Tornadoes strike Arkansas, Illinois; 4 dead, dozens injured
Authorities said a theater roof collapsed during a tornado in Belvidere, Illinois, killing one person and injuring 28.
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Danville could soon have an abortion provider, but opponents are pushing back
DANVILLE – Abortion rights opponents are pushing back against a proposed clinic in the Vermilion County city. It’s been decades since Danville had an abortion provider, Deb Brinegar, a Danville resident, said. She argues that should not changed. “Abortion disappeared from our community about 30 years ago,” Brinegar said. “So this is really heartbreaking that it’s…
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No longer ancient history: Woolly mammoth returns to University of Illinois for the first time in over 10,000 years
CHAMPAIGN – After an over 10,000-year absence, the woolly mammoth is finally back on the University of Illinois campus. A 16-foot-tall sculpture of a mammoth was installed last week in between the Illini Union and the Natural History Building. The sculpture could serve as a reminder that mammoths lived in Champaign-Urbana, University of Illinois professor…
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It’s not Madigan’s trial, but the feds’ big upcoming case is all about the former speaker
Michael J. Madigan will likely never step foot in the federal courtroom where four former political power players are about to face trial, accused of trying to bribe the longtime Illinois House speaker to benefit ComEd. But the case starting Tuesday is all about Madigan. And once it’s underway, it is expected to finally pull…
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After a lawsuit and a no-show game, Vermilion County’s professional hockey team ceases operations
DANVILLE – The Vermilion County Bobcats made national headlines after failing to show at a game against the Quad City Storm on Feb. 5. Just days later, the Bobcats released a statement on Twitter announcing the team was ceasing operations effective immediately. The team did not respond to requests for comment. Jamie Gooch, who was…
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New Philadelphia is Illinois’ newest national park — now one of over 30 sites dedicated to Black history in the U.S.
CHAMPAIGN — Gerald McWorter — a professor in African American Studies at the University of Illinois — said he grew up hearing stories about his great-great-grandfather, Frank McWorter. “Free Frank,” a former slave who bought his own freedom, founded New Philadelphia, Illinois in 1836. The town was an incorporated town for fifty years — and…
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Police report: Champaign shootings dropped by half in 2022
The report — released this month — credits an increase in community engagement as the cause.
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The third monkeypox case in Champaign County is at a daycare center
CHAMPAIGN — An adult employee at a daycare facility in Rantoul has come down with monkeypox. The “patient is doing well and the case poses little risk to general public,” the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District announced on Friday. They’re currently investigating the case. According to The News-Gazette, it’s the state’s first case of monkeypox at…
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Patients seeking help for long COVID are getting more options for treatment
SPRINGFIELD — While COVID may not be top of mind for people anymore, the pandemic isn’t over. And for some who have had COVID, neither is their illness. Many patients with long COVID experience symptoms for weeks or months after their initial infection has passed. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s4780019/audio/2022/07/20220719-secovid2wayweb-edit.mp3 Listen to this story here. Nationwide, 1 in 5…
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Amidst a lack of mental health services, the ‘Living Room’ approach aims to plug gaps
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (En Español: 1-888-628-9454; Deaf and Hard of Hearing: 1-800-799-4889) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. Beginning July 16, the Lifeline can be reached by dialing 988. CHICAGO — After a bad breakup, 19-year-old…
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Economist weighs in on Gov. Pritzker’s plan to address high inflation
On July 1, Governor J.B. Pritzker froze a proposed gas tax hike, while suspending the grocery tax on certain items. These were two of many initiatives meant to quell rising inflation. Dean Baker, a senior economist at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, described inflation as a time when “most prices are rising,” as…
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A new national mental health crisis line launches soon. Some states aren’t ready
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, help is available. Contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 800-273-8255 or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. Updated June 16 at 2 p.m. SPRINGFIELD — Staff at Memorial Behavioral Health in Springfield, Illinois, are on call around the clock to…
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If Roe falls, many in the Midwest will have to travel to access abortion
Kentucky lawmakers have been hard at work to erode access to abortion in the state — long before the leak of a draft opinion on May 2 indicating the U.S. Supreme Court might overturn Roe v. Wade and remove federal protections for abortion as early as June. In April, the Republican-led legislature overrode…
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A new Illinois law will ban rules on students’ hairstyles – but many Black people say it’s coming far too late
URBANA – When Victor Figueroa got home from his private school in Chicago and started to wash his hair, he said he kept finding small pieces of paper in it. Puzzled, Figueroa said he didn’t know where they were coming from. One day while sitting in class, he turned around. He saw students holding small…
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Chemical created during water disinfection could affect reproduction, according to University of Illinois researcher
URBANA — In order to make water safe to drink, it has to go through a process called chemical disinfection. This process, however necessary, creates byproducts. University of Illinois researcher Lois Raetzman says it is possible that one chemical byproduct could have serious health effects. “So we’re absolutely not saying you should not disinfect water….
