Downtown Peoria

A portion of Adams Street in Peoria will shift to two-way traffic Wednesday morning as the multi-year conversion of two major downtown streets begins to take effect.

In the resumption of a regular interview series, Peoria Mayor Rita Ali discusses the desire to see more activity return to downtown, as well as ongoing efforts aimed at business development, crime reduction and addressing the city’s housing needs.

Improvements, upgrades and new retail tenants are coming to the Westlake Shopping Center after the Peoria City Council approved changes to the property’s business development incentive.

A patch of land along the Illinois River between the Murray Baker Bridge and the Peoria RiverPlex is officially on track to become the location of an outdoor amphitheater.

With work underway on the Catholic Diocese of Peoria’s project to transform the former Spalding Institute into a new facility honoring the life and legacy of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, current Bishop Louis Tylka is restoring the Sheen Foundation Advisory Board.

Developers plan to revitalize a prominent downtown Peoria block by expanding one restaurant and bar, and adding two more.

Bradley University President James Shadid touted the gateway and its potential impact at Thursday’s Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Thanksgiving Luncheon, a week after the university announced the project in an email to students, staff and alumni.

Plans to convert a vacant former mental health facility and homeless shelter near the south end of Peoria’s Warehouse District into a 12-bedroom halfway house for parolees are on hold for at least three weeks.

The announcement comes in conjunction with the unveiling of George Washington's hand-written, first presidential proclamation declaring the Thanksgiving holiday.

A weekend confrontation between Peoria Police officers trying to assist a gunshot victim and a crowd of more than 50 bystanders has led to multiple arrests, prompted a statement from the mayor, and drawn scrutiny from a civil rights organization.