DANVILLE — Driving along Illinois Route 1, south of Danville, I approach a dividing line between the 2nd and 15th congressional districts. On one side, there are cornfields. That’s the 15th. On the other, residential homes. That’s the 2nd. In the car with me is Germaine Light. She’s the Vice-Chair of the Vermilion County Democratic…
MONTICELLO — On a hot June day in 2017, the Piatt County Nursing Home in Monticello lost power. “They almost had to evacuate because (it was) 80 degrees, they almost had to evacuate Alzheimer’s residents,” Congressman Rodney Davis (R-Taylorville) said outside the county-owned nursing home on Wednesday. Scott Porter realized then as the nursing home’s…
CHAMPAIGN — Illinois’ 13th district congressional race is heating up as November approaches. The newly redrawn district stretches from the Champaign-Urbana area to the Metro East suburbs near St. Louis — including much of Decatur and Springfield. This week, the Illinois Farm Bureau’s political action committee endorsed 13th district Republican candidate Regan Deering. The news…
DECATUR — Illinois now requires every elementary and high school teach a unit on Black History, ranging from African civilizations to U.S. slavery to the Civil Rights movement. This week, Illinois Family Action (IFA), a conservative, Christian group, based in suburban Chicago, held a meeting with about 35 attendees, discussing those changes and attacking the…
EFFINGHAM — The cost of living isn’t cheap in Illinois. For many, energy costs are a particular concern this summer with hot weather and high inflation. Some constituents are looking for answers. “I had a disabled veteran call me the other day…and he said his electric bill from Ameren went from in round numbers…$200 a…
CHAMPAIGN — People shuffle in and out of the court; logistical decisions are made and cases are settled. These are nerve wracking moments for community members — some don’t have a lawyer and few have a law degree. In the Sixth Circuit court, there are no jury members — only a judge presides over matters…
While addressing CPAC, one of the largest conservative conferences in the nation, Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-Oakland) defended her 2021 bill, “Safety and Opportunity for Girls Act.” She described it as having two benefits: “To ensure that our girls have opportunities in athletics, and that we protect our girls in their private spaces.” Nikita Shepard…
CHAMPAIGN — An adult employee at a daycare facility in Rantoul has come down with monkeypox. The “patient is doing well and the case poses little risk to general public,” the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District announced on Friday. They’re currently investigating the case. According to The News-Gazette, it’s the state’s first case of monkeypox at…
The Small Community Air Service Development Program— a federal initiative designed to improve underserved airports — recently awarded nearly $17 million to 25 airports across the country. The University of Illinois-owned Willard Airport in Champaign County was the only one selected in the state. They took home $850,000 in grant money from the Department of…
CHAMPAIGN — A few years ago, Rabbi Alan Cook of Sinai Temple heard about a group that transforms donated guns into gardening tools. He thought it was a powerful idea, and said it was akin to the Jewish principle, tikkun olam. “We emphasize the idea of tikkun olam, literally repairing the world and making it…
WASHINGTON — In April, Illinois Congresswoman Mary Miller met with Bryan Leib, Executive Director of Iranian Americans for Liberty, for a “meet and greet.” There was little reporting about the meeting — despite its potential implications on the world stage. While the interview lasted 27 minutes, Miller discussed her views on Iran for only a…
WASHINGTON — When Congressman Rodney Davis took office in 2013, he introduced the Social Security Fairness Act. It’s a bill with broad bipartisan support that would expand Social Security benefits for many Americans. Before his time in office ends in January, the Taylorville Republican said he’s keen on passing the Social Security Fairness Act. The…
DANVILLE — On a sunny morning in Kennekuk County Park, researchers and veterinary students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign scoured the area for Eastern box turtles – a species known for high-domed shells and colorful spots. The University of Illinois Wildlife Epidemiology Lab oversees the largest health study of box turtles in the world….
ST. LOUIS — Rabbis Karen and Daniel Bogard, the husband and wife duo at Central Reform Congregation, believe the Jewish position on life has been clear for thousands of years. “There is life and there is potential life. What is currently alive takes precedence over basically everything else. You can break Shabbat (the Jewish day…
On Tuesday, the first probable case of monkeypox was reported in Champaign County, according to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD). The World Health Organization describes monkeypox as a potentially serious viral illness, fatal in 3 to 6 percent of cases. CUPHD administrator Julie Pryde said that monkeypox is spread in numerous ways, though her department…