Local organizations that help provide housing for new immigrant families in Champaign-Urbana are seeing an increase in need. The C-U Immigration Forum is a local group that discusses the concerns of immigrants in Champaign County. The group hosted an online forum this week, inviting different organizations for a conversation on the housing shortage in Champaign-Urbana,…
A new microloan fund to help businesses in Champaign County recover from the pandemic is up and running. The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation announced the two-million-dollar loan program. Executive Director Carly McCrory McKay said the goal is to help under-served business owners gain access to affordable financial services. “We’ve certainly had some initial interest…
CHAMPAIGN – The tornado that tore through Crawford County on Friday left three people dead and at least 25 homes destroyed. With windspeeds that topped 155 mph, the tornado flattened the county airport, leaving a trail of mangled planes in its wake. Residents of the county, located about 100 miles southeast of Champaign, now face…
CHAMPAIGN — Research and social justice are often separate issues — but one local organization is using its connections to figure out how to combat violence before it starts. First Followers helps formerly incarcerated people re-enter the Champaign-Urbana community. The group released the results of their survey of people in Champaign-Urbana on the leading causes…
Illinois Public Media is bidding a reluctant goodbye to Brian Moline, who has accepted a new job as a news editor for St. Louis Public Radio, beginning March 6.
URBANA – The Urbana City Council is expected to officially award almost $10 million in federal pandemic relief money on Feb. 27. Mayor Diane Wolfe Marlin said the proposed plan includes investing in improvements to community health, access to food and recreation. “These funds were distributed to cities to help cities themselves recover from COVID-19,…
CHAMPAIGN – Food deserts have long been associated with urban areas where full-service grocery stores are hard to find. But rural areas also struggle with a lack of access to fresh, affordable produce, despite often being surrounded by rich agricultural land. According to the Food Access Atlas, a map maintained by the USDA, dozens of…
STILWELL, Okla. — When Matthew Brunk took a job as a school principal in Stilwell, Oklahoma, he commuted to work from a larger community almost an hour away. He and his wife faced a major hurdle in moving back to Brunk’s hometown — there was no day care facility for their two-year-old. Listen to this…
DANVILLE – The Vermilion County Bobcats made national headlines after failing to show at a game against the Quad City Storm on Feb. 5. Just days later, the Bobcats released a statement on Twitter announcing the team was ceasing operations effective immediately. The team did not respond to requests for comment. Jamie Gooch, who was…
CHAMPAIGN — A central Illinois teen started a nonprofit that educates the youth. Now she’s taking things a step further by adapting a concept that one Princeton change agent helped start. Sophia Libman is the founder and CEO of X-TIME. “In math, I learned that x is kind of this value that’s constantly changing,” Libman…
CHAMPAIGN – Plans for a carbon dioxide pipeline in Illinois have been temporarily halted. Navigator Heartland Greenway LLC has voluntarily withdrawn its Application for a Certificate of Authority to construct the pipeline that would cross through 13 Illinois counties. Navigator said it plans to refile a new application with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) next…
The William M. Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College continues to teach about the galaxy in Spanish at their dome-shaped theater.
CHAMPAIGN — Americans have felt the pain of inflation in grocery stores this year. The USDA estimates that the cost of groceries was 10.6 percent higher in November 2022 than November 2021. Prices may finally be on their way down as the Federal Reserve tinkers with interest rates, but the cost of one product –…
This story was updated Thursday 1/12 at 5:00 a.m. La SALLE, Ill. (AP) — Officials said a large fire that sent smoke plumes towering over a northern Illinois chemical plant has been contained and no injuries have been reported. After the fire began Wednesday morning at Carus Chemical in La Salle, local officials sent an…
The Champaign City Council voted Tuesday night to hire a consulting firm to help it attract more, and more diverse police officers.