As the state of Illinois begins allowing outdoor dining at restaurants Friday, cities are issuing guidance on how restaurants can expand their available outdoor seating. Rob Kowalski, Assistant Planning and Development Director for the City of Champaign, says officials had just a few days to write their guidelines, after Governor J.B. Pritzker announced late last…
CHAMPAIGN – A group of local organizations and municipalities has launched a new online resource — www.ChampaignCountySafe.org — to help Champaign County businesses as they prepare to re-open per state guidelines. The site provides a list of resources, including information about protective equipment and cleaning procedures, and best practices to keep employees and customers safe….
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Republicans are demanding a vote in the General Assembly on removing from the fall ballot a proposed graduated income tax structure, saying the state’s pandemic-pillaged economy can’t sustain higher taxes. House Minority Leader Jim Durkin and Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady said Monday that the special session this week in Springfield should…
URBANA — A new distributor is bringing the New York Times and other national newspapers to Champaign-Urbana starting on Monday, after a six-month absence. Sunny News Delivery Service relaunching home delivery of the New York Times in Champaign-Urbana. The company is also returning the Times, Wall Street Journal and Chicago Tribune to newsstands in the…
CHICAGO – On Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced a new plan to gradually re-open the state in five phases. Under the Restore Illinois plan, each of the state’s four regions would return to non-essential business and other normal operations based on meeting certain thresholds over time. “Restore Illinois is a public health plan to safely…
Thirty homelessness prevention organizations across Illinois will receive grants totaling a collective $340,000. The money will be distributed by affordable housing advocacy organization Housing Action Illinois, and most of it comes from donations to the Illinois COVID-19 Response Fund. Of the total money granted, $50,000 comes from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which received…
The latest readings of the Flash Index show the Illinois economy quickly shifting from growth to contraction during the coronavirus pandemic. The Flash Index has been above 100 for the past eight years, indicating economic growth in Illinois during that period. But University of Illinois economist Fred Giertz says that all changed as coronavirus stay-at-home…
Sales of existing homes were on the rise in Illinois and in Champaign County — up until the stay-at-home restrictions imposed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Now, realtors are hoping the housing market will recover quickly, once the restrictions are lifted. Across the state, the trade group Illinois Realtors reported sales of 12,182 homes and…