3 dead, multiple injured after an Amtrak train hits a truck and derails in Missouri
MENDON, Mo. — An Amtrak train traveling from Los Angeles to Chicago derailed Monday in Missouri, leaving at least three people dead and multiple people injured, authorities said. Seven cars and two locomotives on an Amtrak Southwest Chief train derailed. According to Amtrak, the train was carrying about 243 passengers and 12 crew members when […]
Protests take over downtown Urbana after repeal of Roe v. Wade
URBANA — Friday’s Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was met with impassioned backlash in Champaign County. The Party for Socialism and Liberation in Champaign organized a 100 person-plus rally Friday evening in support of abortion-rights. Abortion-rights supporters circled downtown Urbana and the edge of the University of Illinois. They put a halt […]
A historian says Robert and John Gregg Allerton hid the truth about their relationship
Not only is Allerton Park the self-proclaimed best-kept secret of Illinois, but its founders carried a secret of their own as well. University of Kansas professor Nicholas Syrett’s latest book details the relationship between the park’s namesakes, Robert and John Gregg Allerton – a gay couple who claimed to be a father-son duo in public. The […]
Champaign County community leaders offer more than thoughts and prayers
CHAMPAIGN — There have been more than 260 mass shootings in the US so far in 2022, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Two Champaign community leaders are offering more than thoughts and prayers. Rev. Terrance L. Thomas is a pastor at Bethel AME Church in Champaign. He rejects blaming the current gun violence crisis […]
East-central Illinois’ Greater Community AIDS Projects will decide next executive director as current one prepares to retire
Since 1985, the Greater Community AIDS Project – known as GCAP – has been a fixture in east-central Illinois thanks to its HIV education and support services geared toward people living with HIV in east-central Illinois. Now, GCAP is actively searching for an executive director, and three candidates are in the running. At the end […]
Champaign Public Library appoints Brittany Millington as library director
On June 1, the Champaign Public Library will welcome its new director – its former deputy director who has more than 17 years of experience working in libraries. Brittany Millington takes over for retiring director Donna Pittman, who has been the director since 2016. Millington has served as the library’s deputy director since 2017 and […]
More details and reactions emerge about the Texas school shooting and gunman
UVALDE, Texas — Two days after an 18-year-old gunman shot and killed 19 children and two adults at a Texas elementary school, officials have released more information, while Americans across the nation continue to express shock and grief at the incident. Here are the latest developments: The gunman shot his grandmother before heading to the […]
Champaign County History Museum celebrates 50th anniversary with community via history-oriented activities
CHAMPAIGN – Over the weekend, the Champaign County History Museum celebrated its 50th anniversary with several activities designed to engage and educate the community. The events ranged from an open house to lemonade shakeups to an appearance by the museum’s historic popcorn truck. The museum also debuted two history walks: one through the downtown Champaign […]
Census Bureau: Illinois may have been undercounted in 2020 census
SPRINGFIELD – The Census Bureau released new survey data Thursday suggesting the population of Illinois may have been undercounted by nearly 2 percent in the 2020 headcount. That was one of the findings of the Census Bureau’s Post-Enumeration Survey, or PES, something the bureau does after each decennial census to assess the quality of the […]
The Kickapoo Rail Trail is coming to Ogden
URBANA — Construction on the next phase of the Kickapoo Rail will begin this month in the eastern Champaign County village of Ogden, the Champaign County Forest Preserve District announced Monday. The 1.5-mile stretch of trail for walking, running and bicycling will go from just west of the Ogden village limits to the Champaign-Vermilion County […]
IDNR to consider changes at Jubilee College after release of Federal Indian Boarding Schools report
PEORIA — Decades after Jubilee College ended operations as a frontier educational institution, it was operated as a federal Indian boarding school. That troubling part of the Peoria County historic landmark’s legacy may soon receive official recognition. A new report commissioned by the U.S. Department of the Interior sheds light on the locations where Indigenous […]
Increasing gun violence raises issue of community-wide trauma among residents
Yvonne Miller likes driving her white Volvo because it reminds her of driving with her son. On her license plate is the word “STUFF.” The bold, black letters stand out against the light blue color of her “Prevent Violence” license plate. “Stuff” is a tribute to Miller’s 23-year-old son, Christopher Kelly. It was a nickname […]
Labor shortage leaves families of children with disabilities scrambling for care they need
VILLA GROVE, Ill. – Paper calendars line a wall inside a house in Villa Grove, a small town south of Champaign-Urbana. The calendars help Meagan Quigley keep track of who will be watching her son each day. Her son Morgan has both autism and epilepsy – meaning he needs almost constant care. Almost every day […]
Illinois Historical Society & ‘Rage’ guitarist honor fallen workers
MARSEILLES, Ill. — There was music, but it wasn’t a celebration. It was a commemoration of those lost in the fight for fair pay and safe conditions. That fight turned bloody 90 years ago in Marseilles. During the throes of the Depression, local laborers protested a company bringing in out-of-state, underpaid workers to build a […]
‘It’s given me purpose’ – Woodworking becomes an outlet for some veterans
AURORA — After hearing about the number of veterans who die by suicide, one northern Illinois man decided to do something about it. A total of 167 Illinois veterans took their lives in 2019, according to Illinois Department of Public Affairs. The average number of Illinois veteran suicides from 2015 through 2018 is 159. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s528/audio/2022/04/0421vetf.mp3 […]