Peoria County | featured news

A high school history teacher in Quincy hopes to challenge Rep. Aaron Schock for the 18th Congressional District seat. Rob Mellon announced Tuesday that he planned to seek the Democratic nomination to challenge the third-term Peoria Republican lawmaker in the sprawling district that runs from east of Bloomington-Normal to the Iowa border. Though a political newcomer, he said by phone — after his teaching duties at Quincy Senior High School were done [...]

Andrew Bowman, a lifelong farmer, says he wants the most talented students working in agriculture. Establishing an allure for careers in agriculture and manufacturing was the underlying theme of the STEM Learning Exchange, a competition for 70 high school students hosted Tuesday at the Caterpillar Visitors Center. "We're trying to engage and excite students in career opportunities they might overlook, specifically manufacturing and agriculture," said Bowman, [...]

A North Valley man suspected of kidnapping and killing his estranged wife survived a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest Tuesday night that ended a nine-hour armed standoff with police. Phouvone Sophanavong, 45, was listed in critical condition at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center on Wednesday morning.He had been in his basement at 703 NE Monroe St. negotiating with police when he turned the gun on himself. He had repeatedly threatened to kill himself [...]

The departure next spring of Running Central, the largest tenant in the Heritage Square development on Prospect Road, won't keep Peoria Heights Mayor Mark Allen up at night. "I'm disappointed, of course, because I thought the business was a good fit for the village," Allen said Tuesday. "But the owner has to do what's best for his family and what's best for the village. We wish him well and are grateful for the years he was in Peoria Heights." The news [...]

The city of Henry will remain without a police chief for at least two more weeks after officials continued Monday to back away from projections made earlier about resolving the contentious issue. Both Mayor Randy Constantine and City Council police committee Chairman Shawn Carr had said two weeks ago they expected to have a selection ready for confirmation at Monday night's council meeting after scheduled interviews with six finalists. But a 30-minute [...]

A Bloomington man was indicted Tuesday by a Peoria County grand jury for being a registered sex offender allegedly within 500 feet of a school. Reggie A. Hankins, 65, faces up to three years in prison on the felony count. He was ordered held on $40,000 bond last month pending his Nov. 14 arraignment. Peoria police said a 15-year-old girl was approached by a man about noon Oct. 18 in the area of Marquette Avenue and Griswold Street. She refused to approach [...]

District 709 will buy a 125-acre piece of land for $4.4 million to address future facilities needs. School Board members approved the purchase Tuesday by unanimous vote. The district has up to five years to pay for the vacant parcel, located on the west side of Fourth Avenue in the southern end of Morton. Cost is $35,192 per acre. Sellers are Yordy family members Susan (David) Anderson, Christy (Michael) Unzicker and Jane Ann (Darin) Hoffmire. [...]

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 based green design and construction that benefits the project and surrounding community.“A lot of it is recognition that you're trying to be sustainable,” said Troy Hattermann, [...]

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Aiden Chang doesn't play like a typical sophomore. The Aquin guard leads the team in scoring and has aided the Bulldogs to their third straight regional championship.