Holiday displays – including the Satanic Temple’s – return to Illinois Capitol
SPRINGFIELD – The Satanic Temple of Illinois debuted a new display in the Illinois Capitol rotunda Tuesday, taking its place next to the annual Christmas and Hanukkah displays. For Christmas, that means the Springfield Nativity Committee has once again placed a manger scene featuring Mary, Joseph and Jesus. It was dedicated in a Nov. 30 […]
Plaque dedicated marking the Springfield site of Obama’s presidential announcements
It was fitting that the weather was cold for a ceremony Wednesday, dedicating a plaque that commemorates former President Barack Obama’s key campaign moments at the Old State Capitol in Springfield. Obama launched his White House bid on Feb. 10, 2007. He spoke to thousands who braved freezing temperatures to see and hear the then-U.S. […]
Flagpole removed from Old State Capitol
SPRINGFIELD – People walking through downtown Springfield on Monday morning looked up to an unusual sight – a helicopter hovering over the Old State Capitol, dropping a rope and lifting away the flagpole that sat atop the bronze-colored dome. “We took off the flagpole of at the Old State Capitol today in preparation for a […]
Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana to perform works by Buxtehude and Shaw
URBANA — The Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana, known as BACH for short, are in concert this Sunday at 7:30pm at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Urbana. The chamber choir is performing “Membra Jesu Nostri” by German composer Dietrich Buxtehude and “To the Hands” by modern American composer Caroline Shaw. Listen to this story here. BACH […]
Local chef Thad Morrow opens up, says wine can bring unity in divisive political moment
CHAMPAIGN — Champaign restauranteur Thad Morrow’s first industry job was at Le Petit Café in Bloomington, Indiana. He was an undergraduate at Indiana University and told the owners that he’d work for free for two weeks. They agreed. “I learned how to cook a few French things, and then, off to the races,” remembered Morrow, […]
Grammy Award-winner Dom Flemons returns to the C-U Folk & Roots Festival
URBANA — The 14th annual C-U Folk and Roots Festival gets underway Thursday night at several different venues in Urbana. One of this year’s festival headliners is the multi-instrumentalist Dom Flemons, who has appeared at this event on several occasions, including 2021. Listen to this story here. Flemons, who calls himself “the American Songster,” is a […]
Urbana native hopes to elevate Midwest voices with new national public radio show
URBANA – A Central Illinois native will launch a live call-in talk show nationwide on Wednesday night. Jeremy Hobson is a former host of Marketplace Morning Report and WBUR/NPR’s Here and Now. His new show “The Middle” is a limited talk show series. It will air weekly on WILL-AM 580 and FM 90.9 at 8:00 […]
Champaign-Urbana apartments brought to life with color
A Champaign-based leasing company, Fairlawn Real Estate, is revitalizing their apartments with a new arts initiative. The initiative is called Fairlawn for the Arts, according to project manager for Fairlawn Real Estate Tom Hagensick. He says the initiative both supports the arts and brings a fresh look to apartments in the Champaign-Urbana area. “I think […]
Jupiter String Quartet concert will feature works by Ives, Alberga and Mendelssohn
URBANA — The Jupiter String Quartet have been artists-in-residence at the University of Illinois for the last ten years. The quartet’s first performance this season is Saturday night at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana. Illinois Newsroom’s Brian Moline spoke with Jupiter violinist Nelson Lee about Saturday night’s concert, which is in the […]
Move over, Bruce Willis: NASA crashed into an asteroid to test planetary defense
WASHINGTON — Nuclear bombs. That’s the go-to answer for incoming space objects like asteroids and comets, as far as Hollywood is concerned. Movies like Deep Impact and Armageddon rely on nukes, delivered by stars like Bruce Willis, to save the world and deliver the drama. But planetary defense experts say in reality, if astronomers spotted […]
WILL at 100: Debbie Day on how WILL audience members became ‘Friends of WILL’
URBANA — The University of Illinois launched WILL-AM 100 years ago, in April of 1922. An FM station signed on in 1942, followed by WILL-TV in 1955. For the first 50 years, the university provided most of the operating money for its broadcasting stations, with the occasional outside gift. WILL received a big boost in […]
New event encourages C-U Latino community to celebrate Mexican Independence Day
After three months of planning, two local groups have created a safe space for Latinos to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. University YMCA and Champaign-based restaurant Maize collaborated to commemorate El Grito. El Grito, or the “Cry for Dolores,” is the battle cry and the start of the liberation of Mexico from Spain on September 16, […]
Sinfonia da Camera opens its new season with the ‘Great’ Symphony in the Great Hall
URBANA — Sinfonia da Camera, the chamber orchestra in residence at the University of Illinois, begins its new season Saturday night at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts in Urbana. This concert will feature music director Ian Hobson at the podium and behind the keyboard as the soloist in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in C […]
WILL at 100: Roger Cooper’s ‘Classically Black’ provided a showcase for Black musicians
URBANA – WILL-AM 580 turned 100 years old this year. And classical music has been a part of our programming from the very beginning. Classical music by people of color, however, did not always get much attention. Roger Cooper, a longtime classical music host at WILL-FM 90.9, filled the gap with a series of programs […]
R. Kelly convicted of child porn, enticing girls for sex
CHICAGO — A federal jury in Chicago convicted R. Kelly on Wednesday of producing child pornography and enticing girls for sex after a monthlong trial in his hometown. It’s another legal blow to a singer who was once one of the world’s biggest R&B stars. Prosecutors won convictions on six of the 13 counts against […]