URBANA – Racial justice and police reform have been on the minds of Americans across the nation. And they’re a major issue in the race for mayor of Urbana. The three candidates running for the post in the Feb. 23 Democratic primary in Urbana all say they would make change in the city’s police policies….
URBANA – Local governments in the Champaign-Urbana area all have crews out, working to clear streets of the snow that fell on central Illinois Monday and Monday night. Public Works staff with both Champaign and Urbana began work on keeping the roads clear on Sunday night, during the first wave of snowfall. Crews give priority…
URBANA – Within three weeks of having tens of thousands of students return to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the spring semester, the campus had identified more than 450 cases of COVID-19. This is fewer than half the number of cases identified by the same time last fall — and lower than U of…
URBANA — Officials in Urbana now have a feasibility study, for a proposed extension of the Kickapoo Rail Trail through the city. But Mayor Diane Marlin says it could be some time before the project becomes a reality. The proposed extension would be different in nature from the Kickapoo Rail Trail, which is a rail-to-trail…
URBANA – The process of vaccinating the first few hundred hospital workers in Champaign County began Thursday. In the first shipment, Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana received 400 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for its staff. OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana received 50 doses. Since doses are limited, hospitals are prioritizing…
CHAMPAIGN – Small businesses have had to deal with an added expense this year, paying for supplies and equipment to prevent the coronavirus from spreading at their stores, offices and factories. Champaign, Urbana and Rantoul are offering state-funded grants to help with those new expenses. The grants can be used by small businesses in the…
Women Gets 6 Years For Driving Off Unfinished Highway Bridge URBANA, Ill. (AP) — A central Illinois woman who admitted being drunk when she drove off an unfinished bridge onto a highway, seriously injuring a man, has been sentenced to six years in prison. Ashia Marshall, 30, wept in court Wednesday as she expressed remorse…
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…
Wind Knocks Down Wall Of Fire-Gutted Historic Chicago Church CHICAGO (AP) — Strong winds caused additional damage to a historic Chicago church but may have also swept in a badly needed “blessing” for a sanctuary where Mahalia Jackson and other famed gospel singers often sang and the man considered the father of gospel music led…
Man Guilty of Repeated Rape of Child Gets 20-Year Sentence URBANA — A central Illinois man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after admitting to repeatedly raping a child a decade ago. In sentencing Gregory Reed of Mahomet on Thursday, Champaign County Judge Tom Difanis called him “sexually dangerous” man who should never…
URBANA – University of Illinois officials released more details Monday about what the fall semester will look like on its Urbana campus. During a webinar hosted by U of I staff on Monday, Brian Brauer, associate director of the Illinois Fire Service Institute, broke down the university’s actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 into…
GOP Sues Pritzker Seeking Exemption From 10-Person Limit CHICAGO (AP) — Illinois’ Democratic governor was sued Monday by the state’s Republican Party, which is seeking exemption from the 10-person limit on public gatherings. The Chicago Tribune reports the GOP contends in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s limit on…
URBANA – Bryant Seraphin’s appointment as Urbana police chief has been renewed for another year by the Urbana City Council. Approval came Wednesday night, on a 5-1 vote, with one abstention. Alderman William Colbrook (R-Ward 6) abstained, citing his position as Parkland College police chief. The “no” vote came from Alderman Jared Miller. The Ward…
URBANA – Cunningham Township in Urbana launched a new city-wide gardening initiative last week to help fight food insecurity in the wake of COVID-19 — and as the pandemic may extend into the fall. The grassroots program, called Solidarity Gardens, is inviting individuals and local organizations to adopt a gardening plot to grow their own…
State Lawmakers Call For Special Session Over Police Brutality SPRINGFIELD – At least three Illinois House members say they want a special legislative session to strike on issues of law enforcement reform and accountability while police brutality has the nation’s focus. Representative Curt Tarver (D-Chicago) says among bills he would like to see addressed include…