WCBU Newscasts - 7:04am 7-31-2026

From the WCBU Newsroom, I'm Ben Howell. Plans to create a Peoria Tourism Improvement District are moving forward after the City Council approved a resolution of intent. The district would impose a 1.5% tax on short-term hotel room rentals. The proceeds would be used to support marketing and other programs aimed at increasing tourism. G.D. Delfonso is the president of Discover Peoria, the Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau. By Discover Peoria being able to work alongside our hotel owners as to what they want to do with the money they're investing in together, we can go execute that plan to drive more overnight stays. Discover Peoria, not the city, would maintain the tax revenue and use it at the hotel owner's discretion. The Tazwell County Board is trying to come up with a name for the most expensive building in county history, but the effort has been unsuccessful so far. The $44 million Tasswell County Justice Center annex is under construction in downtown Pekin. The facility adjacent to the existing Justice Center is expected to open in July of next year. Four options for a permanent name were presented to the county board this week. Three of them have Tazwell County in the name, while the other has Abraham Lincoln. The board decided to table the naming decision until its August meeting. Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed into law a statewide cell phone ban in Illinois public schools. Students are not allowed to use phones or other electronic messaging devices during school hours. J.B. Pritzker says he's heard from many parents and teachers who want more focused classrooms. Students are distracted. Teachers sometimes have trouble getting students attention. Principals are experiencing disruption that smartphones create throughout the school day. Peoria Public School classrooms have been phone-free for two years. And a Peoria man originally found guilty of first-degree murder will instead serve 10 years in prison for involuntary manslaughter after the judge in his bench trial changed his verdict. Circuit Judge Stephen Coory presided over David Stone's sentencing hearing. Stone originally faced a term of up to 75 years before Coorree reversed the decision over objections from prosecutors. Stone was convicted in connection with the January 2024 killing of Arlen-Castione at an East Bluff residence. I'm Ben Howell. Support. The fatal shooting of a teenager at a protest in Seattle has gone unsolved for six years. This is open in your face. How are there no answers? Our investigation has uncovered new evidence and witnesses who say they've never talked to police. Did police ever call you? Not once. Listen to We Keep Us Safe, a new true crime series on the embedded podcast from NPR.