Latest news with #centralIllinois
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Metamora, Dunlap sending big numbers to state tennis championships
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — A pair of area schools are hoping to show the rest of the state the tennis in central Illinois is pretty good. Dunlap and Metamora each won sectional championships last weekend and are sending six players apiece to this week's state tennis meet. 'It's so exciting. This is what we have worked for all year, to get all six guys (to state),' said Metamora senior Adam Culp. 'It's such a great feeling to have everybody going to state.' Culp is paired with Tommy Sopko on Metamora's top doubles team heading to the state meet in suburban Chicago. They hope to hold their own against the typically-strong schools from the northern part of the state. 'Individually, we've done great. But as a team also, we were 23-2, I think,' Sopko said. 'It's always great to have good results as a team. A really successful season, I'd say.' Metamora opened the season with 19 consecutive wins and continues to ride that momentum as the season comes to an end at the state championships. Qualifying six players for the state meet is a part of that. 'The support you get from having six guys there, is something special,' said Metamora junior Dane Hutchison. 'Cheering, having them cheer for you, watching them compete at a very high level and have success, is something we can be proud of.' Dunlap's six state qualifiers include seniors Alex Fei and Ethan McRaven, who are undefeated as a doubles team this season. McRaven, who teamed with ____ to finish second at state a year ago, has enjoyed his pairing with Fei. 'He's going to hit a great ball and get me back in my groove,' McRaven said. 'This weekend I feel great about our chances. I came up just short last year. But this year I feel like I have learned a lot more, I have matured as a tennis player and I'm feeling great about our chances.' This will be Fei's fourth trip to state but in the previous three trips he was in the single's draw. 'The last three years I have been through singles, although doubles is a different type of effort,' Fei said. 'I find it easier on my body than singles.' The state meet runs Thursday through Saturday at Palatine High School. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
E&E News
22-05-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
Illinois lawmakers ban CO2 injection under aquifer
A bill to protect a key source of drinking water in Illinois from carbon dioxide injection will go to Gov. JB Pritzker after it overwhelmingly passed by the House on Tuesday. S.B. 1723 provides what many lawmakers viewed as key protections for the Mahomet Aquifer in central Illinois, which supplies drinking water to nearly a million people in 14 counties. It comes a year after Pritzker, a Democrat, signed into law a moratorium on CO2 pipelines in Illinois. Pritzker is expected to sign the bill but a spokesman couldn't be reached for comment Wednesday. Advertisement The measure prohibits carbon sequestration above, below or through a sole-source aquifer, defined by EPA as one that supplies at least half the drinking water for an area and where no alternative source exists. But the bill would allow an ongoing CO2 injection project in an aquifer recharge area to continue after labor and business interests insisted it be carved out of the prohibition.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
On the Record: Washington Mayor Gary Manier and Peoria City Councilman Chuck Grayeb
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Washington's longest serving mayor is stepping down after 24 years at the helm, and Chuck Grayeb is leaving the Peoria City Council after more than two decades spent around the Horseshoe. WMBD's On The Record recently sat down with both of them to get their thoughts on leaving public life. Gary Manier Many in the Tazewell County city of Washington can't picture their city without having Gary Manier with the mayor's gavel in his hand. Manier, who's held the position since 2001, became a defining face of the city's resilience during one of its darkest hours: Nov. 17, 2013, when an EF-4 tornado devastated parts of Washington. 'You don't really prepare for something like that,' he said in a sit-down interview on WMBD News: On the Record. 'Every city has a disaster plan on the shelf, but when it happens, you just go with it.' More than 1,100 homes were damaged or destroyed. Manier credits the emergency crews, volunteers, and aid organizations who pulled together to rebuild the city. (is this 1,100 or 11,000. I'm betting the first number). 'It's a very gut-wrenching experience. But people came together. The fabric of America is good, and the fabric in central Illinois was incredible during that time,' he said. Beyond crisis management, Manier points to several long-term achievements that helped shape the city's growth, including the development of Five Points Washington community center, road improvements, and economic revitalization along the Business Route 24 corridor. 'Our schools are second to none, but Five Points has helped attract people to to move to our community,' he said. Most recently, the opening of the $9 million Tangled Roots Brewing Company has breathed new life into Washington Square. 'It's been packed every night,' Manier said. Still, Manier says if there's one thing he wishes he'd done more of, it's economic development. 'It's tough when you're a bedroom community. But I think we're starting to see the momentum, and Tangled Roots could be the start of something like what happened in Peoria Heights's restaurant row' he said, referring to a several block stretch of Prospect Road in the village. On April 25, Manier received a warm sendoff surrounded by family, colleagues, and former officials. 'I didn't really want a big event,' he admitted. 'But when I saw everyone, people I've served with, local leaders, old friends, it made it all worth it.' As he steps away from public office, Manier says he's looking forward to a well-earned vacation and more time with his seven grandchildren. 'I'm proud of what we've accomplished. And I'm thankful for the people who made it possible,' he said. Chuck Grayeb After more than two decades of public service on the Peoria City Council, Chuck Grayeb who represents the city's 2nd district, will step down from the Horseshoe, but not from community life. Grayeb is tied for the most years spent on the council with Edward Nelson Woodruff who spent 24 years as mayor in nonconsecutive terms. He recently joined WMBD News: On The Record and to reflect on what was and what will be. 'It's not in my DNA to retire. I'll just be doing other things,' he said. He served as at-large city councilman for 12 years from 1995-2007, then returned in 2013 to serve as the 2nd district representative for another 12 years. When Grayeb was first elected in 1995, he said the city was too reliant on heavy manufacturing. Today, Peoria is a regional healthcare hub, a transformation Grayeb considers one of his proudest accomplishments. 'We needed to start cultivating other industries, especially medical,' he said. 'I'm proud of the fact that we did diversify. It made it easier when we had the shock of Caterpillar deciding to move its headquarters.' He has also seen the 2nd district, which now includes Downtown Peoria, transform into more than a business district. 'Our Downtown is increasingly becoming a residential neighborhood, and that's exciting,' he said. Despite his long list of achievements, Grayeb says the challenges of crime and delinquency still persist. Crime is no longer isolated to hot spot areas like South Peoria and East Bluff, but is spreading north. 'If we don't get a handle on that, we're going to lose our city,' he warned. 'More and more people will vote with their feet.' He said boosting police staffing remains crucial. 'At one time, we had 250 officers. Now we're hovering around 200. We need to get back to 250 to have meaningful patrols in our fragile neighborhoods,' he said. Grayeb has some sage advice for the next generation of public servants. 'Listen, listen, listen. But don't be intimidated by the loud voices. Remember, there's a great silent majority out there. Do what's right for the people, and everything will turn out fine.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
