Danville’s NAACP honors Martin Luther King Jr. with morning march and memorial
The march is an annual event that honors the life and message of King by keeping his name fresh in the memories of the community.
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Honorary Walter Smith Way celebrates a man who devoted his life to young people in Champaign
Walter Smith studied kinesiology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in the late-1960s. Smith dedicated his life to the Douglass Community Center.
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WBCP Radio Way honors central Illinois’ first Black-owned radio station
When a stretch of Fourth Street from Tremont Street to Grove Street was designated as WBCP Radio Way in 2018, the sign marked the legacy of central Illinois’ first Black-owned radio station — a cultural home for music, community and conversation that lasted nearly three decades.
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From Illini Hillel to a national movement: the Abram Sachar story
At the corner of John St. and Fifth in Champaign, an Honorary Street is designated to Abram Sachar, who established a Hillel movement at universities across the country.
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Honorary Alison Krauss Way recognizes renowned bluegrass fiddle-player and vocalist
Alison Krauss, the 27-time Grammy-Award-winning vocalist and fiddle player who grew up in Champaign, played the hallowed Grand Ole Opry at the age of 17.
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Honorary Brandon Hardway Drive pays homage to beloved former Pour Bros. manager
Brandon Hardway, a beloved community member and manager of Pour Bros. Taproom, was fatally shot on February 8, 2024. Last August, the segment of North Chestnut Street in downtown Champaign was designated Brandon Hardway Drive.
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More than a holiday tradition: Reindeer are a way of life at the Hardy ranch in Rantoul
Around the holidays, reindeer become a familiar sight: on cards, in movies and pulling Santa’s sleigh. But here in central Illinois, reindeer aren’t a myth or a cartoon. They’re livestock, cared for year-round.
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Declining attendance and rising maintenance costs bring an end to a historic church building in Champaign
With churches no longer playing as central a role in many people’s lives, more congregations are faced with hard decisions regarding their historic buildings.
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Advocates for Aging Care pushes for solutions as Champaign County faces skilled nursing bed shortage
Champaign County has one of the worst skilled nursing care shortages in the state. It means people often have to drive hours to see their loved ones. A local advocacy group is working to address the shortage.
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Champaign’s only low-barrier shelter is at risk of closing. Some guests are worried
Strides first opened in 2022, with funding from the American Rescue Plan, a federal COVID-19 relief fund. But funding is set to run out as early as February.
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3I/ATLAS is not alien spacecraft. But here’s how scientists actually look for aliens
3I/ATLAS, the third known interstellar object to pass through our solar system, is on its way out, yet speculation that it is alien technology persists.
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Transgender people are looking for safer places to live. Some have found a home in central Illinois
Amid increasingly hostile laws and rhetoric targeting transgender people in the United States, many of them seek to move to places they feel safer. Aaron Slayton is one of many who have made a new home in central Illinois.
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Floating wetlands in Lake Decatur aim to improve water quality while providing wildlife habitats
As winter approaches, the durability of two new floating wetlands in Lake Decatur will be tested. These man-made structures were installed on the lake this summer with the goal of improving water quality and creating a habitat for wildlife.
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Ebertfest and beyond: How the C-U film sphere moves forward after the loss of a giant
CHAMPAIGN — Ebertfest began in 1999 as a star-studded, red-carpet affair showcasing the overlooked indie film darlings in Hollywood at the Virginia Theatre in Champaign. It continued in that legacy for more than two decades. This fall, Ebertfest organizers said they won’t be coming back – although there’s some discussion of a possible encore in…
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A new temporary emergency homeless shelter opens in Champaign
As of Nov. 1, there are 82 unsheltered adults and children in the area, and homelessness is on the rise in Champaign-Urbana, said Cunningham Township supervisor Danielle Chynoweth.
