Politics and Government

The City of Peoria has hired Indiana Department of Transportation Deputy Commissioner Rick Powers to lead the city's public works department.

Powers currently heads the Indiana DOT's LaPorte Division, with a staff of 500 employees and annual budget of $300 million. Powers was previously the head of the Indianapolis Code Enforcement Department and Co-Chair of the Super Bowl Host Committee. He previously worked in Virginia and served in the U.S. Marine Corps. 

Local congressional representatives are speaking out about a string of President Trump’s tweets aimed at four Democratic congresswomen of color.

Governor JB Pritzker joined Department of Transportation employees in Edwards today to talk about infrastructure projects planned for the Peoria region.

The Illinois State Board of Education has decided to review the slate of standardized tests students take, to try to make sure the exams align with each other.

Currently, kindergarteners are evaluated by one test, then elementary students with another, and high school juniors with a third. All those tests measure different concepts, making it difficult to see where the curriculum needs to be improved.

Amanda Elliott, legislative affairs director with the state board, says the current system causes many districts to implement additional tests.