🌱 Mayoral Address + Coffee Shop Closing + Drought Poses Fire Risks

Welcome to the weekend, Peoria! In today's top stories:

• Local veterans group receive state grants.
• Indie authors visit Peoria for an expo.
• A Hall of Famer from Peoria has a new role in baseball.

But first, today's weather: Partly sunny and hot. High: 95 Low: 69.

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Here are the top 3 stories today in Peoria:

1. Mayor Rita Ali gave her annual State of the City address Thursday. Ali covered the budget, infrastructure and more in the speech at Luthy Botanical Gardens. (WCBU)

2. Peoria fire officials warn residents to be careful of fire risk amid drought conditions, according to WMBD. The fire department is “strongly recommending everybody avoid recreational fires while drought conditions continue.” (WMBD)

3. Thirty-Thirty Coffee will close tomorrow after more than 10 years in business. 25 News Now reports the shop did not give a reason for the closure. (25 News Now)

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Today in Peoria

• Stop by the Riverfront Market. (8 a.m.)
• An Indie Author Book Expo is held at the Civic Center. (10 a.m.)
• The Peoria PlayHouse Children's Museum hosts a family workshop. (2 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• A marijuana dispensary is set to open in Peoria Heights. (Paid source: Journal Star)
• Two Central Illinois veterans' groups received state grants this week. (WMBD)
• Peoria native and Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Thome is now helping coach his son’s baseball team at Nazareth Academy in La Grange. (USA Today)
• The Doobie Brothers 50th anniversary tour stops in Peoria today. (Paid source: Journal Star)

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That's all for today, Peoria! See you next week for the next edition.

— Georgi Presecky

About me: Georgi is a newsletter writer and partner content curator. She spent five years on the entertainment beat for FF2 Media covering film festivals across the U.S. Her writing has been recognized with awards from the Ernest Hemingway Foundation, Illinois Women's Press Association and National Federation of Press Women. As editor-in-chief of the Lewis University newspaper, she and her staff earned honors from the Associated Collegiate Press and American Scholastic Press Associations. She began working for Patch in 2019.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Peoria Patch newsletter? Contact me at georgi.presecky@patch.com.