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Rantoul aquatic center closed until Tuesday
RANTOUL, Ill. (WCIA) — A pool and aquatic center in Rantoul is closed until Tuesday. The Rantoul Recreation Department said that because of “unforeseen circumstances,” Hap Parker Family Aquatic Center is closed until 1 p.m. on Tuesday. All aquatic activities are cancelled until then. Those activities include Monday’s water aerobics session and swim classes and […]
Weather balloon lands on powerlines in Champaign County
SADORUS, Ill. (WCIA) — After a night of severe weather in Champaign County, there was something resting on powerlines just east of Sadorus — and this time, it wasn’t a tree branch. Chief Robert Russian of the Sadorus Fire Department confirmed that a weather balloon landed on powerlines on 600 North Road. The balloon and […]
240-acre Autonomous and Connected Track planned for Rantoul to receive $48M in funding
The Grainger College of Engineering is known for many things in the realm of innovation and technology, and transportation has been the topic of discussion lately. With the help of funding from the US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), National University Rail Center of Excellence (NURail CoE) was recently launched at Grainger. This year, there’s been more information released about the Autonomous and Connected Track planned for Rantoul through the work of the Illinois Center for Transportation, with the transfer of a portion Chanute Airforce Base last year in order to build this 240-acre testing facility.
Ameren continues to work to restore power across Illinois
6:30 p.m. update: CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — The number of power outages across Central Illinois continues to diminish as Ameren workers address the issues. In Champaign County, 450 are still without electricity. Meanwhile, 25 Macon County households are in need of power. Vermilion County has only 11 outages left to attend to. 4 p.m. update: […]
Unity High grad crowned Miss Champaign County 2024
Jul. 14—URBANA — Tears of joy — and a little sadness — were shed Sunday at the 2024 Champaign County Fair Queen Pageant as new queens were crowned and 2023 royalty said their goodbyes. In her first pageant appearance ever, Unity High grad Olivia Shike was crowned Miss Champaign County. She said she looks forward to spending time with her fellow winner, Little Miss Macey Huls. "Her older ...
Urbana locals deal with Monday storm damage
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — In Central Illinois, July 15 marked the hottest day of the year so far — but that’s not all. With wind speeds estimated up to 80 miles per hour, some communities experienced startling damage. Brian Hamilton lives in Urbana. He said he’s grateful the damage wasn’t worse, but now he’s concerned […]
PHOTOS: Storms sweep Central Illinois overnight
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — After severe weather and storm warnings swept across the state overnight, Central Illinois is cleaning up the aftermath. Across several counties, trees and power lines went down with the strong winds and left much to clean up Tuesday morning. We asked our viewers to share what they saw: Champaign County On […]
Illinois opens its 100th social equity cannabis dispensary
CHAMPAIGN – The Pritzker Administration has announced that SEquity Ventures (LLC dba The Dispensary Champaign) became the 100th social equity cannabis dispensary to open its doors in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) issued a full adult use cannabis dispensary license to The Dispensary Champaign...
There’s a new dispensary in Champaign called The Dispensary Champaign
A new cannabis dispensary named The Dispensary Champaign is now open in Champaign. After a soft launch two weeks prior, Champaign’s newest dispensary hosted a grand opening party last Friday with vendors and the Maize food truck. This is The Dispensary’s third location and Champaign-Urbana’s fifth cannabis dispensary. The Dispensary Champaign joins C-U’s cannabis crew of Cloud9, nuEra Champaign, nuEra Urbana, and Sunnyside.
Central Illinois clinic opens its doors to new patients
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Champaign’s Avicenna Health Center is now seeing people needing skin or wound care. Organizers said they noticed a need for the services in Central Illinois. Avicenna is a medical student-run health center offering all care free of charge. They’ve been offering help with primary care, eye health and common disease resources […]
Illinois 130 to close in Philo Tuesday
PHILO, Ill. (WCIA) — The Illinois Department of Transportation is closing down a section of Illinois 130 in Philo on Tuesday. The closure is to allow Norfolk Southern to replace its railroad crossing near Washington Street. IDOT has asked drivers to follow a posted detour. IDOT only expects the closure to last a day. Motorists […]
Ford County committee holding public meeting on severe weather plans
PAXTON, Ill. (WCIA) — Ford County planning committee members are meeting on Tuesday evening to discuss severe weather in the area and to start building a Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan. They are inviting members of the public to provide input. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the Roberts Gym at 118 West Weldon […]
Champaign breaks ground on downtown plaza project, aiming for 2025 completion of phase one
The City of Champaign held a groundbreaking ceremony July 12, to kick off construction of the first phase of the new Downtown Plaza. Construction of the Downtown Plaza is a longstanding vision to create a community gathering space in the heart of downtown. The Downtown Plaza will be constructed in...
Urbana City Committee to discuss housing grants Monday night
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — The Urbana City Committee of the Whole is set to discuss a series of grants to help people pay for housing on Monday night. According to the agenda packet, the council would move to recommend the grants to the next council meeting’s consent agenda. The money would come from U.S. Department […]
Champaign City Council discusses new Economic Development Manual
The Champaign City Council met last Tuesday for their weekly meeting. The meeting was largely focused on a presentation involving changes in the Economic Development Manual. The. The meeting began with the approval of minutes from a previous meeting. The changes to the Economic Development Manual include one revised program...
Urbana City Council discusses resolutions and alternative response task force
The Urbana City Council met last Monday to hold its weekly meeting, which focused on the passage of multiple resolutions and ordinances, as well as a discussion on an alternative response task force. The meeting began with approval of minutes from a previous meeting, followed by a review of the...
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