of agriculture in the Peoria area becomes highly visible. That’s a fact Greater Peoria Economic Development Council CEO Chris Setti has come to appreciate after growing up in suburban Los Angeles.

Gardening is a thousand-year-old practice. For the past 100 of those years, growers in the Peoria area have turned to the Peoria Garden Club to flex their green thumbs.

Voters at the polls on Nov. 5 are choosing who will fill the seat of the tenth district circuit court judge.

In this interview, WCBU's Collin Schopp speaks with John Spears, the Democratic candidate for a Peoria County resident circuit court judge seat. He's running against Republican Judge Frank Ierulli.