How To Stay Safe From COVID-19 While Grocery Shopping
These days, a familiar place – the grocery store – looks very different. They remain open as essential businesses, even as other stores close. But they…
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Champaign County July 4th Fireworks Celebration Canceled
URBANA – Champaign-Urbana’s annual Fourth of July festival will not be held this year. The organizers of the Champaign County Freedom Celebration posted the announcement on their website Tuesday. The Freedom Celebration events, including a parade and fireworks, take place on the University of Illinois campus. But the U of I has announced the cancellation…
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CU Faith Communities Explore How To Support One Another Through COVID-19
URBANA – With Passover starting Wednesday night, many in the Jewish community are having to adapt their usual customs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is my favorite holiday, personally, and it’s tough not to be with my community right now, not to be literally sharing a Seder table, with my students,” says Rabbi Ari…
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Local Restaurants Keep Serving During Coronavirus Shutdown
CHAMPAIGN – Shutdown orders related to the coronavirus pandemic have been hard on restaurants, but especially on local restaurants without drive-through windows or backing from national chains. In Champaign-Urbana, some restaurants have closed during the shutdown period, but others are staying open, even though their dining rooms are closed. The Fiesta Café has been serving…
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‘It’s Exhausting’: Illinois Special Needs Parents Struggle With Remote Learning Days
Betsy Crosswhite says it felt like a punch in the gut when her son’s school closed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. That’s when she realized she would need to become her son Shane’s teacher and therapist. Crosswhite and her family live in Wilmette. She and her husband have three kids, including Shane, 15,…
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U Of I Researchers Developing Smartphone App For Coronavirus Testing
A team of University of Illinois researchers is working on a smartphone application that would detect the novel coronavirus within 30 minutes, without the need for a diagnostic lab. Illinois Newsroom’s Brian Moline spoke with Brian Cunningham. He’s a professor of electrical and computer engineering, and the director of the micro and nanotechnology lab on…
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Despite Hardships, Americans See COVID-19 Bringing Communities Together, Survey Shows
A majority of Americans believe that while their communities will suffer in the short term from the COVID-19 pandemic, they will eventually recover. And…
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Champaign Police Officer Tests Positive For COVID-19
CHAMPAIGN – The city of Champaign announced late Thursday night that a police officer has tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. In a press release, the city said the officer is at home in isolation and does not need hospitalization. The city did not release any other information about the officer’s…
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Illinois Flash Index Put On Hold By Coronavirus Outbreak
Every month, the University of Illinois Flash Index analyzes Illinois tax receipts to provide a quick measurement of the Illinois economy. But the disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak is making that impossible for now. Professor emeritus in economics Fred Giertz produces the Flash Index for the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public…
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Springfield Restaurants Adapt, Anxiously Await Help
In the third week since Illinois’ governor banned going out to bars and dining out, restaurants are in limbo as they scramble to get by on takeout and…
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U Of I Team Designs Emergency Ventilator In Days
Hospitals treating patients with COVID-19 face a growing need for ventilators to help them breathe. Engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have come up with a design for a ventilator … and they’re offering it for free. The Illinois RapidVent, looking at first sight like a few pieces of plastic plus some screws,…
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‘It’s Extremely Frustrating’: More Illinois Hospitals Testing On Site, But Tests Still Limited
URBANA – Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana has joined a growing number of Illinois hospitals doing on-site testing for COVID-19. But testing at Carle, like many other hospitals, will remain limited to patients who qualify based on criteria set by state health officials. In mid-March, those criteria were broadened to include hospitalized patients with severe…
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COVID-19 Effects On Arts Community ‘Unprecedented’
The arts community has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 outbreak. Illinois Newsroom’s Brian Moline recently spoke with Kelly White, Executive Director of 40 North, the Champaign County Arts Council. Brian Moline discusses COVID-19’s impact on the Champaign County arts community with Kelly White. White described just how the arts community in Champaign County…
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Illinois School Closures Spotlight Opportunity Gap For Poor Students
About half of Gladys Marquez’s students can’t access the internet at home. Marquez teaches English language learners at Dwight Eisenhower High School in Blue Island on Chicago’s south side. The school serves predominantly students of color from low-income backgrounds. Marquez says her students are fortunate to attend a school district that provides an iPad to…
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YMCA, Other Child Care Providers Re-Open For Health Staff, ‘Essential Workers’
UPDATE on April 8, 2020: Child care at the Stephens Family YMCA will be expanded to all essential workers identified by the state. To register and for a complete list of occupations that qualify, contact Cody Flowers at cody@ccymca.net. Include your occupation and place of employment in your initial email to Cody. CHAMPAIGN – The Stephens…
