Resignations, walkouts and protests mark Champaign Unit 4 school board meetings this spring
CHAMPAIGN — Two school board members walked out of Monday’s Champaign Unit 4 Board of Education meeting, preventing the others from taking any action. This follows the resignation of two other board members, including Jamar Brown, earlier in March. “After my first term, I dubbed that experience as the best thing that I never wanted […]
Laurie Brauer emerges as Democratic pick for Champaign County coroner in unofficial primary results
Laurie Brauer has won 74 percent of the Democratic vote to become Champaign County coroner, according to unofficial primary results posted late Tuesday evening by the county clerk’s office.
One of Champaign County’s most contested primaries is for coroner
Two Democrats and one Republican are vying for the job of coroner in Champagin County during Tuesday’s primary election.
University of Illinois’ first vice chancellor of Native affairs: “I feel very disrespected”
The University of Illinois is not renewing their contract with the school’s first associate vice chancellor for Native affairs. Associate Vice Chancellor Jacki Rand said it’s part of a larger problem Native faculty and students face.
Illinois now requires public schools to teach LGBTQ+, Asian American and pre-enslavement Black history. Are teachers ready?
Over half of Illinois teachers say they are ready to fulfill new state history requirements, according to a University of Illinois survey.
Over one-third of Illinois fourth graders don’t have basic reading skills. The state has a plan to change that
Senate Bill 2243 required the Illinois State Board of Education to create a literacy plan. The law emphasizes the plan should help school districts adopt evidence-based teaching strategies, including phonics.
New details emerge in University of Illinois police investigation of Akul Dhawan’s death, including alcohol consumption and police timeline
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Police Department says they acted immediately on the information they had at the time, some of which they learned after his death was inaccurate.
Parents say student found dead on University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus was an “energetic, happy-go-lucky kid”
Akul Dhawan’s friend called campus police about an hour after midnight on Saturday, Jan. 20. It wasn’t until 10 hours later that an unrelated university employee found the 18-year-old dead on a nearby porch.
One in 10 students skips or reduces meals to save money. Some Illinois lawmakers want to help
One in 10 college students are food insecure, according to a 2020 University of Illinois study of U.S. Census data. Some Illinois lawmakers want to change this.
Illinois to report for first time how many prisoners are taking college courses – and how many are waiting for access
There will be public data for the first time this year on the enrollment, demographics and waitlists for higher education programs in Illinois prisons, thanks to the Higher Education in Prison Act.
Do you want your child to go to an English-Spanish or other dual language school? The state wants to help
Illinois state representative Abdelnasser Rashid sponsored HB3822 this year to help school districts expand their dual language programs.
Racial covenants limited housing options for Black residents in Champaign; a local group aims to repair that harm
Racial covenants restricted almost 800 pieces of land in Champaign County from being owned by anyone who wasn’t white. The Champaign-Urbana Reparations Coalition is starting to advocate for reparations for this for African Americans in the area.
Illinois has created a Rural Education Advisory Council. Teachers don’t have to be on it
The Rural Education Advisory Council can make recommendations to the State Board of Education. It won’t have any decision-making power.
The University of Illinois SHIELD saliva test company is winding down. What lessons has the testing team learned?
This winter marks the last stage for one of the most impactful inventions at the University of Illinois in recent years – a saliva-based test for COVID-19.
Alana Banks made history as the first Black, transgender woman on a school board in the United States. How is she doing now?
Alana Banks made history two years ago, becoming the first Black and transgender woman elected to a school board in the country. Still, she has found balancing the demands of the communities she represents challenging.