Politics and Government

The East Peoria City Council rolled out the welcome mat for recreational cannabis Tuesday.

A group of Illinois Democratic lawmakers want to cap insulin prices at $100 per month.

U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos has hired the first Latina executive director to head the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. 

The City of Peoria should have a new fire station on the city’s South Side a year from now. 

The Peoria City Council last night took a partial step toward the legal sale of recreational cannabis.

Two Central Illinois attorneys have applied to fill the vacancy left on the bench by newly appointed Peoria County State's Attorney Jodi Hoos.

Attorneys Christopher Doscotch of Princeville and Gabriel Casey of Morton have applied to serve as a judge in the Tenth Judicial Circuit. 

Hoos resigned as a circuit judge at the beginning of this month to take over the top prosecutor's job formerly held by the late Jerry Brady. 

The Tazewell County Democrats gauged interest in the party’s 2020 presidential candidates at this year’s Pekin Marigold Festival.

More than 50 percent of the 153 voters who participated opted for former Vice President Joe Biden or U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in an unscientific straw poll. 

“Many people were a little overwhelmed by the number of choices on the table, but they were excited to have an opportunity to weigh in, however informal it may be," said Tazewell County Democratic Central Committee Chairwoman Brittany Miller. 

Tazewell County Board Chairman David Zimmerman is running for a fifth term. 

Zimmerman, a Morton Republican, was first elected as board chairman in 2008 after serving 12 years on the board. 

He touts keeping Tazewell County's tax rate low, trimming county employment by 10 percent and capping the Pekin landfill among his successes. 

Zimmerman, 58, is an Illinois State University graduate. He's worked as a pharmaceutical representative for 32 years. 

The election is next year. 

Illinois has become involved in a national debate over minimum staffing ratios on freight trains. 

The Washington City Council is set to open the doors to Tres Rojas Winery.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says President Donald Trump will take action to soften the effects of oil refinery exceptions for blending corn-based ethanol in motor fuel. 

You may be able to enjoy an alcoholic beverage while at a movie theater in the near future. 

OSF HealthCare employees will have available parking when its new mission headquarters opens in downtown. 

There is considerable pressure on Peoria city council members to decide where the city will stand on recreational cannabis sales and cultivation sooner rather than later.

Like other local governments throughout the state, Peoria is deliberating whether to allow the sale and cultivation of recreational marijuana within the city's borders. Possession of up to 30 grams and usage in most private spaces becomes legal in Illinois on January 1.

The Peoria City Council will hold a special meeting on Saturday to determine the city's directon on recreational cannabis businesses. 

The new state law legalizing recreational cannabis usage goes into effect on Jan. 1. But the law also allows municipalities wide leeway on whether or not to allow the cultivation and sale of recreational cannabis within their communities. 

Vistra Energy announced Wednesday it is closing its coal burning power plants in Canton, Havana, Hennepin and Coffeen.

In the wake of two high profile mass shootings this month, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul's office is making gun violence prosecutions a priority. A leader of the Illinois House, meanwhile, said new gun legislation will be on the table during the next legislative session.

Power in Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's office has been too centralized and its environment has fostered an atmosphere that condones bullying, intimidation, hazing and long work hours with inconsistent direction, according to an investigative report released Tuesday.

There is no dearth of opinions for East Peoria city commissioners to weigh as they decide whether to allow the sale of recreational cannabis next year.

The city council held a public forum on the issue on Tuesday evening. Residents fell on both sides of the issue. Some called for East Peoria to follow Morton and El Paso in banning recreational cannabis sales within its borders, while others said it presents an opportunity to create new jobs and tax revenue.

The president of the Peoria firefighters’ union says he hopes the recent Illinois Labor Relations Board ruling in their favor coaxes the city to head to the bargaining table. 

An investigation of sexual harassment in House Speaker Michael Madigan's office found that control has been too centralized and discourages complaints about mistreatment.

The city of East Peoria will hold a public forum Tuesday to gauge where citizens stand on recreational cannabis sales. 

State Senator Jason Barickman concedes a new law he co-sponsored to prevent further trauma to some sexual assault victims might not be enough to assuage victims' concerns.

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Peoria) said it’s hard to tell which way the president is leaning after he again mused about commuting the sentence of former Governor Rod Blagojevich yesterday. 

The city of Galesburg is bumping a police captain up into the chief's office. 

Eight years after former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted of corruption, the state of Illinois seeking to bar him from practicing law. 

State Treasurer Mike Frerichs is among the first Illinois officials to endorse a candidate in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, and he's backing Elizabeth Warren.

Frerichs made the announcement seemingly out of the blue this week. Other statewide officeholders — including Governor J.B. Pritzker — have so far kept out of the crowded Democratic primary.

He said Warren “stands out” among the 20-plus candidates — and particularly likes her plan to cancel student loan debt for a large swath of Americans, paying for it with a wealth tax.

Illinois’ 45 billion dollar infrastructure plan is expected to attract a lot of outside contractors to help complete the work. But union worries over whether those contractors will pay the required salaries has spurred action from the Comptroller’s office.

There will soon be 30 new houses built in Peoria’s East Bluff neighborhood.