Jordan Mead

Beth Martinez lost her younger brother, Ben Bloom, almost six years ago from suicide after years of struggling with mental health. Ben was 37 years old when he died. Here, Martinez shares about who Ben's life was and the impact his death made.

Mental health challenges aren't just an adult problem. The issue is also profound for children and their families. That's true in the Peoria area, where pediatric hospitalizations for behavioral health reasons are higher than the state average.

The ongoing furor over the City of Peoria's anti-violence initiatives bled into Mayor Rita Ali's first open Safety Network meeting on Friday.

Recent Supreme Court rulings and national politics have prompted discussions about where the United States is heading with U-S midterms around the corner. Topics like abortion are driving political concerns heading into elections. Democratic state Sen. Dave Koehler shares what he foresees this election season.

Gregory Wilson will serve on District 150’s school board for another term after winning Tuesday’s Illinois Primary elections. Wilson just finished a five-year term and was elected president of the board last summer. Paris McConnell is in second place as of Tuesday night, but final results for the second board spot may be too close to call.

Capt. Chris Watkins, an 18-year veteran of the Peoria County Sheriff’s Department, defeated Lt. Jason Buckley in Tuesday's Republican primary for Sheriff. With no Democrat running in the general election, Watkins is in line to follow outgoing Sheriff Brian Asbell.

Travis Weaver of Edwards is likely to become the representative for the new 93rd state House district.

When opioids and benzodiazepines are mixed, the risk of an overdose goes up. Now, a wave of "benzo dope" and "tranq dope" are impacting drug users in the Peoria area, though many are unaware that benzo dope is what's in the drugs they are buying or selling.

The Illinois Primary election is Tuesday, and some Tazewell County conservatives say recent campaign tactics used by various Republican candidates are uncalled for and unethical. The Tazewell County Republicans is calling on both campaign teams and candidates to focus on how to improve significant issues instead of tearing down their opponents.

The Supreme Court overruled the 50 year old Roe v. Wade case on Friday, which protected abortions throughout the nation. Moving forward, millions of Americans will be impacted.