C-U residents protest for ceasefire in Gaza

C-U residents protest for ceasefire in Gaza

Dozens of people attended a rally in Champaign demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to U.S. aid to Israel amid ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces.  The Champaign-Urbana branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Prairie Liberation Center organized the protest as part of a national day of action organized by…

Lifted moratorium will allow Illinois to build new nuclear reactors

Lifted moratorium will allow Illinois to build new nuclear reactors

Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a bill into law Friday that will lift the three-decade moratorium on developing nuclear reactors.  The law, which takes effect in June 2024, will allow the development of generation IV power plants, which are also known as small modular reactors or SMRs. Currently Illinois, and most other states, use generation II reactors. Illinois generates…

Urbana High brings back beloved Thanksgiving dinner

Urbana High brings back beloved Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving is on Thursday, and many mouths are already starting to water at the thought of a traditional turkey feast.  But for community members who are unable to afford or provide dinner, the Urbana High School student council is hosting its 50th annual Thanksgiving Dinner this week. The dinner event is making a comeback as…

Pro-Palestinian Jews find community in the C-U area

Pro-Palestinian Jews find community in the C-U area

Not all Jewish people agree with the actions of the Israeli military amid Israel’s ongoing invasion of Palestine. At the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the student group Jews for Palestine provides a space for Jewish people in the C-U area who don’t support Zionism — the movement supporting the creation of a Jewish State in Palestinian…

Many students face issues with landlords. Here’s how to avoid pitfalls, and where to find help

Many students face issues with landlords. Here’s how to avoid pitfalls, and where to find help

This is the time of year that many college students in Champaign-Urbana scramble to sign off-campus leases for the next academic year.  The process can be very complicated, and the race to quickly sign a lease can lead students to make uninformed decisions about their living situation, according to Dana DeCair, director of Off-Campus Community…

New hospital safety report gives Carle Foundation a ‘C’ and OSF Heart of Mary a ‘B’

New hospital safety report gives Carle Foundation a ‘C’ and OSF Heart of Mary a ‘B’

The Leapfrog Group issued its Fall 2023 Hospital Safety Grades on Monday. The report looks at metrics for patient safety and care quality and assigns an “A” to “F” rating to nearly 3,000 U.S. hospitals. Among those hospitals: OSF HealthCare Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana received a B grade, and Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana received a C…

C-U residents smash pumpkins to curb climate change

C-U residents smash pumpkins to curb climate change

The Champaign County Environmental Stewards turned post-Halloween cleanup into a community event on Saturday with their second annual Pumpkin Smash.  Residents tossed their pumpkins against a cement wall at the Landscape Recycling Center in Urbana, turning potential landfill waste into compost that will later be sold at the center. “It’s important to divert some of…

School buses are safe, and seat belts make them safer. But it’s not cheap to upgrade
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School buses are safe, and seat belts make them safer. But it’s not cheap to upgrade

School buses are among the safest forms of transportation for children, and seat belts and other safety features can make buses even safer, according to the National Safety Council. But very few states currently have laws requiring seat belts on large school buses.  Only eight states – Arkansas, California, Florida, Louisiana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York and…

Community gathers to celebrate ‘I Stand With Immigrants’ Day of Action
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Community gathers to celebrate ‘I Stand With Immigrants’ Day of Action

Around 80 people met at the University YMCA in Champaign to celebrate “I Stand with Immigrants” Day of Action on Oct. 25. The event was hosted by the Illinois Coalition of Undocumented Students for Education, or I-CAUSE. The student organization’s mission is to create an alliance of undocumented students to provide representation and resources. “I Stand With…

More than half of non-Spanish-speaking U.S. Latinos have been shamed, a recent study finds
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More than half of non-Spanish-speaking U.S. Latinos have been shamed, a recent study finds

  More than half of non-Spanish-speaking Latinos in the U.S. say they’ve been shamed by other Latinos for not speaking the language, according to a recent study from the Pew Research Center. The survey aimed to gain insights into U.S. Hispanics’ perspectives on the Spanish language. It included over 3,000 adults from around the nation and…

UIUC students express frustration after police disperse crowd outside JSM Living

UIUC students express frustration after police disperse crowd outside JSM Living

Hundreds of people lined up in front of the JSM Living office Tuesday morning in Champaign’s Campustown, hoping to sign leases for properties near the University of Illinois. Some students had camped out Monday night with chairs and blankets outside of the building at 616 E. Green St. in an attempt to secure a spot at the front of…

More than 100 UIUC students remain in temporary housing, awaiting a permanent living space

More than 100 UIUC students remain in temporary housing, awaiting a permanent living space

  More than 250 students were placed into temporary housing at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign this fall due to a shortage of permanent living spaces on campus.  While many have since transitioned to permanent living spaces, more than half are still waiting for reassignment, according to the University Housing Director Mari Anne Brocker Curry. This is part…

U of I students and community members show support for Israel through campus rally

U of I students and community members show support for Israel through campus rally

More than 100 people rallied at the University of Illinois Main Quad Monday to show support for Israel amidst the ongoing conflict with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.  Over the weekend, hundreds of people were killed and thousands wounded after Hamas launched a large-scale attack on Israel. In the attack, around 1,000 militants gunned down civilians. …

Construction set to begin on Garden Hills detention pond and recreation area

Construction set to begin on Garden Hills detention pond and recreation area

  The Champaign City Council approved the next phase of a $36 million construction project to both reduce flooding and provide recreation in Garden Hills. The construction will involve building a stormwater detention basin with an ornamental wall, along with park-like amenities, including a pedestrian walkway, ornamental bridges and lighting. The new Hedge Park will…