In his annual “State of the University” address Friday, University of Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones applauded the Illinois government for a recent revenue increase, discussed campus strategies to recruit and retain top-notch faculty and announced new efforts to increase outreach to the local community. Jones also explained what U of I officials are doing to…
DANVILLE – On Monday, two Central Illinois communities are planning tributes to the life and mission of Martin Luther King, Jr. The civil rights icon led non-violent protests against racial segregation, poverty and war during the 1950’s and 60’s. Had he not been assassinated in 1968, King would have turned 91-years-old in 2020. Mary Thompson…
CHICAGO – On the heels of a tuition hike, the University of Illinois is expanding Illinois Commitment, its free tuition program meant to attract students who might otherwise attend out-of-state schools. Speaking Friday morning in Chicago, Governor JB Pritzker says he made that request of the U of I Board of Trustees. “I asked them…
NORMAL – It’s January, so most Illinois college students are coming back to class after winter break. But this will be their first time back on campus in a state where consuming cannabis is legal. Even so, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll be able to do it. A 2017 study by the National Institute…
[perfectpullquote align=”left” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Base Tuition For In-State Undergrads: $12,254 at U-I Urbana-Champaign; $10,776 at U-I Chicago; $9,503 at U-I Springfield [/perfectpullquote] CHICAGO – University of Illinois trustees voted in Chicago Thursday to raise tuition for the first time in six years, and extend the contract of their president, Tim Killeen. The…
When he was in his early 20s, Matt purchased a pound of weed to split with his friends. The drug dealer dropped it off at his apartment in central Illinois. Moments later, he said, cops stormed in, and arrested Matt and his friends. He spent a night in jail, two-and-half years on probation, and for…
CHAMPAIGN – Unit 4’s district superintendent says she’s dropping a controversial proposal for a campus swap between the Garden Hills elementary school and the International Prep Academy. A statement posted Friday afternoon (Jan. 10) on the Champaign Unit 4 website and Facebook page states: “Based on feedback from various stake holders over the last several…
SPRINGFIELD – In an attempt to relieve Illinois’ severe teacher shortage, state lawmakers last year voted to remove a requirement known as the “basic skills test.” That test has proven to be a stumbling block, especially for people pursuing the profession later in life, as a second career. This change, enacted just five months ago, has…
Garden Hills Elementary School parents, neighbors and Champaign community members said they opposed a proposal that would swap the school’s campus in north Champaign with the International Prep Academy — the district’s bilingual program. A diverse crowd packed the Garden Hills cafeteria for a listening and information session hosted by Champaign Unit 4 Superintendent Susan…
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers on Tuesday grilled officials about the practice of locking kids in “seclusion rooms” in schools. It’s the first legislative hearing since a news report brought attention to the practice late last year. The story, from ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune, revealed thousands of incidents in which kids with special needs were…
PALATINE – A more than four year fight to secure equal access to locker rooms for transgender students in a north suburban Chicago school district ended Tuesday when a new policy allowing them unrestricted access took effect. The Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211 board voted 5-2 in favor of the policy change in November, WLS-TV…
A University of Illinois law professor accused of sexual misconduct had been slated to return to teach in January. But he will instead be placed on “university-sanctioned leave.” In fall of last year, details of a U of I investigation into claims of sexual misconduct against Jay Kesan were made public by the media. Amid…
MONDAY 4:00 p.m. update: The News-Gazette reports that a University of Illinois police officer pleaded not guilty to seven charges of misconduct in court today. Jerald Sandage is accused of misusing law enforcement databases and security cameras to find personal information about women on and off the U of I’s Urbana campus. Sandage has been…
During their Tuesday evening meeting, the Urbana School District 116 Board of Education reaffirmed its decision to hire two full-time school resource officers (SRO), including one each for Urbana Middle and High Schools.
To solve a host of problems the district faces, Champaign Unit 4 Schools officials recently proposed swapping two elementary school campuses. At a Unit 4 Board of Education meeting Monday night, the district’s superintendent, Susan Zola, suggested moving the International Prep Academy (IPA), a kindergarten through fifth grade bilingual program with majority Hispanic enrollment located on West…