Tuesday, August 2, 2022 Today’s headlines: Governor J-B Pritzker has declared monkeypox a public health emergency, and Illinois is a disaster area regarding the virus. Updated COVID booster shots will be available in early September around the start of cold and flu season. A group of therapists focused on healing those involved in gun violence…
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker issued a public health emergency declaration and declared Illinois a disaster area in response to the monkeypox virus Monday, a move his office said would help mobilize resources. The governor’s office said the proclamation will aid in moving vaccines to the most impacted communities and will allow the Illinois Department…
One month after staging a primary upset, Republican Darren Bailey is laboring to reel in supporters of a top Republican primary rival and has yet to log a six- or seven-figure campaign contribution in his fall fight against billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker. Compounding Bailey’s struggles, hedge fund billionaire Kenneth Griffin, who put $50 million into…
MACOMB – A mural honoring civil rights pioneer the Rev. Dr. C.T. Vivian and his connections to Macomb was officially unveiled on Saturday in the 200 block of East Carroll Street. The mural, entitled “Life of a Servant,” is 75 feet long and 18 feet tall. On one end a profile of an older Vivian overlooks…
Monday, August 1, 2022 Today’s headlines: An unusually tense process to select the next Democratic Party of Illinois chair ended Friday when its current chair withdrew her name from consideration. The Democratic Party of Illinois has a new leader after an internal power battle settled this weekend. Illinois’ share of a national opioid settlement with…
URBANA – Meteorologists are warning that dangerous heat will return to Central Illinois this week. The National Weather Service in Central Illinois says daily afternoon highs will be in the 90s by midweek. Combined with high humidity, the heat index, or what it will feel like outside, will range from 100 to 110 degrees. Forecasters…
The vote for state Rep. Elizabeth “Lisa” Hernandez as the Democratic Party of Illinois’ first Latino chairwoman was unanimous and uneventful Saturday morning – the drama had occurred in the days prior in a power struggle of some of the state’s most prominent Democrats. Hernandez was backed Gov. JB Pritzker and House Speaker Emanuel “Chris”…
CHAMPAIGN — A few years ago, Rabbi Alan Cook of Sinai Temple heard about a group that transforms donated guns into gardening tools. He thought it was a powerful idea, and said it was akin to the Jewish principle, tikkun olam. “We emphasize the idea of tikkun olam, literally repairing the world and making it…
After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Summer Piano Institute has returned to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The institute concludes with two concerts featuring piano concertos performed with Sinfonia da Camera. Institute faculty Timothy Ehlen and Hie-Yon Choi will perform piano concertos by Florence Price and Brahms, in addition to the…
Friday, July 29, 2022 Today’s headlines: Illinois state lawmakers met on Thursday to discuss closing a loophole that allows people with revoked gun permits to still buy ammunition. The developers of a multistate carbon capture pipeline this week submitted an application to build the Illinois portion. A weekend-long effort to combat local gun violence starts…
URBANA – US Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) said Thursday morning that he will work remotely after testing positive for COVID-19. In a statement, the 77-year-old said he is vaccinated against the illness. “Thankfully, I am fully vaccinated and double boosted and only experiencing minor symptoms,” said Durbin. “Consistent with CDC guidelines, I will quarantine and…
URBANA — The annual county fair marks the beginning of summer’s end in Champaign County. The Champaign County Fair opened its gates on Friday evening to begin its 169th year after being canceled two years ago due to COVID-19. For some fair attendees, it was nice to return to the normalcy of pre-pandemic county fairs. …
Thursday, July 28, 2022 Today’s headlines: Google is expanding In Chicago – it’s taking over the Thompson Center. The state’s largest solar project could be up and running in Fulton County by 2025. Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller met in April with the head of a group called Iranian Americans for Liberty. The second probable case of…
WASHINGTON — In April, Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller met with Bryan Leib, Executive Director of Iranian Americans for Liberty, for a “meet and greet.” There was little reporting about the meeting — despite its potential implications on the world stage. While the interview lasted 27 minutes, Miller discussed her views on Iran for only a…
Kim Floren has spent the last several weeks trying to comfort people panicking about the end of Roe v. Wade. “Everybody has been on the spectrum from just being in tears to total panic about what they’re going to do,” said Floren, who runs South Dakota’s Justice Through Empowerment Network, one of more than 100…