URBANA – Undergraduate students comprised the vast majority of COVID-19 cases at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign during the fall semester, with the highest infection rates occurring among students living in fraternities, sororities and other private, campus-certified housing. U of I data provided to Illinois Newsroom show that 3,226 undergrads tested positive for the…
SPRINGFIELD – The COVID-19 pandemic will likely worsen Illinois’ teacher shortage. Educators who were already in short supply in the state face increased challenges on the job, according to a new report from the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs. Meghan A. Kessler, who authored the report and is an assistant professor…
A plan for addressing issues related to the University of Illinois’ use of Chief Illiniwek as a mascot includes formation of a student council to look at the development of new traditions for the Urbana campus. Chancellor Robert Jones released the implementation plan on Friday. The plan draws from input from a series of community-wide…
URBANA — Coronavirus testing sites at the University of Illinois’ Chicago and Springfield campuses will not be available to students who are enrolled at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, according to U of I spokeswoman Robin Kaler. Recent social media posts from U of I students suggest that some were under the impression that…
URBANA — To get into University of Illinois buildings, students and employees are supposed to show an app saying that they’ve had a recent, clean COVID-19 test. Nearly one-third of the time, however, there’s no one at the door to check their status. This is the finding of a group of University of Illinois student…
CHAMPAIGN – During a typical school year, Laura Dees says families in need rely on food drives held at school buildings in the Champaign Unit 4 School District. Dees, director of food services for Unit 4, says that wasn’t a possibility this year because schools are closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But Dees…
When University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign officials decided to reopen in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, they launched an ambitious plan to…
URBANA – The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating the University of Illinois’ response to reports of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionist incidents on its Urbana campus. Three Jewish organizations — including the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights, the Jewish United Fund and Hillel International — filed a complaint earlier this…
DECATUR – The Macon County Health Department is urging all schools within the county to switch to remote instruction at least through January 15 as COVID-19 cases surge. Macon County Public Health Administrator Brandi Binkley made the announcement during a press conference Monday afternoon. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District urged that county’s schools to switch…
SPRINGFIELD – After voters rejected a ballot initiative that would have increased taxes on the state’s highest earners, Illinois school district officials and advocates expect cuts to state funding. The ballot initiative, commonly referred to by advocates as the “Fair Tax,” was projected to pump billions into the state’s coffers during a period when the…
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…
CHAMPAIGN – During a Board of Education meeting Monday night, Champaign Unit 4 Schools officials discussed bringing middle and high school students back into classrooms beginning in January. The plan as presented by Unit 4 administrators includes two schedules. Under either scenario, all students would learn virtually on Mondays, and in the mornings for the…
URBANA – The University of Illinois’ saliva-based COVID-19 testing program will soon be available to the larger Champaign-Urbana community, according to university officials. Currently, the test is only available to students and staff on some college campuses. But officials say plans are now in the works to make it available to Champaign-Urbana community members, too….
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) published its annual school report card data Friday, but state officials urged caution when interpreting that data due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on data collection for the 2019-20 school year. State Superintendent Carmen Ayala said during a call with reporters this week that…
CHAMPAIGN – During a visit to Champaign on Tuesday, Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced the creation of two new manufacturing training academies in downstate Illinois. Community colleges located outside of Cook and the collar counties can apply for millions in grant funds from the state to create the academies that will provide students with 21st-century manufacturing…