University of Illinois dining and building workers vote to allow September strike
URBANA — Service workers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign are willing to strike in September after their current contract expires. Of the workers who cast their votes over the past two weeks, 91 percent authorized the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73 to start preparing to strike. “Not only was it an overwhelming […]
Jazz legend Christian McBride is performing and teaching on the U of I campus this week
URBANA — It is a busy week of learning and performing for students in the jazz studies department on the University of Illinois Urbana campus. Listen to Brian Moline’s conversation with Dr. Barrington Coleman here. Jazz bassist Christian McBride and his bandmates have been teaching masterclasses on campus this week, leading up to a performance […]
‘Voice of the Illini’ sportscaster Jim Turpin has died at age 90
URBANA – Longtime Illini sportscaster Jim Turpin died Sunday. The News-Gazette said the 90-year-old Turpin had recently suffered a fall and died with family members at his side. Jim Turpin first broadcast Illinois football, basketball and baseball games on WILL Radio in the late 1950s, while he was a University of Illinois student. After a […]
The war in Ukraine could cause a global food crisis, U of I professor warns
URBANA – Ripple effects from the war in Ukraine will likely be felt in all corners of the globe — especially when it comes to the food supply. The conflict is exacerbating already-existing supply chain disruptions and sky-high food prices. Not to mention, Ukraine and Russia provide nearly 30 percent of the world’s wheat and […]
University of Illinois students hold rally in support of Ukraine
URBANA, Ill. – When Daniel Brandys, the vice president of the Ukrainian Student Association at the University of Illinois, was growing up, he said many people in the U.S. had no idea what Ukraine was. Now, with Russia’s recent invasion of Ukraine, Brandys said he’s finally seeing people standing in solidarity with the country that […]
WILL At 100: Langston Hughes poetry reading, recorded by WILL Radio
URBANA – WILL-AM Radio turns 100-years-old in April 2022. Throughout the year, we’re bringing you stories about the history of this station. Much of that history can be found in the recordings it made and archived over the years. One recording dates back to March, 1957, when Langston Hughes (1901-1967), one of the 20th century’s […]
WILL At 100: Looking Back On A Century Of Broadcasting
URBANA – 2022 marks the 100-year anniversary of WILL-AM, the oldest component of Illinois Public Media. The University of Illinois launched the station at a time when the idea of using radio to reach a mass audience was new and cutting edge. There was no FM radio or TV, no internet or social media. The […]
U of I delays start of in-person spring classes by one week
URBANA — The University of Illinois announced Monday that it will delay the start of in-person spring classes on its Urbana campus by one week. Chancellor Robert Jones said in a mass email to faculty, staff and graduate students that the first week of classes next semester will be online starting Tuesday, Jan. 18. U […]
A giant investment firm paid a university to study one of its biggest assets — farmland
TIAA-CREF invests heavily in farmland, so it paid a university to research it. Read Part I and Part III of this series. CHAMPAIGN — In 2013, mammoth U.S. investment company TIAA-CREF gave $5 million to the University of Illinois — to study an area of investment where the company has made a, sometimes controversial, name […]
Corporate money keeps university ag schools ‘relevant,’ and makes them targets of donor criticism
Large donors can put universities in potentially awkward positions when faculty conclusions conflict with the interests of those benefactors. Data collected by Harvest Public Media and Investigate Midwest show corporations have given at least $170 million to ag colleges in the past decade. Read Part II and Part III of this series. CHAMPAIGN — A major donor to the […]
University of Illinois administrators address possible Quad City expansion, student diversity questions
URBANA — Faculty and students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign get an annual chance to air grievances and clear up rumors with the president of the university system. One rumor at the latest U of I Senate’s Annual Meeting of the Faculty was whether the university system is planning to expand to the Quad […]
McFadden and Romanchuk place second in Boston after winning the Chicago Marathon
BOSTON — For University of Illinois wheelchair athletes Tatyana McFadden and Daniel Romanchuk, it was quite the whirlwind. Less than 24 hours after winning the Chicago Marathon wheelchair women’s and men’s wheelchair divisions, respectively, the two standouts both claimed second in the Boston Marathon on Monday. McFadden placed second behind Manuela Char, clocking a time […]
‘Fertile Soil For Abuse’: A Reckoning At Covenant Fellowship Church
Editor’s note: This story contains descriptions of sexual assault and abuse. URBANA — On May 2, 2021, a new Instagram account by the name of @letters_from_rahab appeared on the popular social media platform. Initially, the account’s posts, addressed to no one in particular, were general notes about sexual and spiritual abuse, trauma and the lack […]
U Of Illinois To Open Offices In India To Recruit Students
URBANA — The University of Illinois system is setting up offices in India to help recruit students and build relationships with academic and corporate partners. India already is one of the top countries of origin for students at the University of Illinois System’s campuses, with 2,848 students between the universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago and Springfield […]
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 […]