SPRINGFIELD — Hundreds of Illinois cities are eligible to apply for federal relief from the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration says. Local government officials have until Dec. 1 to to submit applications. Local CURE funds were approved in the congressional relief package last spring. Public health and public safety spending, COVID-19 testing and contact…
CHAMPAIGN – The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on in-person shopping, especially at small, local businesses. Those are just the type of businesses hoping to grab shoppers’ attention during the holiday shopping season, with the Hometown Holiday Shop & Stroll, a promotional event that starts on Tuesday, December 1st, and continues through the 20th. This…
CHAMPAIGN – From schools to restaurants to hospitals, restrictions are once again underway around Champaign County as COVID-19 cases rise. Friday will be the last day for in-person classes at Champaign Unit 4 Schools and Urbana School District 116. Both districts are switching to remote instruction only, starting Monday. At a Thursday news conference, Champaign-Urbana…
Illinois’ 15th congressional district is one of two in the state where no incumbent is running. But this article is about the district itself, not candidates. All congressional districts are required to have roughly the same population, but there are no limits on territory. Illinois’ 15th District covers 14,696 square miles, or more land than…
The economist who prepares the University of Illinois’ Flash Index to the Illinois economy says if things continue on their present course, Illinois could return to economic growth in about half a year. The Flash Index, released this week by the university’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs, measured the Illinois economy at 95.1 for…
Illinois is starting to award grants to renters to help them catch up on late payments. But the need far outpaces the funding available and more than 50…
CHAMPAIGN — With city revenues down due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the Champaign City Council Tuesday night endorsed the idea of cutting spending by cutting city staff. They want to do this by offering buyouts to an estimated 15 to 25 employees who agree to leave voluntarily. During the Great Recession, the city of Champaign…
Aaron Kleidon kneels to stoke a campfire under a massive copper kettle, as hundreds of gallons of molasses-colored brew churn and bubble inside. He shakes a few handfuls of dried sweet clover into a cotton sack, which will steep in the beer and infuse it with a subtle vanilla flavor. Like all of the beers…
URBANA – Gov. J.B. Pritzker visited a barbecue restaurant in Urbana Thursday to showcase the first round of grants from a new state program to help small businesses hurt by the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor says Illinois’ new Business Interruption Grants, or BIG, will help small businesses that haven’t been helped by the federal government’s…
Gov. Pritzker is at Wood N’ Hog BBQ, located in Urbana, joined by local leaders, to announce the first round of business interruption grants. The announcement will occur at 10 a.m.
URBANA – A moratorium on utility shutoffs in Illinois expired last Sunday. But with the COVID-19 pandemic continuing, several utilities have volunteered to extend the moratorium for another month. The Illinois Commerce Commission says utilities that agreed to the extension include Ameren Illinois, Illinois American Water and Aqua Illinois. All of those serve customers in…
DANVILLE – The operator for a proposed Danville casino says it is withdrawing the application, it submitted last October, and plans to submit a new one next month. The request from Haven Gaming, LLC, to withdraw is on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting of the Illinois Gaming Board. In a statement, the Rochester, NY-based company…
URBANA – A new statewide effort aims to provide vulnerable young people in Illinois with summer jobs. The COVID-19 Summer Youth Employment Program provides $9.3 million to fund summer jobs for 2,400 young adults with a focus on low-income youth living in high-poverty communities. State and local officials spoke at a press conference Monday, held…
Each month throughout the pandemic, Illinois Newsroom has received questions from listeners about whether maximum SNAP benefits will be issued. To find out more about how the program works and what SNAP recipients in Illinois can expect going forward, Illinois Newsroom reporter Dana Cronin spoke with Leslie Cully, who oversees the SNAP program for the…
CHAMPAIGN – Prepare for highway lane closures and a lot more orange construction signs in Champaign. Starting Wednesday, construction crews will begin rebuilding the 56-year-old U-S 150 bridge over I-57. It is part of an Illinois capital program that will lead to the reconstruction of the entire I-57 and I-74 interchange. The Illinois Department of…