CHAMPAIGN — Grocery prices across the U.S. have risen more than 25% since 2020, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Food prices are currently the third highest consumer expense. USDA data shows the cost of food at home increased by 3.5% in 2020, 3.9% in 2021, 11.4% in 2022, and 5% last year. “While the USDA predicts…
A team of journalists from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign recently traveled to Sierra Leone to report on the global phenomenon of period poverty. Women and girls around the world often lack access to the products or the education they need to manage their periods properly. This can lead to shame surrounding menstruation and…
If you still have your eclipse glasses from Monday’s event, don’t throw them away. Local efforts are underway to collect and redistribute eclipse glasses. Parkland College in Champaign has collection boxes set up at the William M. Staerkel Planetarium and inside the Parkland College Learning Commons, according to a post on Facebook. The glasses will be donated to Astronomers…
The town of McLeansboro, Illinois, has a population of less than 3,000 people. But it’s expecting hundreds of visitors for the solar eclipse, as the town is directly in the line of totality. To celebrate this historical event, the McLeansboro Kiwanis Club hosted a two-day festival with live music, food trucks and special guests, including…
CHAMPAIGN-Prior to his death, University of Illinois professor, Dr. William Patterson, inspired Champaign residents to build new things. For some, it was a new life. Miquel Smoot told IPM Reporter, David Pierce, that he was living in Champaign and was unsure of what he wanted to do with his life. Then one day in 2020,…
Kofi Bazzell-Smith is an MFA candidate in the School of Art and Design at University of Illinois Champaign Urbana. His last art exhibition will be held at The Krannert Art Museum on view from April 6 – April 20, 2024. For more information, visit here
News from around Central Illinois
Editor’s note: In 2025, we removed the lead photo from the article upon a request from Sequita Daniels. It’s not unusual for hairstylists to ask for a deposit before doing a client’s hair, so Youngest Keaton thought nothing of it when she was asked for one to secure her spot with a stylist. She sent…
A dance professor is leading a new campus-wide initiative to amplify arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and in the surrounding community. Cynthia Oliver joined the Dance at Illinois faculty in 2000. Five years ago, she became the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation in the humanities, arts and related fields….
Headlines across Central Illinois on March 29, 2024.
The Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Illinois is hosting a screening of the 1999 documentary “Fly Girls”12. This film tells the story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), a group of over a thousand women who made significant contributions during World War II. These women who were the first to fly…
Firm predicts higher hemp and cannabis sales in Illinois this year Oregon-based Whitney Economics says Illinois will generate about 2.2 billion dollars in cannabis sales this year, an increase of more than $200 million over last year. Whitney predicts sales will increase steadily through 2030 before hitting a plateau and leveling off around 3.4 billion…
News headlines around Central Illinois on March 27, 2024.
CHAMPAIGN — Every year, around 6.3 million pets enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Spending time in a shelter can be stressful for animals, so the Champaign County Humane Society (CCHS) is hoping a new partnership will help them find pets new homes — avoiding shelters entirely. CCHS…
Top stories around Illinois for March 26, 2024.