They say laughter is the best medicine. Michael Miller, a cardiologist and medical professor at the University of Pennsylvania, says they’re right.

If you're keeping score, we're just beyond the Winter solstice. On Monday, December 22, we will gain an additional 2 seconds of available daylight.

The rebuilding Chicago White Sox added Munetaka Murakami to their lineup on Sunday, agreeing to a $34 million, two-year contract with the Japanese slugger.

Crazy Horse Campground is trying to set a record for the most inflatables on one property, all while raising money for Make-A-Wish Illinois.

Nine people have died and at least 10 others were wounded after a group of gunmen carried out a shooting at a South African pub during the early hours of Sunday, authorities said.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the Justice Department’s decision to release just a fraction of the Jeffrey Epstein files by the congressionally mandated deadline as necessary to protect survivors of sexual abuse by the disgraced financier.

A White House envoy said Sunday he held “productive and constructive” talks in Florida with Ukrainian and European representatives to end the nearly four-year war between Russia and Ukraine.

The next presidential election is three years away, but Turning Point USA already knows it wants Vice President JD Vance as the Republican nominee.

The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday was pursuing another sanctioned oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea as the Trump administration appeared to be intensifying its targeting of such vessels connected to Venezuelan government.

People in Decatur with nowhere else to go get a special gift for the holiday season as part of an event run by Families Assisting the Next Generation.

A paraplegic engineer from Germany blasted off on a dream-come-true rocket ride with five other passengers Saturday, leaving her wheelchair behind to float in space while beholding Earth from on high.

ICYMI: A law taking effect Jan. 1 will give landowners and farmers more flexibility to hunt deer on their property.

If you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit, one Decatur farm is lighting up the season in a big way.

Illinois will soon be one of the first states to provide universal mental health screenings for young children and teens.

The weekend is upon us, and there are plenty of things to do and see across Central Illinois. Here is a selection of events, markets, concerts and more happening Friday, Dec. 19, to Sunday, Dec. 21.

Cases of illness frequently rise around the holidays, as people are traveling and visiting family, and illness spreads at a higher rate.

Pope Leo XIV has summoned the world’s cardinals for two days of meetings to help him govern the church, the Vatican said Saturday, in the clearest sign yet that the new year will signal the unofficial start of his pontificate.

ICYMI: Police are searching for a driver that killed a 22-year-old man and sent a U of I police officer to the hospital Saturday morning.

A Russian missile strike on port infrastructure in Odesa in southern Ukraine killed eight people and wounded 27, Ukraine’s emergency service said Saturday, as a Kremlin envoy was set to travel to Florida for talks on a U.S.-proposed plan to end the nearly four-year war.

World War II Navy veteran Ira “Ike” Schab, one of the dwindling number of survivors of the 1941 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, has died. He was 105.

A massive outage knocked out power to 130,000 homes and businesses in San Francisco on Saturday, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. said.

The Decatur community gathered Saturday to remember Andreas "Dre" Woodland, a 5-year-old boy who tragically lost his life on Thanksgiving Day. His mother aims to turn unimaginable tragedy into purpose.

Make sure to vote for your favorite top play from the week. The winner will be announced Sunday night at 10.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's daughter says she had an "absurdly invasive" pat-down at an airport security checkpoint on Thursday. She said in a series of posts on X that she opted out of the body scanner because she's pregnant and concerned about radiation exposure.

Erika Kirk, widow of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and the organization’s new leader, endorsed a potential presidential bid by Vice President JD Vance on the opening night of the conservative youth group’s annual conference.

ICYMI: Check out all the action from a jam packed Original Friday Frenzy!

The diocese is home to the Mar-a-Lago estate of President Donald Trump, whose get-tough immigration policies have drawn objections from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Congrats to MacArthur's Lexi Meyer for being CEFCU's Athlete of the Week!

ICYMI: If you’re looking to get into the holiday spirit, one Decatur farm is lighting up the season in a big way.

The women don't want to apologize for their traditional views on faith, marriage and family, and they draw inspiration from Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, who now leads the political juggernaut that helped return President Donald Trump to the White House.

Looking for something to do during this first official weekend of winter before the holidays? Here are a few things happening across Central Illinois!

The spread of famine has been averted in the Gaza Strip, but the situation remains critical with the entire Palestinian territory still facing starvation, the world's leading authority on food crises said Friday.

An autopsy determined that the man suspected in last weekend's attack at Brown University and the fatal shooting of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor days later had been dead for two days when his body was found.

Elon Musk, already the world’s richest man, scored another huge windfall Friday when the Delaware Supreme Court reversed a decision that deprived him of a $55 billion pay package that Tesla doled out in 2018 as an incentive for its CEO to steer the automaker to new heights.

To tax tips or not? That is a question that will confront lawmakers in states across the U.S. as they convene for work next year.

In the first full day of opening since a mass shooting driven by antisemitism killed 15 people at Australia's famed Bondi Beach on Sunday, thousands of people returned to the waterfront Friday to commemorate the losses and try to heal through a sense of community.

Antarctica, one of the most remote places on Earth, teems with life. For tourists who make it this far south, the experience gives them a chance to see what is at stake as the planet warms from climate change.

The Trump administration launched military strikes Friday in Syria to “eliminate” Islamic State group fighters and weapons sites in retaliation for an ambush attack that killed two U.S. troops and an American civilian interpreter almost a week ago.

Cases of illness frequently rise around the holidays, as people are traveling and visiting family, and illness spreads at a higher rate.

The weekend is upon us, and there are plenty of things to do and see across Central Illinois. Here is a selection of events, markets, concerts and more happening Friday, Dec. 19, to Sunday, Dec. 21.

Federal investigators are examining the wreckage of a business jet that crashed in North Carolina, killing retired NASCAR driver Greg Biffle, his family, and three others. The Cessna C550 erupted into flames Thursday, killing all seven on board.

In total, VA announced that 51,936 veterans found permanent homes this year, over 4,000 more housed than in 2024.

The Trump administration has urged two railroads urging them to make sure Mexican crews can speak English proficiently. Federal inspectors found operators at the controls of their trains couldn’t during recent visits to facilities at the Mexico-Texas border.

Disney and Hulu are celebrating 35 years of "Home Alone" by trying to break a record with the world's biggest gingerbread house.

WATCH LIVE: Illinois WBB coaches, players discuss blowout win over Jackson State

Download the WAND Now app to catch an extra FIFTEEN minutes of new sports content that airs right after Friday Frenzy. The Frenzy 15 has exclusive interviews, plays, and highlights 🏈 Download the app here --> wandtv.com/watch_now/wand-apps  https://wandtv.com/watch_now/wand-apps

Illinois women stay perfect at home and extend their win streak to 9 games with big win against Jackson State. Tune in tonight during the Original Friday Frenzy for full game highlights and reaction from the team.

What started as a simple family tradition has grown into a full-scale Christmas light show at the Brix family farm on Garver Church Road.

Legislation taking effect Jan. 1 requires public schools to offer age-appropriate confidential mental health screenings to identify mental health concerns and link students to support.

People in Decatur with nowhere else to go get a special gift for the holiday season as part of an event run by Families Assisting the Next Generation.