Pastor-led grocery store officially opens in Danville food desert
With help from a state grant, Carle Health and other partners, Heavenly Square is bringing fresh ingredients to an area of Danville where they were inaccessible before.
Tag: Vermilion County
Over half of Vermilion County lost power during severe storms in late June. Can solar panels prevent the next outage?
Most homes with solar panels are connected to the utility grid, and they lose power alongside their neighbors for worker safety reasons.
Danville’s new abortion restriction could trigger a legal showdown
The vote for abortion access restrictions in Danville was tied by city council 7 to 7. Mayor Rickey Williams, Jr. broke the tie by voting for restrictions.
After a lawsuit and a no-show game, Vermilion County’s professional hockey team ceases operations
DANVILLE – The Vermilion County Bobcats made national headlines after failing to show at a game against the Quad City Storm on Feb. 5. Just days later, the Bobcats released a statement on Twitter announcing the team was ceasing operations effective immediately. The team did not respond to requests for comment. Jamie Gooch, who was
Where to get COVID testing and vaccines in Central Illinois
Updated: February 8, 2022 As the state of Illinois increases resources at local health departments to provide mass vaccinations, we are providing locations in/around the Champaign-Urbana area of places to receive the COVID vaccines and testing. As of late December, Illinois is seeing its highest surge in COVID-19 cases during the entire pandemic. For people
New high school clinic to help address substance abuse in Vermilion County
DANVILLE – A clinic for addiction and mental health treatment could open in Danville High School by the end of March. Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation has agreed to run the clinic. Danville School District 118 is renovating the school’s basement as the clinic’s future home. Deanna Witzel is a McDonald’s owner and operator. She also
Trip to vet turns into snowbound journey for Vermilion County family
DANVILLE – When a Vermilion county woman tried to take her dog to the vet on Thursday, the normally short trip took a lot longer on a snow-packed highway. After hearing her German Shepherd Juno whine in pain, dog owner Melissa Bolin loaded up the sick pup and her sister-in-law Aimee in her vehicle. They drove
Danville pastor urges those ‘on the fence’ to get vaccinated
DANVILLE – As we march toward the two-year point in the COVID-19 pandemic the headlines have become real life for many in Illinois. One Vermilion County family, dealing with loss has now teamed up with the state in hopes of saving more lives. Pastor Ken McCray and his wife Rene have led a church in
Low vaccinations and high transmission make contact tracing in Vermilion County difficult during the holidays
DANVILLE — When Doug Toole, the director of the Vermilion County Health Department, and the department’s contact tracers get back to their desks in the morning, there are piles of calls to make. Those piles represent positive cases of COVID-19. Contact tracing is an important part of stopping the spread of COVID-19, according to Toole.
Judge rules Vermilion County teachers, parents must follow state COVID-19 rules in schools
DANVILLE — Protestors from the group Vermilion County Health Advocates stood outside the Vermilion County Courthouse on Friday afternoon holding signs and wearing t-shirts saying “Unmask our Children” while cars honked in support. Meanwhile — inside the courthouse — Judge Karen Wall ruled against both Danville District 118 teachers and parents from Hoopeston Area School
Misinformation, Fewer Resources Hurting Vaccination Rates In Vermilion County
DANVILLE – According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, 50.55 percent of Illinoisans eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines have received them as of June 7, 2021. In Champaign County, 49.75 percent are vaccinated. But in Vermilion County, only 29 percent of people eligible to receive the vaccine have been immunized. Illinois Newsroom’s Tinisha Spain
Where Can You Get Your COVID-19 Vaccine In Central Illinois?
August 2023 Editor’s note: The information below was originally reported in June of 2021. Much of it is no longer relevant as the COVID-19 public health emergency was declared over by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 11, 2023. Updated June 6, 2021 at 12:30 p.m. This is an updated post on
Cicadas Are Waking Up In Eastern Illinois But Many More Arrive In 2024
CHAMPAIGN – After lying dormant for 17 years, billions of Cicadas – big insects with big wings are awakening in far eastern Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and other states. Illinois Newsroom’s Reginald Hardwick talked with Katie Dana, the scientific specialist in entomology at the Illinois Natural Science Survey. She says this year’s insect invasion is just a
Voters And Officials Report Smooth Election Day In Central Illinois
Editor’s note: These stories were reported by University of Illinois journalism students, with coverage coordinated by College Of Media journalism professor Chris Evans and professional journalists at Illinois Public Media. UPDATED Wednesday at 1:30 a.m.: Thousands of Mail-In Ballots Being Counted In Champaign County URBANA – Champaign County’s chief elections officer, County Clerk Aaron Ammons, says
News Around Illinois – April 30, 2020
Illinois COVD-19 Cases Surpass 50,000 CHICAGO – The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) announced a milestone of surpassing 50,000 COVID-19 cases in the state Wednesday, with a total of 50,355. There were an additional 2,253 cases reported in the last 24 hours. 92 new deaths in the last day brings the total fatalities to