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, […]
After Blast, Hendrick House Residents Moving Back In
This is a developing story. It will be updated as we learn new details. UPDATE: 56 summer residents are moving back into Hendrick House at the University of Illinois — ten days after an explosion forced them to evacuate. Management for the privately-owned residence hall announced on social media Wednesday that the city of Urbana had […]
Where Can You Get Tested for COVID-19 In Central Illinois?
For health questions about COVID-19, call the Illinois Department of Public Health hotline at 1-800-889-3931 or email dph.sick@illinois.gov. IDPH has also compiled a list of testing sites across the state, including information on testing eligibility and contact information. Public testing sites offer free testing regardless of insurance, with no need for a doctor’s referral. Illinois […]
LGBTQ Pride Flies High In Urbana
URBANA – On Monday, Joanne Geigner helped raise the rainbow flag above the Urbana City Building. She is part of Uniting Pride, which advocates for Champaign County’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities. Geigner is also the mother of a transgender son. She says the flag’s visibility sends a message to community members who may […]
Photo Gallery: Procession For Champaign Officer Chris Oberheim
URBANA – Many people lined up to honor a fallen Champaign police officer during a procession from Urbana to Decatur. Authorities say a gunman killed 44-year-old Officer Chris Oberheim during a shootout at an apartment complex early Wednesday. Here are pictures and video images from the procession to honor Oberheim on Thursday.
University Of Illinois Class Of 2021 Graduates Reflect On COVID Graduation
URBANA — Bells rang across the University of Illinois’s main quadrangle as seniors lined up at Alma Mater to take graduation pictures by Altgeld Tower. Pandemic or no, May is still graduation season on the Urbana campus. An estimated 5,600 University of Illinois students graduated during the weekend of May 15. However, for many […]
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 […]
Illinois Billionaire Shahid Khan Investing In Thousands Of Acres Of The State’s Farmland
Illinois billionaire Shahid Khan is known for building the automotive parts company Flex ‘N Gate, based in Urbana, IL, into a global manufacturer with 69 facilities around the world. He also is known as the owner of the National Football League team Jacksonville Jaguars and the UK’s Fulham F.C. soccer team. In addition, he has […]
Urbana Mayor Marlin Headed To 2nd Term After Winning Primary
URBANA – Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin easily defeated two challengers in Tuesday’s Democratic local election primary. Listen to this story here. Mayor Marlin won 1,845 votes, or 72.3% of the total, well ahead of Alderman Dennis Roberts, the 2nd-place finisher with 440 votes or 17.24%, and recent U of I graduate Andy Ma with 267 […]
Police Reform A Major Issue In Urbana Mayoral Race
URBANA – Racial justice and police reform have been on the minds of Americans across the nation. And they’re a major issue in the race for mayor of Urbana. The three candidates running for the post in the Feb. 23 Democratic primary in Urbana all say they would make change in the city’s police policies. […]
Snowplow Crews Labor To Clear Snow From C-U Streets
URBANA – Local governments in the Champaign-Urbana area all have crews out, working to clear streets of the snow that fell on central Illinois Monday and Monday night. Public Works staff with both Champaign and Urbana began work on keeping the roads clear on Sunday night, during the first wave of snowfall. Crews give priority […]
U Of I: Fewer COVID-19 Cases Compared To The Fall, But Officials Advise Vigilance
URBANA – Within three weeks of having tens of thousands of students return to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the spring semester, the campus had identified more than 450 cases of COVID-19. This is fewer than half the number of cases identified by the same time last fall — and lower than U of […]
Urbana Extension Proposed For Kickapoo Rail Trail
URBANA — Officials in Urbana now have a feasibility study, for a proposed extension of the Kickapoo Rail Trail through the city. But Mayor Diane Marlin says it could be some time before the project becomes a reality. The proposed extension would be different in nature from the Kickapoo Rail Trail, which is a rail-to-trail […]
ER Staff Among The First To Get The Coronavirus Vaccine In Champaign County
URBANA – The process of vaccinating the first few hundred hospital workers in Champaign County began Thursday. In the first shipment, Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana received 400 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine for its staff. OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center in Urbana received 50 doses. Since doses are limited, hospitals are prioritizing […]
Towns Offer Aid To Businesses For COVID-Related Supplies
CHAMPAIGN – Small businesses have had to deal with an added expense this year, paying for supplies and equipment to prevent the coronavirus from spreading at their stores, offices and factories. Champaign, Urbana and Rantoul are offering state-funded grants to help with those new expenses. The grants can be used by small businesses in the […]