Joe Deacon

2 weeks ago | wcbu.org | Joe Deacon

The City of Peoria has a new hauling contract for solid waste and recycling service as it looks to keep disposal costs affordable for the next 30 years. “I hope the public realizes what a sweet spot we’re in right now,” District 3 council member Tim Riggenbach said Tuesday before the Peoria City Council unanimously approved the new three-year agreement with GFL Environmental. “We’re going to have the same landfill operator as the entity picking up our residential trash on a regular basis.

2 weeks ago | nprillinois.org | Joe Deacon

Larry Lyons recalls many of the thoughts that lingered in his head through the morning hours of April 7, 2015. A plane carrying seven men associated with Illinois State University athletics and the Bloomington-Normal business community had just crashed as it approached Central Illinois Regional Airport. “The first question is always, ‘Why?’ I mean, somebody can come up with an answer physically why,” said Lyons, who was ISU’s athletic director at the time.

2 weeks ago | nprillinois.org | Joe Deacon

Illinois State Rep. Travis Weaver is looking to establish an incentive aimed at helping Illinois universities attract and retain college athletes while boosting general enrollment applications. A bill introduced earlier this year by Weaver would provide an income tax exemption on up to $100,000 in Name, Image and Likeness [NIL] earnings. The second-term Republican from Edwards says that could give Illinois college sports programs a leg up when it comes to recruiting.

2 weeks ago | wcbu.org | Joe Deacon

The City of Peoria and Peoria County are expected to finalize a financial settlement to bring an end to a lawsuit brought by the estate of a man who spent 47 years in prison before his murder conviction was vacated in 2017. The family of Cleve Heidelberg had sought $100 million in damages from the city, the county, and former police officers and prosecutors involved in the 1970 criminal case. Heidelberg was found guilty of killing Peoria County Sheriff’s Sgt.

3 weeks ago | wcbu.org | Joe Deacon

A Peoria County jury has convicted a 19-year-old man of second-degree murder in the 2023 fatal shooting outside a Peoria liquor store. Jared R. Williams had faced first-degree murder charges in the death Mason Loy, 21, of Havana. During the two-day trial, Williams admitted to the shooting, but testified that he acted out of fear for his life because Loy had made prior threats to kill him and his family.