Monday, June 28, 2021 Today’s headlines: Cleanup continues after a portion of a historic building in Champaign collapsed over the weekend. The General Assembly this spring approved a measure that would allow pharmacists to hand out hormonal birth control to a patient who has not seen a doctor. New research from the University of Illinois explores…
This is a severe weather blog for June 27, 2021. It will be updated throughout the afternoon. Updated at 5:58 p.m. Updated at 5:00 p.m. Updated at 12:15 p.m. For the third straight day, the National Weather Service in Central Illinois is predicting strong to severe thunderstorms for the Champaign-Urbana area and surrounding communities. Storms…
URBANA – On Saturday afternoon, Illinois alum Alex Diab was selected as an alternate to represent Team USA at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Diab, a Glen Ellyn native, posted scores of 14.500 and 14.900 (29.400) and placed first on still rings, an event where he was a two-time National Champion (2018, 2019) and the program’s…
CHAMPAIGN – Investigators are looking into why a portion of a vacant commercial building collapsed in Champaign on Saturday afternoon. Champaign Fire Department Public Information Officer Randy Smith says firefighters responded to the structure at 63 Chester Street at 5:47 p.m. The department says no one was hurt. Upon arrival, Smith says firefighters reported the…
This is a severe weather blog for June 26, 2021. It will be updated throughout the afternoon. Updated at 6:52 p.m. Updated at 6:42 p.m. The National Weather Service extended the Tornado Watch until 9:00 PM CDT for Vermilion, Champaign, Moultrie and Douglas Counties. Updated at 6:25 p.m. Updated at 6:05 p.m. Updated at 5:56…
Updated Friday at 10:50 p.m. Updated Friday at 10:22 p.m. Updated Friday at 8:56 p.m. Updated Friday at 8:52 p.m. Updated Friday at 8:32 p.m. Updated Friday at 8:21 p.m. Updated Friday at 8:18 p.m. Updated Friday at 8:00 p.m. There are no reports of major damage or injuries after a brief tornado in Central…
As states like Kansas and Oklahoma let their emergency declarations run out, they effectively take a pass on extra federal help with food stamps. Nearly one in five families struggled to afford food at the height of the pandemic. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) allotments were maxed out to reduce food insecurity. But with increasing vaccination rates…
Friday, June 25, 2021 Today’s headlines: State Democratic leaders are touting a Wall Street agency bumping Illinois’ credit rating outlook from negative to positive this week as the state continues to recover from the COVID-19 recession. In May of last year, Champaign County home sales were at their lowest point due to the COVID-19 pandemic,…
DANVILLE, Ill. – In the Danville Stadium parking lot on Two-Dollar Tuesday this week, National Guard members filled out brand-new COVID-19 vaccination cards. In exchange for getting the vaccine, residents received a coupon for a free hotdog and a non-alcoholic drink. Almost half of all Illinois residents are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. But some…
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois could become the first state to require public schools to teach the history of Asian Americans, a community that reported an increase in anti-Asian hate incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Teaching Equitable Asian American Community History, or TEAACH Act, would require Illinois K-12 public schools to teach a unit of Asian…
Thursday, June 24, 2021 Today’s headlines: Some Democrats in the Illinois Senate are beginning to push for allowing non-citizens to vote in local school board elections. When schools in Illinois re-open for the new school year, they’ll still have to take precautions against the coronavirus. Illinois could become the first state to require the teaching…
OAKWOOD — Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Vermilion County State’s Attorney Jacqueline Lacy announced on Tuesday they were suing Dynegy Midwest Generation over the disposal of coal ash at the shuttered Vermilion Power Station. That coal ash has been in retention ponds near the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River. Later that day, Raoul…
Wednesday, June 23, 2021 Today’s headlines: The U.S. Department of Veterans’ Affairs says it’s working on a fix to allow veterans who got their COVID-19 shots at VA facilities to participate in Illinois’ vaccine lottery. A new plan that just passed in Springfield and a recent report from the State Board of Higher Education come…
URBANA – Former Illinois Congressman John Shimkus has signed on with a lobbying firm. Kit Bond Strategies, which has been newly renamed the KBS Group, announced Monday that the 63-year-old Shimkus has joined them as a principal. The firm was founded in 2011 by former Missouri governor and senator, Kit Bond. “Shaping public policy is…
URBANA – The University of Illinois plans a return to near normal class schedules in the fall, and campus life free of face masks, social distancing and regular testing for the coronavirus. But university officials say that’s only possible with COVID-19 vaccinations for everybody. U of I President Tim Killeen announced the vaccination requirement for…