13th District Congressman Rodney Davis and Democratic challenger Betsy Dirksen Londigan will be asked about issues ranging from the economy to police reform, when they meet Monday evening (October 5) in Champaign for a debate to be aired lived by Illinois Public Media and WCIX-TV (X-49). But the candidates may have the most to say…
The economist who prepares the University of Illinois’ Flash Index to the Illinois economy says if things continue on their present course, Illinois could return to economic growth in about half a year. The Flash Index, released this week by the university’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs, measured the Illinois economy at 95.1 for…
(UPDATE: Since its newsroom closed in September 2020, the Rantoul Press has continued to appear as a free weekly newspaper, featuring articles from the News-Gazette. The website and social media pages for the Rantoul Press have not been continued. – JM 3/11/21) RANTOUL – The Wednesday, Sept. 30 edition of the Rantoul Press is the last…
The Champaign County Treasurer was a low-profile office, until last year. That’s when a backlog of unfinished work led to complaints from both taxpayers and taxing bodies. Now, voters will choose a brand-new county treasurer in a mid-term election. The two choices on the November 3 ballot are both military veterans. And at a September…
URBANA — Early voting starts Thursday, September 24, in Illinois. Voters who wish to cast their ballots early for the November 3 election may do so at their local election office. In Champaign County, voters can cast their ballots early at the Brookens Administrative Center, 1776 E. Washington St. in Urbana, but not at the…
The Champaign County Recorder of Deeds — in fact, the recorder of deeds in any county — is an office that usually doesn’t get much attention. But the two candidates for Champaign County recorder both have plans that could make this the last time the office appears on the ballot. In this race, the challenger…
A Republican challenger to State Senator Scott Bennett kicked off his campaign Thursday. Savoy Village Trustee Alexander “A.J.” Ruggieri accuses his opponent of following Democratic leaders in Chicago, instead of voters in the 52nd District. “What we have now is a senator who follows strict marching orders from the Chicago Democrat machine,” said the 43-year-old…
CHAMPAIGN — With city revenues down due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Champaign City Council Tuesday night endorsed the idea of cutting spending by cutting city staff. They want to do this by offering buyouts to an estimated 15 to 25 employees who agree to leave voluntarily. During the Great Recession, the city of Champaign…
Erika Weaver is a Democrat running for Congress in Illinois’ Republican-leaning 15th Congressional District. Weaver is an attorney with the Coles County Public Defender’s office and a member of her school board in Mattoon. And she says she wants to be her district’s advocate in Congress. “I entered this race because I really want us…
URBANA – The Urbana City Council will hear a presentation Tuesday night on a report from an outside firm which concludes the police officers who arrested Aleyah Lewis followed the Urbana Police Department’s use of force policy. But the study by the firm Hillard Heintze suggested possible revisions to the policy and how the department…
As of last August 28, election officials in Illinois had received more than a million applications for vote-by-mail ballots for the November 3rd election. The high number was hoped for, as a new state law expands the use of mail voting as a way to curb the spread of COVID-19. The Illinois State Board of…
Aaron Kleidon kneels to stoke a campfire under a massive copper kettle, as hundreds of gallons of molasses-colored brew churn and bubble inside. He shakes a few handfuls of dried sweet clover into a cotton sack, which will steep in the beer and infuse it with a subtle vanilla flavor. Like all of the beers…
Three elected offices in Champaign County government would be changed to appointed ones — and a fourth office would be scaled back — under a proposal unveiled Thursday by a group of Champaign County Republicans. Champaign County’s elected recorder would become an appointed post, and the elected treasurer and auditor would be merged, along with…
CHAMPAIGN – Republican Rodney Davis is running for a fifth term as the congressman from Illinois’ 13th District. In an interview with Illinois Newsroom’s Jim Meadows, Davis says the top problem on the minds of voters in his district is the COVID-19 pandemic. Hear Rep. Davis’ interview via Zoom with Illinois Newsroom’s Jim Meadows here:…
GIBSON CITY – The COVID-19 pandemic has closed movie theaters, but many drive-ins remain open. So an independent filmmaker is making sure his movie can be seen on the big screen, with a eight-day tour of drive-in theaters, including a stop on Friday, August 20, at the Harvest Moon Drive-In, in Gibson City, north of…