Five people killed, residents evacuated for hours as crews contain Ammonia from truck crash
According to fire officials, a multi-vehicle accident caused a tanker carrying anhydrous ammonia to roll over a few miles east of the town of Teutopolis.
Drag star Alaska talks Pygmalion, drag bans
The drag show kicks off three days of music, comedy and celebrity speakers like chef Joanne Lee Molinaro and author Allison Boot.
Andy Summers fuses music, photography, storytelling at Ellnora
The tenth installment of the biennial Ellnora: The Guitar Festival is underway this weekend at the University of Illinois’ Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana. This year, the festival features feminist rock icon Ani DiFranco; Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Emmylou Harris; and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Andy Summers, formerly the guitarist of…
Offerman returns to CU for Japan House fundraiser
URBANA – Actor and University of Illinois alum Nick Offerman will perform a show this weekend in Champaign-Urbana to raise money for the University’s Japan House. Offerman, who is widely known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC comedy “Parks and Recreation,” has a connection to the Japan House that goes back decades….
Immune system could fight solid tumors, per UI researchers
The immune system could be harnessed to fight more types of cancer than previously thought, according to researchers at the University of Illinois. When treating cancers without solid tumors, like leukemia and lymphoma, scientists have been able to modify the T cells in a patient’s immune system to attack the cancerous cells. However, that treatment…
Baseball comedy premieres in Savoy
The movie “You’re OUT!” is a road trip comedy of errors, much of it filmed in Champaign County. And on Aug. 12, it’s coming to the Savoy 16 theater for a local premiere. Focusing on parents who have trouble stepping back from their kids’ lives, “You’re OUT!” tells the story of two dads who will…
CU slasher film returns home
“Final Summer” is a Champaign-Urbana-made indie slasher film about a group of counselors at a summer camp who find themselves fighting to stay alive while being hunted down by a masked killer, intended as a love letter to the classic horror films of the 1980s and featuring a local cast and crew. After premiering a…
EV innovation hub comes to Decatur
DECATUR — Governor JB Pritzker joined local leaders to announce plans to expand the state’s electric vehicle ecosystem: The TCCI Electric Vehicle Innovation Hub. A new electric compressor manufacturing facility from Decatur-based TCCI is just one aspect of the plans. Pritzker also announced the Climatic Center for Innovation and Research, where researchers will test the…
Shakespeare and ‘My Little Pony’ meet in upcoming play
Shakespearean tragedy and “My Little Pony” might seem completely unrelated, but the Twin City Theatre Company’s next play combines the two. In “My Little Titus Andronicus” by playwright Don Zolidis, a troupe of friendship-loving ponies gathers together to put on a play that’s often called Shakespeare’s bloodiest tragedy as a gift for their princess. “Titus…
‘Ride the Cyclone’ raises questions about worthwhile lives
URBANA — The Station Theatre in Urbana is preparing for the opening of its next musical: “Ride the Cyclone.” In the show by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell, a roller coaster accident kills five students, and a magical fortune-telling machine offers to bring one of them back to life. However, the teens must compete for…
Sinfonia da Camera hosts piano institute, announces season 40
The University of Illinois Summer Piano Institute returns during the week of July 24.
Student debt deprives US of public service workers, researchers say
URBANA — Americans owe more than a trillion dollars in student debt. But those hoping for relief from President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan are out of luck after the plan was struck down by the Supreme Court. According to the Institute of Education Sciences, the average cost of college has nearly doubled in the…
Researchers work to improve cancer imaging
University of Illinois researchers are working on a way to make it easier to locate and remove cancerous tumors in the body. When it comes to locating tumors to extract them during surgery, doctors currently inject nanoparticles into the body that are supposed to help them find the cancerous tissue during an imaging scan. But…
One year after the fall of Roe v. Wade, CU activists focus on joy
As the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade and the nationwide right to an abortion approaches, Champaign-Urbana abortion rights activists are celebrating. The event on Sunday afternoon is called “Acts of Joyful Insurrection” and will focus on finding joy and moving forward as a community. “We’re really trying to…
217 Today: Congolese immigrants chase the American Dream in Galesburg
June 12, 2023 Today’s headlines: Champaign police say there are multiple shooting victims after 2 incidents early Sunday morning. The state network that distributes government grant dollars to Illinois’ rape crisis centers says federal funding came up short this year. An Illinois Congressman is helping determine how much federal money the state needs for broadband…