America @ 250: Hannah Velasco asks if America was actually ever great
Hannah Velasco is a 29-year-old resident of Urbana. She directs Urbana High School’s Ballet Folklórico de los Tigres, and is a recruitment and training coordinator for the Court Appointed Special Advocates of Champaign County. Her identity has never fit neatly into one box, and she believes that accepting each other’s differences is part of being American.
America @ 250: Kay Weidner asks Americans to ask themselves, ‘Who am I?’
Kay Weidner grew up near Crystal Lake Park in north Urbana and still lives in the area. Members of her family have served in the military since at least World War II, and she loves a good Fourth of July Parade.
WILL Call: What’s Happening in Central Illinois July 2 – July 5
Independence Day celebrations, a local music festival, pickleball tournaments and more are happening this weekend in Central Illinois.
Champaign-Urbana immigrant advocates relieved but on guard following U.S. Supreme Court birthright citizenship ruling
Leaders of the Refugee Center and the New American Welcome Center were relieved but still worried.
The Latest: Supreme Court upholds birthright citizenship, rejecting Trump’s proposed limits
The decision comes on the final day of a Supreme Court term that has centered on Trump’s expansive claims of presidential power — and largely ruled in his favor.
Police need public’s help to identify human remains found in Lake Mattoon
On Sunday, boaters observed part of a human arm in Lake Mattoon.
Meteorologist Ed Kieser returns to Illinois Public Media to team up with Andrew Pritchard on weather and severe storm coverage
Illinois Public Media Meteorologists Ed Kieser and Andrew Pritchard are working to provide forecasts and breaking weather.
Nearly one year after Mattoon’s water crisis, the city has seen no signs of algal blooms returning
Algal blooms overwhelmed Mattoon’s water system in July 2025, leading to five days of do not drink orders.
America @ 250: Alex Wysocki asks, ‘Are short-term political gains worth giving up the big picture?’
Alex Wysocki is a television producer, filmmaker, husband and father of three. He and his wife Abigail moved to Champaign during the COVID-19 pandemic and are raising their family here.
Network of climate stations provide critical data, enable real-time decisions during severe weather
The Illinois Climate Network collects data that helps experts and communities make real time decisions during severe weather events.
U of I’s historic round barns set for renovations following $10M alum gift
The historic round barns on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus are being renovated thanks to a $10 million donation from Leah Wightman,
WILL Call: What’s Happening in Central Illinois June 25 – June 28
Learn how to support local pollinators, see a fireworks show at a summer festival and more this weekend in Central Illinois.
Urbana City Council declines to make downtown civic center a historic landmark, passes budget
Officials in Urbana had a busy week at city council. They rejected a proposal to grant landmark status to the former Civic Center downtown, which may become the site of a new transit center. The city also approved a new budget and appointed a new Ward 5 council member.
Addicted to gambling in Illinois: ‘Someone has decided they can make money off you’
People in Illinois lost more than $7.7 billion gambling last year. As lawmakers increasingly bet on gambling to pay the state’s bills, they have only spare change to treat compulsive gamblers.
Bears stadium fail wasn’t Pritzker’s only fumble — his affordable housing plan also went nowhere
Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan would have allowed multi-unit housing, such as duplexes and triplexes, and “granny flats” on nearly all properties zoned for residential use. But he was unable to overcome local government leaders’ opposition to the proposal.
This large Chicago high school rarely suspends its students
Schools in Illinois suspend Black students at much higher rates than white students. Kenwood Academy High School on Chicago’s South Side stands out for bucking that trend.
This Springfield high school has one of the highest rates of suspensions for Black students in Illinois
There were fewer than 500 Black students at Lanphier High School in the 2024-2025 school year, but they received almost four times that number of in-school and out-of-school suspensions.
‘A legacy brand sunset’: Illinois radio stations reckon with CBS News Radio’s shutdown
As longtime CBS affiliate stations across the state move to other news services, broadcasters and industry professionals are weighing how the loss will impact local coverage and what it signals about the future of radio news.
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