By Jason HowellPublished: May. 5, 2025 at 10:19 AM CDT|Updated: 20 hours agoEmail This LinkShare on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInPEKIN (25News Now) - Pekin Police are looking for a man who they say arrived at a home with what appeared to be a handgun Police on Facebook said Deese was in possession of a BB gun and went to a home in the 200 block of Arrow as a joke and “thought it would be funny.” There is probable cause to arrest Deese for the alleged disorderly conduct Anyone who knows where Deese is is asked to call police at 309-346-3132 or CrimeStoppers at 309-347-9000 Police said that these types of acts are crimes and should not be viewed as a joke or prank putting all parties involved at risk for severe injury or worse “Crimes like this will not be tolerated and will result in arrest,” police said This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page A Pekin man accused of killing two friends in a basement last Thursday will remain in custody on first-degree murder charges will stay at the Tazewell County Jail on two counts of first-degree murder after his attorneys did not contest his detention during a hearing Tuesday Attorneys also asked for a mental fitness evaluation and a preliminary hearing — requests that were granted by Tazewell County Circuit Judge Chris Doscotch More: 'They're dead!': Court documents reveal new details about double homicide in Pekin of rural Pekin on the morning of April 24 at a home in the 11300 block of Illinois Route 29 Court documents obtained by the Journal Star indicate that Rue Rhodes and Reese were hanging out in the basement when the shooting occurred told police at the scene that he had fallen asleep on the couch when he heard gunshots and Rue yelling They're dead!" When Rue came upstairs with the gun used in the shooting and held him at gunpoint until police could arrive When Tazewell County sheriff's deputies arrived they found David Reese aiming the gun at Rue Deputies also found Rhodes and Dawson Reese's bodies on the floor in the basement Rue was taken into custody without incident Autopsies indicated that Dawson Reese and Rhodes both died from gunshot wounds The preliminary hearing is set for May 22 at 9 a.m The funeral services for both Rhodes and Reese are scheduled for Thursday, with Rhodes' service set for 10:30 a.m. and Reese's set for 1:30 p.m. at Preston-Hanley Funeral Home in Pekin A joint visitation will be held Wednesday from 4 to 7 p.m More: Peoria man arrested after alleged carjacking during test drive at dealership A Pekin man charged with killing two of his friends will stay in custody at least until a mental fitness evaluation is completed Rue appeared Tuesday afternoon by video conferencing from the county jail during a four-minute hearing before Illinois Circuit Judge Chris Doscotch held at the Tazewell County Courthouse in Pekin A corrections officer physically assisted Rue in the conference room holding what looked to be a tissue or handkerchief to his face attempting to control an apparent nosebleed Tazewell County State’s Attorney Mike Johnson’s office had filed a petition to have Rue detained until trial asserting Rue presents “a real and present threat” to the community Defense attorneys Rob Hanauer and Mike Vespa represented Rue during Tuesday’s hearing Hanauer told Doscotch his client would consent to detention “without prejudice,” while they reserved the right to seek his release at a future date Assistant state’s attorney Cassandra Mullikin said prosecutors were “agreeable” to the defense’s request for the fitness assessment No additional details about the incident were discussed during Tuesday’s hearing the three men were together early Thursday morning in the basement of a home in the 11300 block of Illinois Route 29 David Reese, Dawson Reece’s father, told deputies from the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office that he fell asleep on a living room couch before waking up to the sound of several gunshots and Rue yelling Prosecutors say the elder Reese then held Rue at gunpoint in the kitchen of the home until law enforcement arrived and the suspect was taken into custody without further incident Rue’s next court appearance will be for a preliminary hearing on May 22 Doscotch said the court will review his continued pretrial detention at each hearing as the case continues Become a WCBU sponsor The City of Pekin purchased the 1,000-acre Lutticken Farm property last July for $14 million to open the door for economic development in the northern end of the city and hasten the planned extension of Veterans Drive to Interstate 474 Western Hospitality Partners [WHP] walked through the door Monday when the Pekin City Council approved the sale of about 321 acres of the Lutticken property to the New York City-based company for $4.5 million [$14,000 per acre] so it can build a data center "We are seeing the future of our city," said Mayor Mary Burress The numbers associated with the data center are staggering The estimated annual property tax revenue that will go into Pekin's coffers when the data center is fully developed More than 100 full-time employees are expected to be hired by that time which will have customers around the world is expected to add more than $2 billion into the regional economy through construction jobs and building materials sales Wray said $2 billion is a conservative estimate "I think the actual regional economic impact of construction will be $5-$6 billion," he said which changed my vote from no to yes," he said City staff and WHP will negotiate a TIF funding agreement during the due diligence period "Given that this development will extend water electric and natural gas to the Lutticken property at no upfront cost to the city staff finds this (TIF) request very tolerable," Wray said To clear the way for the sale of the land to WHP the city will take out loans totaling $12.5 million from Morton Community Bank to complete the $14 million payment to Mary Jo Brundrett "These loans show how far our city has come financially," Burress said The city originally intended to spread out payments for the Lutticken property over four years but Brundrett asked that the city make the full payment for the property once it began selling land Brundrett will receive $12 million from the loans The additional $500,000 is for costs ancillary to the city's purchase of the property like surveys The first loan payment of $1.2 million is due in May 2026 Proceeds from land sales on the Lutticken property will pay down the loan Completion of audits of city budgets for past fiscal years will lower interest rates for the loans the city hopes to pay them off with a balloon payment in the fifth year Pekin sold 66 acres of land in the Riverway Business Park to Singapore-based Epic Medical which plans to build a $25 million medical equipment manufacturing facility there Longtime City Clerk Sue McMillan honored on the night she dies This is Professional Municipal Clerks Week could not be at the council meeting Monday to be honored because she was ill Burress said at the beginning of the meeting Burress said Tuesday that McMillan died at 9:12 p.m In addition to being involved in thousands of ordinances McMillan swore in every active Pekin police officer and firefighter Sue probably helped almost every resident and business person in the community at least once and she did it with her wonderful smile," Burress said Burress asked for a moment of silence at the start of the meeting to pray for McMillan and the families of 21-year-olds Chase Rhoads and Dawson Reese of Pekin who were shot to death last week in rural Pekin "It's been a tough week for our city," Burress said Good Energy will look for good deal for residents and small businesses Pekin residents and small businesses could soon be seeing a reduction in their electric supply cost That's because council Monday authorized city staff to re-engage with energy broker Good Energy of Peoria which will be tasked with developing an 11-month aggregation program for the city with an electric energy supplier at a rate of no more than 11.1 cents per kilowatt hour for the length of the program The city's current aggregation program rate Pekin can join with other area communities for a longer aggregation program Pekin residents and small businesses can opt out of an aggregation program and get their electric supply from Ameren Good Energy was the city's energy broker at the start of its aggregation program in 2012 and according to city staff saved residents and small businesses a cumulative $2.55 million -- compared to Ameren's rates -- until 2023 the program under Constellation Energy has cost residents and small business owners $4.9 million compared to Ameren's rates The vote for a new electric supply agreement was 6-1 He said he'd like residents to be able to opt in instead of opt out of an aggregation program Pekin resident Matthew Johnson said he's against aggregation programs in general because "the government (in this case the state) shouldn't tell people who to do business with." Vacant building at 'dangerous' intersection to be demolished A vacant building at the corner of the problematic intersection of Court and Washington streets will be torn down and the city will then purchase the property Property owner John Neuman agreed to pay for the demolition of the former lawyer's office at 1024 Court Street the city will pay Neuman $117,500 for the vacant property Council approved the purchase 5-2 on Monday The property was appraised recently at $114,000 City Manager John Dossey acknowledged the appraisal was done with the building on the property but he said it would have cost the city at least $60,000-$70,000 to demolish the building Council member Karen Hohimer said the intersection will be made safer as part of the Court Street rehabilitation project and taking down the building will make it even safer "I've thought for many years that the intersection there is dangerous," Hohimer said project manager for Hanson Professional Services of Peoria told city staff that the building at 1024 Court St reduces the sight distance in the intersection Hilst and Orrick voted no on the property purchase Cannabis dispensary getting a $100,000 forgivable loan for renovation expenses Council also approved these items Monday (no votes in parentheses): Council unanimously approved these items Monday: PEKIN — They gathered on a youth football field where the echoes of two childhoods could be felt as yard lines were replaced by hundreds of candles family and community members in mourning Tuesday evening leaving a community shocked by an inconceivable loss lit candles and paid tribute to best friends who played football together from the time they were 5 The families of the two men sent heated memorial balloons rising into the sky and out of sight Then onlookers released balloons as a final goodbye "There wasn't a more pure-hearted soul than Chase," said a man approaching in the darkness on the field "There wasn't a person who had anything but nice things to say about him." well-livedThat man was Jay Harper — Chase Rhodes' grandfather "I saw Chase for the last time about two weeks ago," Harper said she was 13 years old and it was hard for him but he had to make a decision to put her to sleep Harper pointed at the scoreboard behind the end zone lit up with Rhodes' and Reese's Pekin High School football jersey numbers "My favorite story about Chase was the day he called me up and said We went down to the lake and got (the fishing lines in the water) and I set the pole down for just a second "We had to stop and buy a new one for her on the way home." Rhodes worked the last several months at Alto in Pekin his grandfather saying he was loading trains He watched his grandson grow into a young man "I got to be there from the beginning," Harper said "I carried him down the aisle when he was 6 months old following behind his mother (Jenny) and father (Ronnie) when they got married." Clarice Chick was a science teacher at Pekin and, while watching her son play youth football Shane Hawkins spoke at the vigil. The pastor of Pekin City Church was also a football coach in the youth sports program. He knew and coached Rhodes and Reese when they were 12 years old and learning to play football on the same Pekin sports complex field where he stood Tuesday night "They started together in flag football at age 5," he said but this is also where they were making a lifelong friendship." More: Pekin man accused of killing two friends will undergo mental fitness evaluation The Pekin Dragons went 9-2 overall and 6-1 in the Mid-Illini Conference in the fall of 2021 They took that second-place conference finish and with Rhodes and team captain Reese on the roster beat Libertyville in the first round of the IHSA Class 7A playoffs They lost in the second round to Hononegah and Chase Rhodes' and Dawson Reese's high school football careers were over About a dozen members of the 2021-22 Pekin football team were on hand and lit candles together for their two former teammates Tuesday night "This is a difficult time," Pekin High School head coach Doug Nutter said "Dawson and Chase were more than just great Dragon football players "I had the privilege of seeing their dedication Our thoughts and prayers are with their families during this difficult time." Dawson Reese worked on big chillers as a commercial HVAC technician for Daikin in Iowa being on the water riding his jet ski and boating and he was an avid collector of coins and silver A joint visitation was scheduled for the best friends and former teammates from 4-7 p.m. April 30 at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory. Pastor Shane Hawkins Rhodes' funeral was scheduled for 10:30 a.m May 1 at Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory His family encouraged everyone to wear camo or Pekin Dragons apparel and square-toed boots memorial contributions may be given to Tazewell Animal Control (21314 IL-9 Reese's funeral was scheduled for 1:30 p.m with burial at Lancaster Cemetery in Glasford His family encouraged everyone to wear camo Nike Air Force One shoes and lots of bling In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to Pekin JFL or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Midwest Affiliate (530 NE Glen Oak Ave., Peoria) or Taylor Rudd Saving Grace Foundation "Look around at all these people here," Harper said "Every single one of them knew Chase and Dawson and that's why they are here Dave Eminian is the Journal Star senior writer The Tazewell County state’s attorney has filed two first-degree murder charges against the suspect in custody in connection with a fatal shooting early Thursday morning in South Pekin Memphis S. Rue, 21 is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of Chase Rhodes Tazewell County State’s Attorney Kevin Johnson also filed a petition to detain Rue until the case concludes Johnson points to the serious nature of the murder charges and claims Rue presents a “real and present threat to the safety of person(s) or the community.” A detention hearing has not been held yet; details on when the detention hearing would be scheduled were not immediately available An affidavit of probable cause included with the state’s attorney’s release provided further details on the allegations against Rue Tazewell County sheriff’s deputies responded to a 911 call about a shooting in a home in the 11000 block of Illinois Route 29 in South Pekin just before 5 a.m Deputies say they found David Reese holding Rue at gunpoint in the home’s kitchen The affidavit does not specify any relationship between David Reese and the victim with the same last name David Reese told deputies all three were “good friends” and had been hanging out in the basement when he fell asleep on a living room couch He allegedly told deputies he woke up to the sound of several gunshots and Rue yelling The affidavit alleges Rue came upstairs from the basement with a gun and passed David Reese while heading into the home’s kitchen and pointed it at him until deputies arrived Rue remains in custody in the Tazewell County Jail Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInSOUTH PEKIN (25News Now) - The Tazewell County Coroner has identified the two victims of a fatal shooting in South Pekin Chase Rhodes of Pekin and Dawson Reese of rural Pekin were pronounced deceased by Coroner Charles Hanley One person is in custody after the early morning double fatal shooting in South Pekin was identified by the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office and booked into the jail on preliminary charges of first-degree murder in connection with the deaths The sheriff’s office was called around 4:45 a.m to a home in the 11300 block of Route 29 in Tazewell County The sheriff’s office is being assisted by the Tazewell County Coroner’s Office and Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services (WICS) — The Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office has released updated information regarding a fatal shooting that occurred on Thursday at 11344 Illinois Route 29 has been taken into custody and booked on a charge of First Degree Murder in connection with the deaths of two individuals The names of the victims will be disclosed by the Tazewell County Coroner’s Office once their next of kin have been properly notified the case will be forwarded to the Tazewell County State’s Attorney’s Office for formal charging and prosecution The Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office is conducting the investigation with assistance from the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services and the Tazewell County Coroner’s Office and a man is in custody after a deadly shooting Thursday morning in Tazewell County The Sheriff’s Office responded to a call that reported a shooting inside a residence at 11344 Illinois Route 29 in South Pekin around 4:44 a.m deputies discovered two individuals dead at the scene The Tazewell County Coroner's Office identified the deceased as Chase Rhodes of Pekin and Dawson Reese of rural Pekin One person was taken into custody without further incident The sheriff later Thursday identified the person as Memphis S He has been booked on the charge of first-degree murder The Tazewell County Sheriff's Office is leading the investigation with assistance from the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Services and the Coroner’s Office Pekin news: Pekin Country Club has new owners. Here's what they have planned for the golf course This article has been updated to include new information A Pekin man has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder after he allegedly shot two friends to death early Thursday morning at a home in rural Pekin was officially charged Friday for his alleged role in the deaths of Chase Rhodes of rural Pekin at a home in the 11300 block of Illinois Route 29 Rhodes and Reese were good friends who were hanging out in the basement that night told investigators he had fallen asleep on the living room couch when he heard several gunshots and Rue saying Rue came up the stairs with the firearm a short while later with David Reese then following him to the kitchen seizing the firearm and holding him at gunpoint until law enforcement arrived Tazewell County sheriff's deputies found David Reese aiming the gun at Rue, who was lying on the floor. Deputies also discovered the bodies of Dawson Reese and Rhodes in the basement. Rue was taken into custody without further incident, according to the Tazewell County Sheriff's Office An autopsy conducted Friday indicated Dawson Reese and Rhodes died from gunshot wounds More: Suspect and victims identified in double fatal shooting in South Pekin The Tazewell County State's Attorney's Office filed a petition to deny Rue pre-trial release saying that he would pose a "real and present threat" to the safety of the community if released Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInPEKIN (25News Now) - A shared experience of hopeful beginnings turned waking nightmare entwines five strangers in the City of Pekin five former employees have reached out to 25News with claims of not being paid for their hard-earned wages and when he stumbled upon the opportunity to be head baker at the bakery Peterson claimed to work long hours preparing pastries and other items for the day even claiming to have worked 119 hours in two weeks Peterson described the environment at the bakery as “chaotic,” with new items constantly coming in and a clock-in system that did not work accurately resulting in their team writing in their times “The whole time working for [Allison Salinas] when she would come in and something was not done she would just be down your throat,” described Peterson when I started hearing that we might not be getting paid,” said Peterson 25News discovered that Peterson’s lived experience was not isolated and Courtney Keller also claim to be still waiting for their paychecks so packed in there that she didn’t know what was coming in She had nothing and kept saying it was just a new business Saunders received one paycheck for $1,300 for her hours between Nov but it raised questions about why others were claiming to be unpaid “She told me that she did not pay them because she did not have to pay them until two weeks after we opened This is what she kept telling me,” said Saunders 25News confirmed with Peterson’s then-attorney Jerome Lubelcheck from Shimanovsky & Moscardini who said in part via email that whether a business is open to the public if an employee worked does not justify delaying or not paying an employee Lubelcheck referred to 820 ILCS 115/3 of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act and 820 ILCS 115/4 of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act that every employer is required to pay all wages earned at least semi-monthly no later than 13 days after the end of the pay period in which they are earned Salinas promised a $500 bonus for opening on time at one point during the three weeks she worked at the bakery she worked 14 days straight due to not having a set schedule and still needing to come in to help the bakery “It feels really horrible; we could have done some great things “I was depending on this 100%,” said Saunders citing a lack of organization and unclear schedules and that was my fault that I didn’t write all these downs After gathering what the five former employees said were their agreed-upon wages as full-time employees and their dates worked 25News could not confirm the amount owed due to everything being up in the air the Illinois Department of Labor confirmed that three claims have been filed against the bakery IDOL Wage Claims by msmith on Scribd 25News contacted Salinas for comment on these claims against her and the Busy Beez Bakery “I have no problem paying anybody for work they’ve actually done,” said Salinas Salinas explained that she has yet to pay them due to confusion about their accurate times She further alleged certain employees engaged in timecard fraud by lying about their times Salinas claimed an employee allegedly caught Peterson drinking on the job and another female employee smoking weed during work hours Peterson and Saunders denied any intentional time theft and were not involved in the claims regarding the smoking allegation explaining that behavior from Peterson is doubtful “That’s a false statement; Mark never drinks I’ve never seen Mark take a drink of anything Mark and I are close; I’ve never seen him take one drink Saunders acknowledged one instance where she put the wrong time stemming from balancing two jobs and the confusion of her hours worked Peterson and Saunders said that their clock-in system was off by over an hour so we [said] it was too confusing to go back and deduct the hour and forty minutes off and she was 100% fine with that,” said Peterson the former employees said they are still owed Additionally, Lubelcheck confirmed section 5 of the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act states all final compensation must be paid on your next regularly scheduled payday When 25news asked Salinas how she plans to rectify this matter “I’m not doing anything currently because I am sick,” explained Salinas “I told them I would figure it out and ensure their time was what it was I did not give them time because I don’t know how long it will take.” Salinas claimed to have tried to keep communication with the employees still waiting for their pay but the five we spoke with either have not reached out regarding the matter or have been unsuccessful in resolving the issue Lubelcheck explained despite the claims of wrong timecards “The fact that an employer may doubt the veracity of a timecard an employee completed does not excuse non-payment for actual work performed,” said Lubelcheck in an email to 25News Peterson could not afford legal representation moving forward but Lubelcheck further urged that anyone affected file a wage claim within the state or seek legal counsel Lubelcheck said paying the affected employees would be in Salinas’s best interest Salinas has closed Busy Beez Bakery as of Feb. 20 and has put it up for sale according to the Busy Beez Bakery Facebook page 25News has confirmed with the Illinois Department of Labor Public Information Officer that the department will continue to pursue a valid wage claim regardless of whether a business is open or permanently closed they stated that individual liability is written into the law debt and other financial liabilities can be transferred to new ownership This investigation stemmed from an email from Charles Erickson claiming that Salinas has yet to pay him for his time as her public relations specialist for her 2026 Senate Campaign 25News obtained documents in a suit filed in Fayette County in April 2021 against Salinas for three counts of breach of contract one count for the wage payment and collection act and Friends of Salinas Campaign for U.S Senate states that Brande and Michael Dunn agreed-upon payments with Salinas via text were never compensated Fayette County Lawsuit by msmith on Scribd Salinas explained that Michael was never her employee Brande faked the messages displayed in the suit Salinas explained that she filed her answer denying the allegations and that nothing has come out of that suit since The experience of these individuals serves as a reminder that wage disputes can affect anyone Department of Labor reported their Wage and Hour Division recovered more than $273 million in back wages and damages for nearly 152,000 workers nationwide in fiscal year 2024 To avoid obstacles in a wage claim keeping detailed records of all employment agreements—written or verbal—and any communication is essential in determining a valid claim Those interested can visit the Illinois Department of Labor to file a wage claim IDOL Wage Claims by msmith on Scribd Fayette County Lawsuit by msmith on Scribd The Singapore-based medical supply manufacturer Epic Medical chose Pekin as the site for its first production facility in the United States The Pekin City Council on Monday unanimously approved an agreement authorizing the $500,000 sale of 66.5 acres of land in the city’s Riverway Business Park to Epic Pekin city manager John Dossey called a "great opportunity" for Pekin adding that Epic representatives will conduct a site visit this week and formally close the purchase Friday at a special council meeting Epic does nearly 50% of its business in the United States according to Pekin economic development director Josh Wray The company will manufacture components for intravenous medical use Pekin news: Pekin nursing home fined $25,000 after resident wandered off for three days Epic plans to build the facility in two or three phases beginning this year and expects to have it operational by the end of 2026 The new business has the potential to create over 100 jobs and generate $300,000 annually in property tax revenue Wray said the company chose Pekin for its reliable and high-quality water from the Sankoty-Mahomet Aquifer, as well its temperate climate, and the state of Illinois' economic incentive process through the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity "One of the reasons they chose our region was because of the reliable and high-quality water ... and ultimately through American Water’s treatment process,” Wray said “They did a national search and looked at other states and they were having issues with that factor That’s one of the reasons they settled on us Pekin Mayor Mary Burress hailed the move as a significant economic opportunity and thanked Wray for spearheading the city’s efforts to attract the new business and the council for “doing their homework and for listening to our staff.” "This is fantastic news for the City of Pekin," she said Wray said that because the name Epic Medical is already taken Epic will operate in Illinois as Epic Pharma Solutions PEKIN – A Washington County man was arrested Monday on child pornography charges after a multi-state investigation initiated by cyber tips The investigation began in January 2025 when the Bay County Sheriff’s Department in Florida referred cyber tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to the Indiana State Police (ISP) Sellersburg Post’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force These tips indicated a potential suspect residing in Indiana ISP detectives in Sellersburg conducted an investigation that identified 48-year-old Jerame Jan Hall of Pekin as the suspect ISP executed a search warrant at Hall’s residence in Pekin Hall was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Washington County Jail on two preliminary counts of possession of child pornography Authorities stated that additional charges are pending as the investigation continues The Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is a collaborative effort involving multiple agencies dedicated to investigating and prosecuting individuals who use the internet to exploit or entice children sexually The Indiana State Police oversees the Task Force The Indiana ICAC Task Force urges Hoosiers to report any instances of online exploitation or enticement-type crimes against children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) The NCMEC website can be accessed through the ICAC Task Force website Individuals who believe their child has been a victim of an internet-related crime are encouraged to contact their local Indiana law enforcement agency Serving Lawrence and surrounding counties since 1948 CIProud.com Thousands of dollars fly from boat in Pekin Peoria Civic Center offers epinephrine for allergy emergencies | WMBD This Morning Normal Council extends moratorium on short term rentals Lilija Stevens sworn in as new Washington mayor Rader Family Farms to offer apple picking this fall A local restaurant is celebrating Cinco de Mayo IPCF awards grants to 97 local non-profits The gloves came off Thursday as the six candidates running for three open seats on the Pekin City Council made what could be their final pitches to voters with the April 1 election less than three weeks away The occasion was a candidate forum held in the Community Room at the Pekin Public Library About 100 residents that filled the room listened for nearly two hours to candidates' responses to questions they had not seen who has been on the council for six years following his appointment and election Pekin Community High School teacher and coach Chris Onken who was appointed to the council in January 2024 Council member Lloyd Orrick is not running for re-election The other candidates are Jim (Jake) Fletcher Fletcher is the owner of Pekin Downtown Auto Sales and Striketown Bowl & Bar in North Pekin Johnson is an engineering project leader for Caterpillar Phillips is a CPA and the owner of Phillips Tax Service in Pekin Johnson and Fletcher were critical Thursday of recent council actions and the council's decision-making process on spending issues Johnson ran for a council seat two years ago He said he's the candidate voters need to elect this time "The balance of power shifted on the council two years ago the council has been fiscally irresponsible," he said referring to 4-3 votes that have frequently passed financial measures "Fiscal responsibility and common sense need to be the status quo," Johnson said The 4-3 votes Johnson was referring to have Mayor Mary Burress council members John Abel and Karen Hohimer and Onken on one side and council members Rick Hilst Johnson said he disagreed with the city's purchases of the Davison-Fulton-Woolsey Funeral Home just south of City Hall and 1,000-acre Lutticken Farm property saying on the latter that the city overpaid for it The price tag for Lutticken Farms was $14 million for land city officials say is in an investment in Pekin's future with the planned Veterans Drive expansion to Interstate 474 Fletcher also said the price tag for the Lutticken Farms property was too high "We paid $14 million for a gulley," he said With the city facing a $70 million state pension crisis Johnson thinks the city should offer incoming employees retirement benefits like the 457(b) deferred compensation plan that's available for local government employees Fletcher said it's time for the city to be run like a business with council votes determined by the standard of something is a want or a need "I know I'll approach my votes as if I'm deciding something for my own businesses," he said Fletcher took aim at a 5% utility tax enacted by the council in April of last year He said that's the main reason why he's running for council "The city needs more transparency," he said "Most of the people I spoke with after the tax was passed had no idea about it or why it was needed We need to get feedback from the public and look into what can be cut before we start raising taxes." Hogue agreed about the need for increased transparency for the city He said the city should make an investment in transparency by hiring someone whose job is to constantly push information out to the public Johnson said he'd like to have conversations with residents just before each council meeting to discuss what's on the council agenda that night Fletcher elicited some positive murmurs from the crowd when he said the city needs to do something about the Avanti's Dome which has not been rebuilt since it deflated after sustaining wind damage from a storm in 2021 but we need to reach out to the owners," he said it will bring so many visitors to the city." Fletcher also said he'd like to see every street in the city get inspected every three years and every local business get an occasional cordial visit from the city "I've had two businesses in Pekin for more than 30 years Nobody from the city has ever checked on me," he said Here are other notable quotes from the candidates: • Phillips: "We're headed into unprecedented times with the loss of federal funding Everyone will need to work together to get us through these times." • Phillips: "One of the reasons I ran is because of the complaints I've heard about the city's code enforcement I got a ticket for having my garbage cans stored in the wrong place I've heard from landlords who are frustrated about having to pay for the actions of their tenants." there are some votes I'll have to abstain on votes because I'm a firefighter But if the city is buying a new fire truck • Hogue: "The council's first priority is to take care of what we have." • Nutter: "Are we making money running the schools' bus department • Nutter: "For those who will be elected .. you need 18 months to find out how the city is run." • Onken: "I was against the utility tax at first (and the garbage and wastewater fee increases also approved that night) • Onken: "We've had as many as 33 vacant buildings downtown • Onken: "Some of our fire stations are in deplorable shape We need to keep the people safe who keep us safe." The forum was a collaboration between the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce communications manager and associate historian at the Dirksen Center Voters wishing to watch the entire forum can do so on the Chamber of Commerce and LWV websites Pekin took the first step Monday toward the possible construction of an estimated $550 million methanol plant at 300 Hanna Drive in the Riverway Business Park The Pekin City Council voted 5-2 to approve giving Ambient Fuels of New York, N.Y. the opportunity to purchase about 47 acres of a 57-acre site from the city for the plant carbon dioxide and green energy like offsite solar to manufacture methanol with a lower carbon footprint than traditional plants Ambient has a two-year option to purchase the 47 acres for $1 million The company will make quarterly payments to the city of $7,500 in the first year and $16,750 in the second year while its doing its due diligence for the plant These payments will not be part of the purchase cost The appraised value of the property is $20,374 per acre City economic development director Josh Wray said Ambient is seeking TIF funding for development costs and approval of zoning requests and could terminate the option agreement if those requests are not met the plant would generate an estimated $16.5 million in new property tax revenue that would go into the Southern Industrial Park TIF District Fund the city would receive about $1.65 million annually in property tax revenue senior director of development for Ambient told council members by speaker phone that about 25 head-of-household jobs would be created by the plant in addition to 50-100 temporary jobs during development and construction Wray said Ambient will bring in carbon dioxide through a 4-6-inch transmission line "Staff isn't concerned about Ambient's plans for carbon dioxide transmission," Wray said adding that there are carbon dioxide transmission lines in the vicinity of the plant site Lloyd Orrick and Rick Hilst voted against the option agreement The first of two forums for the six Pekin City Council candidates attracted about 75 audience members who packed the Pekin Public Library's Community Room on Wednesday night despite a prediction of freezing rain The candidates answered eight wide-ranging questions submitted by the audience and they gave opening and closing statements Three council seats will be filled in the April 1 election who has been on the council for six years following his appointment who was appointed to the council a year ago Fletcher is the owner of Pekin Downtown Auto Sales and Striketown Bowl & Bar in Pekin; Johnson is an engineering project leader for Caterpillar; Hogue is a Pekin firefighter; Phillips is a CPA and the owner Phillips Tax Service in Pekin The candidates answered questions about the residency requirement for some Pekin city employees; the 5% utility tax enacted by the council last year; the state and city pension crisis; Pekin's ownership of the school bus department; how to create head-of-household jobs in Pekin; public voting on large city spending; conflict at the council table; and repairing Pekin's roads The question that drew the most passionate responses was the utility tax That was the most disrespectful meeting I've attended," Johnson said Fletcher said the utility tax is the main reason why he's running for council "I talked to 48 people at my bowling alley after the tax was passed "There's a problem with transparency in city government You can't expect everyone to go the city's website for information The tax and a proposal to raise the city's monthly garbage collection fee from $20 to $25 were approved 4-3 at the same council meeting a proposal to raise the city's monthly wastewater and storm water collection and treatment fees from $7.66 to $10.70 per 1,000 gallons used passed 5-2 and the city's monthly wastewater and storm water capital improvement fee was raised from $4.41 to $4.90 A $250,000 annual utility tax limit was put into place for high energy users Fletcher said at the forum Wednesday that he calculated Alto of Pekin would be paying $3 million annually without the cap City staff estimates that the utility tax will raise $4 million in the 2024-25 fiscal year which addresses an expected $5 million shortfall in the general fund The garbage collection and wastewater and storm water fees hadn't been raised since 2018 Proposed increases in those fees were delayed by the council because of the COVID-19 pandemic That resulted in the solid waste fund owing $1 million to the general fund and the sewer fund owing $11 million to the general fund He said the night of the meeting that he was against them until he ran some numbers past his wife "Years of deep and very wide spread malpractice and neglect by prior administrations who were whistling past the graveyard put us in this precarious position." Another candidate forum will be held from 6-7:40 p.m This one will be hosted by the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with WCBU Peoria Public Radio and the League of Women Voters communications director and historian at the Dirksen Congressional Center in Pekin Epic Medical is coming to Pekin About 100 jobs will be created and $300,000 in property tax revenue will be generated annually by the facility just south of the Pekin Park District's Pekin Sports Complex Epic Medical's goal is to have the facility operational by the end of 2026 The company does about 40% of its business in the U.S., so it was looking to open a facility in the country and it went on a nationwide search for a site, eventually connecting with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Pekin City Manager John Dossey said Pekin beat out another possible site in Texas for the facility called the facility the biggest development in Pekin in decades and one that will help the city keep up with infrastructure needs without burdening taxpayers Pekin City Council on Monday approved the sale of 66 acres of land to Epic Medical for $500,000 which cleared the final hurdle for the project "This is a perfect shot in the arm for what Pekin needs to grow," Burress said during Friday's news conference Lee also was in the mood for a play on words even though the news conference started at 2 a.m in Singapore and he'd only been in Pekin for a day adjusting to the time difference "We put this agreement together quickly because we needed a shovel-ready site We can't wait to be part of this community." Lee made the trip across the world with his daughter Felicia Lee "This is a great day not just for Pekin, but for all of Greater Peoria," said Chris Setti, CEO of the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council "It took an ultimate team effort to get this done," Setti said "I've never been a part of a project like this where the agreement was signed so quickly It was only two months ago that we learned the Pekin site was being considered for the Epic Medical project." Among the other team members who convinced Epic Medical to come to Pekin were Illinois American Water, Ameren Illinois and Comcast Burress said Illinois American Water was a particularly important partner in the recruitment because Epic Medical's facility needs a consistent supply of quality water for its operations In a news release sent out to media across the state during the news conference, Gov. JB Pritzker and the DCEO announced that Epic Medical will make a $25 million investment in the Pekin facility with incentives from an Economic Development for a Growing Economy agreement with the DCEO The state is providing all the incentives for Epic Medical to come to Pekin; the city did not need to offer incentives Among those in attendance at the news conference were Pekin City Council members John Abel Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Amy McCoy Freddie Lee was given a Pekin flag signed by city staff and elected officials and Anderson gave him a state of Illinois pin Epic Medical is registered as Epic Pharma Solutions in Illinois It's described in the DECO news release as a leading manufacturer of high-quality FDA-approved medical devices that operates state-of-the-art facilities Pekin has landed a medical equipment manufacturing facility that's expected to create more than 100 jobs and generate more than $300,000 annually in property tax revenue Epic Medical will build a plant in the 438-acre Riverway Business Park north of Hanna Drive on the southwest side of Pekin after the City Council unanimously approved the sale Monday of 66.5 acres of land to the Singapore-based company for $500,000 Components for IV's will be manufactured at the facility The door was opened for the land sale March 13 when the state approved an incentive package for Epic Medical The city had been working with the state since mid-January to bring Epic Medical to Pekin led the city's efforts to attract the business Wray said Epic Medical is a medical equipment manufacturer that does about 50% of its business in the U.S. Epic Medical decided to come to the Midwest for access to reliable and high-quality water and the relatively mild weather to Illinois because of the economic incentives provided by the state and to Pekin because of a shovel-ready site and our ability to make the land deal happen quickly while adhering to proper procedures and council approval," Wray said There is a major need for IV equipment in the U.S because a large manufacturing facility in South Carolina was destroyed recently by a hurricane Land development at the Epic Medical facility site is expected to begin this year and the plant is expected to be operational by the end of 2026 The city is not giving Epic Medical any incentives to locate there A dream come true," said City Manager John Dossey who heaped praise on the team effort of city staff the Greater Peoria Economic Development Council the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Illinois American Water and others for making it happen "I can't say enough about Josh's work on this project He's been getting up at the crack of dawn to see this through while he's been recovering from surgery," Dossey said noting the 13-hour time difference between Pekin and Singapore executive director of the Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce urged the council to approve the land sale Council member Karen Hohimer left the council meeting immediately after the vote because of another commitment She asked for the land sale to be moved up on the agenda so she could cast her vote and the council agreed unanimously to her request Crime issues on South Capitol Street a 'high priority' for police Several residents who live on the 300 block of South Capitol Street told council members Monday they don't feel safe because of homeless people vandalizing and trespassing in homes and a "drug house" and a vacant home in their neighborhood The residents met with Pekin Police Chief Seth Ranney and City Attorney Jim Vasselli outside the council meeting room during the meeting to discuss their concerns Ranney said police and code enforcement officers have been doing their best over the past couple months to address the multi-faceted problems on the block An eviction notice for the "drug house" and demolition of the vacant home are in the works "We're not apathetic to the problems," Ranney said Sunset Hills Plaza cannabis dispensary approved Council approved each of these items Monday by a 6-0 vote (Hohimer was absent): • A special use request for an adult-use cannabis dispensary at 2910 Court Street in the Sunset Hills Plaza The space previously was a Redbrand Credit Union branch and is next door to Hacienda Mexican Grill & Cantina Dispensary co-owner Chris Fanta of Buchanan told the Zoning Board of Appeals that 20-30 jobs will be created Co-owner and real estate developer Vick Mehta of Downers Grove told the ZBA he plans to purchase the plaza and renovate it • Variance requests by Tazewell County to reduce the minimum off-street parking space requirement and the requirement for a parking lot screening wall and landscaping on the west side of the proposed county Justice Center annex at 1 Capitol St Also approved was a site plan for the proposed annex • Changes to the requirements for a tobacco products dealer license that update the requirements and align them with state law One change bans the use of vending machines a moratorium on tobacco products dealer licenses was lifted • The appointment of a chief deputy city clerk by the city clerk up to two deputy city clerks can be hired if needed and the city manager can serve as an ex-officio deputy city clerk The city currently has a city clerk (Sue McMillan) and a deputy city clerk (Nicole Stewart) • Authorization for the city to participate in the state's purchase of road salt for the 2025-26 winter season The cost for salt is anticipated to be between $90-$100 per ton The city plans to order from 2,000 to 3,750 tons • Clarifying that the city engineer's supervisor is the director of public works • Hiring JIMAX Landscape of Peoria to do code enforcement mowing brush removal and other landscaping actions from April 1 through March 31 The city's proposed 2025-26 fiscal year budget has $135,000 budgeted for the work • Hiring CMT Excavating of Pekin to do board-ups and other actions needed on dangerous buildings in the city from April 1 through March 31 The city's proposed 2025-26 fiscal year budget has $200,000 budgeted for the work • Sending $90,751 to each taxing body from surplus revenue in the Southern Industrial Park TIF District gathered during the 2024-25 fiscal year Army veteran as its new public works director Dossey announced Monday that Pekin resident Simon Grimm has been hired and will begin working for the city March 31 Army veteran and retired lieutenant colonel who worked at the Pentagon at the end of his military career where he's been a senior operations management professional since 2023 recycling disposal costs now tied to inflation New solid waste and recycling disposal contracts with GFL Environmental (formerly Peoria Disposal) were approved Monday by the council Each contract is for five years starting May 1 with an automatic five-year renewal unless either the city or GFL wants to opt out Pekin has had a solid waste disposal contract with GFL since 2004 The city's tipping fee -- the fee it pays GFL to dispose of waste in a landfill -- is now $59.50 per ton Annual increases in the tipping fee will change from a set schedule to a variable rate depending upon inflation Increases will range from a minimum 2.5% to a maximum 6% in the first five years of the contract the annual minimum/maximum increases will equate to about $1.53 to $4.59 per ton Pekin has had a recycling disposal contract with GFL since 2020 The city currently pays $106.92 per ton for recycling disposal Cost increases over the recycling disposal contract's 10-year period mirror those in the landfill disposal contract The city receives about $36.19 per ton annually from Tazewell County to offset its recycling costs with Rick Hilst and Dave Nutter dissenting Nutter said he's not comfortable with a 10-year contracts Residential ground-mounted solar arrays an eyesore Should city rules be tightened for a residential ground-mounted solar array The Zoning Board of Appeals will tackle the job after getting that direction Monday from the council connection to the resident's electrical system and meeting building setback requirements are needed for a residential array Council member Chris Onken suggested the requirement of a privacy fence around a residential array Nutter said whatever rules are put in place he wants to make sure residents can have an array if they want one Complaints about a residential array on a vacant lot in the northern section of the city prompted Monday's discussion including the city's proposed 2025-26 fiscal year budget went down to defeat Monday at a Pekin City Council meeting with Mayor Mary Burress and council members John Abel and Karen Hohimer voting yes Dave Nutter and Lloyd Orrick cast the no votes He's a teacher at Pekin Community High School Abel and Hohimer when the council has a 4-3 vote on an issue Also defeated Monday by the council were a plan to make 116 Ameren customers who are not paying a 5% city tax on their gas usage join the more than 13,000 customers who are paying the tax a 3% cost-of-living increase for the 2025-26 fiscal year for non-union city employees and a continued annual payment of $25,000 to the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (Discover Peoria) for marketing and tourism services The 2025-26 fiscal year budget will go into effect May 1 Council's next regular meeting is April 28 "The budget still needs to be tweaked," Nutter said Among the issues mentioned Monday by budget opponents were a lack of enough funding for street maintenance and the completion of the Derby Street rehabilitation project and the need to take out a $12.5 million bank loan to complete the $14 million purchase of the 1,000-acre Lutticken Farm property to accommodate possible development opportunities Economic Development Director Josh Wray said he hopes to bring a Lutticken property land purchase agreement with a developer to the council April 28 "We need to start finishing projects before we start new ones," Hilst said Finance Director Eric Dubrowski said when he took the job last fall one of his major goals was to modernize the budget process According to a 2025-26 budget narrative in the council packet an original $4.99 million deficit in the general fund that pays for most city services was reduced to $140,443 at one point with more cuts possible including staffing and capital project requests who have not been paying the gas portion of the city's electric gas and water utility tax receive their gas from a third party City staff proposed enacting a "gas use tax" on these customers that would have brought in about $250,000 annually in revenue Other communities with a utility tax who were facing the same dilemma have enacted a gas use tax Nutter said he voted against the implementation of the utility tax last year so to be consistent On the non-union employees' cost-of-living increase vote it's still imperative to maintain competitive pay and benefits to avoid the much more damaging effect of losing skilled employees." Dubrowski said members of the Pekin police and street department unions received a 3% raise for the 2024-25 fiscal year Members of the fire department union received a 2.5% increase Nutter said the city recently approved contracts totaling more than $100,000 with McDaniels Marketing of Pekin to provide tourism and marketing services Partnership funding levels of $10,000 and $20,000 between the city and PACVB were available City ready to roll out vacant and foreclosed property ownership registry The city's new vacant and foreclosed property ownership registry will be run by a Florida-based company Hera Property Registry was selected by city staff and approved unanimously Monday by the council for an initial term of two years Hera will find the owner of a vacant or foreclosed property if necessary and collect the $300 semi-annual registration fee and late fee if applicable from all owners "We'll be your only vendor you don't have to pay "We'll save your staff a lot of work," Urban said "They won't need to spend time finding out that a vacant home at 123 Lovers Lane is owned by a bank in Omaha." Urban said Pekin has had 98 foreclosed properties in the past year Hera will create a registry web page that will have a link on the city's web site provide instruction and customer service for a property owner registering a property and create a portal for city staff to access and monitor the registry said the city should receive more than $10,000 annually from registry fees Hera does similar work in 51 communities in Illinois These text messages from the Pekin Police Department are real The Pekin Police Department is rolling out a new communication tool today Because the communication involves text messages Police Chief Seth Ranney said Monday he wanted to let the community know the messages are not a scam There will be a pre-arrival text message for some calls when an officer is on the way and a six-question post-call survey will provide anonymous feedback for the department "so we can identify what's working well and where improvement is needed," Ranney said "the text message will go only to the person who made the call." Ranney gave two examples of what could be contained in a pre-arrival message The communication tool is called My90 by Axon Moratorium halts permits for residential ground-mounted solar arrays A six-month moratorium on permits for residential ground-mounted solar arrays was put in place Monday by the council The Pekin Zoning Board of Appeals will take a look at the city's current regulations and restrictions regarding ground-mounted arrays and see if they need to be changed or new ones added Backyard arrays installed recently by a resident in the north end of the city have caused angst among the neighbors closest to it During public comment before the council meeting former council candidate Matthew Johnson asked that the moratorium not start until October to give residents who want a ground-mounted array time to have one installed before winter Maquet said he expects the ZBA will compete its work and the moratorium will be lifted in as soon as three months Pekin Outreach Initiative receives grant money to fix non-ADA compliant bathroom Among the other items approved Monday by the council: Each above item was approved unanimously except the Teamsters Local 627 contract with Hilst voting no and Nutter abstaining because his son-in-law is employed in the street department Coffee talks with the mayor start this month Burress announced Monday that she will hold monthly "Coffee with the Mayor" sessions starting from 3-5 p.m Each session will be devoted to a specific topic The April 22 topic will be the Luttiicken Farm property A staff member will join Burress at each session to provide more feedback for attendees After 15 years of helping cannabis retailers get dispensary licenses Peoria-based attorney Tom Howard is preparing to go into business for himself with a new dispensary inside a historic Pekin building Howard submitted a proposal last month on behalf of Miggy’s Shop LLC to open an adult-use dispensary at 359 Court Street. The Pekin City Council unanimously approved the special use request during Monday’s meeting as a consent agenda item Council member Lloyd Orrick was not present for the meeting “There may be some cannibalization because of the NuEra that's there because we will be splitting the market to a certain extent,” Howard said “There will be two dispensaries instead of one But the total addressable market will grow because two are there.” The Pekin City Code allows no more than three adult-use dispensaries to operate in the city The new dispensary could potentially generate between $100,000 and $150,000 in sales tax revenue for the city’s police and firefighter pension funds, Howard said. He also plans to support local non-profit organizations like the United Way of Pekin and help repair downtown buildings through grant funding we’re versed in how to write these grant applications,” he said “We have a transformative skill where we can also write grants and we’ll write an R-3 grant for the United Way of Pekin.” Real estate: Real estate sales in Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties for March 8, 2025 “We will be helping achieve policy goals of redeveloping those areas,” Howard said “We’ll be bringing more jobs and more business to an area that had been injured by the war on drugs.” the new dispensary will support local historic preservation by renovating a century-old building The building at 359 Court Street was constructed in 1910 and is the former home of the Pekin Performing Arts Center Howard indicated that the licensed dispensary’s products will be safer than hemp products from unlicensed vendors that are often sold at gas stations and smoke shops Employees at licensed dispensaries must submit to background checks and obtain Illinois Responsible Vendor Training certificates products at licensed dispensaries contain natural Delta-9 THC (tetrahydrocannabinol the primary psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant) while hemp products often contain chemically synthesized THC “There are smoke shops that sell stuff that’s stronger than what’s sold at licensed dispensaries,” Howard said “If I sell a package of gummies with my license it can have no more than 100 milligrams of THC per package and no more than 10 milligrams per serving where the maker took the CBD (cannabidiol) and did chemistry to make stronger psychoactive cannabinoids the gummies you buy there might not be 100 milligrams They might be 4,000 milligrams per package and 400 milligrams per gummy That’s probably why you see people going to the hospital because they got into the really strong gummies.” Howard said he has not yet come up with a name for the new dispensary but projected it could open as early as this summer The mourning after: A small Illinois town dealing with the loss of two beloved people The CEO of a medical supply company set to build a new facility called finding the location in Pekin as "love at first sight." Epic Medical CEO Freddie Lee and Pekin Mayor Mary Burress officially signed the paperwork for the new facility Friday afternoon in front of a packed news conference at City Hall Lee told the Journal Star the deal happened much more quickly than it would have in other areas He said the company will continue discussions with the city next week and very often we have to communicate with people and the thing here is unique because they wake up at 5 a.m Background: New medical supply company picks Pekin for first U.S. production facility The Pekin City Council on Monday unanimously authorized the $500,000 sale to Epic of 66.5 acres of land in Pekin's Riverway Business Park The company will do business in Illinois as Epic Pharma Solutions this is a real epic moment," Lee told the audience and we could already see to the kind welcome we received and we are humbled by I just can't wait until we see the time when we are part of this community." Burress presented Lee with a City of Pekin flag signed by members of the city council along with a City of Pekin coin engraved with the Pekin Community High School mascot Representative Travis Weaver presented him with a certificate recognizing the international collaboration milestone Why did the company choose Pekin?Burress said Epic conducted a nationwide search and was also exploring the potential for a facility in Texas but ultimately chose Pekin due to its high water quality A leading manufacturer of FDA-approved medical devices Epic supports medical providers by creating equipment for intravenous healthcare The company already does about 50% of its business in the U.S. Pekin news: Nursing home fined $25,000 after resident wandered off for three days The new facility fills a joint need by Epic and Pekin for expansion after Hurricane Helene destroyed a large Epic plant in North Carolina the facility will not only create economic opportunities but also expand Riverway Parkway and bring new restaurants shopping and homes required for the facility to operate "We want to pull the community together and make it grow," Burress told the Journal Star "This is the perfect beginning of making our community grow." Illinois Governor JB Pritzker expressed his excitement for the project in a release Friday stating the company will make a $25 million capital investment with support from an Economic Development for a Growing Economy agreement with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity The investment will assist the company's U.S expansion and construction of the Pekin facility "Illinois is one of the best places in the world for manufacturing companies to operate and we are thrilled to welcome Epic Medical to Pekin,” Pritzker stated in a news release the Central Illinois facility will create good-paying jobs for working families in the region while strengthening the medical device supply chain to increase the availability of important medical products.” A new $550 million energy plant could be coming to Pekin The Pekin City Council on Monday approved an option and sale agreement with the New York-based firm Ambient Fuels, LLC Ambient now can purchase about 47 acres of city-owned property at 300 Hanna Drive with council members Rick Hilst and Lloyd Orrick dissenting The company will also pay the city $7,500 quarterly in the first year and $16,750 quarterly in the second year during the plant’s development The company is seeking funds through Tax Increment Financing for development costs and approval of zoning requests Ambient will have 18 months to obtain a building permit and 36 months to finish development Business news: New Washington shop offers unique home decor and clothing with a vintage twist Wray estimated that the plant would generate $16.5 million in new property tax revenue which would go into the city’s Southern Industrial Park TIF District fund the city would continue to receive about $1.65 million each year in property tax revenue the plant would create 50-100 temporary jobs during development and construction and about 25 permanent jobs described as "head-of-household." What the company and city said about the projectEmily Wolf Ambient’s senior director of development: “The project will combine production of electrolytic hydrogen and carbon dioxide with the downstream production of a liquid fuel to be used in the transportation sector The project has initially evaluated the location based on availability of renewable power and carbon dioxide and identified it as a strong candidate for synthetic fuels production.” Pekin's economic development director: “Ambient's mission is to provide green solutions to hydrocarbon industries they plan to utilize carbon dioxide as an input into their production process so they plan to have an inbound carbon dioxide transmission line This is not a large CO2 pipeline like has been described for other applications in recent years not send it out; and it will be a small diameter line A nursing home in Pekin was fined $25,000 for a July 2024 incident in which a resident left the facility without warning for three days in 90-degree temperatures Administrators at Timbercreek reported that there weren't any nursing notes regarding the man's departure from the building Police in Pekin were called to the facility at 12:47 a.m with a police report provided to IDPH noting that he had followed a visitor out of the front doors Staff at Timbercreek told police not to report him as missing as he was not considered an endangered person More: Medication issues and wandering residents: Peoria nursing home fined for violations the man was found by a housekeeping supervisor sitting on a park bench complaining of swollen legs where reports indicate that he could not recall how he got there and didn't remember being in the park A CT scan was conducted that showed a subdural hematoma in his brain along with the pain in his legs Further investigation by IDPH revealed that video surveillance showed the man leaving around 7:30 p.m with much of the facility's staff enlisted in trying to find him over the next several hours The facility's administrator was advised by compliance agents to treat his disappearance as an unplanned discharge The man had been living at Timbercreek for two months prior to his elopement requiring 24-hour care due to decreased cognition and a wide range of medical problems He needs staff assistance for daily activities and has to use a wheelchair when out and about Timbercreek did not respond to a Journal Star phone call for comment Tuesday More: Peoria Heights nursing home receives $100,000 in fines for violating state rules Three new national retail chains are coming to Pekin next year Cullinan Properties announced Tuesday that Ross Dress for Less, Marshalls, and the previously announced Five Below, will join the tenant lineup at East Court Village in Pekin “These retailers will help meet the real-world needs and interests of our neighbors here in Pekin and throughout the region offering more choice and convenience," Cullinan Properties chairperson Diane Cullinan Oberhelman said in a release welcoming environment where people can find what they need — all in one place.” Peoria business: Peoria space available 'for rent' months after restaurant announced temporary closure East Court Village, located on Illinois Route 9, a high-traffic corridor that connects Pekin to Peoria and Bloomington, is anchored by such regional and national chains as Hobby Lobby, Tractor Supply Co. and Petco. The new stores are in the location of the former Bergner’s Oberhelman said East Court Village is being upgraded and these improvements aim to support the city’s economic growth by creating jobs and encouraging further development “Pekin is pleased to see these well-known retailers choose East Court Village for their new locations,” Pekin Mayor Mary Burress said “Their arrival means more shopping options and more employment opportunities right here in our city." Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page.