Tag: COVID-19

News Around Illinois – July 13, 2020

Illinois Launches Campaign To Prevent Abuse Of Seniors SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois is launching a $2.1 million campaign to prevent abuse, neglect and exploitation of seniors and adults with disabilities, a problem officials fear has worsened during the coronavirus pandemic. The Illinois Department on Aging’s Office of Adult Protective Services received federal funds for

Local Officials Say Please Don’t Come To Greek Reunion This Year

CHAMPAIGN – The largest bars in Champaign’s Campustown area will be closed on Friday and Saturday, July 10-11, in an attempt to avoid spreading the coronavirus during Greek Reunion. In fact, local officials say the more people stay away from Greek Reunion this year, the better. Greek Reunion brings students back to the University of

Amid COVID-19 Concerns, Clinics Step Up Testing For Migrant Farmworkers

CHAMPAIGN – Maricel Mendoza is familiar with the work migrant and seasonal farmworkers do. Growing up, her family traveled from Texas to central Illinois every year for her parents’ jobs as contractors with a large seed company.  “All of my parents’ siblings were migrants, my grandparents were migrants,” Mendoza says. “So it’s just something that

Midwest University Leaders Brace For Decline In International Student Enrollment

URBANA – University leaders from across the Midwest say they’re concerned about a drop in international student enrollment this fall, given new restrictions imposed on foreign students by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Robert Jones, Michigan State University President Samuel Stanley, University of Wisconsin-Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank and Loyola

ICE Forbids International Students From Taking Only Online Classes, Threatens Deportation

URBANA – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued new restrictions Monday on international students planning to attend American colleges and universities this fall. The guidance from ICE states that international students are forbidden from taking a full online course load while residing in the U.S. The news comes as universities and colleges formulate plans to

News Around Illinois – July 6, 2020

13 Illinois ‘Bomb Squad’ Gang Members Sentenced To Prison PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Thirteen members of a Peoria street gang known as the “Bomb Squad” have been sentenced to prison terms for a racketeering conspiracy that included murder, attempted murder, arson and drug trafficking. Federal prosecutors said one defendant was sentenced to life in prison,

New Guidelines For High School Sports Amid COVID-19 Released

CHAMPAIGN – On Friday, the Illinois High School Association released guidelines for allowing student athletes to practice and play. It comes as the Illinois Department of Public Health announced the number of confirmed coronavirus cases grew to 145,750 including 7,005 deaths. Here are a few of the Phase 4 Return To Play Guidelines: Schools must

News Around Illinois – July 3, 2020

Illinois Seeking New Poet Laureate, State’s First Since 2017 CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois is looking for a new poet laureate. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has launched a search committee to fill the post, which has been vacant since 2017. He said Illinois has been home to talented poets including Carl Sandburg, Gwendolyn Brooks and Sandra Cisneros,

News Around Illinois – July 2, 2020

From Tight Hallways To Packed Elevators, Urban Campuses Are Grappling With Social Distancing Colleges and universities in downtown Chicago often use their urban location as a selling point when attracting students. Now, those campuses — located in the densest part of the city — are turning into a potential liability as schools plan to reopen

News Around Illinois – June 30, 2020

‘We Are Burying Our Future’: Chicago Mayor Mourns Kids’ Deaths From Weekend Shootings Mayor Lori Lightfoot says the last two Mondays she’s woken up with an “incredible sense of dread” after reading emails, text messages and media reports about the number of Chicagoans shot and killed over the weekend. On Monday morning, Lightfoot took a

News Around Illinois – June 29, 2020

Illinois Reports 646 New Confirmed COVID-19 Cases, 15 Deaths CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois public health officials reported 646 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases on Sunday and 15 deaths. The latest Illinois Department of Public Health figures show nearly 24,000 tests were administered in the past 24 hours. Overall, there have been 141,723 total confirmed cases in