CHAMPAIGN – Some Illinois school officials are upset that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has not extended waivers that would allow districts to continue serving free meals to all students under 18 years of age. In a typical school year, students must meet specific criteria to qualify for the USDA-operated National School Lunch Program. Families
URBANA – The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign launched a public database Monday, which reports how many saliva-based COVID-19 tests are being performed on the campus each day — and how many positive cases have been identified. Out of 50,945 tests run on students, faculty and staff from Aug. 17 through Aug. 23, 311 positive
URBANA – The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign begins its fall semester today, with tens of thousands of students back on campus for a mix of in-person and online classes. Things look different around campus, with students, faculty and staff expected to wear masks, practice social distancing and get tested for COVID-19 twice a week.
Illinois Low Census Response Puts Federal Dollars At Risk CARBONDALE, Ill. (AP) — A low census response rate in southern Illinois is putting millions of federal dollars for infrastructure improvements, education and social service programs at risk. As of Monday, only about 46% of Carbondale households had responded to the 2020 census survey, The Southern Illinoisan
EDITOR’S NOTE, Sept. 29: This story is no longer up-to-date, as University of Illinois officials claimed the campus’ saliva-based test had received FDA emergency use authorization on Aug. 19, but an FDA spokesperson tells Illinois Newsroom the test has never operated under an EUA. For more information on the newly learned details, click here. URBANA –
The Illinois State Board of Education is leaving it up to districts to decide how to reopen schools this fall. Some have chosen to continue remote learning, while others are bringing students back into classrooms amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. ISBE has strongly recommended that schools provide as much in-person instruction as possible. But state
GIBSON CITY – The COVID-19 pandemic has closed movie theaters, but many drive-ins remain open. So an independent filmmaker is making sure his movie can be seen on the big screen, with a eight-day tour of drive-in theaters, including a stop on Friday, August 20, at the Harvest Moon Drive-In, in Gibson City, north of
Illinois Reports 1,832 COVID-19 Cases And 27 Deaths SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting 1,832 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 27 deaths. The number of confirmed cases on Thursday come from the state conducting 51,612 tests in the previous 24 hours. The state now has reported 213,721 cases and 7,833 fatalities.
Vehicles Hit Illinois Covered Bridge Twice After Reopening LONG GROVE, Ill. (AP) — A covered bridge in northern Illinois has been damaged twice by vehicles within days of its reopening after a $1 million rebuild repaired severe damage a delivery truck inflicted in 2018. Less than 24 hours after Long Grove’s iconic covered bridge reopened
EDITOR’S NOTE, Sept. 29: This story is no longer up-to-date, as University of Illinois officials claimed the campus’ saliva-based test had received FDA emergency use authorization on Aug. 19, but an FDA spokesperson tells Illinois Newsroom the test has never operated under an EUA. For more information on the newly learned details, click here. CHAMPAIGN
Michigan State, Notre Dame and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill have recently suspended in-person classes due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. New emergency orders affecting bars and restaurants in Champaign-Urbana are meant to prevent that from happening at the University of Illinois. The mayors of both Champaign and Urbana have issued orders requiring
Architect Of The Capitol To Take Up Issue Of Douglas Statue SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Board members of the Office of the Architect of the Capitol on Wednesday will take up a request from the Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to replace imagery of political giant Stephen Douglas and Illinois pioneer Pierre Menard because of
URBANA – A University of Illinois Extension team has designed a map for people to locate food resources in their zip codes. It’s tailored to families and individuals who struggle to afford food. Included on the map are grocery stores, farmers’ markets, food pantries, and school and summer meal sites. The map also pinpoints Supplemental
Illinois Launches Online COVID-19 Hotspot Map For Travelers CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois public health officials on Monday launched a COVID-19 hotspot map for travelers to assess their risk before leaving the state. The online map shows which U.S. states have an average daily case rate of at least 15 cases per 100,000 people, which is considered higher
CHAMPAIGN – In the 2018 race for U.S. Representative of Illinois’ 13th congressional district, Betsy Dirksen Londrigan narrowly lost to Republican incumbent Rodney Davis. Now, the Springfield Democrat is making another run for Davis’ seat, and once again making access to health care her main issue. Hear Dirksen Londrigan’s interview via Zoom with Illinois Newsroom’s