Rantoul Mayor Samuel Hall took office more than 100 days ago. He defeated the former incumbent, Chuck Smith, by a margin of 34 votes during the April 1 election.
Rantoul Mayor Samuel Hall took office more than 100 days ago. He defeated the former incumbent, Chuck Smith, by a margin of 34 votes during the April 1 election. Hall has been reflecting on that narrow victory, emphasizing that he’s been focused on listening to the community in the time since then. “That just shows
In Central Illinois, community care takes many forms — from an 82-year-old veteran selling collard greens in Rantoul to young leaders organizing against gun violence in Danville. How are these local voices defining what it means to support and strengthen their communities today?
At 82 years old, Eugene Usher doesn’t need a slot at the farmers market. His red pickup truck, just off the highway in Rantoul, has become a local favorite for fresh collard greens and watermelons.
The new mayor said he wants to improve Rantoul’s infrastructure and create a more inclusive village.
In his new memoir, local author Larry Schnell writes about the discovery of these letters, which documents his parents’ love story — and also explores the little-known role of music in war.
Rantoul Mayor Charles Smith is facing a challenge from District 5 Village Trustee Samuel Hall III. Both candidates say they want to support the local economy and rebuild village infrastructure.
Most of the Chanute Air Force base transferred to the village of Rantoul in 2023. At the time, the Air Force declared “Mission Accomplished” in a press release — but it acknowledged there’s still at least $76 million more toxic clean-up to do. Today, it is unclear what the plan is for the many abandoned and deteriorating buildings.
Several streets will be removed and repaved with new infrastructure, and a new plaza will also be installed on a vacant lot downtown.
RANTOUL — Community members met Wednesday night in Rantoul to commemorate the life of 21-year-old Azaan Lee after he was shot and killed by police one year ago. Rantoul Police Officer Jose Aceves shot and killed Azaan Lee while investigating a stolen car. Aceves resigned just over a month after the shooting, according to documents
This story is part of a partnership focusing on police misconduct in Champaign County between the Champaign-Urbana Civic Police Data Project of the Invisible Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit public accountability journalism organization, and IPM Newsroom, which provides news about Illinois & in-depth reporting on Agriculture, Education, the Environment, Health, and Politics, powered by Illinois Public
This story is part of a partnership focusing on police misconduct in Champaign County between the Champaign-Urbana Civic Police Data Project of the Invisible Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit public accountability journalism organization, and IPM Newsroom, which provides news about Illinois & in-depth reporting on Agriculture, Education, the Environment, Health, and Politics, powered by Illinois Public
From 1917 to its closure 30 years ago, the base hosted military aircraft from World War One to the Vietnam War, and training programs for more than one million airmen, including the Tuskegee Airmen, the nation’s first African American Air Force pilots.
It started as a traffic stop during the afternoon of June 7 and ended with the death of an 18-year-old who ran from police.
Meetings of the Champaign Community Coalition include regular reports from local police departments. And at Wednesday’s meeting, those reports were dominated by reports of shootings. “I think it’s fair to say that it’s been a sad and busy couple of weeks, leading up to today,” said Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman, addressing the gathering local