Streets around central Illinois lined for fallen state trooper Corey Thompsen
Officers from Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri attended the service and participated in a procession for trooper Corey Thompsen.
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‘Became a hero’: Family announces funeral plans for fallen state trooper
CHAMPAIGN – Funeral arrangements for a fallen Illinois state trooper have been announced. The family of Corey Thompsen said in a news release shared by Illinois State Police that the visitation will be held October 26 from 1-5 p.m. at St. Joseph-Ogden High School in St. Joseph with a first responder walk through at 5…
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Fire department offers free smoke alarm checks, installation in north Champaign homes
CHAMPAIGN – Firefighters and staff from the Champaign Fire Department and Neighborhood Services Department along with the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance are offering a free public service this week. They will be going door-to-door in a north Champaign neighborhood on October 25 offering to check smoke alarms and installing free smoke alarms in homes that…
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Nearly 140,000 Illinois residents sent checks for unclaimed property: ‘It is not a scam,’ treasurer says
Thousands of Illinois residents may have a check from the state waiting for them in their mailboxes. The Illinois State Treasurer’s office recently sent unclaimed property checks to 138,561 people in Illinois, totaling a record $13.2 million. Treasurer Michael Frerichs held a news conference Tuesday to remind Illinois residents to cash these checks. “We have…
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Illinois launches push to combat distracted driving
Brenda Protz lost her 14-year-old daughter in November 2019 in a distracted-driving crash. Jenna and a friend were riding home from a football game with Jenna’s paternal grandparents when their car was struck by a distracted driver. Jenna and the others in her car died; the other driver survived. “Jenna’s life was cut short,” said…
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Chapter Three: Fallout-Labels
By October 21st, 2023, some 6,000 people in the Gaza Strip and Israel had been killed in the expanding Israel- Hamas War. Here on the University of Illinois Campus and around the world, tensions between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli communities were rising. As part of their coverage of the conflict last fall, Illinois journalism students spoke…
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Flags across Illinois lowered for State Trooper killed in Champaign County wreck
28-year-old Corey Thompsen started out as an intern with ISP and became a trooper 5 years ago.
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Climate scientist Jim Angel on recent Illinois weather patterns — and what’s in store for winter
The climate in the Midwest is ever-changing — and that’s what makes it fascinating, says Jim Angel. Angel is a climate scientist with the Illinois State Water Survey. He served as Illinois State Climatologist for more than two decades until 2018, and has been studying climate extremes in Illinois and the Midwest for almost 40…
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Danville gets $1 million to focus on tree planting program
DANVILLE – The City of Danville has been awarded a $1 million grant from the Inflation Reduction Act and the USDA Forest Service Urban and Community Forestry Program. This grant will be used in launching a new program, Community Roots: Danville’s Urban Reforestation and Revitalization Plan. “This initiative is designed to enhance tree canopy…
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Community marks a year since Palestinian American boy’s slaying: ‘We were all killed that day’
When 6-year-old Palestinian American boy Wadee Alfayoumi was stabbed to death in October of 2023 in suburban Plainfield Township in an alleged hate crime, it was as though the Muslim community itself had been stabbed. That’s how Ahmed Rehab, executive director of the Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, described the effect of…
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Chapter Two: Fallout-Through Marginalized Eyes
A year ago, on October 13, Israel began a ground operation in Gaza in response to the devastating attack by Hamas on October 7. The conflict has claimed more than 43,000 lives with some one hundred hostages still being held in Gaza. Now, the regional war the United States has spent a year trying to…
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American Red Cross holds blood drives in Central Illinois for hurricane relief
With back-to-back hurricanes canceling hundreds of blood drives in Southeastern parts of the United States in recent weeks, the American Red Cross is calling for help from other parts of the country, including Central Illinois. The Red Cross will host numerous blood drives in Champaign County over the next month., Dozens of students attended a…
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‘Trying to hold on to hope’: Local Jewish and Palestinian communities remember October 7 one year later
CHAMPAIGN– Vigils and gatherings were held around the country and in Champaign Monday to mark one year since an attack by Hamas killed about 1,200 people in Israel. Hillel and the Chabad Center came together on the University of Illinois Quad to mourn those lost and those still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza. An…
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Chapter One: Fallout-October 7
One year ago today, Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 men, women and children and kidnapped more than 200 others after entering Israel from the Gaza Strip. In response to the attack, Israel launched a military offensive that has killed more than 41,000 people in Gaza. More than half of those killed were women and…
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Champaign Park District hosts Halloween costume giveaway, promoting sustainability and inclusivity
The Champaign Park District hosted its 8th annual Halloween costume giveaway on Saturday, offering people of all ages the chance to find something fun for the fall season. Throughout the past month, community members donated their old costumes to the drive, resulting in over one hundred options to choose from this year. Lynne Franco, program…
