On Deck

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, February 24, 2021. Our top story is about how two Peoria mayoral candidates are moving on to the April 6th general election. WCBU's Tim Shelley breaks down the results of yesterday's primary election. You'll also hear how the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy or CEDS is a document developed every five years to establish a working plan for the economies in five counties: Peoria, Woodford, Tazewell, Mason, and Logan.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, February 23, 2021. Our top story is about how a Morton family is creating a new scholarship to help students with dyslexia achieve their goals in higher education.  You'll also hear how in 1870 in the small town of El Paso, IL, a barber and Civil War veteran named David Strother was the first Black man in the state, and one of the first in the country, to exercise his legal right to vote in an election. Just as important: it was a local election.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Monday, February 22, 2021. Our top story is about how the rehabilitation of a low-income apartment complex on Peoria's western edge is wrapping up this spring. But there's already hundreds of people on the waitlist. You'll also hear how running a small business is hard, and those challenges are compounded for Black small business owners. WCBU student reporter Jordan Mead explores how local entrepreneurs are breaking down those barriers.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Friday, February 19, 2021. Our top story is about how the Rotary Club of Canton is hosting an effort to help at-risk community college students meet their needs. You'll also hear how the spike in unemployment and COVID has created unique challenges for those seeking a job and the various agencies assisting them. WCBU's Kristin McHugh tells us how Goodwill has pivoted to address those barriers.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, February 18, 2021. Our top story is about how Governor JB Pritzker says his proposed state budget protects those suffering the most during the COVID-19 pandemic. But Republican lawmakers immediately criticized the governor for using gimmicks to balance it out. You'll also hear how finding a job as the pandemic wears on is proving difficult for many. Individuals with disabilities can face even larger hurdles.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, February 17, 2021. Our top story is about how the statewide Workforce Equity Initiative aims to train individuals to secure better-paying jobs. Locally, that means $14.75 per hour or more. That's 30 percent above Peoria County's living wage. But COVID throws some wrenches in learning. You'll also hear how in his first few weeks in office, President Joe Biden has rolled back multiple federal policies that negatively affected LGBTQ+ people under former president Donald Trump.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, February 16, 2021. Our top story is about how for the past several days, temperatures in central Illinois have rarely reached double digits and snow is piling up resulting in hazardous road conditions and poor air quality. You'll also hear how high school basketball and other sports are back in action in central Illinois. But with limitations on the number of spectators allowed, schools are turning to live-streaming the events for fans and family members.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Monday, February 15, 2021. Our top story is about how with the advent of remote learning options during the COVID-19 pandemic, school snow days could become increasingly rare. You'll also hear how Daniel Aschheim is the new Consul for Public Diplomacy at the Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest. WCBU's Tim Shelley spoke to him after a recent Peoria Area World Affairs Council event about Israel's relationship with the new Biden administration and other issues.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Friday, February 12, 2021. Our top story is about how the Peoria Riverfront Museum may not be opening to patrons again until next month, but that doesn't mean they're not still finding ways to honor Black history. You'll also hear how few people know rural Elmwood was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. WCBU student reporter Olivia Streeter talks to historian Brandon Butler about the Phelps Barn, and his mission to educate his community on the importance of Black history. 

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, February 11, 2021. Our top story is about how the large encampment of people experiencing homelessness, living under the Murray Baker Bridge made headlines last year. Now, Phoenix Community Development Services has secured permanent shelters for 12 of them. WCBU student reporter Jordan Mead has that story. You'll also hear how surging overall demand for the COVID-19 vaccine may mask hesitancy among certain populations, particularly among people of color. That's why Dr.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, February 10, 2021. Our top story is about how when it comes to the Peoria area's wish list for state legislators, there's a lot of needs. But one clearly comes in as priority number one.  You'll also hear how two Peoria-area physicians and educators will take part in an upcoming forum discussion on the growing need for more Black male doctors.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, February 9, 2021. Our top story is about how with Illinois' return to Phase 4, that means it's time to hit the ice again. WCBU correspondent Mike Rundle heads to the Owens Center to check in. You'll also hear how lawyers representing some of the families who lost relatives after a COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home are preparing to file their lawsuit. You'll hear from one of those families.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Monday, February 8, 2021. Our top story is about how Central Illinois is almost three weeks into 1-B vaccinations. WCBU student reporter Olivia Streeter checks in with UnityPoint Health to see how their process is going. You'll also hear how university presidents recently wrote Governor JB Pritzker a letter asking him to move higher education staff and students up to the 1-B vaccination phase. But in a conversation with WCBU's Tim Shelley, the governor says that's unlikely.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Friday, February 5, 2021. Our top story is about how Peoria's inaugural Community First class of police recruits worked with another city department to get their feet wet before heading off to the academy. They're now preparing to take that grassroots knowledge on to their new jobs. You'll also hear how Peoria's Fourth City Council District will soon have a new representative around the horseshoe. WCBU reporter Joe Deacon will bring you more on the three new candidates running.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, February 4, 2021. Our top story is about how the 3rd Peoria City Council District candidates recently participated in a forum hosted by the Peoria NAACP. WCBU's Tim Shelley rounds up their takes on police reform needs in the River City. You'll also hear how an education bill with wide-ranging provisions is drawing mixed reaction from Central Illinois school superintendents. The Governor has yet to sign it, but says he will. Some say the bill would be challenging to implement.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, February 3, 2021. Our top story is about how Illinois is failing to stem the tide of continual population loss that has beleaguered the state the last several years, according to recent U.S. Census data. WCBU's Tim Shelley examines the latest numbers. You'll also hear how even though Peoria may not seem to be fertile ground for producing a Flamenco band, you will hear from singer, songwriter, and co-founder of the band Tambora.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Our top story is about how new COVID-19 variants are making their way into America and into Illinois. WCBU's Tim Shelley tells you what you need to know. You'll also hear how construction is set to begin this spring on a one-mile stretch of Western Avenue in Peoria's Southside neighborhood. WCBU correspondent Tory Dahlhoff brings us a story about the potential community and economic impact of the street improvements. 

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Monday, February 1, 2021. Our top story is about how libraries in the Peoria area are beginning to reopen their doors and services to the public again with altered guidelines to reinforce safety. You'll also hear how the small-town theater was an endangered species before the pandemic, but in 2020, the coronavirus forced theaters to close completely, for months at a time. Chad Timmerman heads the committee that runs the Town Theatre, a movie house purchased by the Optimists Club of Chillicothe 10 years ago.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Friday, January 29, 2021. Our top story is about how a slow rollout continues to impact the efforts of long-term care facilities to vaccinate residents and staff for COVID-19. WCBU student reporter Jordan Mead checked in with several of those facilities to measure our area's progress. You'll also hear how Havana, Illinois is working with the University of Illinois to develop the city into a rural tourism destination. 

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, January 28, 2021. Our top story is about how one of every 20 children in Illinois have had a parent in jail or prison. That's according to a new report released by a task force that's hoping to ease the challenges those children can face. You'll also hear how the COVID-19 pandemic made 2020 a tough year for many businesses, but Peoria's real estate market recorded one of its best years on record, with home sales up 18.3 percent over 2019. Jason Catton is president of the Peoria Area Association of Realtors.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, January 27, 2021. Our top story is about how Peoria Public Schools is pushing back the proposed implementation of its "balanced calendar" from Fall 2021 to Fall 2022. You'll also hear how after a three-week interview process, Bill Brady's former State Senate seat now belongs to a former Logan County clerk. Five Republican Party county chairs have chosen Sally Turner of Beason to represent the 44th District for the next two years. The decision was unanimous.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, January 26, 2021. Our top story is about how Central Illinois moving into Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan means basketball and other high-risk high school sports are one step closer to returning. You'll also hear how it's been nearly a year since many musicians have performed live. For many, that loss of live energy and fan enthusiasm has been a big struggle. WCBU student reporter Olivia Streeter takes a look at how one Peoria band is coping with that loss.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Monday, January 25, 2021. Our top story is about how thousands are receiving their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as the Peoria area moves into phase 1-B. You'll also hear how there's a new State Senator serving Illinois' 37th District. Win Stoller ran unopposed in last year's Republican primary and defeated an independent write-in candidate in the general election. Stoller, who succeeded Chuck Weaver, has worked for about 23 years at Widmer Interiors, which sells office furniture in Peoria.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Friday, January 22, 2021. Our top story is about how high school sports are close to resuming in Illinois and two Peoria-area athletic directors say players and coaches are excited and eager to return to action. You'll also hear how the five candidates on the primary ballot to replace outgoing Peoria mayor Jim Ardis say they want to lead the city through its current challenges and into the future.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, January 21, 2021. Our top story is about how as the Federal Correctional Institute in Pekin endures its second COVID-19 outbreak, the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois is monitoring conditions at all prisons and jails. You'll also hear how overall demand for COVID-19 vaccinations is strong in the Peoria area, but that's not as true for the Black and Latin-X communities.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, January 20, 2021. Our top story is about how with our region's move back to Tier 1 COVID mitigations, some Peoria restaurants are preparing to offer indoor dining for the first time in months. You'll also hear how Stark County, Illinois was the base of operations for the Gypsy Coeds, a group of young women from the Bradford area who piled into a 1926 Ford Model T and toured the country in the 1930's and early 1940's. WCBU correspondent Steve Tarter recently spoke with John Butte, who owns that infamous car.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Tuesday, January 19, 2021. Our top story is about how the Peoria area will roll out the next phase of coronavirus vaccines to frontline essential workers and people age 65 and older starting this week. You'll also hear how about ten thousand workers across more than a dozen Illinois hospitals run by OSF HealthCare have received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Friday, January 15, 2021. Our top story is about how two men making history in leadership positions with prominent Peoria institutions will be the featured speakers for Monday's 35th annual Martin Luther King march and service. You'll also hear how Illinois is now a year into cannabis conviction expungements. Some counties like Peoria wiped away those records way ahead of schedule, but others are still working through the process.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Thursday, January 14, 2021. Our top story is about how analysts say auto sales dipped by 15 percent last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. That's the indutry's worst showing since the 1980's. You'll also hear how interior designers and decorators are seeing more business due to all the video conferencing during the pandemic. You'll also get some helpful tips from these professionals, on how to best present your "Zoom room" on screen.

WCBU's On Deck has everything you need to know to start your day for Wednesday, January 13, 2021. Our top story concerns local law enforcement concerns about a new criminal justice reform bill winding its way through the Illinois General Assembly. Hear from Peoria County Sheriff Brian Asbell and Tazewell County Sheriff Jeff Lower. You'll also hear about the ongoing process to replace retired state Sen. Bill Brady.