CHAMPAIGN – Shutdown orders related to the coronavirus pandemic have been hard on restaurants, but especially on local restaurants without drive-through windows or backing from national chains. In Champaign-Urbana, some restaurants have closed during the shutdown period, but others are staying open, even though their dining rooms are closed. The Fiesta Café has been serving
Betsy Crosswhite says it felt like a punch in the gut when her son’s school closed to limit the spread of the coronavirus. That’s when she realized she would need to become her son Shane’s teacher and therapist. Crosswhite and her family live in Wilmette. She and her husband have three kids, including Shane, 15,
A team of University of Illinois researchers is working on a smartphone application that would detect the novel coronavirus within 30 minutes, without the need for a diagnostic lab. Illinois Newsroom’s Brian Moline spoke with Brian Cunningham. He’s a professor of electrical and computer engineering, and the director of the micro and nanotechnology lab on
A majority of Americans believe that while their communities will suffer in the short term from the COVID-19 pandemic, they will eventually recover. And…
Every month, the University of Illinois Flash Index analyzes Illinois tax receipts to provide a quick measurement of the Illinois economy. But the disruption caused by the coronavirus outbreak is making that impossible for now. Professor emeritus in economics Fred Giertz produces the Flash Index for the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public
In the third week since Illinois’ governor banned going out to bars and dining out, restaurants are in limbo as they scramble to get by on takeout and…
Hospitals treating patients with COVID-19 face a growing need for ventilators to help them breathe. Engineers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have come up with a design for a ventilator … and they’re offering it for free. The Illinois RapidVent, looking at first sight like a few pieces of plastic plus some screws,
URBANA – Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana has joined a growing number of Illinois hospitals doing on-site testing for COVID-19. But testing at Carle, like many other hospitals, will remain limited to patients who qualify based on criteria set by state health officials. In mid-March, those criteria were broadened to include hospitalized patients with severe
The arts community has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 outbreak. Illinois Newsroom’s Brian Moline recently spoke with Kelly White, Executive Director of 40 North, the Champaign County Arts Council. Brian Moline discusses COVID-19’s impact on the Champaign County arts community with Kelly White. White described just how the arts community in Champaign County
About half of Gladys Marquez’s students can’t access the internet at home. Marquez teaches English language learners at Dwight Eisenhower High School in Blue Island on Chicago’s south side. The school serves predominantly students of color from low-income backgrounds. Marquez says her students are fortunate to attend a school district that provides an iPad to
UPDATE on April 8, 2020: Child care at the Stephens Family YMCA will be expanded to all essential workers identified by the state. To register and for a complete list of occupations that qualify, contact Cody Flowers at cody@ccymca.net. Include your occupation and place of employment in your initial email to Cody. CHAMPAIGN – The Stephens
The Illinois State Board of Education announced late last week that remote learning days will start for students across the state Tuesday, March 31 and will continue until in-person classes resume. These days are counted as school days and do not need to be made up at the end of year. Districts are instructed to
CHAMPAIGN – Champaign Unit 4 school officials plan to distribute Chromebooks to students whose families do not have a device at home. In a message sent to families last week, Unit 4 Superintendent Susan Zola says the initial distribution of Chromebooks will be to families who do not have any additional devices in their home.
As the price of gasoline plummeted amid COVID-19 restrictions, so has the price of ethanol. And Midwestern corn farmers are beginning to feel the…
Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced this week that Illinois prisons would be closed to new inmates in response to growing concern about the COVID-19 pandemic spreading within Illinois’ correctional facilities. As of Sunday, at least eight incarcerated men at Stateville Correctional Center have tested positive for the virus, along with multiple staff members at the prison.