Tagged: Peoria

Several Memorial Day events are planned this weekend to honor past and present soldiers. The American Legion Post Two conducts services Sunday morning at St. Mary’s Cemetery at 10:30, Parkview Cemetery at 11:15 and at noon at Veterans Park.  

The number of people filing unemployment claims decreased one percent from March to April.  The Illinois Department of Employment Security reports the unemployment rate at 7.9 percent in the Peoria Metropolitan Statistical Area.  That’s up a half-a-percent from the same time last year.  2,600 fewer jobs were added last month compared to April last year.  That’s largely due to a temporary layoff in manufacturing jobs.  But more than 1,000 jobs were added in educational-health services compared to the same time last year. 

The Peoria Park District is putting some state parks grant funding to work on building a Nature Center in Tawny Oaks. It’s next to Singing Woods off Route 88 in North Peoria. Bonnie Noble is the Executive Director of the Peoria Park District. She says the more than $217,000 state grant gets the Tawny Oaks Nature Center project started: 

Peoria School District 150 Superintendent Grenita Lathan delivered her third State of the Schools address.  About 300 people attended the breakfast meeting at Four Points Sheraton.  Lathan says the district is having to operate on a slim budget as it grapples with annual deficits and less state funding.  She says the recent two-year contract extension with the Peoria Federation of Teachers helps the district financially:

The Red, White and BOOM celebration is coming back to Peoria for the 27th year. The cities of Peoria and East Peoria as well as UnityPoint Health-Methodist come together with other area organizations to host the 100-thousand dollar firework production. East Peoria Mayor Dave Mingus says the event is a signal of unity between the two communities:

"Since then, of course, its not just unity between our community, but it's the whole unity with the entire region - all the people it draws in. It gives me great satisfaction to see families down there at the riverfront, both sides, you can hear what's going on," Mingus says.