Thursday May 13, 2021 Today’s headlines: One of Illinois’ most influential business associations says the state is facing a severe labor shortage because of enhanced unemployment benefits. Gov. JB Pritzker disagrees. As the state introduces a new tourism campaign, advocacy groups say tourism recovery will help Illinois stay competitive in the national and global economies….
Wednesday May 12, 2021 Today’s headlines: The head of an investigation into a deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home says confusion over pandemic protocols within the facility likely made the crisis worse. Local health departments are gearing up for the extension of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to people as young as twelve. Gov….
URBANA – Gov. JB Pritzker used local road projects in Champaign County as his backdrop Tuesday to announce the latest round of Rebuild Illinois grants. The governor’s actual backdrop was a lineup of heavy equipment at the Champaign County Highway Department building in Urbana. Standing in front of them, Pritzker listed the accomplishments of Rebuild…
Tuesday May 11, 2021 Today’s headlines: With Illinois heading toward a full economic reopening next month, the state’s Department of Public Health is launching a program to vaccinate workers in office buildings around the state. An Illinois Congressman says it’s vital for the United States to help contain the COVID-19 pandemic as it continues to…
DANVILLE – The house on South Buchanan Street had been a familiar site in Danville’s Rabbittown neighborhood for decades. But in recent years, it had been empty, its windows boarded up. Early one morning in April, a city employee operating a Caterpillar excavator knocked it down in a matter of minutes, while a second employee…
SAVOY — Officials at the University of Illinois’ Willard Airport in Savoy held a ceremony Friday to mark the update of an aging runway. The federal government is contributing more than $11 million to the $12.4 million project. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois says the project is important because of the reach of Willard…
Friday, May 7, 2021 https://will.illinois.edu/nfs/217Today5-10-21.mp3 Today’s headlines: Illinois lawmakers are debating whether to permanently allow temporary nursing assistants to take on the duties of a certified nursing assistant in long-term care facilities. U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) says he hopes negotiations with Republicans on President Biden’s $3 trillion infrastructure bill will produce results “soon.” Champaign County health…
Listen to members of the AAPI community in Champaign-Urbana in their own words URBANA — Aaron Chun, a Korean-American college and career counselor at Centennial High School in Champaign, was walking around the University of Illinois campus at the start of the pandemic last year when a group of men drove up near him. They…
SPRINGFIELD – Citing an “improved” economic outlook, Gov. JB Pritzker announced Thursday his support to increase evidence-based education funding in the state by $350 million in fiscal year 2022 which begins July 1. In his February budget proposal, Pritzker originally proposed flat spending for education, citing “financial uncertainty” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It would have…
Updated Thursday at 3:07 p.m. Updated Thursday at 3:00 p.m. Updated Thursday at 2:57 p.m. URBANA – The Tornado Warning has been allowed to expire. Updated Thursday at 2:46 p.m. URBANA – A Tornado Warning remains in effect until 3:00 p.m. for Moultrie and Shelby Counties. The area includes Windsor, Findlay, and Gays. Another tornado…
URBANA, Ill. – In recent weeks, India has seen a surge in positive COVID-19 cases. Hospitals are crowded and oxygen supplies have dwindled. As of Thursday, the Indian Health Ministry is reporting a record 412,262 new cases and 3,980 new deaths in the past 24 hours. More than 21 million people in India have been…
CHAMPAIGN – People in Champaign and Macon counties are welcome to receive COVID-19 vaccines at clinics in Champaign on Thursday and Decatur on Friday. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District will hold a free walk-in vaccine clinic at Salem Baptist Church in the 5th & Hill Neighborhood of Champaign on Thursday from 2:00 to 6:30 p.m….
URBANA — For the first time in 13 months, the Illinois economy is expanding, according to the University of Illinois Flash Index. The Flash Index reading for April is 101.5, surging above 100 for the first time since February 2020, when it was at 105.7. The COVID-19 pandemic sent the Flash Index below 100 starting…
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. have reported an increase in their experiences of racism, hostility and outright violence. A recent study from California State University found anti-Asian hate crimes reported to police in major U.S. cities rose 150% last year — even as overall hate crimes dropped 7%. And…
Updated Monday at 9:10 p.m. URBANA – No major damage has been reported after severe storms swept through Central Illinois Monday night. The National Weather Service reported multiple sightings of tornadoes in Sangamon, Macon, Moultrie and Coles counties. Golf ball size hail was reported in Montgomery County, south of Springfield. The National Weather Service in Lincoln issued…