CHAMPAIGN — People shuffle in and out of the court; logistical decisions are made and cases are settled. These are nerve wracking moments for community members — some don’t have a lawyer and few have a law degree. In the Sixth Circuit court, there are no jury members — only a judge presides over matters…
CHAMPAIGN — An adult employee at a daycare facility in Rantoul has come down with monkeypox. The “patient is doing well and the case poses little risk to general public,” the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District announced on Friday. They’re currently investigating the case. According to The News-Gazette, it’s the state’s first case of monkeypox at…
The Small Community Air Service Development Program— a federal initiative designed to improve underserved airports — recently awarded nearly $17 million to 25 airports across the country. The University of Illinois-owned Willard Airport in Champaign County was the only one selected in the state. They took home $850,000 in grant money from the Department of…
CHAMPAIGN — A few years ago, Rabbi Alan Cook of Sinai Temple heard about a group that transforms donated guns into gardening tools. He thought it was a powerful idea, and said it was akin to the Jewish principle, tikkun olam. “We emphasize the idea of tikkun olam, literally repairing the world and making it…
URBANA — The annual county fair marks the beginning of summer’s end in Champaign County. The Champaign County Fair opened its gates on Friday evening to begin its 169th year after being canceled two years ago due to COVID-19. For some fair attendees, it was nice to return to the normalcy of pre-pandemic county fairs. …
HAZELWOOD, Mo. — Camila Cage woke to the sound of her phone rumbling on her nightstand early Tuesday, its glow piercing the darkness as a severe weather advisory pops up on the screen. “I just thought it was normal,” the 31-year-old said. “You know, a normal severe thunderstorm warning. I didn’t think it’s going to…
The 4-H exhibition is an inseparable part of the tradition of county fairs, and this is no exception at the Champaign County Fair. The fair kicked off on the morning of Friday, July 22, at the fairgrounds at 1302 N. Coler Ave. in Urbana, starting with a horse show from the 4-H youth development program. …
DANVILLE — On a sunny morning in Kennekuk County Park, researchers and veterinary students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign scoured the area for Eastern box turtles – a species known for high-domed shells and colorful spots. The University of Illinois Wildlife Epidemiology Lab oversees the largest health study of box turtles in the world….
For the Urbana and Champaign fire departments, extinguishing fires in multi-story buildings will be a breeze after the departments completed their joint high-rise training last week at Sherman Hall in Champaign. The bi-annual training took place from July 14 to 16. During it, the departments split into smaller crews and rotated through three stations…
URBANA – At the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana campus, there’s a bike rack within 150 feet of nearly every campus building. Altogether, these bike racks can accommodate at least 11,635 bicycles, as of October 2019. However, nearly 1,000 bikes that are parked at these campus bike racks this summer haven’t been moved in weeks,…
On Tuesday, the first probable case of monkeypox was reported in Champaign County, according to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD). The World Health Organization describes monkeypox as a potentially serious viral illness, fatal in 3 to 6 percent of cases. CUPHD administrator Julie Pryde said that monkeypox is spread in numerous ways, though her department…
While a few hours to the north, the Fourth of July parade in Highland Park was marred by tragedy, things were peaceful in Champaign-Urbana. On Monday, Champaign County kicked off its annual Fourth of July parade, featuring a lineup of political candidates; various tractors and firetrucks; activist groups; local businesses and more. Starting at the…
URBANA — Friday’s Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was met with impassioned backlash in Champaign County. The Party for Socialism and Liberation in Champaign organized a 100 person-plus rally Friday evening in support of abortion-rights. Abortion-rights supporters circled downtown Urbana and the edge of the University of Illinois. They put a halt…
Not only is Allerton Park the self-proclaimed best-kept secret of Illinois, but its founders carried a secret of their own as well. University of Kansas professor Nicholas Syrett’s latest book details the relationship between the park’s namesakes, Robert and John Gregg Allerton – a gay couple who claimed to be a father-son duo in public. The…
CHAMPAIGN — There have been more than 260 mass shootings in the US so far in 2022, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Two Champaign community leaders are offering more than thoughts and prayers. Rev. Terrance L. Thomas is a pastor at Bethel AME Church in Champaign. He rejects blaming the current gun violence crisis…