By WMBD TV PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) - A Peoria woman was arrested after allegedly driving a stolen ambulance Wednesday afternoon. Crystal J. Crane, 41, was arrested on a charge of unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle, said Semone Roth, a spokeswoman for the Peoria Police Department. Just before 2:30 p.m. on July 15...

By WMBD TV BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) - A barber in Bloomington is giving back to her community by providing free haircuts for students as they return to school. "There's a lot of power in a haircut. Going back to school, everybody wants to be fresh on their first day," said Nashya Johnson of CEO Blendz. "...

By WMBD TV BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) - A Bloomington man is in custody after threatening to kidnap and eat an officer, "Hannibal Lector style," late last week. Joel Perez, 36, appeared in McLean County Circuit Court after being charged with five counts related to a series of events that occurred on July 8 and ...

By WMBD TV BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) - The city of Bloomington has received another grant from the Illinois Housing Development Authority to revitalize homes. This is the second grant the city has received, the first being $500,000 last year. Bloomington was a top performer in terms of spending that grant money on housi...

By BETH HUNDSDORFER Capitol News Illinois bhundsdorfer@capitolnewsillinois.com On a Sunday night in early January, Rachel Tarrence stopped in the drive-thru lane of an East St. Louis liquor store to buy cigarettes for a friend who sat beside her. Her 4-year-old son was strapped in his car seat in the back. Seconds ...

By BEN SZALINSKI Capitol News Illinois bszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary President Donald Trump's budget calls for cutting $372 million in funding for the Essential Air Service program, which subsidizes commercial flights to Decatur, Marion and Quincy. The longstanding program provides airlines financi...

By MAGGIE DOUGHERTY Capitol News Illinois mdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary Peoples Gas cut $58 million, or nearly 30%, from the rate hike it requested in January. If approved by the Illinois Commerce Commission, typical residential bills would increase by $7-8 per month in 2027, rather than the $10-...

By PETER HANCOCK Capitol News Illinois phancock@capitolnewsillinois.com Story Summary The Illinois State Board of Education recently released a guidance document intended to help schools and districts make decisions about whether and how to use artificial intelligence in classrooms and school operations. Illinois lawma...