217 Today: Thursday, July 29, 2021

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Today’s headlines:

  • This week, the city of Champaign dedicated a portion of University Avenue to police officer Chris Oberheim.
  • Illinois lawmakers are still mulling whether to get rid of, replace or contextualize statues and monuments on state property.

  • At Illinois state parks, officials say balancing conservation and tourism is trickier with the increase of visitors this summer.

  • The hordes of people expected to descend on Chicago’s Grant Park for the Lollapalooza music festival will be required to show proof that they’ve been vaccinated for COVID-19 or tested negative for the disease within the last three days.

In today’s deep dive, a conversation with Champaign-Urbana Public Health Administrator Julie Pryde about what the CDC’s new mask guidance means for Champaign County.

Reporting today contributed by Reginald Hardwick, Hannah Meisel, Vivian La and Christine Herman.

Carolina Garibay

Carolina Garibay is a senior journalism student at the University of Illinois. She’s a senior producer for the Illinois Student Newsroom and regularly covers arts and culture, education, and social justice issues affecting local communities. Along with her work for WILL, she was also the buzz Editor at The Daily Illini and hosts an arts and culture radio talkshow on WPGU 107.1 F.M.