Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022 Today’s headlines: Illinois’ Democratic House Speaker is optimistic cooler heads will prevail after what he called a “productive” meeting with the House’s Republican leader. Decatur Public Schools has received $50 million in federal COVID-19 relief. As the community celebrates Lunar New Year, the Champaign Public Library has opened an art exhibit to…
Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2022 Today’s headlines: An Illinois state representative ejected from the floor last week for refusing to wear a mask has sued the House speaker. California unveiled its endemic strategy last week. The targeted plan shows how the state will approach living with COVID-19. Illinois could be headed for a similar plan. Schools…
CHAMPAIGN — Schools should change to fit their students’ cultures, not the other way around. That was one theme at Illinois Public Media’s News, Brews and Beatz conversation on Monday night. “Like we all know, if you’re a person of color, you are constantly reprocessing what you’re saying to make sure it fits in,” said…
RANTOUL — Learning slowed across Illinois when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Now, schools have the money to do something about it – in the form of federal COVID-19 relief. School districts in Rantoul have chosen to use the money to establish teacher “office hours.” “The philosophy is similar to a study hall, if study halls…
Monday, Feb. 21, 2022 Today’s headlines: Rantoul High School is using federal COVID-19 relief to establish teacher office hours to help students who are struggling. Even though John Deere’s first-quarter earnings were down compared to a year ago, the Moline-based company still says they’re doing better than they expected despite a strike last year and higher…
Friday, Feb. 18, 2022 Today’s headlines: The National Weather Service says Thursday’s winter storm brought three to four inches of snow to the Champaign-Urbana area. Republicans in the Illinois House walked off the floor to protest mask rules. Judge Michael McCuskey has been appointed as Illinois’ new legislative inspector general – tasked with investigating complaints against lawmakers. As part…
CHAMPAIGN – Illinois Public Media is committed to discussions about decreasing gun violence in Champaign-Urbana. Last year, we launched our News, Brews, and Beatz series of conversations. Our next event is Monday, February 21 at 6:00 p.m. Illinois Public Media News Director Reginald Hardwick, who co-moderates these discussions, previewed Monday’s conversation with Morning Edition host…
Illinois Public Media News is monitoring a winter storm that the National Weather Service in Central Illinois expects to bring rain, icy conditions, and possible snow to East Central Illinois. We will update this post with the latest forecast information. Updated Thursday at 8:30 p.m. The snow is starting to come to an end, according…
URBANA – A daylong winter storm brought rain, freezing rain, sleet, and snow to Central Illinois on Thursday. Meteorologist Andrew Pritchard talked with Illinois Newsroom’s Reginald Hardwick about when the winter storm will leave the Champaign-Urbana area and the weekend warm-up. Hardwick: What will travel conditions be like tonight? Pritchard: We’re expecting the evening commute…
Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022 Today’s headlines: Danville District 118, Monticello, Mahomet-Seymour and Decatur Public Schools have announced e-learning days because of the winter storm. Find the latest closings and cancellations here. Governor J.B. Pritzker is insisting that a statewide mask mandate he ordered is still in effect for most schools despite new developments in Springfield. Despite…
URBANA — Many cities, schools, and other organizations are announcing closings and cancellations because of possible flooding, icy conditions, and snow in central Illinois. We will include as many of them as possible in this article, organized by location. The following closures are for Thursday, February 17: Champaign Champaign Head Start Public Schools – dismissing at…
Congress passed the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2005, mandating a certain amount of renewable fuel – namely corn ethanol – be mixed in with traditional gasoline. The goal was to minimize emissions and the country’s dependence on foreign fossil fuels. Instead, the policy caused a chain reaction of events that has likely led to even…
DECATUR – Decatur’s new superintendent has just finished one week on the job. Rochelle Clark steps into the top position in Decatur Public Schools at a challenging time in education. Schools are trying to catch up students who fell behind during remote learning, while both adults and children grapple with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “In…
CHAMPAIGN — Champaign Unit 4 teachers have voted to authorize a strike rather than accept a recent contract offered by the district. If negotiations falter over the next month and teachers do strike, families may suddenly need to find childcare. One place families can turn for help is the Child Care Resource Service. Based on…
217 Today: Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022 Today’s headlines: A legislative state commission declined Tuesday to extend the school mask mandate rules. The process to appoint a new “watchdog” to keep tabs on Illinois lawmakers hit another snag Tuesday. A new bill would allow investigators at the Department of Children and Family Services to carry and use…