U Of I And SIU Partner To Bring Higher Education To Springfield
SPRINGFIELD – Two universities with local ties are collaborating to bring a new higher education presence to downtown Springfield. On Thursday, the University of Illinois Springfield and Southern Illinois University publicly announced their partnership to create an innovation space in close proximity to the Capitol Building. UIS’s Bruce Sommer presented the plan at a dinner sponsored by the civic group Downtown Springfield Inc. He says he hopes the project is more than just one building — but rather an entire district devoted to education, commercialization of technology, and business incubation. Sommer says the exact location and scope of the project have yet to be decided. One plan, from the Springfield-Sangamon Growth Alliance, would encompass four city blocks adjacent to the Statehouse. – Mike Smith, NPR Illinois
Durbin Warns Colleagues On Impeachment: ‘History Will Find You’
As the U.S. Senate prepares for President Trump’s impeachment trial, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin has a warning for his colleagues. Durbin is among the senators who’ve been through an impeachment before: he was in his first term when President Bill Clinton was tried and acquitted in the Senate. He’s urging a few of his Republican colleagues to break ranks, and push their party leaders to allow witness testimony at the impeachment trial. “I hope at the end of the day, enough Republican Senators will understand: History will find you. Make certain that you make a decision that you can life with, in terms of our Constitution and your own professional career,” Durbin said. Democrats are calling for witness testimony at the trial. But leaders of the Republican majority have so far rebuffed that idea. The impeachment trial is set to resume at noon (CST) Tuesday. – Brian Mackey, NPR Illinois
U Of I Professor Wins Fellowship For Study Of Violin In UK
URBANA — A University of Illinois music professor has been awarded a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Musicology professor Christina Bashford was awarded one of 188 humanities grants across the nation receiving $30.9 million. She will use the grant on a book project about the impact of the violin on Great Britain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. U of I Chancellor Robert J. Jones noted that the fellowship is one of the nation’s more competitive humanities programs. The NEH awards an average of 79 grants a year out of 1,100 applications received. – Associated Press
DNA Tests Confirm Coyote Captured In Chicago Attacked Boy
CHICAGO — Animal control officials in Chicago say DNA tests confirm a coyote recently captured in the city is the same animal that attacked a 6-year-old boy. Chicago Animal Care and Control released a statement Sunday saying that the animal had been shot in the chest with a BB gun, which could have caused its aggressive behavior. The animal is expected to remain at a local wildlife rehabilitation center. It was captured after being chased by Chicago police and animal control officers for several blocks. Animal control officials say another coyote was spotted in the same part of the city but eluded capture. – Associated Press
Jet Slides On Illinois Airport’s Taxiway In Wintry Weather
MOLINE — Officials in western Illinois say a mix of icy conditions and high winds contributed to a jet sliding along a taxiway. No injuries were reported when a Delta jet carrying 50 passengers slid Saturday afternoon at Moline’s Quad City International Airport. The jet was bound for Detroit. Airport spokeswoman Ashleigh Johnston says the airport closed Friday just before 3 p.m. and reopened Saturday after 10 a.m. Johnston says crews were working to keep runways and taxiways clear of ice and snow, when temperatures dropped and created icy conditions. Wind gusts at the airports were measured at 51 mph. – Associated Press
Illinois Approves Coal Company’s Mine Water Pumping Proposal
CARBONDALE — The Illinois Department of Natural Resources approved the first of three permits for a coal company’s plan to discharge waste water from a mine into the Big Muddy River. The Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale reports that Williamson Energy LLC’s Pond Creek Mine pipeline would dump millions of gallons of mine wastewater into the river. The department made a final decision in December on Williamson Energy’s application through its Office of Mines and Minerals. The company still needs authorization from the state’s Environmental Protection Agency, which is awaiting its application fee. Critics say they will continue efforts to halt the pipeline. – Associated Press
