CHAMPAIGN — A memorial at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign honored the nearly 3,000 people who were killed in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, when terrorists hijacked four airliners. The ceremony featured officials from Champaign, Urbana and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. U of I Chancellor Charles Isbell said he lived in the New…
Urbana Mayor DeShawn Williams stands in front of the newly opened Community Engagement & Violence Prevention Office in Urbana on Sept. 10, 2026. He says the goal is to improve safety and help residents connect with the resources they need.
Several immigrant support agencies teamed up with local officials in Champaign County to host a panel discussion focused on immigrant support and to spread awareness of area resources. The event is part of the “Welcoming Week” – nearly 30 events taking place from Sept. 9 through Sept. 19.
Amid national and regional blood shortages, ImpactLife hosted a blood drive at the Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine on Wednesday, Sept. 9, as part of the Abbott and Big Ten “We Give Blood” Challenge.
The Literary – a bookstore, bar and cafe in downtown Champaign – is under new ownership. Newly unionized workers hope to see better wages, more predictable shift scheduling and better staffing going forward.
Decatur resident Ranjohd Singh is a general and colorectal surgeon at Decatur Memorial Hospital and a member of the Sikh Religious Society of Central Illinois. He lives in Decatur with his wife and two teenage children.
A new mural unveiled this week honors the lives of the Tuskegee Airmen, the first all-Black flying squadron for the U.S. Army Air Corps. The artwork is the newest stop on the Champaign County African American Heritage Trail.
A ban on large data center development could expose the county to a lawsuit from a developer, according to Champaign County officials. A proposed ordinance offers guardrails for new centers, but some feel it’s not strict enough.
Over the next five years, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is expected to reveal more information on the expansion of the universe, dark matter and distant planets.
Mattoon resident Diane Lathrop was born and raised in east-central Illinois. She was valedictorian of the Mattoon Senior High School class of 1971. She attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and, in 2023, retired after more than 40 years in the financial services industry.
Callie McFarland has lived in Monticello since 2004. She’s a mother of two, a farmer’s wife and a small business owner. Since 2008, she’s been the director of community and economic development for the city of Monticello.
Dr. Allan Crandall has provided psychotherapeutic and medical services to people throughout central Illinois and in Arizona, New Mexico, Alaska and Colorado.
Da’Sani Lewis is a 2026 graduate of Danville High School and will be attending Southern Illinois University Edwardsville this fall. Lewis wonders what kind of place America should be 50 years from now.
John Martin is a lifelong Urbana resident and a retired software engineer. A self-described patriot and supporter of the Make America Great Again movement, Martin asks how the U.S. can heal from the previous presidential administration’s handling of immigration.
Lance Dixon is a husband, a father of five and the owner of Dixon Graphics in Champaign. He grew up in Chicago’s melting pot thinking America’s institutions were rock solid. He’s shaken by how fragile they seem today.