🌱 Volunteers Clean Veteran Grave Sites + Firefighters Sworn In

Hello, Peoria! In today's holiday weekend edition of the newsletter:

• Police seek help locating a missing man.
• Two teens are arrested for breaking into a car.
• Peoria City Council members voted to change "back-in" parking rules downtown.

But first, today's weather: Mostly sunny and pleasant. High: 83 Low: 57.

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Here are the top 5 stories today in Peoria:

1. Police are seeking public help in locating Richard Gray, a missing 20-year-old man from Peoria. He was last seen Friday morning in the 1600 block of West Latham Lane. (25NN)

2. Two teens were arrested early Friday morning trying to break into a car at North Machin and West Armstrong avenues. WMBD reports one of them was armed with a weapon. (WMBD)

3. The Peoria City Council voted this week to change the “back in only” parking program in stretches of downtown. Council Member Zachary Oyler told WMBD “it has really just caused confusion and challenged parking downtown. I would say frankly it’s made it more unsafe.” (WMBD)

4. Peoria man John Miller-Ross is cleaning grave sites at Springdale Cemetery this week in honor of Memorial Day. Miller-Ross and volunteers from the VFW have honored more than 300 veterans laid to rest in Peoria. “I wanted to do more,” he told CBS Chicago. “I wanted every veteran's stone to look the same as my grandfather's.” Click here for more on remembering the city’s late members of the armed forces this weekend. (CBS/NPR)

5. The Star Journal is reflecting on Tina Turner’s tour stop in Peoria in 1987. The music icon died this week at the age of 83. (Paid source: Star Journal)

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.

Today in Peoria:

• The Honor & Glory 5K runs through Springdale Cemetery. (8 a.m.)
• The Riverfront Farmers Market is back. (8 a.m.)
• The Chiefs play at Dozer Park. (6:35 p.m.)

From my notebook:

• Two additions to the Peoria Fire Department were sworn in Friday. (25NN)
• A new gas station is coming to War Memorial Drive. (Paid source: Journal Star)
• Dry weather is expected to continue through the end of the month in Central Illinois. (NWS)
• Splash pads are now open at Proctor and Logan Recreation Centers. (Park District)
• Peoria Riverfront Museum will host “Cocktails with a Curator” on May 30. (Museum)

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That's all for today! The newsletter will resume Thursday, June 1. Have a great weekend.

— 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 feature articles have been recognized with awards from the 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.