In February, the USAID-funded Feed the Future Soybean Innovation Lab (SIL) at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign was abruptly told to cease operations, threatening 12 years of progress in creating a global soybean value chain that supports regions like Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Australia. Faced with the impending shutdown, SIL director Pete Goldsmith scrambled to secure funding, temporarily keeping the lab operational until April 15, its scheduled closure date.
The Central Illinois real estate market continues to surge as the summer season approaches. With high demand and limited inventory across Champaign, Vermilion, Springfield, and Chatham, both buyers and sellers are facing a fast-paced housing environment.
Nearly 11,000 runners from around the world gathered in Champaign-Urbana this past weekend to compete in the 16th annual Christie Clinic Illinois Race Weekend, which ran from April 24–26 and featured fast times, returning champions, and new course records.
A crash on Interstate 74 westbound near the Ogden exit caused temporary lane closures Sunday afternoon, but all lanes have now been reopened, according to Illinois State Police.
A total of five former Illinois football players will have a shot at the NFL this summer, with one selected in the draft and four others signing undrafted free agent deals or receiving rookie minicamp invites.
Eastern Illinois Foodbank is inviting community members to volunteer at its Volunteer Center in Urbana every Tuesday. Located at 2405 North Shore Drive, the center offers one-hour shifts between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., allowing participants to help sort and prepare food for distribution.
The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will hold its annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive on Saturday, May 10, with support from the Eastern Illinois Foodbank. As letter carriers collect non-perishable donations along their routes, those items will be brought to the Champaign Post Office at 600 N Neil Street, where volunteers are needed to help unload, sort, and reload food for distribution.
Governor JB Pritzker on Friday gave a major early boost to Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton’s U.S. Senate campaign, formally endorsing his longtime running mate less than 24 hours after Senator Dick Durbin announced his retirement.
A popular Savoy bowling alley and food establishment has been shut down after receiving a red placard from the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District earlier this week, prompting the suspension of its food permit.
The Danville Police Department announced that Tatiana C. Neustadter of Plainfield was taken into custody on Monday in Joliet, nearly six years after the incident. Her arrest follows what police called a “diligent and continuous investigation” into the death of the young child, who was found severely injured on Camaro Drive on June 4, 2019.