Monday, April 8, 2024 Today’s headlines: Southern Illinois towns along the line of totality are holding events and celebrations for Monday’s solar eclipse. Thousands of eclipse chasers are descending on southern Illinois and Missouri hoping for a chance to see Monday’s celestial spectacle. There’s a statewide advisory board that meets four times a year to figure…
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 Today’s headlines: Tuesday is primary election day across Illinois, and voters in the Chicago area have choices to make for president, Cook County state’s attorney and a city tax referendum. Two Democrats and one Republican are vying for the job of coroner in Champaign County during Tuesday’s primary election. Two Republican…
Monday, March 5, 2024 Today’s headlines: The U.S. Supreme Court is putting an end to an Illinois challenge to knock Donald Trump off the ballot. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin continues to push for a ceasefire in Gaza as conditions there worsen. The Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing tech Hub applied to receive $70 million from the Federal…
Monday, March 4, 2024 Today’s headlines: Reproductive rights advocates and Illinois lawmakers say a recent ruling from Alabama’s high court is an opportunity for the state to eliminate financial barriers to fertility treatments. Western Illinois University is in the market for a new president. Protesters gathered at Champaign’s West Side Park this weekend for a…
CHAMPAIGN — Stephanie Zarate is both transgender and formerly incarcerated. Zarate says being transgender makes it difficult to find resources after incarceration — especially housing. “Unlike cisgender, straight people, it’s difficult for us because we don’t have the support that they have,” she said. That’s why the latest re-entry guide from the Education Justice Project…
Tuesday, February 27, 2024 Today’s headlines: The federal and state of Illinois environmental protection agencies signed a landmark agreement to overhaul the state’s permitting process around air pollution. University of Illinois freshman Akul Dhawan died from hypothermia in January. His father is calling for an independent investigation into the campus police department for failing to…
Monday, February 26, 2024 Today’s headlines: Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker is proposing a new plan to fully fund the state’s pension systems. A new report has found that 73% of Illinois’ rural hospitals no longer provide obstetric care. Children and families from Champaign-Urbana gathered at the playground at Meadowbrook Park in Urbana on Saturday because…
Tuesday, February 20, 2024 Today’s headlines: Illinois lawmakers are back in Springfield Tuesday with some potential fireworks overspending on the horizon. A new Illinois law allows gun owners to keep assault-style weapons if they disclosed them by January first. But state registration rates are low. Champaign County officials are raising money to attract an airline…
Monday, February 19, 2024 Today’s headlines: Police have reclassified the shooting of Brandon Hardway as a homicide, following his death over the weekend. The federal government has sent out letters to the governors of 44 states this month, including Illinois, calling for them to improve efficiency for food assistance applications. Labor unions are targeting two…
CHAMPAIGN — Anthony spent about half of his life in prison and just got out last year. It was a huge adjustment because so much had changed in the decades Anthony was incarcerated. “I hadn’t seen a cell phone in almost 30 years,” Anthony said. “Now in this new world, you can’t function without a…
Tuesday, February 13, 2024 Today’s headlines: The longtime chief of staff to ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has been sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison. Dozens of parents and children packed the Champaign Unit 4 school board meeting Monday night based on rumors that a beloved principal might be fired. An online petition to fire the…
Monday, February 12, 2024 Today’s headlines: Black health advocacy groups are calling on the state to properly fund Black-led HIV and AIDS treatment providers. There’s an error on the Federal Application for Free Student Aid website that does not allow undocumented parents to create an account without a social security number. The Fighting Illini men’s…
RANTOUL — Community members met Wednesday night in Rantoul to commemorate the life of 21-year-old Azaan Lee after he was shot and killed by police one year ago. Rantoul Police Officer Jose Aceves shot and killed Azaan Lee while investigating a stolen car. Aceves resigned just over a month after the shooting, according to documents…
Tuesday, February 6, 2024 Today’s headlines: After taking a two-week break, Illinois lawmakers are back in Springfield Tuesday – with some unfinished business to attend to. The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Senate approved a new master’s degree Monday in game development. The Fighting Illini women’s basketball team lost in overtime Monday night against the Purdue Boilermakers, 77…
This story is part of a partnership focusing on police misconduct in Champaign County between the Champaign-Urbana Civic Police Data Project of the Invisible Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit public accountability journalism organization, and IPM Newsroom, which provides news about Illinois & in-depth reporting on Agriculture, Education, the Environment, Health, and Politics, powered by Illinois Public…