On campus: Water leak, cold weather affect campus bus routes
Reroutes for multiple on-campus bus lines issued during fall break were extended this week due to inclement weather.
Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District’s operations director Jay Rank told The Daily Illini in an email that the reroutes were initially put in place due to a water main break near Goodwin Avenue. The 5W Green Express, 10E Gold/Gold Hopper, 12W/120W Teal and 22S/220S Illini lines were redesigned to avoid the area.
The reroutes were extended past fall break due to cold weather, which interfered with the repair of the water main. Rank wrote that contractors will finish repairs when temperatures exceed 40 degrees, which may occur this week.
The full list of reroutes is available here.
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In CU: Champaign City Council rejects ban on public camping
The Champaign City Council unanimously rejected an ordinance that would ban camping on city property at a meeting Tuesday. The vote followed nearly three hours of public comment, during which over three dozen community members expressed their opposition to the proposal.
In the proposed ordinance, Council Bill No. 2025-196, camping on city property and public right-of-way would be banned. Violators would be given a seven-day notice to clear their setups before having their leftover items impounded.
“Criminalizing the existence of Champaign community members without shelter, which the council bill does notwithstanding, does nothing to address those public health concerns,” said President of the ACLU’s Champaign County chapter Jane McClintock. “Instead, it exacerbates those public health risks by further jeopardizing the stability and community standing of your most vulnerable neighbors.”
Champaign City Attorney Thomas Yu denied that the bill was criminalizing homelessness; he said it was intended to serve homeless people with necessary services.
Several other community members and council members spoke before the council unanimously voted to reject the ordinance.
In Illinois: Secretary of State orders rental car companies to stop illegal license plate swapping
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced Thursday that his office is cracking down on rental car companies complicit in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement swapping and altering license plates during deportation operations.
According to a press release, the office found that ICE agents switched license plates on a rental car in Illinois.
“If a vehicle is registered in Illinois, it must follow Illinois law regardless of whether you are Homeland Security or a rental car company,” Giannoulias said in a video statement. “This is about public safety, transparency and accountability.”
Giannoulias said he sent a letter to 19 rental car companies telling them that switching license plates is illegal, and that they can be punished if their cars are used for this purpose. He also sent a cease and desist letter to the Department of Homeland Security, stating that all vehicles registered in Illinois must follow state law.
In the US: Netflix to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery
Netflix is set to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery in a buyout valued at $82.7 billion, the streaming giant announced Friday. If approved by federal regulators, the deal would merge HBO Max and HBO, among other parts of Warner Bros., with Netflix.
In its announcement, Netflix claimed the deal would create more jobs and strengthen the entertainment industry in the long term. Should the deal go through, Warner Bros.’ content, such as the “Harry Potter” franchise and “Friends,” would subsequently belong to Netflix.
On Sunday, Trump said that Netflix has a “very big market share” and that he’ll be involved in the final decision, according to NBC.
In the US: Harvard Youth Poll reveals pessimistic youth
The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School released its Fall 2025 edition of the Harvard Youth Poll Thursday, revealing a general feeling of instability and pessimism among youths.
For instance, just 13% of its 2,040 respondents aged between 18 and 29 believed the country was heading in the right direction, and 44% said advances in artificial intelligence would take away more opportunities than it creates.
According to The Harvard Crimson, the university’s student newspaper, this 51st edition of the poll marked the first time it asked respondents about political violence. The poll was conducted shortly after Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
“16 percent of respondents said the incident had left them ‘less likely to talk to people who have different political opinions,’” wrote The Crimson in its coverage.
The full survey results can be viewed here.
In the world: Russia praises Trump’s national strategy
A Kremlin spokesperson told a Russian news agency Sunday that a new national strategic document released by the Trump administration is “a positive step” and “largely consistent with our vision.”
The 29-page security document builds on the administration’s America-first agenda, including a chapter dedicated solely to the subject matter. According to the Associated Press, Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado called Trump’s strategy “catastrophic to America’s standing in the world and a retreat from our alliances and partnerships.”
