‘Support groups are not enough’: CU’s queer community works for more cohesion CHAMPAIGN — Despite feeling like “there’s no shortage of queer people in Champaign,” finding the LGBTQ community in Champaign-Urbana wasn’t easy for 21-year-old Arden Hatch when she moved here in 2020 and came out as a trans woman. “I think the community feels…
CHAMPAIGN — Local activists are urging the Champaign County Board to lower the costs of phone calls at the Champaign County Jail. Tamika Davis, who spent six months in the county jail, said the high prices of phone calls made it difficult to communicate with her children and her lawyer. “How am I in…
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org To access American Sign Language services via 988, you can call 1-800-273-8255 on a phone with video capabilities, or press the ASL NOW button on 988lifeline.org. The 988 Lifeline is working to make videophone…
Look below for information on arts and entertainment around central Illinois. Listen to Kimberly Schofield and Owen Henderson talk about weekend events on IPM News AM 580 and FM 90.9 – Wednesdays at 6:45 and 8:45 a.m., and Thursdays at 5:44 p.m.
The C-U Immigration Forum hosted its 10th annual Immigration Welcome Awards at the Urbana Free Library on Sept. 16. The awards honor businesses, organizations and individuals that work to serve immigrants in Champaign County. Ricardo Diaz, board chair of the New American Welcome Center at the University YMCA, said he is impressed to see how…
A bell from the U.S.S. Illinois was used twice in Champaign on Monday, at ceremonies remembering those lost in the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Now, farmers in Illinois can contribute some of the food they produce to food banks though a centralized donation program. This month, Governor J-B Pritzker signed HB2879, which turns a two-year, USDA-funded Farm to Food Bank pilot program into a permanent, state-funded operation.
One year after a shooter took seven lives at the city’s annual parade, community members were honoring the victims and reclaiming the space to move forward.
CHAMPAIGN – The Champaign Police Department began gathering in coffee shops about six years ago for their “Coffee with a Cop” program. This month, they launched a new youth-geared program – “Ice Pops with Cops.” Their most recent “Coffee With A Cop” event was June 6th at the Starbucks on S. Neil St. in Champaign. …
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…
CHAMPAIGN — Neighbors and social workers gathered at the Douglass Annex Thursday to discuss violence at parties that pop up after bars close. Some wanted curfews and security cameras. Middle school teacher Rhonda Harris suggested the city host its own safe version with police and chaperones. “We can have a controlled area, like a parking…
Meetings of the Champaign Community Coalition include regular reports from local police departments. And at Wednesday’s meeting, those reports were dominated by reports of shootings. “I think it’s fair to say that it’s been a sad and busy couple of weeks, leading up to today,” said Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman, addressing the gathering local…
Canaan Baptist Church in downtown Urbana is now a local Historic Landmark. The city’s Historic Preservation Commission recently granted the designation at the church’s request. Local architect Joseph Royer designed the building, which was built in 1909-1910 as the home of Urbana’s First Christian Church. Canaan Baptist Church moved into the building in 1977. Rev….
URBANA – More than a year since the retirement of Urbana’s police chief, the City Council unanimously appointed the only finalist, Larry Boone, as the new chief. The appointment came after months of various interviews and community meetings and the recommendation of Mayor Diane Wolfe Marlin. Marlin said the city conducted online and paper surveys…
CHAMPAIGN — The LGBTQ rights organization Human Rights Campaign has declared a national state of emergency for all queer people in the United States, citing the surge of anti-LGBTQ legislation in statehouses around the country. Members of the Champaign-Urbana queer community say they feel scared but not shocked by the announcement. “I wish I could…