CHAMPAIGN – For two years, the Housing Authority of Champaign County’s YouthBuild program has helped young people finish their high school diplomas, while renovating public housing properties. The program managers also see the training program as a youth violence prevention initiative. “It’s a safe place where they can come in and talk, and we provide…
URBANA — School districts in Champaign and Urbana are considering installing metal detectors in response to a rise in youth violence. But a social science researcher says metal detectors are not as effective as more long-term violence prevention. Jun Sung Hong is a professor at the School of Social Work at Wayne State University and…
URBANA — More teachers in hallways between classes. Inclusion of Latin American history in dual language programs. Fewer weapons in schools. These are some of the top issues of the first ever student representatives on the Urbana District 116 Board of Education. The three students took their official oaths of office on Tuesday evening. The…
CHAMPAIGN – Going maskless in school. Visiting a grandparent in India. Protecting a baby sister. These are some of the reasons Champaign-Urbana kids got vaccinated against COVID-19 on Wednesday in one of the county’s first clinics for the newly eligible, 5-11 age group. “Now that I know it doesn’t hurt too much, I’m actually looking…
CHAMPAIGN — Champaign substitute teachers will now earn at least $140 per day – $30 more than they were making before. The Champaign Unit 4 Board of Education approved the raise on Monday evening, following a similar move from neighboring school boards. “We’ve reviewed our rates and determined that we are no longer competitive with…
URBANA — Urbana High School students and staff may soon walk through AI-powered metal detectors to get to class. The District 116 Board of Education spent Tuesday night debating whether to install the new technology, called Evolv Express. Superintendent Jennifer Ivory-Tatum told the board that rising community violence has left staff drained. “They’re doing patrolling…
CHAMPAIGN — University of Illinois service workers want a raise of $5 per hour. They say wages haven’t kept up with inflation and contribute to staffing shortages. Members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73 protested working conditions on Wednesday at the corner of Oak Street and Kirby Avenue in Champaign. “We have…
CHAMPAIGN — Ninth graders started this fall at Centennial High School with trauma. There were midday gunshots near the Champaign high school in September. Other incidents included a social media threat and a student who brought a gun to school. The rattled freshmen turned to their peer advisor, Centennial senior Hussein Al-Juboory. “They were asking,…
CHAMPAIGN — Learning did slow last year during pandemic school – especially for the state’s most vulnerable students. The Illinois State Board of Education dropped this information on Friday morning in its annual report card. “We need to recognize that for our Black and Hispanic children, remote learning was not very effective, particularly for English…
CHAMPAIGN – Chicago-based security company AGB will continue to guard Champaign public schools this year. The company won out against the other bidder for the work — Stockholm-based Securitas. The Champaign Unit 4 School District Board of Education unanimously approved the contract on Monday, with questions about how the company has done so far. “There’s…
Editor’s note: At the request of Nikki Usher, we have removed the photo posted earlier. Also, Nikki asked that we change the pronouns in this article that pertain to Usher from ‘she/her’ to ‘they/their.’ – Reginald Hardwick, News Director, March 26, 2024 URBANA – In some rural Illinois ZIP codes, only one in five…
URBANA — Faculty and students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign get an annual chance to air grievances and clear up rumors with the president of the university system. One rumor at the latest U of I Senate’s Annual Meeting of the Faculty was whether the university system is planning to expand to the Quad…
URBANA – In three Urbana elementary schools, most students take COVID-19 tests once a week. And they barely have to step out of their classrooms. The schools are part of a pilot program Urbana School District #116 started this fall. “It’s been working really well,” says district Chief Information Officer John Gutzmer. “We’ve been able…
CHAMPAIGN – Carle Foundation Hospital will drop Aetna Medicare in January. That’s bad news for Bridget McGill, an Urbana resident who relies on Aetna Medicare Advantage to afford her monthly prescriptions. “I really don’t want to change insurance carriers. Are we going to pay if we go to a hospital, or are we going to…
CHAMPAIGN — Sunlight and water power two new buses in the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District fleet. Champaign-Urbana is one of the first transit agencies in the country to adopt zero-emissions, hydrogen buses. “I’ve always been a big science fiction fan,” said the district’s managing director, Karl Gnadt. “Now, this isn’t quite Star Trek-level technology. But…