The termination of the Cure Violence program has raised questions and prompted a criminal investigation into possible financial malfeasance. Mayor Rita Ali discusses the problems with the program and how the void it left behind can be filled.

Peoria recently agreed to spend $1.75 million to buy the downtown PNC Bank Building, along with an adjoining office building and parking deck. In part one of our latest monthly interview with Peoria Mayor Rita Ali, she explains the benefits of the acquisition.

If you’re feeling exhausted at your workplace, it’s not just you. Experts say the American workforce is undergoing a “Great Exhaustion.” The term, coined in a Dec. 2023 New Yorker article, is how West Virginia University Chair and Professor of Behavioral Medicine and Psychology James Berry describes the phenomenon resulting in 60% or more of the U.S. workforce saying they are “moderately burnt out” or more.

A cluster of urban greenery running along six blocks of Western Avenue near Bradley University may not seem like anything terribly remarkable to a casual passerby, but this grassroots park isn't quite like any other in Peoria. The Western Avenue Greenway Project isn't managed by the city of Peoria or by the Peoria Park District, but by the neighbors themselves.

The average American household throws away more than a thousand dollars of food every year. The Food and Drug Administration estimates that, nationally, 30 to 40 percent of the food supply is wasted annually. Fortunately, there are paths for food waste that don’t end at the landfill.

Peoria is the largest city in Illinois without a senior wellness and activity center. Peggy Jacques is spearheading a push to get a senior center built in Peoria.

The city of Delavan in southern Tazewell county is making a reinvigorated push to revitalize its historic downtown corridor.

The organization Peoria Grow Your Own distributed a $5,000 grant among 9 women last year, for necessities like professional clothing, gas and childcare.

If you've ever been on the operating table, there's a good chance you took it for granted that the medical staff surrounding you were certified to do their jobs.While that's mostly the case, there's one job specific to surgery where that may not always be true.A bill in Springfield is seeking to change that.

A growing number of hospitals are looking for other solutions to no-show appointments, instead of costly fees.

East Peoria Mayor John Kahl says he’s committed to making sure the city maintains a welcoming atmosphere for businesses, and that’s a big reason behind the move to establish TIF district along the Illinois River.

Medical professionals in Peoria County say some things are the same as any flu season, while other things have changed to create new challenges. There are three diseases experts expect to circulate this year: COVID-19, Influenza and RSV.

Bradley University Interim President Jonathan Michael says they hope to have a new president in place by the start of the next school year.

An advanced technology coming to Peoria County offers the ability to track stolen vehicles without needing to engage in high speed pursuits.

"Law and Order." That's what Peoria County State's Attorney Jodi Hoos says has been her goal since she was first appointed to the office in 2019. Now, five years later, Hoos faces a challenger from outside her own party for the first time.

As the city of Peoria grapples with how to address its unhoused population and discourage people from camping in public locations, Mayor Rita Ali is taking a clear but layered stance.

Research shows Generation Z is getting more politically involved than older ones did at their age.

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.

Scientists at the Peoria Ag Lab are concocting a new solution to a problem that's long plagued the ethanol production process.

There's new twists galore in a Peoria author's latest installment in his book series centered around the travails of high school martial-arts enthusiast Aiden Rothe and friends.

Peoria City Manager Patrick Urich expects an agreement with GFL Environmental on plans to address the delayed construction of a new landfill will be in place by the end of September.

More than four years after removing a statue of controversial explorer Christopher Columbus from upper Laura Bradley Park, the Peoria Park District has commissioned an artist to create a replacement.

The long-anticipated transformation of the Peoria Park District’s Golf Learning Center into an interactive entertainment facility is now underway.

Steven Snook's path to Christian ministry wasn't like most. His story begins not in seminary school, but in federal prison.

New display cases at the Peoria Riverfront Museum hold an impressive collection of hand-carved waterfowl decoys, but they’re also the symbol of a new business relationship between a Native American tribe and the city that bears its name.

Almost six months in, Peoria's River Kitty Cafe is purring right along. The combination coffee shop/cat cafe has found a forever home for dozens of furry friends.

Another respiratory infection is circulating as medical professionals prepare for the upcoming flu season.

Advocates for Peoria's unhoused population see a lot of problems with the city's proposal to ban unauthorized encampments on public property.

East Peoria is planning for the future and moving forward on the development of the 2045 comprehensive plan.

Peoria's Whittier Primary School is sowing the seeds for many young award-winning poets. The school had one student win and one receive an honorable mention in the statewide Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards, an annual competition for K-12 students.

One of the lesser-known names of the civil rights movement will be in the spotlight this Friday in Peoria.

Almost 3,000 Bradley University students are returning to campus this week with a new tenth generation iPad in hand, free of charge.

Neighborhood groups and associations are an important part of the fabric that keeps Peoria strong. A push to increase participation in these groups is aimed at improving quality of life, and reinforcing the bonds that hold the city together.

The Cure Violence gun violence prevention program is moving forward on Peoria’s south side, without the community organization contracted by the health department.

The Peoria Park District is commissioning Preston Jackson to create a new work for the spot where Christopher Columbus once stood in upper Bradley Park.

The City of Peoria is looking at taking steps to end homeless encampments on public property, following other communities that have enacted similar bans in recent weeks.

Transportation remains one of the biggest barriers to accessing behavioral health services, especially in rural areas. But home visitation services are filling those transportation gaps. This is based on interviews with professionals and community members cited in a recently released report from Birth to Five on children's behavioral health.

Central Illinois county clerks want to answer the public’s questions about election security before the presidential election in November.

Federal funding covers more than a third of a project to replace water infrastructure along Peoria Heights’ Route 29.

During her time working with the Pekin Police Department, social worker Misti Cave believes they've made strides in assisting the unhoused individuals staying in the handful of camps along the Illinois River. Pekin officials remain committed to Cave’s outreach approach of connecting with the city's homeless population, saying a new policy prohibiting encampments on public property is a tool to help individuals find a path to stable housing.

A partnership between the East Bluff Community Center and Heartland Health Services is bringing a new health clinic to the East Bluff.

Tazewell County diagnoses 10 new sexually transmitted infections a week on average. That's according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Reports from the Tazewell County Health Department, currently updated through 2022, offer deeper context into the statistic.

The city of Pekin has a logo, but it doesn't have a flag. The city's beautification committee wants to change that.

Sarah Couri of the Peoria Public Library joins WCBU's Tim Shelley to talk about some of the books on the library's shelves you might want to read as summer winds down. 

The process to replace the aging air traffic control tower at the General Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport has faced some bumps in the road.

The roof of the 110-year-old Lawford Theater caved in, forcing several other downtown businesses to close due to the damage and a gas leak.

A new school year has begun in Peoria, and District 150 Superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat is optimistic new programs to combat chronic absenteeism and phone use will be successful.

Summer travel figures at Gen. Wayne A. Downing Peoria International Airport are approaching record totals, and the administration is looking at more ways to keep passenger numbers on the rise.

Rural communities in Fulton County are asking for some federal support after widespread damage from this summer’s torrential downpours.

It's August and a new school year is here. With a new school year comes back to school preparation.