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Road work: Everything you needed to know about the landmark Interstate
74 overhaul, with special sections previewing work, daily updates and more.
Snowed in: An early December storm and related snow removal problems
strands hundreds of motorists at home and forces District 150 to cancel an
unheard-of three days of school. As with the 1999 New Year's Day snowstorm
that paralyzed Peoria, the Journal Star delved into why the city was unable
to remove snow in a timely manner.
IHSA basketball championships: The JS provides a comprehensive guide to
tournament coverage each March.
Big Yellow: Regular reports on Caterpillar
Inc.'s actions and
earnings, as well as its dealings with the UAW.
District 150 drama: From the Glen Oak School issue to dealings with
former superintendent Kay Royster and the Edison schools.
The name game: The JS provided a forum for public debate over the naming
of the proposed $65 million Downtown museum
"now the Peoria Riverfront
Museum" and continues to monitor efforts to secure funding for the
project.
Landfill expansion: The proposed expansion of Peoria Disposal
Co.'s
hazardous waste landfill near Pottstown led to a public outcry. In May, the
Peoria County Board voted against the expansion, and the disposal company
appealed to the Illinois Pollution Control Board in June.
Skyrocketing energy costs: Gas prices rose to record highs in the wake
of the 2005 hurricane season. Sky-high natural gas prices meant skyrocketing
heating bills in early 2001, in some cases triple those from the previous
year. And in 2006, the Illinois Legislature debates the electric rate freeze
set to expire at year's end.
Bradley plans: On the heels of a Sweet Sixteen appearance by the Bradley
University men's basketball team, the university formally unveils a
15-year expansion plan highlighted by a new 4,500-seat arena and separate
student recreation center.
Iraq war: Local soldiers and their families continue to be affected by
troop rotations in and out of Iraq. We've told readers about happy
homecomings and those killed on duty, the stress placed on soldiers'
families, plus efforts on the home front to support soldiers.
Lead poisoning: A Journal Star investigative series brought attention to
the thousands of children at risk of lead poisoning in Peoria County, which
has the highest lead poisoning rate in the state. The stories lead to
widespread public debate, enhanced lead abatement programs and a $3 million
federal grant for the Peoria City/County Health Department.
Do we have a serial killer? The Journal Star was among the first to
question whether a string of Peoria women who went missing or were found
slain was the work of one killer. The coverage continued when former
concrete worker Larry Bright was arrested in January 2005 and ultimately
pleaded guilty to several of the murders.
Terrorist attacks: Central Illinoisans joined the rest of the nation in
2001 in responding to the Sept. 11 attacks by waving American flags and
opening their hearts and wallets. At least two people with Peoria
connections were believed killed in New York. Later, President Bush named
Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri, a former Bradley University student, an enemy
combatant and accused him of being an al-Qaida sleeper agent.
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Forces of nature: Powerful tornadoes swept through central Illinois in
2004. Eight people were killed in a Utica tavern during an April tornado.
Parsons Manufacturing near Roanoke was leveled, but no employees' lives
are lost. The company is hailed as a national model.
Teen deaths: Central Illinois communities, especially in Tazewell
County, experienced a high number of teen driving fatalities in recent
years. The Pekin High superintendent is named to a state task force to
consider new restrictions on teen drivers.
Downtown development: The JS has kept you posted on the financing and
construction progress of major projects including the new Chiefs stadium,
the RiverPlex and redevelopment of the Sears block.
Tragic deaths: Tazewell County witnesses two cases involving
mothers accused of harming children with disabilities. Karen McCarron is
charged with first-degree murder and more in the suffocation death of her
3-year-old autistic daughter, and Kellie Waremburg is found guilty in
November of poisoning her daughter with a potential lethal dose of drugs.
Drug epidemic: The illegal manufacture of methamphetamine becomes
a growing dilemma throughout central Illinois.
Deadly disease: The West Nile virus swarmed across the state in
the summer of 2002, leaving thousands of victims “ human and animal “ in
its wake. Fulton County is among the state's hardest hit areas, with seven
cases and three deaths.
New bishop: Daniel Jenky was named bishop of the Catholic Diocese of
Peoria in 2002, succeeding John Myers. Shortly after his installation, Jenky
apologized to victims of clergy sexual abuse and asked several priests to
step down from public ministry.
Lost jobs: The closing of the Maytag plant and Butler Manufacturing in
Galesburg put more than 1,000 people in central Illinois out of work.
Utility ownership: Coverage of the recent sale of CILCO to Ameren, and
efforts by the cities of Peoria and Pekin to purchase Illinois American
Water Co.
State funding: Zeller Mental Health Center, Lincoln Developmental Center
and Hanna City Work Camp are closed in 2002 as a budget-cutting measure by
Gov. George Ryan.
Bridge work: The JS implemented Bridge Cam in 2000, when the outbound McClugage Bridge span was closed for construction for several months. During
the project, three ironworkers died in an April scaffolding collapse.
Left waiting: Massive processing delays connected with a new state
clearinghouse for child support checks put families here and across the
state through financial and emotional turmoil in 2000.
Hate crimes: The JS detailed the relationship between East Peoria white
supremacist Matt Hale and his connection with Benjamin Smith, a member of
Hale's World Church of the Creator, who went on a two-state shooting spree
in 1999. Then, in 2004, Hale is convicted of encouraging a bodyguard “
actually an FBI mole “ to kill U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow in Chicago.
Rural issues: Lawmakers, agriculture groups and environmental activists
argued about how to best regulate mega-hog farms and other large-scale
livestock operations in the late 1990s.
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