News across Greater Champaign

Column | 3 predictions for Illinois vs. Purdue
After a loss to open Big Ten play, Illinois (2-2, 0-1) parted ways with its defensive coordinator, Bobby Hauck. The Illini have a big test Saturday against the Purdue Boilermakers (1-3, 0-1) and a lot to prove. The defense is the obvious candidate for scrutiny. The Illini are No.…

GCMS eighth-grade girls basketball starts 3-0
GIBSON CITY – The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley eighth-grade girls basketball team started its 2026 season with a 3-0 record. The Falcons won 46-5 over Watseka Glenn Raymond on Thursday as Karsyn Harden had 16 points and Hartley Phillips and Brooklyn Johnson each had eight points.…

PBL volleyball wins 25-20, 25-22 over Rantoul
RANTOUL – The Paxton-Buckley-Loda varsity volleyball team won 25-20, 25-22 over Rantoul on Thursday. Ellie Dirks had 15 kills while Kylie Rust had 11 assists, Josie Kaufmann had seven digs and Logan Loschen had four aces. Meredith Foster and Morgan Goss each had two blocks. The…

GCMS volleyball wins 25-18, 25-22 over Lexington
LEXINGTON – The Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley varsity volleyball team won 25-18, 25-22 over Lexington on Thursday. Josie Kleist and Bailey Bunting each had six kills while Maci Lindelof had five kills, six aces and nine digs. Londyn Roderick had 16 assists while Payton Alley had four…

Rantoul/PBL soccer wins 4-1 over St. Joseph-Ogden
RANTOUL – The Rantoul/Paxton-Buckley-Loda soccer team won 4-1 over St. Joseph-Ogden on Tuesday. “It was a hard-fought win,” Rantoul/PBL head coach Samuel Casco said. “Hopefully, we’re getting back to playing good football.” The Eagles (9-7-2) went on a three-goal run in the…

Photo gallery: Rantoul/PBL soccer vs. St. Joseph-Ogden
Here are some sights from Thursday’s match, which Rantoul/PBL won 4-1 … The post Photo gallery: Rantoul/PBL soccer vs. St. Joseph-Ogden first appeared on Ford County Chronicle .

Opening weekend reveals promise, room for Illini to grow
Illinois (2-1-0-1, 3pts.) and Michigan State (6-3-3-0, 6pts.) traded results in a whirlwind two-game set at the University of Illinois Ice Arena this past weekend. Illinois fell 5-4 on Friday but bounced back with an 8-1 win on Saturday. Friday’s game marked the Illini’s season…

PBL volleyball loses in three sets to Westville
PAXTON – The Paxton-Buckley-Loda varsity volleyball team lost 25-14, 17-25, 25-17 to Westville on Wednesday. With the win, Westville improved to 18-4 while PBL fell to 10-12. “Westville is a pretty good team, and they came to play tonight,” PBL head coach Tyler Rubarts said.…

Photo gallery: PBL volleyball vs. Westville (Sept. 30, 2026)
Here are some sights from Wednesday’s junior varsity and varsity matches, both of which ended in three-set victories for Westville … The post Photo gallery: PBL volleyball vs. Westville (Sept. 30, 2026) first appeared on Ford County Chronicle .

GCMS boys golfer Dayne White advances to sectionals
BLOOMINGTON – Dayne White of the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley boys golf team earned a berth in the IHSA Class 1A sectional round. White finished ninth overall with a score of 77 at the Tri-Valley Regional on Wednesday. He will compete in the Monticello Sectional on Monday at the…

GCMS grad wins rodeo championship
DANVILLE — Layne Harden, a 2019 Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley High School graduate, was the overall Reserve Champion of the Hangin’ on Tight 2026 Rodeo Series. The season started on the weekend of April 17-18 and concluded with the finals on Sept. 25-26 at Palmer Arena in Danville.…

UI student launches social media app
A University student recently developed and launched a social networking app, kwyd: plans with close friends. First made publicly available in August, the app seeks to create a space where friends can spontaneously meet up and create memories. Adam Wittwer, junior in LAS and…