Joe Deacon

1 week ago | wcbu.org | Joe Deacon

A day filled with family friendly activities at Peoria’s Glen Oak Park traces its roots back to children’s television. “This day is actually one of my favorite days of the entire year,” Peoria Park District Executive Director Emily Cahill said of the annual Worldwide Day of Play. “Nickelodeon would go dark for a day to try to encourage kids to get outside to play.

1 week ago | wcbu.org | Joe Deacon

A well-known bar and grill in the Campustown Shopping Center near Bradley University has closed. The Fieldhouse announced the decision in a social media post Wednesday. The message also has been posted on the sports-themed establishment’s doors. Restaurant owner Ryan Hunt wrote that the closure was a “very difficult decision” that came “with a heavy heart.”The Fieldhouse had been in operation since 2009, featuring a menu focused on pizza, hamburgers, and a wide variety of craft beers.

1 week ago | wcbu.org | Joe Deacon

Peoria Mayor Rita Ali looks forward to the next four years of working with her recently elected colleagues to guide the city in a positive direction. “Each and every one of you, I want to thank you for loving Peoria, for the leadership role that you’ve been playing, and for what we’re going to do together,” Ali told members of the newly seated Peoria City Council during Tuesday night’s two-hour special meeting.

1 week ago | wcbu.org | Joe Deacon

Gun crime is trending down in Peoria through the first four months of 2025, according to the Peoria Police Department. Statistics in a year-to-date report released last week by police show 14 shooting incidents from Jan. 1 through April 30, compared with 20 over the same time frame in 2024, and 24 in the year before. The 14 shooting incidents have resulted in 15 gunshot victims, including two homicides, said the report. There were 22 gunshot victims in the first four months of last year.

1 week ago | wcbu.org | Joe Deacon

The cost of gas in the Peoria area is mostly unchanged over the past week as the calendar turned to May. The fuel cost analysis website GasBuddy shows the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded at just under $3.34, a change of less than one cent in the past week. However, that average is down about $.06 from the start of April and $.43 from this time last year.