Shabnam Danesh

3 weeks ago | centralillinoisproud.com | Thomas Pickering |Shabnam Danesh |Andy Kravetz

PEORIA HEIGHTS, Ill. (WMBD) — An early morning fire on Friday caused major damage to an iconic restaurant in Peoria Heights. Interim Fire Chief Tony Ardis said the alarm came at 4 a.m. and crews responded to Peoria Pizza Works, 921 N. Prospect Road. When they arrived, flames, the chief said, were shooting out of the roof, prompting an immediate call for backup and a request for mutual aid from their neighbor, the city of Peoria. Other departments that responded included Dunlap and West Peoria.

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Shabnam Danesh

Editor’s note: Since this story aired on Saturday May 24, 2025, a federal court this week blocked the White House efforts to place tariffs on a wide range of goods coming into the nation. The ruling from a three-judge panel at the New York-based U.S. Court of International Trade came after several lawsuits arguing Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs exceeded his authority. Not all the tariffs were blocked. Here’s a list of some that weren’t. Below is our story from last week.

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Shabnam Danesh

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Illinois Republicans are sounding the alarm about a proposed clean energy plan, saying it will only increase costs for you. The goal of the Clean and Reliability Grid Affordability Act is to accelerate Illinois’ transition to renewable energy. It would upgrade the power grid and create a battery storage plan. Large data centers would also be required to supply their own energy.

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Shabnam Danesh

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Millions of Americans may soon lose food assistance program benefits as the reconciliation bill moves through Congress, while local food pantries are already seeing a lot of new faces. The reconciliation bill proposed $300 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food benefits to low-income families.

1 month ago | yahoo.com | Shabnam Danesh

PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Student loan payments are officially back after the extended pandemic pause, but this time, missing a payment could cost you more than just accumulating interest. A new federal policy allows the government to subject borrowers in default to wage garnishment, sparking concern among students and recent graduates across the country, including here in Central Illinois. “It’s definitely raising concern, especially among students who are juggling jobs and bills.