Schools
- Tue. 11/03
Urbana school board picks B.W.P. and Associates to run superintendent search
After hearing from six search firms in total, the Urbana school board selected B.W.P. and Associates to help find the district's next superintendent, the district said in its Oct. 27 board update.
- Sat. 10/31
Parkland College fall enrollment dips 2.6% as career programs grow
Parkland College counted 6,187 students on its 10th day of fall classes, down 2.6% from fall 2025, while Health Professions and Adult Education enrollment rose, the college said Oct. 30.
- Fri. 10/30
Urbana schools set educator tours Nov. 6; Uni High opens prospective family meetings
Urbana School District 116 will hold Tiger Tours for future educators on Nov. 6, and Uni High has opened sign-ups for prospective family meetings starting Nov. 3, according to the schools' websites.
- Mon. 10/26
Unit 4 holds last middle school tour Nov. 1, hiring event Nov. 8
Champaign Unit 4 holds its final middle school tour Sunday, Nov. 1, at Franklin STEAM Academy and a hiring event for substitutes, teacher assistants and other staff Sunday, Nov. 8.
- Sun. 10/25
Urbana school board hears four superintendent search firms Oct. 27, may pick one
Urbana District 116's board hears four superintendent search firms Tuesday and may select one; quoted base fees run from $16,000 to $26,000. The 2025-26 audit is also on the agenda.
- Sun. 10/25
Unit 4 board votes Oct. 26 on support-staff contract with first-year raises up to 7.5%
Champaign Unit 4's board votes Monday on a support-staff contract through June 30, 2029, with first-year raises of step plus 3.25% to 7.5%, paid parental leave and Independence Day as a paid holiday.
- Thu. 10/22
Parkland hosts state community college journalism conference, student paper wins two awards
The Prospectus picked up an honorable mention for arts review and second place for podcasting.
- Wed. 10/21
Mahomet-Seymour High School named a 2026 Governor's Blue Ribbon School
It was the only Champaign County school among the 24 honored statewide.
- Wed. 10/21
Larry Gies pledges $100 million to match donations to UI business college
The college says the match could direct $200 million to scholarships, student programs and faculty, and makes him the university's largest benefactor.
- Wed. 10/21
Rantoul City Schools board to pick secretary and treasurer Oct. 22; Unit 4 board meets Oct. 26
Rantoul City Schools' board meets Oct. 22 to fill board officer posts and act on a teacher vacancy grant agreement; the RTHS Finance Committee meets the same day, and the Unit 4 board meets Oct. 26.
- Tue. 10/20
St. Joseph grade school board set hearing on $600,000 working cash bond sale
The monthly meeting that followed listed a School Maintenance Project Grant application and a sick-leave payout agreement with the St. Joseph Education Association.
- Tue. 10/20
Mahomet-Seymour board was scheduled to weigh $25.7 million estimated tax levy at same rate
Monday's agenda also listed a $50,000 state matching grant application for masonry work at two schools.
- Mon. 10/19
U. of I. Senate was scheduled Monday to take up resolution calling for review of Flock license-plate reader contracts
Senators were also scheduled to get a first look Monday at letting some non-tenure-system faculty, instructors and lecturers apply for sabbaticals.
- Fri. 10/16
RTHS board Oct. 19 agenda lists health insurance renewal and building-use policy
Trustees also plan a surplus-equipment declaration and a Student of the Month recognition at the 6 p.m. meeting.
- Fri. 10/16
Parkland trustees name Morgann Quilty associate vice president; auditors give clean FY2026 opinion
College newsroom says the board also heard the tax levy estimate; final levy is due at the Nov. 18 meeting.
- Thu. 10/15
Schools calendar: Rantoul Township High School board meets Oct. 19; Uni High alumni ReUNIon Oct. 23-25
The Rantoul Township High School District 193 board and finance committee meet next week, and University of Illinois Laboratory High School holds its alumni ReUNIon Oct. 23-25.
- Thu. 10/15
Parkland's Staerkel Planetarium offers two Spanish-language shows Oct. 17
A Sesame Street sky show at 3:30 p.m. and an exoplanet show at 4:30 p.m., $4 each, presented by Parkland astronomy instructor Ricardo Covarrubias.
- Thu. 10/15
Unit 4 board voted 7-0 to submit $192 million building bond question to voters in Nov. 3 election
Champaign Unit 4's board voted Aug. 17 to ask voters to approve $192 million in bonds for a new middle school and other projects, minutes show.
- Thu. 10/15
University of Illinois dance professor Cynthia Oliver wins 2026 Knight Choreography Prize
The national prize brings Oliver $30,000 in unrestricted cash and $20,000 in program support over two years.
- Thu. 10/15
Parkland College trustees take up audit, tax levy estimate ahead of November vote
Parkland's board agenda for Oct. 14 listed acceptance of the FY2026 audit and a Truth in Taxation levy estimate before the levy is adopted at the Nov. 18 meeting.
- Wed. 10/14
Parkland Theatre opens 'Winnie the Pooh' Thursday; free kids' dental session Friday
Family-rated performances run Oct. 15-25 at the Second Stage Theatre, with $10 tickets. The Dental Hygiene Clinic offers a free children's session by appointment Oct. 16.
- Wed. 10/14
Unit 4 on fall break through Oct. 16; Jefferson Middle School tour Saturday
Building tours ahead of the Nov. 3 facilities referendum continue. Kenwood's playground community build is set for Oct. 30 through Nov. 1.
- Wed. 10/14
Unit 4 and support staff union reach tentative contract; members vote Oct. 21
The agreement covers wages, benefits, leave and working conditions, the superintendent's newsletter says. It still needs ratification and a School Board vote.
- Wed. 10/14
Illinois dance professor Cynthia Oliver wins 2026 Knight Choreography Prize
The prize carries $30,000 in cash and $20,000 in program support over two years.
- Wed. 10/14
Parkland College trustees vote on FY2026 audit and $7.66 million in grants tonight
Trustees also will hear estimates for the college's 2026 tax levy before the final levy comes to the board in November.
- Fri. 10/09
Illinois-led study uses machine learning to read 25,000 years of grass pollen
Researchers found grass diversity on Mount Kenya dropped sharply in the coldest stretch of the last ice age.
- Fri. 10/09
Parkland's Staerkel Planetarium offers two Spanish-language shows Oct. 17
A Sesame Street sky show starts at 3:30 p.m.; a search for a new Earth follows at 4:30. Tickets are $4.
- Fri. 10/09
Unit 4 offers referendum building tour Saturday at Franklin; $192 million question is on the Nov. 3 ballot
The district says the plan would keep debt-service taxes about level. Fall break runs Oct. 12-16.
- Thu. 10/08
Illinois English professor's new book takes aim at AI hype by listening to the researchers
John Gallagher interviewed more than 100 AI and machine-learning experts for the book.
- Thu. 10/08
Parkland manufacturing pre-apprenticeship for ages 16-24 starts Oct. 19
Students get hands-on work in welding, electrical and pneumatics; spots are limited.
- Thu. 10/08
Bird flu on an Illinois farm spread to a cat and wild rats, Illinois researchers find
"The cat was expected, but the rat is the surprise," a veterinary researcher said.
- Thu. 10/08
Illinois chemist Xiaotang Lu wins NIH Director's New Innovator Award
The award supports high-risk, high-reward research for up to five years.
- Wed. 10/07
University Archives exhibit marks 150 years of the Morrow Plots
The show in Room 220 of the Main Library runs through October.