Updated at 4 PM on Oct. 3, 2024 CHAMPAIGN — Custodial and dining workers at the University of Illinois have voted to accept the administration’s contract proposal instead of going back on strike. The new contract will last three years. Hourly wages will go up by one dollar the first year, 90 cents the next
As of Sept. 21, 1,058 cases of the highly contagious respiratory disease have been reported in the state this year, nearly five times higher than the 230 cases reported in 2023. Cases of whooping cough spike in the fall, alongside RSV and COVID-19, experts say. Whooping cough cases are up in Illinois and across
URBANA – The University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign has closed a dining hall and stopped serving hot food at campus stores while building and food service workers are on strike. Students say lines are longer and the food options are limited at what remains open. Sophomore Sauntrel Johnson has been missing his favorite part of his meal,
State touts diversity report, but most specialty cannabis businesses have not become operational While Illinois’ cannabis market is booming and the state has made progress in diversifying new licensees, significant hurdles remain for businesses hoping to enter the expanding market, according to an independent review of the industry. Celebratory news releases have marked several
The university said they have scheduled six more bargaining sessions.
Jail populations down, no change in failure to appear rate, analysis shows SPRINGFIELD – One year after Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate the use of cash bail, the impact on the state’s criminal justice system appears to have been far less dramatic than people on either side of the
The case is being heard in federal district court in East St. Louis EAST ST. LOUIS – An engineer who spent decades designing weapons for one of the world’s leading gun manufacturers testified Tuesday that the assault-style weapons now banned in Illinois are intended only for civilian use and cannot be easily converted into military-grade
The death of Sonya Massey revived a nationwide conversation on police brutality. What is law enforcement doing to ensure this never happens again?
Updated 6 p.m. Sept. 13, 2023 URBANA — As a building service worker at the University of Illinois, Melody Decker has cleaned up feces in shower stalls and vomit that just missed trash cans. Despite her own visceral reactions to bodily fluids, she loves her job. She said she has made lasting friendships with students
URBANA — The University of Illinois published its 10-day enrollment numbers Wednesday. It’s a first look at how much of an impact the end of affirmative action has on diversity at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. “We tried to do a number of things in the wake of the Supreme Court decision to improve
The commission will select 10 designs based on how they reflect the identity of Illinois and will host an online public survey for the public to vote on their favorites.
Sean Grayson had a history of credibility issues. It didn’t stop him from being hired at police departments in Central Illinois.
URBANA – About 16 % of the 300,000 English learners in Illinois are taking public school classes to become bilingual in both their first language and English. Few of those schools are fully multilingual. One is in Champaign and after years of debate, Yankee Ridge Multilingual Elementary School opened in Urbana earlier this month. IPM
URBANA — Felix Ayanbode has statistics at his fingertips for why his daughter should learn multiple languages. His first grader, Faith, is learning to be bilingual in French and English at Urbana District 116’s first multilingual school, Yankee Ridge Elementary. “When you know another language, you are able to have a peek into another culture.
Gov. JB Pritzker on Monday signed a measure designating the “giant puffball” as the state’s mushroom after signing hundreds of bills on Friday, completing action on legislation sent to him by lawmakers this spring. Pritzker has now signed more than 460 bills without issuing any vetoes. Below is a recap of some of the more