Conservation land trust in Coles County to expand
This project adds another stretch of the Embarras River to the existing 14 river-miles under Grand Prairie Friends’ protection across Champaign, Douglas and Coles Counites.
This project adds another stretch of the Embarras River to the existing 14 river-miles under Grand Prairie Friends’ protection across Champaign, Douglas and Coles Counites.

Updated Saturday at 10:45 p.m. SHELBY COUNTY – On Saturday, meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Central Illinois said an EF-2 tornado caused destruction in Shelby, Moultrie and Coles counties. So far, no injuries have been reported. According to the NWS, EF-2 tornadoes have winds of 111 to 135 miles per hour. They cause

August 2023 Editor’s note: The information below was originally reported in June of 2021. Much of it is no longer relevant as the COVID-19 public health emergency was declared over by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 11, 2023. Updated June 6, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. This is an updated post on

Timothy D. Gover, the longtime mayor of the eastern Illinois town of Mattoon, has died. A statement issued by the city says Gover died Thursday morning, from “lingering health issues”. He was believed to be in his early 80s. Gover, a Mattoon native, loved his home town and his home county, Coles County, according to

Editor’s note: These stories were reported by University of Illinois journalism students, with coverage coordinated by College Of Media journalism professor Chris Evans and professional journalists at Illinois Public Media. UPDATED Wednesday at 1:30 a.m.: Thousands of Mail-In Ballots Being Counted In Champaign County URBANA – Champaign County’s chief elections officer, County Clerk Aaron Ammons, says

Pritzker Extends Stay-at-Home Order Amid COVID-19 Spread SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois governor has extended his stay-at-home order through May 30 as the highly contagious COVID-19 continues its rounds. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s decree had been scheduled to expire April 30. Pritzker said Thursday that he understands how much everyone wants their normal lives back, but that

Illinois COVID-19 Cases Top 15,000 URBANA – The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,529 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 across the state Wednesday, including 82 additional deaths. Those deaths included Macon County’s first fatality: the resident of a Decatur long-term care facility. Stark County reported its first confirmed COVID-19 case, becoming the 78th of

CHAMPAIGN – As early voting continues for the March 17 Illinois Primary, Champaign County is opening seven additional early voting locations on Monday, March 8, in Champaign, Rantoul, Tolono, Mahomet and St. Joseph. Two other early voting locations opened a week earlier on the University of Illinois campus. Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons says he