Champaign-Urbana High School Students Lead Protest For Racial Justice
Editor’s note: This story was reported by University of Illinois journalism student Farrah Anderson, with coverage coordinated by College Of Media journalism professor Chris Evans and professional journalists at Illinois Public Media. CHAMPAIGN – Between chants of “say their names,” protestors holding cardboard signs wound through the streets of Champaign Saturday. In response, the names […]
‘Black Lives Matter’ Honorary Street Signs Approved In Champaign
UPDATE: Champaign city officials say the Black Lives Matter honorary street signs were installed on Wednesday, Mary 13, eight days after their approval by the city council. The signs are on Chester Street, where it meets Neil Street and Walnut Street, on either side of the City Building. – Jim Meadows, March 24 2021. CHAMPAIGN […]
Biden White House Aims To Advance Racial Equity With Executive Actions
Updated at 3:33 p.m. ET WASHINGTON – Saying it’s time to act “because that’s what faith and morality require us to do,” President Biden on Tuesday signed four executive actions aimed at advancing racial equity for Americans the White House says have been underserved and left behind. Biden said Tuesday that the measures follow one […]
Parkland College Students Bury 2020 Chaos In Time Capsule
CHAMPAIGN – A rainbow flag, Black Lives Matter pins and a roll of toilet paper are among items Parkland College students recently ‘laid to rest’ in a time capsule featuring the events of 2020. Phi Theta Kappa, the Honors Society chapter at Parkland created the time capsule. The students buried the capsuled during a physically […]
U Of I Athletes Lead Black Lives Matter March Through Champaign
University of Illinois athletes led a Black Lives Matter march through Champaign on Monday, culminating with five minutes of silence outside Champaign Police Headquarters. Listen to this story here. Chants of “No justice, no peace! Prosecute the police!” rang out as the group estimated at about 500 people marched from Memorial Stadium up First Street […]
Kenosha Residents Reflect On Violence And Destruction In The Wake Of Police Shooting
The protests that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake, now paralyzed, turned deadly Tuesday night when a teenager allegedly shot and killed two people.
Need Body Cameras? Sell City Hall
The City of DeKalb is selling the old City Hall building and using some of those funds to buy body cams for police. Not everyone is on the same page….
News Around Illinois – Aug. 7, 2020
City Colleges Of Chicago Faculty And Staff Threaten Strike Over COVID-19 Safety Concerns Faculty and staff at City Colleges of Chicago are threatening to strike after accusing the administration of failing to ensure a safe work environment for employees required to return in-person during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders of the unions representing faculty, clerical staff […]
The ‘Friendliest Small Town In America’ Can’t Agree On Removing Robert E. Lee Monument
MURRAY, KY – The sun was setting on the courthouse square in the rural college town of Murray, Kentucky, after another sweltering July day. The town bills itself as the “friendliest small town in America,” but recent controversy around the removal of a Confederate monument have complicated that image. The city of Murray had unanimously […]
Hundreds March For Black Lives In Downtown Champaign
CHAMPAIGN – Hundreds of protesters gathered in downtown Champaign Sunday to march and rally for all Black lives, especially those in the LGBTQ community. The group Champaign All Black Lives Matter, along with the UP Center, organized the event, which started and finished at West Side Park. Organizer Enddy Almonord says Sunday’s event emphasized the […]
C-U Commemorates Juneteenth With Peace Walk, Celebration
CHAMPAIGN – Champaign-Urbana residents celebrated Juneteenth on Friday afternoon with a peaceful march and a small festival in Beardsley Park. Juneteenth is celebrated every year on June 19th, and commemorates the day in 1865 when some of the last enslaved people in the Confederacy were emancipated. HV Neighborhood Transformation (HVNT) organized the inaugural Juneteenth event, […]
Illinois Supreme Court Could Order Chicago To Destroy Old Complaints Against Police
The Illinois Supreme Court may issue an order that could potentially undermine attempts to identify problematic cops.
Protests Against Racism Come To Small IL Towns As Well
MONTICELLO – Peaceful protests against racism and police brutality not only took place Saturday in cities like Chicago and Champaign, but also in small Illinois towns like Monticello. The Piatt County Journal-Republican reports 500 people gathered in downtown Monticello on Saturday. The community of 5,500 sits along I-72 in Piatt County. Demonstrators held signs like “Black […]
News Around Illinois – June 8, 2020
Illinois Reports 867 New Coronavirus Cases, 43 New Deaths SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Department of Public Health is reporting 867 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 127,757. The department on Sunday reported 43 additional deaths from the disease in the past 24 hours, raising that […]