Following successful lawsuits in the fall by national news organizations, the Small Business Administration revealed more detailed information on the Paycheck Protection Program. The new information included the names of businesses receiving loans under $150,000 and the specific loan amounts for businesses that received $150,000 or more. The loans were granted beginning in April 2020,…
URBANA – Racial justice and police reform have been on the minds of Americans across the nation. And they’re a major issue in the race for mayor of Urbana. The three candidates running for the post in the Feb. 23 Democratic primary in Urbana all say they would make change in the city’s police policies….
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker outlined a proposed budget for the next fiscal year this week that keeps state spending on both K-12 and higher education mostly flat. If approved by state lawmakers, this would be the second year in a row that Illinois hasn’t invested in its school funding formula. The formula, passed…
WATCH LIVE: At 2 p.m. today the Pritzker administration delivers a virtual State of the State and budget address. Tune in live below. The questions we receive from you directly inform the stories we tell and what we investigate. Let us know what you need to know!
URBANA – A new website is asking you to post your thoughts and suggestions about Urbana, whether you live there, or spend time there. The website is imagineurbana.com. It was launched February 5 to gather public input as the city of Urbana begins work on its new comprehensive plan. Andrea Reudi is overseeing the project…
SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Republicans will be led by a downstate resident for the first time in more than 30 years. The party chose former Illinois Gaming Board Chairman Don Tracy of Springfield on Saturday as its new chair. In a news release, the Illinois GOP announced that members of the State Central Committee gave Tracy…
URBANA – On Monday night, the Urbana City Council is scheduled to discuss a resolution recognizing the city’s history of structural racism and pledging a commitment to racial equity. The resolution outlines some of the main points of racism’s history in Urbana — from slavery in the early 19th century, to a large Ku Klux…
URBANA — The violence at the US Capitol on January 6th was an attempted coup d’état. That’s the conclusion of The Cline Center for Advanced Social Research at the University of Illinois. The Cline Center has been curating data on coups and attempted coups since 2013. Illinois Newsroom’s Brian Moline spoke with The Cline Center’s…
WASHINGTON – Presidential inaugurations are by definition historic events. Joe Biden officially become the 46th president of the United States on January 20, 2021 just before noon Wednesday during a ceremony at the U.S. Capitol. The inauguration came two weeks after a violent mob of white nationalists brawled with police and smashed their way into the Capitol building,…
URBANA – A University of Illinois professor helped the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) transition from the Trump to the new Biden-Harris administration. Jonathan Coppess is one of hundreds of people — including researchers, professors and scientists — who volunteered their time on the effort. Coppess, an assistant professor within the U of I’s agriculture…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Dr. Ngozi Ezike held a COVID-19 press briefing today as cases and hospitalizations in Illinois reach record highs. Read and listen to the latest update from the governor’s office on new cases, phased re-opening and closings of different regions and the state’s ongoing pandemic response. You can watch the most recent…
URBANA – The mistaken euthanizing of a dog by Champaign County Animal Control over Christmas has raised a storm of controversy. Now, Champaign County officials say they want to make sure it never happens again. After her dog Dada was impounded by Champaign County’s Animal Control Department, owner Monica Lopez was told by a department…
Democrats and some Republicans have called for President Trump’s removal from office for his role in inciting a violent mob that breached the U.S. Capitol last week.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Dr. Ngozi Ezike held a COVID-19 press briefing today as cases and hospitalizations in Illinois reach record highs. Read and listen to the latest update from the governor’s office on new cases, phased re-opening and closings of different regions and the state’s ongoing pandemic response. You can watch the most recent…
Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller says she apologizes for any harm caused by her speech at a Washington DC rally, where she voiced agreement with a quotation of Adolf Hitler. But she said some of her critics were intentionally distorting what she had said. “I sincerely apologize for any harm my words caused,” the east central…