How Being A Chaplain Gave One Pastor A Sense Of Urgency In The COVID Fight
CHAMPAIGN — Keith Thomas wears many hats in the Champaign-Urbana community. He’s a full-time pastor at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church. And he’s also been on the frontlines throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, working as a hospital chaplain at OSF HealthCare. Thomas says the hardest situations he’s been in — as a local chaplain — have […]
The Delta Variant Is Dominating Illinois’ Latest COVID Surge. Here’s What You Need To Know
SPRINGFIELD – COVID-19 cases are rising once again in Illinois — and most of the U.S. — with the more contagious delta variant now making up the vast majority of new coronavirus cases, according to federal and state data. In Illinois as of mid-August, the delta variant makes up more than 90% of new COVID-19 […]
Urbana Shootings In 2021 Soar Past Last Year’s Numbers, And Leaders Are Looking For Change
URBANA – Halfway through 2021, Urbana had already surpassed the total number of shootings that took place in 2020. Last month, the Urbana Police Department reported 55 shootings had occurred so far this year — more than the 53 that occurred in all of 2020. This follows a trend of heightened gun violence throughout the […]
New Campaign Aims To Help Formerly Incarcerated People Through Laws, Outreach
CHICAGO — When Marlon Chamberlain was asked by his son’s teacher to volunteer as a field trip chaperone, he happily applied. But Chamberlain’s application was denied because of his 25 year-old prison record. “There are hundreds of laws that restrict [formerly incarcerated] people, who are denied opportunities for employment, housing and educational opportunities,” he says. […]
Animal Activists Encourage Non-Lethal Methods For Controlling Urbana Goose Overpopulation
URBANA- Subdivisions and parks throughout Champaign County have been trying to control the goose population for years– using methods ranging from hazing dogs to culling, or killing, geese. Now, a new goose rights organization named Friends of Geese is recommending non-lethal methods for controlling the population. Susan Parenti, a Friends of Geese activist, says the […]
Undocumented Students In Illinois Stand To Gain Institutional Support In Higher Education
CHAMPAIGN – All colleges and universities within Illinois could be required to create a liaison position to support undocumented students if Governor J.B. Pritzker signs a new bill into law. House Bill 3438, which was sent to the governor in June, would require every public university and community college in Illinois to designate an employee […]
Only One Elder Care Facility In Champaign-Urbana Is Requiring Staff Vaccinations
URBANA – More than 10,000 residents of long-term care facilities in Illinois have died from COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, according to state data. But in Champaign County, only one long-term care facility is currently mandating that its staff receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Clark-Lindsey, a long-term care facility and nursing home in Urbana, […]
People Of Color Are The Least Vaccinated In C-U; Local Organizations Are Trying To Help
Editor’s Note: A prior version of this story incorrectly stated the percentage of Black and Hispanic residents in Champaign County who are fully vaccinated. The correct values are now reported below. CHAMPAIGN- When Dr. Wanda Ward, a University of Illinois employee with SHIELD CU, first heard that COVID-19 vaccines were being rolled out, she says […]
Thinking About Summer Camp? Here’s Some Advice From An Infectious Disease Expert
URBANA – With summer camps on the horizon, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued updated guidance and recommendations on April 24 for preventing the spread of COVID-19. Among them: mask-wearing, spacing out three to six feet apart, good ventilation and being outdoors as much as possible. “They also now recommend that all […]
Illinois To Lose Congressional Seat Based On 2020 Census
SPRINGFIELD – The U.S. Census Bureau announced Monday Illinois will lose a seat in Congress based on the results of the 2020 census. Illinois will move from 18 to 17 seats in the U.S. House, an expected result after some advocates had warned that an undercount could lead to the loss of two seats. The […]
What Can Be Done To Keep New Mothers From Dying?
URBANA – The U.S. is the only industrialized nation where the rate of pregnancy-related deaths is on the rise. About 700 U.S. women die each year due to pregnancy or its complications. And Black and Indigenous mothers are two to three times more likely than white mothers to die from pregnancy-related causes, according to the […]
217 Today — March 26, 2021
Friday, March 26, 2021 Today’s headlines: More than two-thirds of staff at Illinois prisons rejected their chance at getting the COVID-19 vaccine. A bill state legislators say would expand voting rights is on its way to the governor after passing the Senate. It would increase vote by mail options and allow curbside voting. Larger cities in Illinois […]
Gov. J.B. Pritzker Tours Champaign Vaccination Site, Praises Local Partnerships
CHAMPAIGN – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker visited the vaccination site located at the I Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign on Wednesday. During a press briefing following a tour led by Champaign-Urbana Public Health administrator Julie Pryde, Pritzker praised Champaign County for leading the way in building local partnerships to get the vaccine out to […]
Illinois’ First-Year Legal Marijuana Sales Boomed, But Challenges Remain
EAST ST. LOUIS – The line outside the Metro East’s first recreational marijuana dispensary was already long hours before it opened for the first time last January. Hundreds of people packed themselves into a tight metal maze that could barely contain the growing crowd at Ascend in Collinsville. The line continued away from the building, snaking along a nearby sidewalk, […]
Tracking COVID-19 Vaccines State By State
This digital embed of a sortable, ranked table shows vaccination rates and statistics for U.S. states and the overall U.S. using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including the percent of state population receiving the 1st dose of vaccination. This table will be updated daily.