PEKIN, Ill. (WMBD) - A rural Manito man was identified as the person who died after a motorcycle collided with an SUV on Tuesday. Tazewell County Coroner Charles Hanley said 50-year-old Dennis Kenser, Jr. was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision, which occurred near the intersection of Illinois Route 9 and Sou...

By BRENDEN MOORE Capitol News Illinois bmoore@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch called for embattled Rep. Harry Benton to resign and promised to initiate expulsion proceedings against the Plainfield Democrat if he doesn't. Welch's demand comes five month...

By WMBD TV BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (WMBD) - A railroad crossing closure in Bloomington that was planned for this weekend has been rescheduled. Due to a change in the construction schedule, the planned closure of the Union Pacificic railroad crossing on West Washington Street over the July 4 weekend has been pushed back a wee...

NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) - A 36-year-old Dixon man died early Wednesday morning as a result of a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 39, the McLean County Coroner announced. Thomas D. Rockwood was pronounced dead at Carle Bromenn Medical Center at 5:30 a.m. The preliminary cause of death is multiple blunt injuries due to a m...

By MAGGIE DOUGHERTY Capitol News Illinois mdougherty@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary A developer has withdrawn, for now, a rezoning request for a large-scale data center in Hoffman Estates, a Chicago suburb, amid growing opposition from area residents. Village staff worked with the developer for months before...

PEKIN, Ill. (WMBD) - A two-vehicle crash early July 1 at Illinois Route 9 and South 5th Street in Pekin has claimed the life of the motorcycle driver. The crash between a motorcycle and an SUV happened just after 5 a.m., according to a notice from Illinois State Police Troop 4. The statement said only, "the driver...

By WMBD TV NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) - A Fulton County man was sentenced Tuesday to more than two decades in prison for possessing child pornography. Tyler S. Kiefer, 30, of Vermont but formerly of Normal, was sentenced in McLean County Circuit Court to four years in prison on each of the six charges he pleaded to, according...

By BEN SZALINSKI Capitol News Illinois bszalinski@capitolnewsillinois.com Article Summary New Illinois Republican Party Chair Bob Grogan hopes voters are getting tired of Gov. JB Pritzker and it will help Republican candidates in the midterm elections. Grogan acknowledged infighting within the party has been a challen...