By MARISA GUERRA ECHEVERRIA Medill Illinois News Bureau news@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary Housing advocates viewed the 2026 legislative session as a mixed bag as they secured new funding but fell short in passing statewide zoning laws aimed at spurring housing development. Competing proposals in the spring ...

By WMBD TV CENTRAL ILLINOIS - Thousands of people remain without power after several waves of storms rolled through the area Thursday. Some were still offline from storms Wednesday night but Thursday's event took out more than 79,000 people statewide, according to the Ameren Illinois Outage map. McLean County had 4,645...

NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) - The Humane Society of Central Illinois has welcomed over a dozen Southern Illinois animals displaced by storms. HSCI has provided refuge for animals in need, including eight dogs, four adult cats and three litters of kittens, said Nicole Monson, a spokesperson for the Humane Society. By transferri...

By WMBD TV PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) - Komatsu had a lot to smile about Wednesday as they celebrated the opening of their new $28 million surface haulage and mining headquarters in Peoria. This three-story, 75,000 square-foot building has been added to the Komatsu campus on Northwest Adams Street, but it will not add any add...

By JENNA SCHWEIKERT Capitol News Illinois jschweikert@capitolnewsillinois.com Small volunteer groups that provide food assistance to Illinoisans in need could be eligible for a new round of grant money under a program announced this week. The Charitable Trust Hunger Relief Grant program will provide grants of up t...

By HANNAH WEBSTER Medill Illinois News Bureau news@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary During the last week of the legislative session, the Illinois legislature passed a bill that would require the Department of Children and Family Services to make special considerations of reproductive and gender-affirming healthc...

By WMBD TV WASHINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) - Two men have been arrested in connection with the Heartland Bank and Trust robbery on June 4. Willie B. Franklin, 50, was arrested in Fort Myers, Florida, and Marcellus D. Ward, 48, was arrested in Tazewell County. Both were arrested on Wednesday. The Washington Police Department re...

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com Story Summary Last year, as part of the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," Congress cut off Medicaid eligibility to nearly all groups of noncitizens except lawful permanent residents, effective Oct. 1. To comply with the new federal rules, sta...