Regional neighborhood conference set to open

The 2013 Regional Neighborhood Network Conference, where a coalition of big and small Midwestern cities converge to discuss ways to improve their neighborhoods, will be Thursday through Saturday at Four Points Sheraton.

More than 400 representatives from 22 Midwestern cities will participate in discussions and exchange ideas that...

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Heartland Partnership changes name in restructuring; EDC splits off

More major changes at the Heartland Partnership and Economic Development Council of Central Illinois were announced Monday, including that the two no longer are connected and that the Partnership has a new name.

The restructuring, which has been coming for many months since the departure of former CEO Jim McConoughey, will result in a smaller organization now known as the Greater Peoria Business Alliance. It will consist of just two entities...

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Tracing Caterpillar's history through advertising

Caterpillar Inc.'s history in central Illinois is well-documented in books and pictures, newspaper and magazine stories and even in the machines people collect.

Mark Johnson, a retired Caterpillar marketing employee who is the current president of the Peoria Historical Society, has been documenting the company's history in a little different way: through the...

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OSF, Blue Cross/Blue Shield form alliance

With an aim of improving patient care while keeping costs lower, OSF HealthCare of Peoria and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois have formed an alliance, an Accountable Care Organization.

Starting Jan. 1, 2014, the Pioneer ACO, the first commercial ACO for OSF HealthCare, will begin covering nearly 40,000 OSF patients and Blue Cross members in Peoria, Blooming, Galesburg, Pontiac and Rockford. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...

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East Peoria seeking an arts presence

The owner of the building on Globe Street in East Peoria that once housed the UAW Local 974 union hall could pretty much put anything he wants there. The building, a 10,000 square-foot, one-story structure, enjoys what he calls "the most liberal zoning the city has."

So what is the building owner, former East Peoria mayor Jeff Giebelhausen, going to put there? Why, art studios, of course. In fact, he envisions that building and the small...

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Richerson out as CEO of Peoria Riverfront Museum; Ritschel named interim CEO

Mired recently in some controversy over the Peoria Riverfront Museum’s audit and attendance figures, Jim Richerson is out after 13 years at the helm of the local museum.

Yet the museum’s board declined on Thursday to say why the individual perhaps most responsible for the new museum getting built and transitioning from...

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Cat shows support for immigration reform bill

A pair of heavy hitters in the business and political arenas joined Thursday to urge the U.S. House of Representatives to adopt the Senate-approved immigration reform bill because of its benefits to the economy.

Doug Oberhelman, chairman and CEO of Caterpillar Inc., met with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., to give his support of the bipartisan Senate bill approved earlier this year and now awaiting House action.

"This is a very...

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No bull! Dozer Park chosen for stadium name

There may soon be large Caterpillar machinery parked in the concourse at the downtown baseball stadium, replacing the autos that once stood there.

That's because the stadium is now known as Dozer Park, an homage to the Caterpillar bulldozer and its historic meaning to the community and the company that makes it and now owns the naming rights to the stadium.

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Cat makes a Q2 profit, albeit a lower one

Caterpillar Inc.'s topsy-turvy year continued in the second quarter; it was profitable, but only about half as much as in the second quarter of 2012.

A struggling mining industry again was the problem and dealer reductions in inventory added to it, the company reported Wednesday.

But again the company still made a profit and...

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The Band is Together Again, local tourism is benefitting

During the first four months of 2013 the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau has already book 56 events into the region that will bring an estimated $5.2 million to the local economy.

And there are a whole lot more possibilities that could be booked soon.

It's no wonder Don Welch and his staff at the Convention and Visitors Bureau say they have "got the band back together" and in a celebratory mood.

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Lucas Steel: A stimulus success story

It isn't just coincidence that has Congresswoman Cheri Bustos visiting different manufacturers in her district during the week-long July 4 break from Washington, D.C.

"This was a good opportunity for me to tour the district and get a good feel for what people do day to day in their work. I did it this week because manufacturing really is so important in America and what I've learned this week and earlier is how hard our citizens work,"...

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Deal to restructure stadium debt approved

A plan to refinance Peoria's professional baseball stadium was approved Tuesday by the Peoria City Council.

With only at-large Councilman Gary Sandberg dissenting because of his disapproval of using taxpayer money to bail out private business, the council voted 9-1 to forgive the remaining $1.2 million the stadium owners owe for bonds the city issued 12 years ago to pay for infrastructure around the downtown ballpark. The city will end...

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Ardapple named interim chamber president

Mary Ardapple, a Peoria entrepreneur and former chairman of the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors, will be that group's interim president, the chamber announced Monday.

Ardapple, owner of Apple's Bakery and a member of the Peoria County Board, will be interim president until a permanent replacement for Roberta...

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Tentative agreement: Restructure Chiefs stadium debt; city forgive $1.2 million in bonds

An agreement has been reached between the Peoria Chiefs and other parties to restructure the debt on the downtown baseball stadium, for which Caterpillar Inc. will have the naming rights for the next 10 years.

But the agreement, which is worth $7.35 million to the ballcub and will also include new money from...

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Specialty Retail: Outdoors

Meeting your outdoor sporting needs
Bushwhacker has the goods for year-round enjoyment

When Rich Pestien went to college to study math and computer science he didn't figure on becoming an expert in anything else, let alone something to do with sports.

"I was your basic math nerd in high school and college. But in college (at...

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Magnolia's giving way to Edge by Chef Dustin Allen

For Chef Dustin Allen, the experience he has called Lagniappe the last several years will soon become an Edge, instead. It will be closer to the dream he's long had since he started to cook and create while growing up in the south.

Allen, who has co-owned Magnolia's on Prospect with his mother, Kelly Mohr, the past five years, said Tuesday he will open a new restaurant over on the other side of Junction City. It will be called Edge by...

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Cat: Vendor security breach affected Visitors Center patrons

Caterpillar Inc. said Thursday that it recently received notice that one of its third-party vendors had a database security breach at the Caterpillar Visitors Center.

Vendini Inc., told the company the security breach involved customer personal and credit card data.

Vendini provides box office and online...

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Home sales down a little in Q1, but optimism remains up

The wild weather of March wreaked some havoc on a major piece of the local economy, but it did not hamper optimism for the remainder of the year, officials with the Peoria Area Association of Realtors said Tuesday.

Home sales were off a touch in the first quarter when compared to the first three months of 2012, but the association said activity is high as the weather strives to become more spring-like and tighter inventories are resulting...

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Caterpillar increases dividend 15%

Caterpillar Inc. announced Wednesday it will raise its quarterly cash dividend 15 percent, by eight cents to 60 cents a share.

The dividend will be payable Aug. 20 to stockholders of record at the close of business on July 22, the company said.

Caterpillar's board of directors voted on the dividend increase on Wednesday, marking the fourth consecutive year the...

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Running Central joins One Fund Boston cause

Running Central of Peoria is joining with other running stores across the country today to help support those directly affected by the bombing near the end of the Boston Marathon last week.

The Peoria Heights retailer is offering a free fun run starting at 5:30 p.m. at the store at 4450 N. Prospect. While there is no...

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