Tag: champaign-urbana

University of Illinois students hold rally in support of Ukraine

URBANA, Ill. – When Daniel Brandys, the vice president of the Ukrainian Student Association at the University of Illinois, was growing up, he said many people in the U.S. had no idea what Ukraine was.  Now, with Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine, Brandys said he’s finally seeing people standing in solidarity with the country that

How Being A Chaplain Gave One Pastor A Sense Of Urgency In The COVID Fight

CHAMPAIGN — Keith Thomas wears many hats in the Champaign-Urbana community.  He’s a full-time pastor at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church. And he’s also been on the frontlines throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, working as a hospital chaplain at OSF HealthCare. Thomas says the hardest situations he’s been in — as a local chaplain — have

Hundreds Run Through Streets Of C-U In ‘Run To Remember’

CHAMPAIGN – Hundreds of runners and walkers turned out for the inaugural Run To Remember on Saturday morning in Champaign-Urbana. The 8K run and walk started off in front of the University of Illinois Memorial Stadium, 20-years after the September 11, 2001 attacks. And while it was not specifically created for that day, the race

Vehicle Catalytic Converter Thefts Increase In CU

URBANA – Auto shop owners and law enforcement in Champaign-Urbana are seeing an increase in vehicle catalytic converter thefts. Catalytic converters make toxic exhaust fumes less harmful for the environment and are located on the underside of vehicles. They also contain precious metals like rhodium, platinum and palladium that can sell for upwards of $19,000

University Of Illinois Class Of 2021 Graduates Reflect On COVID Graduation

  URBANA — Bells rang across the University of Illinois’s main quadrangle as seniors lined up at Alma Mater to take graduation pictures by Altgeld Tower. Pandemic or no, May is still graduation season on the Urbana campus. An estimated 5,600 University of Illinois students graduated during the weekend of May 15. However, for many

Health Experts: Masks, Distancing Key To Preventing COVID-19 Outbreaks In Schools

As schools across Illinois finalize their plans to reopen this fall, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is urging students, teachers and school staff members to wear masks at all times and stay at least six feet apart. The C-UPHD recently released guidelines and recommendations for schools and families as they prepare to begin the next

C-U Commemorates Juneteenth With Peace Walk, Celebration

CHAMPAIGN – Champaign-Urbana residents celebrated Juneteenth on Friday afternoon with a peaceful march and a small festival in Beardsley Park. Juneteenth is celebrated every year on June 19th, and commemorates the day in 1865 when some of the last enslaved people in the Confederacy were emancipated.  HV Neighborhood Transformation (HVNT) organized the inaugural Juneteenth event,

Downtown Urbana Historic District

As Illinois Enters ‘Phase Three,’ C-U Officials Expect More Outbreaks Will Occur

CHAMPAIGN – As certain businesses reopen and people begin socializing in small groups during Phase Three of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan, local public health officials say they’re expecting to see additional COVID-19 outbreaks occur. “We are definitely going to see more cases,” says C-U Public Health Administrator Julie Pryde. “That is the nature