July 2021 ROOFTOP DOG – Larriesha Mecha looks up at Reese, her 4-year-old Chihuahua, who has taken to hanging out on the roof of her East Bluff home. The little dog is able to climb up via a balcony in the back. Neighbors have expressed concern for the dog and even called the police, but Mecha says the dog is perfectly safe and hasn’t had any issues with his rooftop adventures.ROOFTOP DOG – Reese, a 4-year-old Chihuahua, howls at friends and foe alike from atop the roof of his owner’s East Bluff home.ROOFTOP DOG – Reese, a 4-year-old Chihuahua, peeks over the edge of the roof of his owner’s East Bluff home. The little dog has made the rooftop his regular hangout.East Bluff Community Center Food Pantry manager Willa Lucas is also the moderator for a Facebook page called the East Bluff News which has garnered more than 4,300 members since it was started in 2014.FOOTBALL CAMP – Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Kendrick Green, right, a former Peoria High School and University of Illinois football star, puts a little pressure on a young player during his inaugural football camp for kids Thursday, July 15, at Peoria High School.FOOTBALL CAMP – Pittsburgh Steelers recruit Kendrick Green, a former Peoria High School and University of Illinois football star, carries Colton Vance, 7, off the field after he got too tired during Green’s inaugural football camp Thursday, July 15, at Peoria High School.FOOTBALL CAMP – Peoria native and Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Kendrick Green takes a photo with Marsha McAfee before the start of his inaugural kids football camp Thursday, July 15, at Peoria High School.Tadoughs employees Debbie Tallett, foreground, Diane Moore, right, and Tammy Hicks, in orange hat, fill orders for customers at the former Spudnuts Donuts, now known as Tadoughs, at 815 N. 8th Street in Pekin. The popular Tazewell County doughnut is now under new ownership and has renovated their building.Circulation assistant Danita Scheirer returns books to the shelves as the Metamora branch of the Illinois Prairie District Library, 208 E. Partridge St. in Metamora. Illinois Prairie District Library wants to build a new, larger library for Metamora, but there is some debate about whether to move it across the street to an available vacant lot or farther out of town to a larger space.HOI FAIR – Miss Heart of Illinois Fair Queen Isabella Rivero, left, 17, of Canton, Miss Jr. Heart of Illinois Fair Queen Kaitlyn Glvoer, middle, 12, and her friend Annie Pollard, 19, both of Peoria take a spin aboard the Pharaoh’s Fury swinging boat ride Saturday, July 17, at the Heart of Illinois Fair at Expo Gardens in Peoria.HOI FAIR – A trio of parakeets feed off a headband worn by Shelby Taylor of Pekin in the Pretty Bird Paradise interactive attraction Saturday, July 17, on the last day of the Heart of Illinois Fair at Expo Gardens in Peoria. Pretty Bird Paradise is an aviary featuring dozens of mostly rescued parakeets that visitors can interact with.HOI FAIR – Oink the Singing Pig sports a pair of sunglasses before his performance with the Pork Chop Revue during the Heart of Illinois Fair on Saturday, July 17, at Expo Gardens in Peoria. The Pork Chop Revue, which appeared on America’s Got Talent in 2020, features several performing pigs, a pair of acrobatic goats and a photogenic llama.HOI FAIR – Carnival-goers react in their own unique ways aboard the Rock Star amusement ride Saturday, July 17, at the Heart of Illinois Fair at Expo Gardens in Peoria.PRIDE OF PEORIA – NBA champ and Peoria native Shaun Livingston encourages a group of young basketball players on the first day of his annual Pride of Peoria basketball camp Tuesday, July 20, at his alma mater Peoria High School.PRIDE OF PEORIA – Players work on their dribbling skills under the watchful eyes of volunteer coaches during Shaun Livingston’s Pride of Peoria basketball camp Tuesday, July 20, at Peoria High School.PRIDE OF PEORIA – A group of young basketball players celebrate a clutch shot in a free-throw shooting game during Shaun Livingston’s Pride of Peoria basketball camp Tuesday, July 20, at Peoria High School. PRIDE OF PEORIA – Shaun Livingston chats with some young basketball players during his annual Pride of Peoria basketball camp Wednesday, July 21, at his alma mater Peoria High School.PRIDE OF PEORIA – A group of young basketball players wait their turn to shoot during Shaun Livingston’s Pride of Peoria basketball camp Tuesday, July 20, at Peoria High School.MIRACLE VICTORY IN THE TBT – Current Bradley basketball players pile on Marcellus Sommerville of Always A Brave after he sunk the game-winner against the Hoopville Warriors for a 75-73 victory Saturday, July 24, in the first round of The Basketball Tournament at Carver Arena.MIRACLE VICTORY IN THE TBT – Lou Griffiths, right, of Always A Brave moves in to congratulate Marcellus Sommerville, left, on his game-winning shot as he emerges from a pile of fans celebrating the team’s 75-73 victory over the Chicago Hoopville Warriors in the first round of The Basketball Tournament on Saturday, July 24, t Carver Arena in Peoria. In the middle is teammate Patrick O’Bryant.MIRACLE VICTORY IN THE TBT – Tony Bennett of Always a Brave, left, and Tajuan Agee of the Chicago Hoopville Warriors wrestle for the ball during the first round of The Basketball Tournament on Saturday, July 24, at Carver Arena in Peoria. Always a Brave advanced in the tournament with a 75-73 win.MIRACLE VICTORY IN THE TBT – Darrell Brown Jr., right, of Always A Brave tries to knock the ball away from Anthony Harris of the Chicago Hoopville Warriors in the first round of The Basketball Tournament on Saturday, July 24, at Carver Arena in Peoria.MIRACLE VICTORY IN THE TBT – Dinma Odiakosa, right, of Always a Brave, tangles with Tajuan Agee of the Chicago Hoopville Warriors in the first round of The Basketball Tournament on Saturday, July 24, at Carver Arena in Peoria.Kelly Schneider, program manager for the Young Professionals of Greater Peoria, poses outside Zion Coffee Bar in Peoria’s Warehouse District. Schneider believes that the Peoria area workforce is in dire need of a younger generation of talent, and she is helping organize and implement plans to promote the area to attract a younger generation.Chandler Redmond of the Peoria Chiefs snags a foul ball near first base for an out against Beloit on Wednesday, July 28, at Dozer Park.STREET FOOD – Grill ‘Em All food stand owner Stephen LeMasters whips us one of his specialty menu items, a bodega chopped cheese wrap, during his weekly Wednesday evening appearance at the Keller Station Farmers Market in Peoria.STREET FOOD – A freshly-prepared bodega chopped cheese wrap with potato chips is headed to a hungry customer from Stephen LeMasters’ Grill ‘Em All food stand at the Keller Station Farmers Market.STREET FOOD – Stephen LeMasters works the grill at his food stand Grill ‘Em All at the Keller Station Farmers Market in Peoria.STREET FOOD – Stephen LeMasters. left, and his daughters Marley, 12, in background, and Remie, 8, assemble the many parts of their pop-up food stand Grill ‘Em All at the weekly Keller Station Farmers Market in Peoria.TOUGH LOSS – Marcellus Sommerville, right, of Always A Brave, tries to defend the basket against Chris McCullough of Boeheim’s Army in the regional final of The Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, July 28, at Carver Arena.TOUGH LOSS – Max Bielfeldt (0) and Tony Bennett (5) of Always A Brave pressure Deandre Kane of Boeheim’s Army during the regional final of The Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, July 28, at Carver Arena.TOUGH LOSS – Nate Kennell, right, of Always A Brave, tries to put up a shot over Tyrese Rice of Boeheim’s Army in the regional final of The Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, July 28, at Carver Arena.TOUGH LOSS – Tyrese Rice, left, of Boeheim’s Army reacts as Marcellus Sommerville gets around him in the regional final of The Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, July 28, at Carver Arena.TOUGH LOSS – Keifer Sykes of Boeheim’s Army celebrates a three-pointer against Always A Brave in the regional final of The Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, July 28, at Carver Arena.TOUGH LOSS – Marcellus Sommerville of Always A Brave shows his displeasure with a referee’s call late in the regional final of The Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, July 28, at Carver Arena.TOUGH LOSS – Darrell Brown Jr., right, of Always A Brave, gathers his thoughts as his team falls behind Boeheim’s Army in the regional final of The Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, July 28, at Carver Arena.TOUGH LOSS – Members of Always A Brave greet their fans and current Bradley basketball players after falling to Boeheim’s Army 69-54 in the regional final of The Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, July 28, at Carver Arena.