CHAMPAIGN – June 30 marks the end of Pride Month, but that doesn’t mean that activists and LGBTQ+ allies are done celebrating the LGBTQ+ community or reflecting on change that still needs to happen. Illinois Newsroom student journalist Carolina Garibay spoke with Nicole Frydman of Champaign, one of these activists. This month, she attended several…
Wednesday, June 30, 2021 Today’s headlines: The investigation continues into Monday night’s explosion at a residence hall on the University of Illinois Urbana campus. Public health officials say a more contagious variant of the coronavirus is fueling a rise in infections just to our west in Missouri. College athletes throughout Illinois will now be able…
Tuesday, June 29, 2021 Today’s headlines: Urbana firefighters are trying to figure out what caused an explosion at a privately-run residence hall on the University of Illinois campus Monday night. A Champaign County Board committee holds a study session Tuesday to gather input on improving local broadband service. The Illinois Department of Public Health is…
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Public Health are warning residents to be on the lookout for toxic blue-green algae for those planning summer activities in Illinois’ lakes and streams. The algae has already been detected in the Illinois River at the Starved Rock Lock & Dam. According to the press release, summer…
This is a developing story. It will be updated as we learn new details. UPDATE: 56 summer residents are moving back into Hendrick House at the University of Illinois — ten days after an explosion forced them to evacuate. Management for the privately-owned residence hall announced on social media Wednesday that the city of Urbana had…
URBANA – The Champaign County Board is getting ready to study ways to improve local broadband. That includes a Finance Committee-of-the-Whole study session Tuesday evening, June 29, beginning at 6 PM at the county’s Brookens Administrative Center in Urbana. The county board is considering spending some of Champaign County’s more than $40 million in American…
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…