News across Greater Champaign
TODAY IN HISTORY
Today is Wednesday, Sept. 23, the 266th day of 2026. There are 99 days left in the year. Today in history: On Sept. 23, 1952, Republican Sen. Richard M. Nixon of California salvaged his vice presidential nomination by appearing on TV from Los Angeles to refute allegations of…
PBL’s budget shows nearly $1M deficit
PAXTON — Following a public hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 16, the Paxton Buckley-Loda school board voted unanimously to approve the school district’s budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year, showing a projected deficit of nearly $1 million. The $986,433 in red ink is up from a negative…
Community Resource Fair to connect Ford County residents with local services
PAXTON — Community members will once again have the opportunity to connect with local social service agencies and learn about resources available throughout Ford County at this year’s Community Resource Fair. The 2025 Community Resource Fair provided visitors with information…
GCMS volleyball loses 25-15, 25-16 to Tremont
TREMONT – The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley varsity volleyball team lost 25-15, 25-16 to Tremont on Tuesday. Bailey Bunting had seven kills and two blocks for GCMS while Londyn Roderick had nine assists and Brecke Barnard and Maci Lindelof had six and five digs, respectively. Tremont…
GCMS MS baseball wins 10-1 over Iroquois West in regional semifinals
BISMARCK – The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Middle School baseball team won 10-1 over Iroquois West in the IESA Class 2A regional semifinals on Tuesday. Kellan Porter hit 2-for-2 with two runs scored while Liam Hornstein hit 2-for-4 with a run scored and Duncan White hit 2-for-3.…
GCMS girls golf finishes third in HOIC tournament; Falcon boys golfer Rylan Urrutia ties for first place
EL PASO – The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley girls golf team finished third in the Heart of Illinois Conference Tournament. The Falcons finished with a score of 447 to place third among seven full teams. Tri-Valley (378) won the tournament while Heyworth (442) finished second. Lilyan…
Rantoul/PBL boys golfer Lucas Rodeen earns all-conference medal
MAHOMET – Lucas Rodeen of the Rantoul/Paxton-Buckley-Loda boys golf team earned an all-conference medal at the Illini Prairie Conference Meet on Tuesday. Rodeen tied for sixth with a score of 82. Avery Busboom finished 18th with a score of 87 for Rantoul/PBL, followed by Tucker…
Review | Lizzy McAlpine embraces growth, hope on ‘Angel’
Rating: 7/10 Lizzy McAlpine released her fourth studio album, “Angel,” Friday, after announcing it on Instagram on July 20. “Angel” is a testament to McAlpine’s musicality. She finds ways to strike the emotions she feels and wants the audience to connect with, like sadness and…
Bielema speaks on roster budget discrepancy
Pay to win is no longer a phrase that applies only to video games. Last week, David Ubben, a reporter for The Athletic, released a story about how much each Power Four college football program spent on its roster. The Ohio State topped the Big Ten, spending approximately $49-54…
UI researchers find hazardous heavy metals in used vaping devices
Two researchers at the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center, John W. Scott and Maya Dabrowski, co-authored a study earlier this year that found significant amounts of heavy metals in disposable electronic cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes, also known as vaping devices, work by…
The Keep marks a new reign of house shows
With a collapsed deck and about 380 people to manage, The Keep’s first show on Sept. 4 was off to a stressful but exciting start, according to its showrunners. They said the show raised over $800 for Engineers Without Borders. The Keep is run by five friends, two of whom are…
The Bread Company and Espresso Royale to remain open amid closures
The Bread Company announced Sept. 10 in an Instagram post that they will remain open despite closures of surrounding businesses. “We will NOT be closing,” The Bread Company wrote in the post. “Looking forward to seeing what’s next for our block and as hard as it is to change,…