Urbana schools debate installing AI-powered metal detectors
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Urbana schools debate installing AI-powered metal detectors

URBANA — Urbana High School students and staff may soon walk through AI-powered metal detectors to get to class. The District 116 Board of Education spent Tuesday night debating whether to install the new technology, called Evolv Express. Superintendent Jennifer Ivory-Tatum told the board that rising community violence has left staff drained. “They’re doing patrolling…

Lyric Theatre returns to the Krannert Center stage with ‘Fun Home’

Lyric Theatre returns to the Krannert Center stage with ‘Fun Home’

URBANA — Lyric Theatre @ Illinois returns to the Krannert Center stage Thursday evening with a production of the Tony Award-winning musical, “Fun Home.” The show is an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name, written by Alison Bechdel, which looks at the relationship between Alison and her father, who are both gay,…

217 Today: Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021

217 Today: Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021

Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021 Today’s headlines: Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger is retiring after Illinois Democrats drew him into a new 16th district with fellow GOP incumbent Darin LaHood. University of Illinois service workers Union members protested Wednesday to raise wages and fill vacant positions– including a five dollar per hour raise.  The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is…

Ranchers have a plan to contend with Big Beef and restore local economy

Ranchers have a plan to contend with Big Beef and restore local economy

Ranchers in Nebraska are rebelling against the “Big Four” meat companies by planning their own beef processing plant. They’re seeking a transformation for themselves, the industry and western Nebraska. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s60/audio/2021/11/beefplantwebfin.mp3 Plans to disrupt the Nebraska beef industry began in Hanoi, Vietnam. Rancher Rusty Kemp was on a 2019 trade trip with Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts….

University of Illinois service workers protest for $5 hourly raise and pay for overwork
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University of Illinois service workers protest for $5 hourly raise and pay for overwork

CHAMPAIGN — University of Illinois service workers want a raise of $5 per hour. They say wages haven’t kept up with inflation and contribute to staffing shortages. Members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73 protested working conditions on Wednesday at the corner of Oak Street and Kirby Avenue in Champaign. “We have…