
Joe Deacon
ReporterContact Joe at jdeacon@ilstu.edu.
Joe Deacon is a reporter at WCBU, joining in 2020 after one year as a correspondent for Bloomington-Normal sister station WGLT.
An Illinois State University graduate, Joe previously spent 18 years with The Pantagraph in Bloomington in various roles ranging from copy editor to sports reporter and assistant sports editor. He transitioned to radio with eight months as a reporter for WSOY in Decatur.
Joe was born and raised in the southwest suburbs of Chicago and is an avid White Sox fan. He also enjoys movies and video games (still, even at his age).
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JR Runkel, spokesperson for the investor group behind The Putt Club, provides more details on the year-round, multi-use family entertainment center currently under construction along Interstate 74 near Bass Pro Shops in East Peoria.
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Peoria City Manager Patrick Urich discusses the budget outlook and process, as well as strategic planning, in his latest regular monthly interview with WCBU.
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Construction on the 501 Blutowne project is expected to begin on a West Washington Street lot adjacent to City Hall in early October. The development by Flaherty & Collins Properties is expected to include around 220 residential units and 10,000 square feet of retail space.
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Getting a new small business off the ground can be challenging for anyone. Often, women face more obstacles and need to handle extra responsibilities compared to their male counterparts.
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The first day of the pretrial fairness act saw only two hearings come before Peoria County Circuit Court Judge Sean Donahue. In both instances, the State’s Attorney’s office filed petitions seeking to have the defendant detained until trial.
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In his latest quarterly interview with WCBU, East Peoria Mayor John Kahl talks about plans for the vacant Town Centre shopping center, the mixed-use 501 Blutowne development, short-term rental properties, and the proposed reconfiguration of East Washington Street.
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A family entertainment venue under construction in East Peoria will feature two professional-grade miniature golf courses, according to Mayor John Kahl.
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Postseason pro baseball returns to Dozer Park for the first time since 2018 on Tuesday as the Peoria Chiefs open the Midwest League playoffs against the Cedar Rapids Kernels.
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Mayor Rita Ali says she believes the late-summer spike in violence is part of a phenomenon happening across the country, and that Peoria is a safe city. In this month's regular conversation with WCBU, Ali talks about responding to the recent surge of violent crime, and why Peoria is seeing a wave of incidents in late summer.
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A full demolition is underway on the entire west half of the Pekin Township Office building, following a second partial collapse of the structure Thursday afternoon.