🌱 Two New Members Elected To City Council + Fire In Detached Garage

Good morning, friends! It's me, Nicole Fallon-Peek, your host of the Peoria Patch newsletter. Here are all the most important things to know about what's happening in town today.

But first, today's weather:

Milder with plenty of sun. High: 63 Low: 37.

Business owners and marketers in Peoria: Do you want to build awareness with local customers? I have a limited number of sponsorships available to introduce our readers to local businesses they need to know. Click here to learn more.

Here are the top four stories today in Peoria:

1. After Tuesday's election, the Peoria City Council will include three incumbents and two new faces as at-large representatives. Newcomers Bernice Gordon-Young and Mike Vespa will join incumbents John Kelly, Kiran Velpula, and Zachary Oyler on the council. Council members who are at large represent the entire city alongside a representative from each of the five council districts. (25 News)
2. In a tight race for the Peoria District 1 school board, candidate Keisha Alexander is waiting to concede the election to incumbent school board president Martha Ross until mail-in ballots are counted. There were 792 ballots counted on election night, which represents a turnout of about 10 percent. There were 424 mail-in ballots still to be counted at the time Alexander declined to concede the race. (WCBU)
3. On Wednesday morning, the East Peoria Fire Department responded to a fire in a detached garage. There were no reported injuries, and damage from the fire is estimated to be around $8,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation. (CIProud.com)
4. Down the road in Fulton County, officials are assessing the injuries and damage from Tuesday's storms. Lewistown, Table Grove, and Bryant are the areas most impacted. The area north of Lewistown had multiple reported injuries, and several structures were damaged in Table Grove. In Bryant, water customers had a boil order and an emergency conservation order. (WCBU)

Today and tomorrow in Peoria:

Thursday, April 6

• Storytime At Luthy Botanical Gardens (10:00 AM)

Friday, April 7

• Open Art: Explore Paint! — The Peoria PlayHouse (10:00 AM)
• First Friday Art For Kids — Peoria Public Library, North Branch (4:00 PM)

From my notebook:

• This Saturday is the opening day for the annual Science Treasure Hunt at Peoria Riverfront Museum. This event brings together science, family adventure, and scavenger hunting for children in elementary and middle school. Click here to learn more. (Peoria Riverfront Museum via Facebook)
• The Peoria Police Department had a new chief for a day with nine-year-old Rik de Haas. Haas won the opportunity through a Peoria Academy Auction. (Peoria Police Department via Facebook)
• Peoria Park District is celebrating National Volunteer Month with two volunteer open houses at the Noble Center. These events are to celebrate and thank the district's volunteers and are scheduled for Apr. 13 at 9:00 a.m. and Apr. 20 at 4:30 p.m. (Peoria Park District via Facebook)

More from our sponsors — thanks for supporting local news!

Featured events:

• Taxes in Retirement Webinar (April 10)
• Add your event

Now you're in the loop and ready to head out the door on this Friday. See you all soon for another update!

— Nicole Fallon-Peek

About me: Nicole Fallon-Peek is a journalist and copywriter with a degree in Media, Culture and Communication from New York University. She has served as a freelance reporter, managing editor, copy editor, and editorial director for a variety of B2B news outlets. She currently co-owns and operates content creation agency Lightning Media Partners.