News across Greater Champaign
West Nevada packs a punch, plays with heart
Under the porchlight of The Treehouse, West Nevada spoke with The Daily Illini about how it came to be. What initially started as a few small-town musicians seeking community has since grown into a band with its own place in Urbana’s local music scene. West Nevada includes Ray…
Rantoul/PBL soccer wins 4-2 over Fisher/GCMS
FISHER – The Rantoul/Paxton-Buckley-Loda soccer team rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Fisher/Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 4-2 on Thursday. “I feel like I did a good job of motivating them (at halftime),” Rantoul/PBL head coach Samuel Casco said. “I told them the past is the…
PBL JH baseball wins 12-0 over Champaign Jefferson in first round of regionals
PAXTON – The Paxton-Buckley-Loda Junior High School baseball team won 12-0 over Champaign Jefferson in the first round of the IESA Class 3A regionals on Thursday. Timber Withers tossed a one-hit shutout through the four-inning contest, striking out eight batters and walking four.…
Photo gallery: Rantoul/PBL at Fisher/GCMS soccer (Sept. 17, 2026)
Here are some sights from Thursday’s match, which Rantoul/PBL won 4-2 … The post Photo gallery: Rantoul/PBL at Fisher/GCMS soccer (Sept. 17, 2026) first appeared on Ford County Chronicle .
Cultura Pesá strums the sounds of Puerto Rico at KCPA
As Hispanic Heritage Month kicks off, the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts opened its doors Wednesday evening for a celebration of Puerto Rican culture. Cultura Pesá took to Stage 5 as part of the campus-wide celebration, “Celebrating Latin America & the Caribbean” for…
PBL school district projecting deficit of nearly $1M
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…
CU-made thriller ‘Dark Soul River’ to premiere at Virginia Theatre
On Saturday, thrills, psychology and theology will be brought together at the Virginia Theatre for the premiere of “Dark Soul River,” a directorial debut from Vijay M. Rajan made in collaboration with Rantoul’s Flyover Film Studios. The film centers around the Kaw Valley Killer,…
Enrollment rises at PBL, reversing downward trend
PAXTON — The Paxton-Buckley Loda school district’s student enrollment was up slightly to start the 2026-27 school year. As of the sixth day of classes, there were 1,233 students enrolled in the district’s three schools — up by six from the sixth-day enrollment total from a year…
Resident: Retention basin on PBL property overflowing during heavy rains, flooding neighborhood
PAXTON — A woman who lives near Paxton-Buckley-Loda Junior High School told school board members on Wednesday, Sept. 16, that a retention basin north of the school has been overflowing during heavy rains, repeatedly flooding her property and others in her neighborhood. Catherine…
Illini best Panthers 3-1 in battle of Interstate 57
Illinois (6-3) took care of business Wednesday, beating Eastern Illinois (1-8) in four sets at McAfee Gym in nearby Charleston, Illinois. It may not have been an A+ showing for the Illini, who lost the second set, but they bounced back in the closing two sets of the match.…
To protect students, PBL schools to require ID from visitors, mandated reporter training for subs, volunteers
PAXTON — To protect the safety of its students, the Paxton-Buckley-Loda school district will begin requiring all substitute teachers and volunteers to complete mandated-reporter training for the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services and all visitors to provide…
Column | Illinois’ Big Ten games to look forward to
Illinois just released its conference schedule for the 2026-27 season. In 18 games, Illinois will play every Big Ten team once, with only Northwestern having two matchups. The Big Ten made its mark last season at the NCAA tournament, with 12 teams making the cut. Illinois…