🌱 Man Robbed At Gunpoint + Overdose Deaths Decrease

It's Tuesday, Peoria. Let's get to today's top stories, including:

• An 80-year prison sentence for a convicted Peoria murder.
• A permanent road closure going into effect.
• State lawmakers announced grant funding for electric transportion.

But first, today's weather: Mostly sunny. High: 86 Low: 62.

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Here are the top 3 stories in Peoria today:

1. A man told police he was robbed at gunpoint Monday morning near MacQueen Avenue and Broadway Street. Two juveniles stole his wallet just after 3 a.m., according to WMBD. (WMBD)

2. Officials say the Jolt Harm Reduction facility in Peoria led to a possible decrease in opioid overdose deaths in the county, according to WCBU. Practices include “clean needle exchange and naloxone distribution.” The county saw a 50 percent decline in overdose fatalities during the pandemic, even as national statistics showed a 30 percent increase. (WCBU)

3. A portion of Merle Lane will be permanently closed to traffic and will be solely used for cyclists and pedestrians, the Journal Star reports. The area near War Memorial Drive and Knoxville Avenue has been closed since 2019 when a culvert failed. (Paid source: Journal Star)

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Today in Peoria:

• Peoria Riverfront Museum hosts "Cocktails with a Curator." (6 p.m.)
• City Council meets at City Hall. (6 p.m.)
• Take a watercolor class with the Peoria Art Guild. (6:15 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Peoria man Allen Schimmelpfennig, 30, was sentenced to 80 years in prison last week in the 2021 murder of Gabriel Cook, whose body was never found. (WCBU)
• More than $36 million in grant funding will go toward electric transportation in Illinois, state lawmakers announced Monday. (WMBD)
• A flyover celebrating “the National Guard’s 100 years of aerial refueling excellence” can be viewed tomorrow morning east of Peoria. (25NN)

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That's all for June 27, Peoria.

— Georgi Presecky