Win Route 66 Drive-in passes with MOVIE MANIA!

Route 66 100 Year Anniversary Guide

Central Illinois online news site CapitolCityNow.com is here!

Upcoming Events

Saturday, June 20th- Little Miracles 5k/3k
June 22nd-28th- Memorial Health Championship Presented by LRS

Lifestyle

6 hours ago in Lifestyle

Why your co-worker might be listening to music tuned to 432 hertz

Music recorded in 432 hertz (cycles per second) is taking off on social media platforms and music streaming services, where users can find an increasing number of tracks and playlists employing the alternate tuning, everything from meditation soundscapes to reggae songs recorded by Ziggy Marley.

23 hours ago in Lifestyle

Independent bookstores are multiplying, although many people still think they’re dying out

Allison Hill, CEO of the American Booksellers Association, is used to strangers expressing sympathy when they learn what she does for a living. "It's all so funny," she says. "When I tell them I run the trade association for independent stores, they'll say, 'It's just so sad that they're disappearing.'

2 days ago in Lifestyle

You should be dancing, yeah. Moving to music offers all kinds of benefits as you age

Moving to music is one of the best ways to stay healthy. Medical professionals say it doesn't matter if it's Western line dancing, ballroom steps, salsa, tap, Zumba at the gym, or with a group

1 week ago in Lifestyle

Plastic bags don’t go in the recycling bin. What should you do instead?

Soft, stretchy plastics can make up grocery bags, bubble wrap and more. They're impossible to avoid and harder still to properly dispose of. If thrown in the trash, they can take up to hundreds of years to degrade in landfills and release harmful microplastics into the environment.

1 week ago in Lifestyle, Trending

Summer travelers who relied on Spirit Airlines may struggle to find budget alternatives

Days after Spirit Airlines shut down in the middle of the night, a lawyer for the defunct budget carrier stood before a bankruptcy judge and apologized to the price-conscious customers who might struggle to find affordable flights in its absence.

2 weeks ago in Lifestyle

Pediatricians group finds kids of all ages need regular recess for physical and mental health

Recess isn't just a fun break for grade schoolers. It's crucial to good health and good grades for kids of all ages. That's the message from a leading pediatricians group, which just released the first new guidance in 13 years about this unstructured time at school and how it needs to be protected.

Sports

6 hours ago in Sports

Baseball players ask for expanded free agency, salary arbitration rights, almost doubling minimum

Baseball players fired the opening salvo Wednesday in what is expected to be long and contentious labor negotiations, asking for expanded free agency and salary arbitration rights along with almost doubling the major league minimum and increasing the money high-revenue teams share with the less-wealthy clubs.

6 hours ago in Sports

Hurricanes beat the Canadiens 4-0 to move within a victory of the Stanley Cup Final

Sebastian Aho, Jordan Staal and Logan Stankoven scored in a 2:47 span late in the first period and the Carolina Hurricanes moved within a victory of the Stanley Cup Final, beating the Montreal Canadiens 4-0 on Wednesday night.

1 day ago in Sports

Iga Swiatek improves career record at French Open to 42-3 as she reaches 3rd round

Iga Swiatek has improved her career record at the French Open to 42-3. The four-time champion eliminated 35th-ranked Sara Bejlek 6-2, 6-3 to reach the third round on Wednesday.

1 day ago in Sports, Trending

The Blue Wave from tiny Curaçao is making World Cup history

Before the tournament even begins, Curaçao has already crafted a story like none other in World Cup history. A tiny island country — autonomous territory, if you prefer — of about 156,000 residents in the Caribbean is now the smallest, both in terms of population and land mass, to make it to soccer's biggest stage.

2 days ago in Sports

Knicks fans forget about the bad times and savor a record run to their first NBA Finals since 1999

Minutes after the Knicks finished their four-game sweep of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference finals, the DJ at Radio City Music Hall played Prince's "1999." That was the last time the Knicks had reached the NBA Finals.

2 days ago in Sports

Heat wave at French Open impacts the clay courts and sends fans to sprinklers

Tennis players at the French Open say they haven't experienced conditions this hot at Roland Garros since the Paris Olympics. And the 2024 Olympics were held in July and August.

National

6 hours ago in National

Justice Department opens investigation into E. Jean Carroll, who accused Trump of assault: AP source

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into whether E. Jean Carroll, the longtime advice columnist who has said Donald Trump sexually assaulted her in a Manhattan department store 30 years ago, lied during the course of civil litigation against the Republican president, according to a person familiar with the matter.

6 days ago in National

FDA staff blindsided by move allowing more e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches onto US market

Senior officials in the Food and Drug Administration's tobacco center were blindsided by a recent decision that opens the door to allowing more unauthorized electronic cigarettes and nicotine pouches onto the U.S. market, The Associated Press has learned.

1 week ago in National

What to watch in Tuesday’s primaries as Trump’s endorsement is put to the test

Is there a future in politics for Republicans who cross President Donald Trump? The signs this year suggest no, and Trump has convinced his voters to defeat his adversaries again and again.

2 weeks ago in National, Trending

Prosecutors to retry Alex Murdaugh in deaths of wife and son after high court overturned convictions

Alex Murdaugh's murder convictions and life sentence for the deaths of his wife and son were overturned Wednesday by the South Carolina Supreme Court because the court clerk at his trial suggested he was guilty. But the disgraced lawyer won't be leaving prison anytime soon.

Local News from Capitol City Now

2 hours ago in IL State News, Lifestyle, Local

Lawmakers approve bill to regulate e-bikes, scooters

Fresh

Speed limits and age restrictions part of new limits.

2 hours ago in Entertainment, Local, Music

‘Mamma Mia!’ takes the stage at The Muni

Fresh

Performances the next two weekends at The Muni.

2 hours ago in IL State News, Local, National

Illinois lawmakers pass landmark AI accountability bill

Fresh

Rep. Daniel Didech, D-Buffalo Grove, speaks on the House floor May 27. His bill would make Illinois the third state to regulate frontier AI models. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jenna Schweikert)

The measure aims to promote accountability among the most powerful AI models.

2 hours ago in IL State News, Local, National

State Sen. Dale Fowler says he’ll step down at end of legislative session

Fresh

State Sen. Dale Fowler watches Gov. JB Pritzker’s State of the State speech on Feb. 18, 2026. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Jerry Nowicki)

The Harrisburg Republican has served his southern Illinois district for a decade.

2 hours ago in Business, IL State News, Local

Reducing gas tax, prepping for future shortfalls among late budget sticking points

Updated

Sen. Don DeWitte, R-St. Charles, discusses the budget at a news conference at the Statehouse on May 27, 2026. (Capitol News Illinois photo by Ben Szalinski)

Republicans call for lower spending and taxes as progressive Dems seek new revenue.

Entertainment

23 hours ago in Entertainment, Trending

Matthew Perry’s assistant gets more than 3 years in prison for central role in his ketamine death

Matthew Perry's live-in personal assistant, who had a central role in the "Friends" star's descent into ketamine addiction and injected him with the fatal dose of the drug, was sentenced Wednesday to three years and five months in prison.

1 day ago in Entertainment, Music

The Chicks announce intimate ‘Taking the Long Way’ 20th Anniversary Tour. ‘This is our lives’

Call it a comeback, a crossover moment, or both. Twenty years ago, The Chicks released their blockbuster 2006 album "Taking the Long Way" — their first full-length after the country music industry turned their backs on them — and one of the biggest of their career.

2 days ago in Entertainment

What tastes like a Korean pancake and is purple all over? An Oreo inspired by K-pop group BTS

Oreo is teaming up with K-pop supergroup BTS for a bit of marketing dynamite that capitalizes on consumers' growing interest in global flavors.

2 days ago in Entertainment

Scripps National Spelling Bee guide: How to watch, who the notable spellers are, rules and prizes

The best young spellers in the English language are competing at the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week, continuing a more than century-old tradition. The three-day competition began Tuesday and concludes Thursday night.

2 days ago in Entertainment

Jim Henson’s Creature Shop opens for tours. Here’s what’s inside the once-hidden puppet studio

Deep in a cavernous New York City warehouse, the artisans behind some of the world's most beloved children's characters have been fashioning costumes and puppets for years in relative anonymity. Now Jim Henson's Creature Shop, the workshop founded by the legendary creator of the Muppets, is drawing back the curtain.

Upcoming Events

Lifestyle

Sports

National

Local News from Capitol City Now

Entertainment

Like us on Facebook!

What's Happening

Trending