When Northwestern University professor and video journalist Craig Duff heard that the 150-year-old Youngstown Vindicator was closing, he resolved to go back to the area where he grew up in northeast Ohio and document how the community was coping with the loss of its newspaper. What the veteran of CNN, Time.com and The New York…
On a recent Monday morning, a group of preschoolers filed into the gymnasium at Hillside School in the west Chicago suburbs. These 4- and 5-year olds were the first of more than 200 students to get tested for the coronavirus that day — and every Monday — for the foreseeable future. At the front of…
This is a developing story. It will be updated as we learn new details. UPDATE: 56 summer residents are moving back into Hendrick House at the University of Illinois — ten days after an explosion forced them to evacuate. Management for the privately-owned residence hall announced on social media Wednesday that the city of Urbana had…
DANVILLE – According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 50.55 percent of Illinoisans eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines have received them as of June 7, 2021. In Champaign County, 49.75 percent are vaccinated. But in Vermilion County, only 29 percent of people eligible to receive the vaccine have been immunized. Illinois Newsroom’s Tinisha Spain…
CHICAGO — The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted almost every aspect of our lives, including our ability to afford food. Rates of food insecurity skyrocketed during the pandemic due to high unemployment numbers and the economic recession. Now, though, with vaccines more widespread and the economy beginning to get back on track, those rates are on…
The state reported 3,526 new confirmed or probable cases of COVID-19 Thursday, the highest one-day total since Feb. 5. That drove the seven-day rolling…
The U.S. Department of Justice says former Congressman and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood took undisclosed foreign money while serving in…
Illinois’ economic recovery stalled last month, according to the University of Illinois Flash Index. The Flash Index measured the state’s economy at 95.6 for both October and November, bringing a pause to five months of steady improvement. “What we’re basically, is treading water this month, in terms of recovery from the spring crisis,” said University…
URBANA – One result of the November 2020 election in Illinois was 20 downstate counties passing an advisory referendum in support of forming their own state that leaves Chicago and Cook County behind. That makes a total of 23 counties where separation referendums have passed this year. (UPDATE: As of November 2022, the total is…
Additional sites for early voting are opening in Champaign County on Monday, October 19. Each of the eleven early voting site is open to voters from any part of Champaign County. The Champaign County Clerk’s office will operate the sites seven days a week, and will also keep them open on Election Day, November 3rd,…
Three elected offices in Champaign County government would be changed to appointed ones — and a fourth office would be scaled back — under a proposal unveiled Thursday by a group of Champaign County Republicans. Champaign County’s elected recorder would become an appointed post, and the elected treasurer and auditor would be merged, along with…
Michigan State, Notre Dame and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill have recently suspended in-person classes due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. New emergency orders affecting bars and restaurants in Champaign-Urbana are meant to prevent that from happening at the University of Illinois. The mayors of both Champaign and Urbana have issued orders requiring…
The Illinois economy has been contracting since the onset of COVID-19. But the latest University of Illinois Flash Index shows economic activity is beginning to recover. The Flash Index rose from 93.1 in June to 93.9 in July, for its second month of improvement since the coronavirus sent it plummeting. The Flash Index is based…
The Illinois Newsroom team is answering questions from listeners to navigate this unprecedented time. Have a question you want answered? Ask here. In today’s edition of “Ask the Newsroom,” we’ve answered questions on COVID-19, SNAP benefits and living alone. Please note, the information is accurate as of June 19, 2020. COVID-19 Testing Q: I am…
URBANA — The observance of Memorial Day is happening in Illinois this year with far fewer ceremonies than usual. The coronavirus outbreak has put a damper on all public gatherings — including those held to remember military personnel and veterans who have died. Veterans groups in Mattoon and Georgetown are among those holding Memorial Day ceremonies…