Tag: Tim Killeen

University of Illinois graduate employees celebrate long-delayed contract

CHAMPAIGN—On a rainy Friday evening around 5 p.m., the Ikenberry dining hall at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was quiet. That was until the sounds of clapping and people cheering filled the second floor.  Members of the Graduate Employees’ Organization jumped around and hugged as news broke that they finally had a new contract.  In

University of Illinois students report spending hours attempting to vote

CHAMPAIGN – There were long lines for voting across the University of Illinois campus as polls came to a close for the midterm elections Tuesday.  Some voters have said they waited for one or two hours to vote at the university’s Activities and Recreation Center, Sibel Center for Design and Illini Union. “We went to

First-time voters cast their ballots at the University of Illinois

URBANA – Hundreds of University of Illinois students and other local residents gathered at polling places across campus Tuesday to vote in this year’s midterm election. The university’s Illini Union was filled with lines of voters, with some students bringing their friends to vote for their first time.  “I feel kind of crazy, like why am

Illinois’ economic growth rate continues to slow down: Flash Index

Illinois’ economy is growing at an increasingly slower rate. That’s according to the University of Illinois’ monthly Flash Index. The Flash Index has been declining for the past seven months. It measured the Illinois economy at 103.7 in October, down four-tenths of a point from September’s 104.1 reading, and down 2.4 points from its post-recession

Susannah Scaroni comes back stronger than ever after injury rehab

URBANA — University of Illinois wheelchair athlete Susannah Scaroni announced her presence on the world stage last year with a gold medal in the 5,000 meters at the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Scaroni added to her trophy case on Sunday when she won the Chicago Marathon, her first victory in one of the six world “major” marathons.

Students protest University of Illinois investments related to fossil fuels

  Students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign staged a climate strike Sept. 23 to demand the institution divest from companies that profit from fossil fuel production.  The campus group Students for Environmental Concerns led more than 100 students around the U of I campus, chanting phrases like, “We will not rest until we divest.” 

Memorizing Latin dance steps can help memory of older Latinos

CHICAGO — A kinesiology professor at the University of Illinois recently explored how Latin Dance can benefit the memory of older Latinos. Susan Aguiñaga is a kinesiology professor at U of I. Along with a team, she explored how Latin Dance can benefit the memory of older Latinos. Aguiñaga explained that there were two groups

State Farm faces more race discrimination lawsuits in Texas and Georgia

BLOOMINGTON — Four people have filed race discrimination lawsuits against State Farm in recent weeks. Two were filed in Texas and two were filed in Georgia. The new cases are in addition to similar lawsuits filed against the insurance giant that WGLT previously has reported on. Each of the plaintiffs, five women and one man,

Concerts with Sinfonia da Camera mark the return of the U of I’s Summer Piano Institute

After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, the Summer Piano Institute has returned to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The institute concludes with two concerts featuring piano concertos performed with Sinfonia da Camera.  Institute faculty Timothy Ehlen and Hie-Yon Choi will perform piano concertos by Florence Price and Brahms, in addition to the

Agriculture companies have lots of job openings in STEM fields, far from the farm

Agriculture companies are looking for people who are interested in science, and hiring managers are increasingly looking for people who don’t have traditional ag backgrounds. ST. LOUIS — Jobs in agriculture don’t just take place on the farm. Across the Midwest, plant science and ag companies are looking for scientists and others in STEM to

University of Illinois dining and building workers vote to allow September strike

URBANA — Service workers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are willing to strike in September after their current contract expires. Of the workers who cast their votes over the past two weeks, 91 percent authorized the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73 to start preparing to strike. “Not only was it an overwhelming