Mayor issues order to reign in campus bars
By Luis Velazquez, Assistant News Editor
July 2, 2020
Due to Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan, Mayor Deborah Frank Feinen of Champaign, IL issued the Emergency Order 20-21 that will go into effect on July 2 after 5 p.m. Emergency Order 20-21 allows local enforcement of Phase 4 guidelines with limits and social distancing requirements for bars and restaurants. The order requires any liquor-licensed establishments to follow the COVID-19 2020 Restaurant and Bar Establishment Safety Guidelines for Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois Plan. Any liquor establishments, with combined indoor and outdoor standing areas, in Champaign’s Campustown area who have 200 or more people will receive enforcement actions. Actions include emergency closures, fines, suspensions or revocation of the establishment’s liquor license, as stated in the order. Starting on July 3, the order requires Campust...
Students respond to Fall 2020 semester plans with mixed feelings
By Amrita Bhattacharyya, Staff Writer
July 2, 2020
The University livestreamed a COVID-19 briefing on June 24 on University life, in which subject experts talked about what the student experience will look like this fall. The University Life Briefing is the fourth video in a series of livestreams by the University in an attempt to answer common...
Students, community members protest The Red Lion, KAM’s
By Salem Isaf, Interim Editor-in-Chief
June 28, 2020
On Thursday evening, June 25, protesters gathered in the intersection of South Third and East Green streets just outside the campus bar, The Red Lion. This group of people met to protest two campus bars, The Red Lion and KAM's, both owned by Scott Cochrane, for what protesters called racist business practice...
Students respond to recent campus shootings
By Grace Maloney, Staff Writer
June 23, 2020
On Sunday, June 14, students received an Illini-Alert at 12:51 a.m. stating there had been a shooting at Third and John Street, warning to avoid the area. At 1:23 a.m., a second Illini-Alert informed that the police have one suspect in custody. Finally, the all-clear for the area came at 3:18 a.m. and ...
CU libraries scheduled to open buildings Friday
By Samantha Boyle, Managing Editor for Reporting
June 23, 2020
The Urbana Free Library and Champaign Public Library are scheduled to open their buildings Friday as Illinois moves into Phase 4 of the Restore Illinois plan. The Urbana library will start a “Grab and Go” meaning that patrons should enter the building, get what they need and go in order to minimize...
Call for University to defund local police departments gains attention
By Aliza Majid, Staff Writer
June 17, 2020
Due to the increased support for the Black Lives Matter movement and push for police reforms, the Champaign-Urbana community has demanded that the University divest from local police. There is currently a petition and an open letter addressed to the University to support the defunding initiatives. “We've noticed a lot of massive organizations — University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Public Schools and a couple of others — are also beginning to address this journey of defunding the police,” said Madlen Anderson, junior in FAA as well as the creator of the petition. ...
Demonstrators protest reinstatement of Urbana Police Department chief, make demands
By Salem Isaf and Amrita Bhattacharyya
June 16, 2020
Around 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, protesters gathered in front of the Urbana Police Station before beginning a march through Champaign-Urbana about 45 minutes later. The main group that led this protest is an emerging organization, Champaign County Anti-Racist Coalition, or CCARC. The organizer of thi...
Racial profiling controversy at bars stirs backlash
By Aliza Majid, Staff Writer
June 15, 2020
A conversation about racial profiling in the Champaign-Urbana community arose when Taliah Ray, senior in LAS, decided to speak out about her experience at Red Lion on social media. Various other individuals had come out to sympathize with her as they had similar experiences at The Red Lion and KAM's...
Champaign Police Department investigates two overnight shootings
By Diana Anghel, Assistant News Editor
June 14, 2020
On Sunday, the Champaign Police Department responded to a reported shooting at approximately 12:29 a.m., according to the City of Champaign press release. On the scene, the 300 block of East Daniel Street, the CPD provided medical attention to a 24-year-old male who had suffered a gunshot wound to the lower bo...
Parkland College announces fall plans
By Samantha Boyle, Managing Editor for Reporting
June 9, 2020
Parkland College announced Tuesday afternoon that its fall instruction is subject to change depending on the district's progression into Phase Four of Restore Illinois. However, as of right now students can expect a hybrid online, on-campus semester. Phase Four of Restore Illinois would allow for gatherings of 50 people or f...
University Archives creates COVID-19 documentation project
By Amrita Bhattacharyya, Staff Writer
June 3, 2020
As COVID-19 disrupts normalcy across the nation, the University Archives aims to document the experience of people as their lives are altered by the pandemic. The University Archives has created a project in which the University community can send submissions that reflect their experience with the ...
Peaceful protesters march through Urbana, Champaign
By Salem Isaf, Samantha Boyle, Managing Editor for Reporting, and Zainab Qureshi, Longform Editor
June 1, 2020
Protesters met at the Champaign County Courthouse around 3 p.m. Monday to participate in a peaceful protest throughout the Champaign-Urbana community. Leaders of the protest gave a few speeches before the protesters began to march north down Broadway Avenue around 3:05 p.m. chanting “No justi...
