SAVOY – Larger towns in Illinois with more than 25,000 people have home rule powers automatically granted to them under the state constitution. Smaller towns have to ask voters for permission. And that’s what’s happening with the April 6 election in Savoy, just south of Champaign. Home rule powers allow a city or village…
The Illinois Newsroom team is answering questions to help Illinois residents navigate this unprecedented time. Have a question you want answered? Ask here. Below you’ll find answers to questions about COVID-19 vaccines, schools and their response to the pandemic and business and government aid. Please note: This information is accurate as of March 23, 2021….
URBANA – Anti-Asian hate appears to have worsened during the pandemic. A recent study from California State University finds anti-Asian hate crimes reported to police in major U.S. cities rose 150% last year — even as overall hate crimes dropped 7%. And an analysis released this month by the group Stop AAPI Hate found nearly…
UPDATE: Champaign city officials say the Black Lives Matter honorary street signs were installed on Wednesday, Mary 13, eight days after their approval by the city council. The signs are on Chester Street, where it meets Neil Street and Walnut Street, on either side of the City Building. – Jim Meadows, March 24 2021. CHAMPAIGN…
CHAMPAIGN – Champaign County health officials are urging caution ahead of the upcoming NCAA tournament, where the University of Illinois men’s basketball team will compete for the first time in eight years. With fans fired up from a series of recent wins, officials are worried that packed sports bars and watch parties could contribute to…
UPDATE: Champaign’s NOAA Weather Radio station could be back on the air in a couple of months. The National Weather Service office in Lincoln announced Thursday, March 11, that a new lease has been signed on a transmitting tower for WXJ-76. The station broadcasts weather information from Champaign to a nine county area. But it’s…
Illinois housing officials are touting the success of their programs helping families hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. On Friday, the Illinois Housing…
URBANA – Local governments in the Champaign-Urbana area all have crews out, working to clear streets of the snow that fell on central Illinois Monday and Monday night. Public Works staff with both Champaign and Urbana began work on keeping the roads clear on Sunday night, during the first wave of snowfall. Crews give priority…
URBANA – A new website is asking you to post your thoughts and suggestions about Urbana, whether you live there, or spend time there. The website is imagineurbana.com. It was launched February 5 to gather public input as the city of Urbana begins work on its new comprehensive plan. Andrea Reudi is overseeing the project…
URBANA – Township and school officials in Urbana could soon be working together to bring more homeless families into an emergency shelter program. Under an intergovernmental agreement, homeless families with children in the Urbana school district could find short-term shelter through a program launched about six months ago by the Cunningham Township supervisor’s office. Cunningham…
URBANA – On Monday night, the Urbana City Council is scheduled to discuss a resolution recognizing the city’s history of structural racism and pledging a commitment to racial equity. The resolution outlines some of the main points of racism’s history in Urbana — from slavery in the early 19th century, to a large Ku Klux…
CHAMPAIGN – On the morning of January 16, Melanie Keil discovered a rock in the driveway of her home. Attached was a note with several websites under the title “No White Guilt.” Keil, who is white and married to a Black man, believes her mostly-Black Champaign neighborhood was targeted. “I do think this was a…
CHAMPAIGN – An emergency women’s shelter in Champaign, “C-U at Austin’s Place,” is now operating out of a new permanent location. Starting 13 years ago as a grassroots mission effort by Champaign’s First United Methodist Church, the Austin’s Place women’s shelter has been operating lately out of local churches. In the past year, the shelter…
URBANA – The mistaken euthanizing of a dog by Champaign County Animal Control over Christmas has raised a storm of controversy. Now, Champaign County officials say they want to make sure it never happens again. After her dog Dada was impounded by Champaign County’s Animal Control Department, owner Monica Lopez was told by a department…
DANVILLE – Danville officials and casino developers hope that 2021 is the year their long-pursued project gets started. A revamped lineup of investors and developers is awaiting Illinois Gaming Board approval for their new license application, after a 2019 application was deemed incomplete and was withdrawn. Casino resort chain Golden Nugget is loaning money and…