Emily Hays

Reporter

About Emily

             Emily Hays started at WILL in October 2021 after three-plus years in local newsrooms in Virginia and Connecticut. She has won state awards for her housing coverage at Charlottesville Tomorrow and her education reporting at the New Haven Independent. Emily graduated from Yale University where she majored in History and South Asian Studies.

It’s been 20 years since the NCAA banned Chief Illiniwek from championship games. Some students want U of I to move on

April 16, 2026 No Comments

The University of Illinois retired Chief Illiniwek in 2007, without picking a new mascot. Native American faculty say the inaction is damaging.

A man speaks into a megaphone in front of a university building. Two people hold a yellow sign that says "Graduate Employees Organization." The protest took place on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus Wednesday, April 8, 2026.

University of Illinois students, unions launch campaign to ‘De-ICE’ campus contracts

April 8, 2026 No Comments

Dozens of U of I students and workers gathered on campus Wednesday to demand the school cut ties with companies profiting from immigration enforcement.

A middle-aged white couple grins while holding a phone together. The phone shows a recent picture of them with a basketball player.

‘Quiet leader’: Former middle school coach, teacher remember University of Illinois men’s basketball star from way back when

April 1, 2026 No Comments

Before he became a point guard for the Illini, senior Kylan Boswell went to Edison Middle School in Champaign.

A white woman plays a board game on a purple tablecloth.

Michelle Jett is set to be the next Champaign County executive

March 25, 2026 No Comments

Michelle Jett is currently the director of administration for Champaign County. She held 60% of the vote, according to unofficial results on Tuesday night.

All top Champaign Unit 4 administrators asked to reapply for their jobs

March 24, 2026 No Comments

The Champaign Unit 4 Board of Education approved demotions or resignations of all top administrators. They can reapply for their jobs.

Zainab Yusuff-Akimbo has worked as a COVID tester with SHIELD Illinois since March 2023.

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign students to pay more for campus health insurance in fall

March 20, 2026 No Comments

The University of Illinois says increasing prescription costs and more use of mental health services are causes.