URBANA — Work began two months ago at the University of Illinois on an emergency ventilator to treat COVID-19 patients. Now, the new design has found a manufacturer. U of I mechanical engineering professor Bill King oversaw the team that designed — and tested prototypes — of the Illinois Rapidvent ventilator, all in about three…
URBANA — A new distributor is bringing the New York Times and other national newspapers to Champaign-Urbana starting on Monday, after a six-month absence. Sunny News Delivery Service relaunching home delivery of the New York Times in Champaign-Urbana. The company is also returning the Times, Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune to newsstands in the…
URBANA – Live theater in America has been largely shut down for the past two months, due to the coronavirus outbreak. In central Illinois, theater groups are experimenting with performing online, while they wait for the time they can bring actors and audiences together again in the same building. Jim Meadows reports on how theater…
The latest readings of the Flash Index show the Illinois economy quickly shifting from growth to contraction during the coronavirus pandemic. The Flash Index has been above 100 for the past eight years, indicating economic growth in Illinois during that period. But University of Illinois economist Fred Giertz says that all changed as coronavirus stay-at-home…
Sales of existing homes were on the rise in Illinois and in Champaign County — up until the stay-at-home restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Now, realtors are hoping the housing market will recover quickly, once the restrictions are lifted. Across the state, the trade group Illinois Realtors reported sales of 12,182 homes and…
Construction work is considered a critical trade under Governor Pritzker’s Stay-At-Home order, so it’s been continuing while other activities have been curtailed. But preventing the spread of the coronavirus remains important. So in Champaign, city officials are asking construction companies to have COVID-19 safety plans in place. The COVID-19 jobsite safety plans are required for…
DECATUR – The number of deaths from COVID-19 has risen to six at the Fair Havens Senior Living long-term care facility in Decatur. The Macon County Health Department announced Thursday morning that a woman in her 90s was the latest Fair Havens resident with COVID-19 to die. “Our team would like to extend our heartfelt…
Concerns about the coronavirus have kept the Illinois General Assembly from meeting in Springfield for a month. And it’s not clear when they’ll be back in session — or back in their offices. The suspension of the spring legislative session in mid-March sent State Senator Scott Bennett and State Representative Mike Marron back to their…
Fifteen people at a long-term care facility in Decatur have been confirmed to have COVID-19, Macon County officials announced Saturday. The cases occurred at Fair Havens Senior Living, and involved ten residents and five staff members. The death of a Fair Havens resident from COVID-19 had been announced on April 7, along with news that…
URBANA – Champaign-Urbana’s annual Fourth of July festival will not be held this year. The organizers of the Champaign County Freedom Celebration posted the announcement on their website Tuesday. The Freedom Celebration events, including a parade and fireworks, take place on the University of Illinois campus. But the U of I has announced the cancellation…
CHAMPAIGN – Shutdown orders related to the coronavirus pandemic have been hard on restaurants, but especially on local restaurants without drive-through windows or backing from national chains. In Champaign-Urbana, some restaurants have closed during the shutdown period, but others are staying open, even though their dining rooms are closed. The Fiesta Café has been serving…
Every month, the University of Illinois Flash Index analyzes Illinois tax receipts to provide a quick measurement of the Illinois economy. But the disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak is making that impossible for now. Professor emeritus in economics Fred Giertz produces the Flash Index for the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public…
Hospitals treating patients with COVID-19 face a growing need for ventilators to help them breathe. Engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have come up with a design for a ventilator … and they’re offering it for free. The Illinois RapidVent, looking at first sight like a few pieces of plastic plus some screws,…
A pilot program launched by Danville school district 118 is sending students to the drive-through window to get meals, while classes are suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak. Families in District 118 received cards for each of their school-age children last week, qualifying each child for two free meals this week, on Wednesday through Friday…
One of the first things Rogards did in response to the coronavirus outbreak was to suspend its trial chair program. Rogards president and CEO Tonya Horn says the program is popular among customers of the Champaign office supply business, which traces its beginnings to 1906. Customers could take an office chair back to their own…