CHAMPAIGN – A police officer killed in the line of duty will be laid to rest on Wednesday according to the Champaign Police Department. Officer Chris Oberheim was shot on May 19 during an apartment complex shootout. A second officer, Jeffrey Creel, was wounded by the alleged suspect as the officers responded to a report
URBANA – Many people lined up to honor a fallen Champaign police officer during a procession from Urbana to Decatur. Authorities say a gunman killed 44-year-old Officer Chris Oberheim during a shootout at an apartment complex early Wednesday. Here are pictures and video images from the procession to honor Oberheim on Thursday.
URBANA – Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin easily defeated two challengers in Tuesday’s Democratic local election primary. Listen to this story here. Mayor Marlin won 1,845 votes, or 72.3% of the total, well ahead of Alderman Dennis Roberts, the 2nd-place finisher with 440 votes or 17.24%, and recent U of I graduate Andy Ma with 267
DECATUR – The Macon County Health Department is urging all schools within the county to switch to remote instruction at least through January 15 as COVID-19 cases surge. Macon County Public Health Administrator Brandi Binkley made the announcement during a press conference Monday afternoon. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District urged that county’s schools to switch
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
DECATUR – Workers cut down a large tree at Rock Springs Conservation Area in southwest Decatur. They’re clearing invasive tree species to make way for re-seeding something that is now rare in Illinois—native tallgrass prairie. Less than one-tenth of 1% of Illinois’ native prairie still exists. According to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois
Charges: Galesburg Man Went To Minneapolis To Riot MINNEAPOLIS — An Illinois man who allegedly said he was traveling to Minneapolis to “riot” after the death of George Floyd has been charged with federal counts. Twenty-eight-year-old Matthew Lee Rupert of Galesville is charged with civil disorder, rioting and possession of unregistered destructive devices. An FBI
Number of Virus Deaths Climbs To Nearly 2,000 In Illinois CHICAGO – The death toll of the coronavirus crisis inched closer to the 2,000 mark in Illinois, as state officials say that the virus had taken 59 more lives. Sunday’s announcement puts the number of people in Illinois killed by the virus at 1,933 and
Illinois Reports Highest Number Of New COVID-19 Cases In One Day CHICAGO — The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) reported 2,049 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday. That’s the highest number of positive cases of COVID-19 the state has seen in one day. Gov. J.B. Pritzker says the high case numbers could be a result of
Both Champaign and Macon counties received a less-than-perfect grade for air pollution in a new report from the American Lung Association. The group released its 2020 State of the Air report Tuesday, which ranks cities and counties based on their levels of air pollution. The report found that between 2016 and 2018, more U.S. cities
Coronavirus Cases Top 30,000 CHICAGO – On Sunday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported the number of COVID-19 cases has grown to 30,357. The death toll stands at 1,290. – Reginald Hardwick, Illinois Newsroom Nine Residents Dead From COVID-19 At Fair Havens In Decatur DECATUR — Nine residents at the Fair Havens Senior Living
DECATUR – Nine residents at the Fair Havens Senior Living facility in Decatur have died after contracting COVID-19. So far, all COVID-19 related deaths in Macon county have been residents at the long-term care facility. The latest casualties from the virus are a woman in her 90s and another woman in her 70s, according to
COVID-19 Cases Top 24,000; Deaths Top 900 In Illinois CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Public Health reported 1,346 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state Wednesday, for a total of 24,593 cases. The number of deaths from COVID-19 in Illinois now stands at 948. At his daily news conference, Gov. J.B. Pritzker said
IL House GOP Slams Governor On Handling Of Unemployment Claims CHICAGO – Illinois House Republicans in a press conference Monday said Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration has not done enough to address the tsunami of unemployment insurance claims from recent weeks. “I believe the state of Illinois has failed those Illinoisans who have been left out,
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