By NIKOEL HYTREK & JENNA SCHWEIKERT Capitol News Illinois news@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary As lawmakers put their final touches on the budget, they passed dozens of other bills in a late-night session that are now heading to the governor. Among those bills are protections for kids in foster case, limit...

NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) - The town of Normal announced that it will be holding a special event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66 on Sunday. A 1950s-themed roadside picnic will take place at One Normal Plaza from noon to 4 p.m. on June 7, according to Cathy Oloffson, a town of Normal spokesperson. The picnic wi...

By WMBD TV BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) - The Miller Park Zoo announced that it has hired a new zoo director. Paul Bouseman will take up the role of zoo director starting on June 15, according to Thom Rakestraw, a spokesperson for the city of Bloomington's Parks and Recreation Department. He will be taking over for Jay Pra...

By HANNAH MEISEL Capitol News Illinois hmeisel@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary In an exceptionally rare move Tuesday, U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros published a "special report" containing the transcript of a nearly four-minute speech he gave to a grand jury in October that would go on to indict the &...

By JERRY NOWICKI Capitol News Illinois jnowicki@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary The legislative and judicial branches dealt a pair of blows to a state law banning "swipe fees" being applied to the tax and tip portion of a debit or credit card transaction. Lawmakers delayed the ban for another year, ...

By WMBD TV BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) - Demolition of the building on Front and Center Street has been completed, and it has been turned into a surface parking lot. The demolition of the building started at the end of October last year, and is one of many changing spaces in downtown Bloomington. The lot is not yet open f...

By WMBD TV BELLEVUE, Ill. (WMBD) - A West Bluff man is in the Peoria County Jail after being arrested for allegedly pretending to be a sheriff's deputy. Dennis Walker, also known as Josh Coats, 44, faces a slew of charges, including being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a defaced firearm, having no va...

By WMBD TV PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) - Last summer, State Farm increased its home insurance rate by 27%, much to the outrage of Gov. JB Pritzker. Fast forward to the last days of the Illinois Spring Session, state lawmakers passed two bills that now allow the Illinois Department of Insurance to deny any rate increase to auto...