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Withers tapped for city council vacancy
Ashley Withers is the lead employment specialist at Community Choices, a nonprofit that provides supports for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Champaign County.
Oct. 8 talk to discuss building a new era of materials characterization
Pinshane Y. Huang, Racheff Faculty Scholar in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, will give the talk “Building a new era of atom-by-atom materials characterization with electron ptychography” at 3:05 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, in 10 Sparks Building on the University Park campus.
Highlights/scores: High school sports (10/01/26)
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) – IHSA girls’ flag football playoffs began on Thursday, while the regular season continued for multiple other high school sports in Illinois. Check out some highlights above, from a unique rivalry match in Champaign, and more scores below from Thursday’s action in the WCIA 3 viewing area. GIRLS’ FLAG FOOTBALL Mahomet-Seymour 25, […]
How Washington Funded the Politicization of Science
Over the last half-decade, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on projects designed to influence academic policies, both in the sciences and other disciplines. The aim was to foster a progressive conception of social justice in these fields. In pursuit of this end, the foundation earmarked nearly a million dollars for a project titled “Creating Inclusive Scientific Societies through Policies and Practices,” over a million for a project on “Faculty Online Learning Communities for Gender Equity,” and over $2 million to foster “racial equity focused departmental change.” Through a public records request, I’ve obtained the proposals and progress reports for dozens of NSF grants designed to promote social justice. Although funding for these grants was eventually halted by the Trump administration, the projects illustrate an important facet of recent higher-education policy. Many of the university policies that promised “social transformation” didn’t arise in a vacuum. They were actively encouraged by outside funders—often by the federal government itself. Subscribe Accreditation—the peer-review process which enables universities to receive federal grants and student loans—has recently become a policy battleground, with accreditors wielding significant power over both universities and academic disciplines. In 2020, when Oregon Health and Science University’s medical school issued an extensive diversity action plan—which promised “consequences” for employees who failed to support “DEI, anti-racism and social justice”—it specifically pointed to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the medical-school accrediting body, to justify the overhaul. The NSF actively promoted DEI-focused accreditation policies. The proposal for a $1.2 million program on promoting “community engagement” in STEM, which I obtained through a records request, notes that the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology was exploring changes to its criteria “that would incorporate JEDI [justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion].” The proposal promised to “support broader JEDI efforts in the general criteria for engineering.” Another grant funded a conference designed to “identify and share best practices and strategies to integrate IDEA principles in accreditation criteria”—referring to an acronym that stands for “inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.” Scholarly societies have become another flashpoint in debates over higher education. Critics argue that many of these societies, which have the power to shape entire disciplines, have become increasingly politicized. Again, through its giving, the NSF played a role in promoting this politicization. In one million-dollar grant that received funding in 2024, a group of psychologists proposed a series of social-justice reforms to the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. The proposal, which I obtained via a records request, asserts that “[r]edistributing resources (such as moving different people into leadership roles) is not enough” and that the society’s “governance structures do not yet reflect its stated values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Its solution: review and rework the society’s criteria for leadership development, academic awards, conferences, and publications. Adjusting review criteria informed by “intersectionality” designed to fight “epistemic exclusion” is an easy way to introduce de facto ideological litmus tests into the peer-review process. For many of the grants I obtained, such litmus tests seem to be the point. “Academic departments are racialized social systems that produce and sustain the byproducts of systemic racism,” a proposal for a $2.7 million project funded in 2024 asserts, promising to develop “departmentally-focused change efforts that cultivate values, assumptions, and behaviors that advance racial equity.” The University of Illinois Urbana Champaign’s million-dollar “I-ADVANCE” project, which effectively created a small DEI bureaucracy on campus, promised to Embed 28 ADVANCE faculty fellows in STEM departments” to amplify its equity goals. Another $1.2 million project promised to create “faculty online learning communities,” made up of scientists at universities around the country, that would eventually build department-level diversity action plans. “Ultimately,” the proposal asserts, perhaps more perceptively than its authors realized, “both organizational change and intersectionality frameworks deal with power.” Indeed, such grants confer a great deal of power to administrators and scholar-activists, who can even use the mere availability of funding as a tool to advance their causes. That history is worth remembering amid today’s debate over federal involvement in higher education: Washington has been shaping university priorities for years, including by financing efforts to instill progressive ideas about race, gender, and equity into academic institutions—and many of the policies those grants encouraged remain embedded within universities long after the federal money has stopped flowing. John D. Sailer is the director of higher education policy and a senior fellow at Manhattan Institute. Share
Champaign County clerk seeking more election judges
“As it stands, we currently have 148 judges who have been trained and signed up to work on Election Day. We need a minimum of 270 judges and would love
U of I Extension announces new center focused on food, nutrition, health
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — A center focused on nutrition research and health is coming to the University of Illinois campus. It’s called the Center for Food Systems, Nutrition Security an…
Mercy Health’s Urbana Hospital celebrates 75 years of service
Mercy Health’s Urbana Hospital is celebrating 75 years of service in Urbana and throughout Champaign County.
Most car seats aren't installed properly. C-U Public Health aims to help
When a car seat is not properly installed, children and babies can be harmed, even in low-speed collisions. It’s why the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District offers free car seat safety checks.
Scientists hope deeper-rooted soybeans can withstand climate extremes and store more carbon
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Research scientist Ashish Rajurkar kneels in the dirt, lifting a large clod of soil tangled around a soybean plant. He knocks away pieces of earth from the plant's roots, which slope straight down instead of out to the side like typical soybean plants.
Mercy Health launches plan to boost healthcare access in Clark, Champaign counties
Mercy Health – Springfield has launched a new three-year plan targeting four major drivers of local health in Clark and Champaign counties: healthcare access, chronic disease, health behaviors, and social conditions.
Local businessman announces write-in campaign against Carol Ammons
Keith Smith of Champaign: “This is not about tearing anyone down. It is about offering voters another direction and another voice.”
Friday Football Fever (9/11/26)
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) – Four weeks into the high school football season, early playoff bids were officially on the line for a handful of teams. Monticello 39, St. Teresa 20 St. Joseph-Ogden 38, Unity 23 Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond 54, Cumberland 14 Rochester 50, MacArthur 20 Fisher 48, Villa Grove-Heritage 27 Tuscola 52, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 0 Bloom 35, […]
Notes from Bret Bielema’s Thursday media availability (09/10/26)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) – Illinois head football coach Bret Bielema met with reporters on Thursday, for one final check in before the Illini welcome Duke to town for a week two contest. The Illini are hoping to beat the Blue Devils for a second-straight year, after topping Manny Diaz’ team 45-19 in Durham, N.C. in […]
Highlights/scores: College, high school sports (09/09/26)
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) – Check out top plays, and various results from multiple different sports of different levels in Central Illinois from Wednesday, Sept. 9. University of Illinois volleyball picked up a straight-set win at home against Lindenwood. The Illini got a boost with 11 kills from Paityn Chapman, and 26 assists from setter Kenna […]
Prep sports recap for Sept. 8, 2026
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — Now there’s only one undefeated soccer team in the Big 12 Conference. Gavin Stickelmaier and Cal Byrkit scored two goals apiece as Notre Dame beat visiting Champaign Central, 6-0, in the Big 12 opener for both schools on Tuesday. The Irish (4-0) handed the Maroons (2-1-1) their first loss of the […]
Hoopeston football to forfeit five of six remaining varsity games
HOOPESTON, Ill. (WCIA) – Hoopeston High School is changing plans for its 2026 high school varsity football season, the school district announced on Tuesday. The Cornjerkers are planning to forfeit their week four game, against Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin, on Friday, Sept. 11. Hoopeston will play its week five game, on Sept. 18, against Momence. This game will […]
Highlights/scores: High school sports (9/7/26)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Check out the latest scores from Labor Day action in high school sports. FOOTBALL Villa Grove-Heritage 48, Arcola 12 BOYS’ SOCCER Danville 5, BHRA 0 Sacred Heart-Griffin 6, Lincolnwood 0 Jacksonville 8, Riverton 0 Warrensburg-Latham 1, St. Teresa 0 VOLLEYBALL Urbana 2, Uni-High 0 Central 2, Danville 0 Fisher 1, GCMS […]
Illinois Football announces sellout for Duke game
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — After winning its opening game Thursday night, Illinois Football’s next game will be played in front of a sold-out crowd. Illinois Athletics announced on Monday that Saturday’s game against the Duke Blue Devils is officially sold out. It’s the first sellout of the 2026 season and the fifth sellout in the […]
Sunday No Huddle (9/6/26)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — In the first Sunday No Huddle of the football season, WCIA’s Courtney Layne Brewer and Robert Rosenthal of IlliniBoard.com break down what went right and what went wrong in Illinois’ opening win against UAB.
Highlights/scores: High school sports (9/5/26)
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) — Check out the latest scores from high school sports around the state, plus highlights from Leroy’s Saturday night football action. FOOTBALL Leroy 34, Tremont 6 BOYS SOCCER Southeast 1, Beardstown 1 Washington 2, Centennial 0 Charleston 3, Newton 0 Glenwood 2, Althoff 0 Jacksonville 2, Jerseyville 0 Pleasant Plains 5, Riverton […]
Central’s Harding named WCIA 3 Athlete of the Week
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Eden Harding is off to a stellar start to the flag football season, only a sophomore, but leading the Maroons to victory. She opened the year with 515 yards and nine touchdowns in a win over Mahomet-Seymour, then followed it up with six touchdowns in the second game of the year, […]
Champaign business owner, Mahomet resident charged with tax, wire fraud
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — A Mahomet man with a business in Champaign is facing federal charges for allegedly failing to turn over more than $800,000 in employment taxes to the IRS, and for “…
Illinois Quick Hits: Champaign business owner charged with COVID relief fraud
(The Center Square) – A Mahomet man has been charged with fraud and failing to pay employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service.
Illinois Announces Community Impact Partnership with Busey Bank, Carle Health and Experience Champaign-Urbana Foundation
Student-athlete partnership will support community health, engagement and economic vitality across Illinois.
City Staff Attend Dedication of New Behavioral Health Inpatient Unit at OSF HealthCare Sacred Heart
City staff from the Champaign Police Department and the Equity and Engagement Department recently attended the blessing and dedication of the new behavioral health inpatient unit at OSF HealthCare Sacred Heart Medical Center.
Highlights/scores: High school sports (08/26/26)
CENTRAL ILLINOIS (WCIA) – An action packed opening week of fall sports in Central Illinois continued on Wednesday. Check out highlights above, plus more scores below from volleyball, girls’ flag football and boys’ soccer around the WCIA 3 viewing area. GIRLS’ FLAG FOOTBALL Champaign Central 78, Bloomington 6 Peoria High 12, Champaign Centennial 8 Urbana […]
How preference for sons affects women's mental health in rural India
In rural India, having a son is a strong social expectation that puts pressure on women to bear male children. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign examines how a firstborn son ...
Iowa Football Opponent Preview: Illinois
The Hawkeyes get set to invade Champaign for the first time in four years.
It's Your Business | From side hustles to sweet and savory success
Siddity Pig Pork Snacks is gearing up to open its first brick-and-mortar location at 2004 S. Neil St. in Champaign alongside Sugar Dust Creations, another homegrown business.
Fluctuating work hours increase health risks for workers
Workers who juggle volatile work hours that change from week to week may experience adverse health effects that impact their ability to work, although the limitations vary by gender, say researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign who conducted a recent study.
One-of-a-kind business in Champaign celebrates first anniversary
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — A unique business in Champaign reached new heights with its first anniversary on Sunday. Horizon Climbing was packed with people celebrating, scaling rock-walls and t…
New nonprofit offers different path for local artists
For local artists and performers who love being on the stage but can’t find the time for weeks of nightly rehearsals, a new Champaign-Urbana non-profit is hoping to present another
Youth Day at the Champaign County Fair features games, shows and grandstand entertainment
Wednesday at the 185th Champaign County Fair is all about celebrating the next generation during Youth Day, featuring special activities, youth competitions, livestock shows and […]
New horse barn and grandstand entertainment highlight upcoming Champaign County Fair
The countdown is on for one of Champaign County’s biggest traditions. The 2026 Champaign County Fair is set to celebrate its 185th year, bringing together […]
New horse barn and grandstand entertainment highlight upcoming Champaign County Fair
The countdown is on for one of Champaign County’s biggest traditions. The 2026 Champaign County Fair is set to celebrate its 185th year, bringing together […]
Equity and Engagement Partners with University of Illinois to Host Mental Health First Aid Training
Dr. Regina Parnell Clinical Service Manager within the Equity and Engagement Department teamed up this week with the University of Illinois Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs to host two day long Mental Health First Aid sessions.
Top of the Morning, July 14, 2026
To complement Meadowbrook Park’s “Beauty" in Urbana, Andy White has delivered “Grace” to Mattis Park in Champaign.
It's Your Business | Champaign yoga, fitness studio adding more space
“We’re really hoping that a four- to six-month timeline will be realistic (for completion),” said Dr. Suzanne Trupin, owner of Hatha Yoga & Fitness. “So sometime this fall.”
It's Your Business | Hot new workout coming to south Champaign
Renovations have just begun for a Hotworx fitness studio at 2108 S. Neil St. in Champaign, and franchise owner Camille Groves hopes to open the location at the end of
America @ 250: Alex Wysocki asks, ‘Are short-term political gains worth giving up the big picture?’
Alex Wysocki is a television producer, filmmaker, husband and father of three. He and his wife Abigail moved to Champaign during the COVID-19 pandemic and are raising their family here.
Health inspections in first half of 2026 lead to restaurant closures, warnings in Champaign Co.
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — In the first half of the year, more than two dozen businesses in Champaign County have received less than satisfactory health inspections. These businesses hav…
It's Your Business | Champaign loft studio available for photo shoots, 'micro' events
“I’ve modeled the types of events that I want to have based off of a few places in Texas. …They are running truly micro events. And when I say micro,
2026 Best 40-Under-40 Business Professors: Julia Fonseca, Gies College of Business, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Over the last decade, Poets&Quants has honored more than 540 up-and-coming star MBA and graduate business professors from around the world.
Business leader reacts, police search for suspect after teen shot in Champaign
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Champaign Police are still investigating on Wednesday after an 18-year-old was shot outside of a grocery store Tuesday night. It happened in the Schnucks parking lot …
Champaign Unit 4 students earn best-ever finish at state science and engineering competition
Champaign Unit 4 students earned third place at the Illinois State ACES Competition, the highest finish in program history, with three students earning individual top honors.
IDR, police serve search warrant at Champaign business
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The Champaign Police Department and the Illinois Department of Revenue served a search warrant at a business in Champaign on Monday. In a statement sent to WCIA, the …
Illinois football hosts Mom’s Weekend practice
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Illini football took a break from the traditional spring practice for one that featured a special twist. Amidst mom’s weekend on the U of I campus, players’ moms took to the practice field with their sons for a second straight season. These football families are grateful for the quality time together […]
Want to win big in sports? Follow Normal West grad Glenn Kinley, TV’s good-luck charm
A 2017 Normal West High School graduate, Kinley has been around a lot of winning in his young career as a television sports director. While at KSNT in Topeka, Kansas, he covered a Kansas men’s basketball national championship and two Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl wins. Now this: Illinois’ run to the men’s basketball Final Four as sports director at WCIA in Champaign.
It's Your Business | Taking care of business
In addition to dog waste removal at residential and commercial properties, Poo Squad Champaign also offers a sanitation treatment that deodorizes the yard and kills bacteria, said owner Avian Gerdes.
Remembering Theodore “Ted” Brown, the founding director of the Beckman Institute
Theodore “Ted” Brown, the founding director of the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology and professor emeritus of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, died Tuesday, March 24, 2026. He was 97 years old.
Pint of Science Festival brings local researchers to bars in Champaign-Urbana for engaging talks
The annual event connects the community with global scientists to share groundbreaking discoveries at local bars and cafes.
New C-U Public Health director says he’ll focus on access to affordable health care in Champaign-Urbana
The new head of public health in Champaign County says he’s adamant about health equity and equal access to affordable health care. Dr. Mamadou Tounkara is stepping into the role following former administrator Julie Pryde’s retirement in January after 30 years of service.
Wisconsin Bolsters Resume With Overtime Win at No. 8 Illinois
Wisconsin beats No. 8 Illinois in overtime in Champaign to earn another significant road victory.
Illinois struggles offensively, falls in overtime at Michigan State
Can’t win every Big Ten road game.
Dissecting Illinois’ complete performance in total drubbing of Northwestern
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois dominated Northwestern at the State Farm Center in round two of what should always be a closely contested “rivalry” game. Wednesday night was a forgettable chapter in that sense, because Illinois put together its most complete performance in conference play. And it’s the largest margin of victory in conference play this […]
Illinois overscomes clunky start, extends winning streak to 10
CHAMPAIGN — Illinois freshman sensation Keaton Wagler was welcomed with an especially loud cheer from the State Farm Center crowd as he was introduced on Thursday night. And for a microscopic moment, it appeared history could continue to follow him as he was the only Illini to score points through the first six-plus minutes of […]
Decatur seeking input on Oakwood Business District
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — The City of Decatur is asking its residents to fill out a survey on changes they would like to see to the Oakwood Business District before they make a plan to revamp it. Councilman David Horn said the survey is part of a step that will be taken before the city […]
Illinois comfortably blows by Maryland despite Boswell’s absence
CHAMPAIGN — An absent Kylan Boswell sported a white sweatsuit during Illinois’ matchup against Maryland on Wednesday. His absence is due to an untimely fractured bone in his right hand that will sideline him for at least a month. Unfortunate for Illinois, considering how close this iteration of the team was to firmly settling into […]
Name Dropping | ‘Names and faces changed, but it is the same entertainment’
If it involves the Virginia Theatre, the Champaign-Urbana native Mitch Marlow is likely associated with it, too.
Champaign-Urbana Public Health District set to name new admin as Pryde retires after 20 years
The board of health's agenda for Wednesday includes a closed session, followed by a vote to appoint deputy administrator Dr. Mamadou Tounkara as Pryde’s successor.
Full-length Replay: Rutgers at Illinois
The Scarlet Knights face the No. 16 Fighting Illini. Dylan Grant leads Rutgers in Champaign.
No. 20 Illinois faces battle-tested Southern
Physically rested from a week-long Christmas break, No. 20 Illinois nonetheless returns to the floor against Southern on Monday in Champaign, Ill., with little reprieve from coach Brad Underwood's favorite talking point.
Book prepares K-12 leaders for the next public health crisis
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In a new book, a team of experts in educational policy, epidemiology and public health chronicles the challenges faced by educators, public health authorities and school officials during the COVID-19 pandemic and offers a guide to some of the lessons learned as K-12 schools weathered that crisis. One key message: Collaboration between […]