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Peoria's first firefighter death: A teen in his first hour of service

August Kirchoff finally got his chance: He was asked to serve with the Peoria firefighters he long had helped and admired. He frequently and eagerly would do grunt work around the firehouse. But when a conflagration at a brewery pressed ...**** Read Complete Story At;Luciano: Peoria's first <b>firefighter</b> death: A teen in his first hour of service: By PHIL LUCIANO

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Effective January 1, 2026 - Credit Union Succession Planning

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Federal Reserve Committee decided to lower the target range for the federal funds rate by 1/4 percentage point to 3-1/2 to 3‑3/4 percent

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Sunday Reading - Lake Manly Returns

  Lake Manly Returns   An ancient lake has  reemerged in California's Death Valley National Park following record rainfall this year.  Between 128,000 and 186,000 years ago, meltwater from ice covering the Sierra Nevada fed rivers that emptied into Badwater Basin, North America’s lowest point at 282 feet below sea level. The steady flow sustained Lake Manly, nearly 100 miles long and roughly 600 feet deep. The lake disappeared as Death Valley evolved into the driest place in North America , with some areas receiving under two inches of rain annually. This year, however, the park received 2.41 inches between September and November, marking its wettest autumn on record and triggering the temporary return of a shorter, shallower Lake Manly.  Above-average rainfall periodically brings Lake Manly back, including in 2023 when Hurricane Hilary dumped 2.2 inches of rain on a single August day, allowing visi...
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Credit Union Profits Climb 21% As Margins Widen, NCUA Reports

  If you don't read anything else, read this:  Performance By Asset Category WASHINGTON—Federally insured credit unions posted a sharp rebound in profitability through the third quarter of 2025, with net income up 21% year over year to an annualized $19.1 billion, according to new NCUA data. The increase—one of the strongest gains across the agency’s quarterly metrics—came as institutions benefited from rising interest income, wider net interest margins, and relatively stable credit costs. The NCUA reported that Q3 data show interest income climbed 7.6% over the period while the systemwide net interest margin expanded nearly 13%, helping credit unions absorb higher operating expenses and modest increases in loan-loss provisioning. The earnings surge outpaced the credit union system’s 3.7% asset growth and came amid a mixed lending environment in which residential mortgage balances rose sharply, but auto lending weakened. The industry’s aggregate net worth ratio also im...
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Fed to Keep Rates Higher Even Longer; CU Economists Still See Chance for Cuts Soon

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Is it a ‘skip’ or a ‘pause’? Federal Reserve won’t likely raise rates next week but maybe next month

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Involved in a data breach? Here’s what you need to know

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