Latest news with #PeoriaPublicLibrary
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Peoria Library's Easter egg hunt back with more eggs this year
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Last year, the Peoria Public Library crew hid 6,000 eggs, and it took two minutes for the happy hunters to find them. This year, there are even more eggs up for finds at the Lincoln Branch, April 19. Jennifer Davis, a library spokeswoman, told WMBD This Morning that she timed the Easter egg hunt last year, 'it was two minutes,' so this year, they're hiding more eggs, but her advice is still 'it starts promptly at 2:30, you don't want to be late.' Davis also talked of other Earth Month activities at all branches, such as the April 22 Earth Day celebration at the McClure Branch, and a seed planting at the Main Library on April 23. Davis also invited the community to take part in the Community Survey on their website through the end of April. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Peoria City Hall updates on Sewer Overflow Control Program progress
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Interested parties got an update Thursday on the progress the city is making to keep sewage and other waste out of the Illinois River. A meeting in South Peoria at the Peoria Public Library's Lincoln branch took an extra meaning as City Hall sent out another alert of a combined sewer overflow due to the large amount of rain from Wednesday's storm. Nick McMillion, a spokesman for the city's public works department, explains the safety precautions of the alerts. 'Typically with those alerts when they happen, it's recommended don't make contact with water in the Illinois River for at least 48 hours,' McMillion said. 'So that alert of the combined sewer overflow will be in place for the next couple of days.' The city's public works department was behind the meeting which updated the community on the municipal separate storm sewer system and combined sewer overflow control program, along with informing them on how they can prevent excess sewage. For years, runoff from a large rain event would combine with sewage and flow into the river instead of the city's treatment plant. The problem had City Hall and the federal government at odds since the 1980s. Referred to as a combined sewer overflow, the sewage contributes to elevated bacteria levels in the river and poses health risks. In December 2020, the city and the federal Environmental Protection Agency entered into a consent decree where the city agreed to spend more than $100 million to fix the aging system over an 18-year period. In return, the EPA agreed to not ley millions in fines against Peoria. 'We have 18 years to implement all of these projects, this is just year four,' McMillion said. 'So with this project, it is another huge project that we're excited to get started on.' Now in year 4, the CSO project has spent millions working on both green approaches to the sewer issues as well as replacing old and outdated pipes. For more information, go to the city's website regarding CSOs. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Acclaimed children's book author visits with students at Peoria Public Library
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The author of children's books like I Love My Hair and The Me I Choose to Be visited the Peoria Public Library Lincoln Branch to read to local students. Tuesday morning, students from Peoria Public Schools listened to Natasha Tarpley read her most recently published book, Keyana Loves School. During the visit, she also answered the students' most pressing questions about what it's like being a children's author. Tarpley said her books focus on African American children. Through her books she tries to celebrate all the things that make a person unique. Something that she thinks is important is writing joyful stories where black children can see themselves reflected in her work. 'I think it's important because there are so many messages in our society positions, African Americans in particular, in pretty negative ways and limited ways,' Tarpley said. 'I think kids absorb that, and they think about that and they kind of take that in, and they allow that to define in some ways who they are. And so my work for me is about creating a more expansive view, a more realistic view of and a nuanced view of what black life and culture is.' During her speech, she stressed to children how authors use their imagination and draw from their own lives to create fantastical stories. Some advice she had for her readers was to practice your craft, be passionate about your work, and don't worry about the end result. Sometimes an author can touch people's lives in unexpected ways. Tarpley recalled a time when a mother gave her daughter I Love My Hair to help her daughter through her cancer treatment. 'She gave her I Love My Hair,' Tarpley said, 'As her hair was starting to grow back. So that just stayed with me forever. It was just such a wonderful, touching thing that my book could play a role in that story.' Natasha Tarpley's latest book, Keyana Loves School is available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and your local library. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Tri-county residents learn more about a plan to lower the number of car crashes
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Motor vehicle accidents are a leading cause of death in the United States, and the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission is developing a plan meant to address how municipalities can deal with the issue. The Lincoln branch of the Peoria Public Library played host to an open house where Woodford, Peoria, and Tazewell County residents got a look at the commission's Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, which is in its final development stages. It's meant to be a guide for local governments to decipher ways to lessen the number of accidents, whether it's through fixing a sidewalk or a trouble spot in the roadway. The data has been compiled through car crash data and community input and is funded through a $400,000 U.S. Department of Transportation grant. Reema Abi-Akar is a senior planner for the commission and explained how the document is meant to be used. 'For new projects, construction-wise or planning-wise, we can use this toolbox of options to understand how we can take federal and state dollars and use them in the most effective way to hopefully lower crashes,' she said. She said that there will be tiers of implementation for local municipalities. For instance, a smaller town with a smaller budget may need to use a lower tier but it could still make a huge difference for the community just to have one intersection or one trouble spot in the road be fixed. Abi-Akar said car crash data is helpful, but community input is arguably more important in helping the commission develop the plan. 'The community members are the drivers, the riders, and the bikers. They know which turn feels unsafe or which sidewalk could be better,' she said. The plan is in its final stages of development, as Abi-Akar said this was one of the final public meetings. You can learn more here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
