Peoria County | featured news

MAYVILLE, Wis. — An Illinois man is charged with a felony after allegedly using a stun gun on his wife as part of a bet on the Packers-Bears game.John Grant, of Tinley Park, was charged Tuesday with possession of an electric weapon in Dodge County.While driving through Mayville in their semi, the couple stopped at a bar to watch Monday's game, where the Packers lost 27-20.

SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois General Assembly is holding its final scheduled meeting of the year.The Illinois House is expected to vote on stiffer penalties for felons and gang members who illegally carry guns. The Senate is poised to vote on providing tax incentives to two major companies to stay in Illinois.Lawmakers will adjourn Thursday and return in January unless they're called back sooner for a [...]

PEORIA — With Veterans Day approaching, local organizations gathered Wednesday for a discussion with U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos about veterans issues.The stop in Peoria, held in conjunction with her Standing Up for Our Veterans Tour, allowed Bustos to hear from area experts on the current state of veterans conditions from the Peoria portion of her congressional district. The East Moline Democrat wanted a snapshot of veterans in Peoria, and heard some [...]

PEORIA — A grant awarded Wednesday will provide nearly a quarter of a million dollars for the Peoria Housing Authority's elderly assistance programs during the next three years. The $246,000 grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development will support PHA's resident opportunities and self-sufficiency programs, which serve public housing residents 62 and older.The programs fund a supportive services manager, who works out of [...]

PEORIA — A Peoria man was ordered held on $500,000 bond Wednesday for allegedly shooting another man during an attempted robbery last week.Ramone D. Walker, 31, of 2411 N. Delaware St. is charged in Peoria County Circuit Court with aggravated battery and aggravated discharge of a firearm in the Nov. 1 shooting of Marquez Smith in the 300 block of Hancock Street.He faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted. Circuit Judge Thomas Keith [...]

SPRINGFIELD (AP) — Illinois is on track to bring in an extra $369 million in revenue for the current fiscal year, according to the General Assembly's budget forecasters. The Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability reported Tuesday that the state's extra money includes another $200 million from sales tax income and an additional $72 million from court settlements. Officials credit the gains in part to an increase in car sales as well as income tax [...]

EAST PEORIA — As a net result of a campus-wide initiative to promote sustainability, Illinois Central College announced last week that its Cougarplex athletic facility was honored for its green design.The facility was awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification for its green design and construction that benefits the project and surrounding community."A lot of it is recognition that you're trying to [...]

METAMORA — Elizabeth Criss, a teacher at Metamora Township High School, was hurrying around a room usually reserved for study hall. The room was used for fine dining on Wednesday afternoon and she had to make sure her students, and the room, were ready to serve 118 individuals."This is a very trusted group of kids," Criss said as she conducted her high school students. "It's very nice working side-by-side with these kids."This isn't an unusual situation [...]

EUREKA — One of two California men facing felony charges in Woodford County is expected to be released this week after pleading guilty.Tyler Lang, 25, of Lomita, Calif., will face 30 months of probation and 50 hours of community service for a single charge of possession of burglary tools following his arrest on Aug. 15 during a traffic stop.During that stop, Lang and co-defendant Kevin Johnson, 26, of Los Angeles were taken into custody [...]

PEORIA — A restaurant employee reported an attempted robbery Monday evening as she walked from one end of a shopping complex to the other to make an after-hours deposit.An employee of Great Harvest Bread Company, 9010 N. Allen Road, told police she was walking from the business to a bank in the strip mall when she realized someone was walking behind her.She turned around and saw a man, who called out to her and told her he had something for her. She [...]