As Champaign prepares to open new homeless shelter, officials ask what else can be done
CHAMPAIGN – Lined up shoulder to shoulder on an early November morning, volunteers prepared to hand out free mid-morning meals at the Daily Bread Soup Kitchen in Champaign. Outside of the building stood a few guests waiting to pick up hot meals. These guests were people from around the community who struggle with food insecurity […]
Fire heavily damages home and garage in Champaign
Fire destroyed one home and heavily damaged a second near 2nd and Hill Streets in Champaign tonight. No word yet on if there were any injuries. pic.twitter.com/nlKDdDZW2M — Reg News (@RNewsWILL) December 4, 2022 CHAMPAIGN – A fire heavily damaged a home and detached garage in Champaign late Saturday night. Fire Department Public Information Officer […]
In post-Roe America, pilots take the abortion battle to the skies
CHICAGO — From 1,800 feet in the air, the view from a tiny, four-seater plane reduces the Chicago suburbs to a vast landscape of miniature patterns. Above us, flocks of geese fly in v-shape formations beneath sheets of white clouds. Sitting behind a small wheel, the pilot removes his jacket, places his glasses on his […]
State Rep. Chris Miller reflects on January 6, analyzes midterm elections in IPM interview
URBANA — State Representative Chris Miller of Illinois’ 110th district won re-election in last week’s midterms. He ran unopposed and will soon serve his third term in office. Miller, the Coles County Republican, attended the “Save America” rally in Washington D.C. on January 6, 2021, which preceded the attack on the U.S. Capitol Building. A […]
A 111-year-old Danville building could soon be named for the congressman who got it built
DANVILLE — Last summer’s demolition of the Cannon school building in Danville destroyed a notable reminder of Joseph G. Cannon, the longtime Danville congressman and House Speaker. Now there’s a campaign to name another Danville building after Cannon. A citizens committee submitted more than 500 petition signatures last week, asking the Vermilion County Board to […]
The Lavender Newsletter founders resurrect 1980s queer newsletter for modern-day audience
URBANA – Two members of Champaign-Urbana’s LGBTQ+ community are rebooting a newsletter initially published in the 1980s. Sophie West and Jada Fulcher said they were inspired to create the newsletter in June after seeing an Instagram post from the Urbana Free Library showcasing the library’s archive of The Lavender Praire News, a 1980s newsletter for […]
Right-wing ‘zombie’ papers attack Illinois Democrats ahead of elections
SPRINGFIELD — Since late summer, many Illinois residents have been receiving newspapers that they haven’t paid for nor, in many cases, even heard of. Each paper bears a clear-cut tagline: Real data, real news. And each publication that shows up in driveways and mailboxes carries a partisan punch that’s blatant, but not formally disclosed. “They […]
Teacher who loved ‘making a difference’ identified as victim of St. Louis school shooting
ST. LOUIS — One of two people shot and killed Monday at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School in St. Louis is being remembered as a passionate teacher who loved helping kids take care of themselves and their health. Jean Kuczka, 61, taught health and physical education at the magnet school. She had been […]
Highland Park shooting victims say they are fighting back as they cope day by day
Lauren Bennett, who was shot twice, is among a group suing a gunmaker over the shooting. “Anything that could help prevent this,” she said. HIGHLAND PARK — Three months after the July 4 shooting in Highland Park, Lauren Bennett stood before a bank of cameras and described what it was like to feel two bullets […]
The application for Biden’s student loan relief is open. Here’s what to know about it
Updated October 15, 2022 at 11:31 AM ET A beta version of President Biden’s student loan forgiveness application is now open — the first time borrowers have been able to apply for up to $20,000 in debt cancellation. The early opening is a test to help the Education Department find problems with the site before […]
Pride Fest celebrates C-U’s LGBTQ+ members, unites community
URBANA – For Uniting Pride board members and city residents, the organization’s annual Pride Fest provided an important safe space in the community for its LGBTQ+ members. This year’s week-long Pride Fest lasted from Sept. 24 to Oct 2, with programming featuring nearly 20 events, including a Pride parade and vendor’s fair on Oct. 1. […]
Champaign Township is looking for new homeless shelter location
URBANA – The city of Champaign Township hopes to open a new homeless shelter, called Strides, later this fall, but it’s still looking for a location. On Sept. 20, the Champaign City Council, in its capacity as the Champaign Township Board, approved a resolution for the city of Champaign Township to begin the process of […]
Central Illinois police training for mental health cases questioned, involuntary commitment issues remain
Tisha Bryson has been shackled, hospitalized and shoved to the ground by central Illinois law enforcement officers more times than she can count while experiencing a mental health crisis. “I try not to hold grudges,” Bryson said, a resident of Hammond in Piatt County, about 40 miles southwest of Champaign. “But some of the ways […]
WILL at 100: For two decades, Ed Kieser was WILL’s go-to guy for weather
Weather forecasts are a standard part of nearly every radio station’s programming in the U.S. But for many years, WILL went beyond forecasts from the National Weather Service, with its own staff of weather forecasters to provide in-depth forecasts and coverage of severe weather. Of those forecasters, Ed Kieser is probably best remembered. He was […]
A church in Urbana-Champaign reverses on promises to address abuse allegations
Former members say Covenant Fellowship Church has reneged on its vows to investigate allegations of sexual and spiritual abuse. URBANA — For Janet Park, the events of last year feel like a waste of time and energy. Park is part of a group that last year brought to light allegations of sexual and spiritual abuse […]