Author: Joe Mason

A: Market Place Mall in Champaign will open at 7 a.m., and large retailers such as best buy Walmart and Kohl’s all plan to open at 5 a.m. on the day after Thanksgiving. But the big-box stores are also promoting sales throughout the month in an effort to avoid the large crowds typically associated with Black Friday and to boost sales when customers are expected to spend less this holiday seasons. Kohl’s is advertising “too great to wait” Black Friday deals that began Friday, Walmart has “Black Friday Deals for Days” that began this week, and best buy’s Black Friday ad was released…

We’re getting closer to a possible COVID-19 vaccine. A few of them are being tested right now, but one is looking very promising. It was developed by Pfizer Experts there say it looks about 90% effective. It requires two doses. So you’d get one shot and then wait a bit before the second. That second one is considered a “Booster,” but while this progress is good, experts say we’re still months away from everyone getting access. “We’ve never done anything like this with this speed and this scale,” says U of I’s Biochemistry Professor Christopher Brooke. “Many of these candidates, including…

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, health departments are tracking down more people who could have been exposed to the virus. That means they need contact tracers. A handful of health departments across the area are hiring for the position, and in some departments, other jobs related to contact tracing. If you are interested, click on one of the counties.

COVID-19 is surging across Illinois, and Champaign County is no exception.  On Saturday, the Illinois Department of Public Health reported another 12,428 cases of COVID-19, the highest single-day total on record. Illinois broke its record of single-day cases three days in a row. The previous day, the U.S. set its own single-day record with 132,797 cases of COVID-19 found in a single day. Saturday was a close second, with 126,156 new cases of COVID-19. Every single region in Illinois has moved back to Phase 3 of the reopening plan, with indoor dining banned and gatherings further restricted.  On campus, virus…

A Georgia man was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for defrauding the University of Illinois. In a news release, officials said U.S. District Judge Colin S. Bruce sentenced 35-year-old Eric Marcel Mboule for his role in the scheme. He and other people had defrauded the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign out of more than $265,000, officials said. “In 2016, Mboule along with Patrick Guentangue and others executed a fraudulent scheme to deceive University of Illinois officials into believing that a building contractor working at the U of I had changed banking information in advance of the contractor receiving the…

An Illinois teaching assistant was sentenced to four years probation last week for sexually abusing a teenage student of hers, according to reports. Allysa Gustafson pleaded guilty in September to one count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse after admitting that she engaged in a sex act with a 14-year-old boy who was her student at Circle Academy in Urbana, according to News Gazette. In exchange for her plea, Assistant District Attorney Kristin Alferink dismissed a more serious count of criminal sexual assault. Gustafson and the teen had allegedly had several sexual encounters between May and August 2019, the outlet reported. Gustafson…

For the fourth time this week, Illinois set a single-day record for most new COVID-19 cases — 12,438. Saturday’s total broke the previous pandemic high — set 24 hours earlier — by 2,062 cases. A look at the week’s totals, with new records marked with asterisks: Saturday: 98,418 tests, 12,428 cases* Friday: 98,401 tests, 10,376 cases* Thursday: 86,015 tests, 9,935 cases* Wednesday: 71,857 tests, 7,538  cases Tuesday: 82,435 tests, 6,516 cases Monday: 68,118 tests,  9,810 cases* Sunday: 78,458 tests, 6,980 cases The statewide seven-day positivity rate, which stood at 7.5 percent at this time last week, is now 10.3 percent. REGION 6: Seven-day rate holds at 10.2 percent Six days after additional…

If you’re experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and want to know in a big hurry if you’re infected, there’s a new option available for rapid testing in Champaign and Vermilion counties. OSF HealthCare launched rapid testing at four of its Urgo urgent-care centers in Champaign-Urbana and Danville about two weeks ago, according to Molly Barnes, director of operations for the Urgo centers. While OSF hasn’t promoted that it’s making rapid testing available, there has been an upswing in patients coming in and asking for it, Barnes said. “I think it’s more word of mouth,” she said. The form of rapid testing…

A local community organization announced they have made a new free food pantry available. The group HitnHomeboy collaborated with Bethel AME Church to place a small cabinet filled with food in the church’s back lot, located at 401 E. Park St. in Champaign. The food pantry is available to anyone in need. This is the now the second food pantry this group has placed around the city. The first pantry is located at the Champaign city building and was in the news back in October when it was vandalized.

As COVID-19 cases in the area have continued to surge, the wait time for results from tests performed at the state-sponsored drive-thru site at Market Place Mall has doubled. Earlier in the fall, the average wait time to get results from tests done at the mall site was about two days. Now it’s about four, according to Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Administrator Julie Pryde. The reason for the longer wait is increasing cases — and it’s “too long,” she said. The longer the wait for test results, the longer potentially infected people could still be out in public spreading the…

Police said a U of I student had gifts taken from her mail at a university residence hall. UIPD officers stated cash and a gift card were taken. The student told police her family mailed her the gifts, but when she went to check her mail at Wassaja Hall, the envelopes appeared to have already been opened. The gifts were in a secure mailbox in the lobby of the resident hall.

The Illinois Fighting Illini were walloped 41-14 by Minnesota on Saturday in Champaign. And there was one drive that really, really summarized things for the Illinois offense. Trailing 28-7 in the third quarter, Lovie Smith’s squad had 1st-and-goal at the Minnesota 10-yard line. Fighting Illini quarterback Cordan Taylor ran for no gain. On 2nd-and-goal, Illinois was called for tripping, which is a 15-yard personal foul. That moved the ball back to the 25-yard line. So it was still 2nd-and-goal, and then Taylor fumbled the ball all the way back to the 48-yard line for a loss for 23 yards. On…

If you’re experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and want to know in a big hurry if you’re infected, there’s a new option available for rapid testing in Champaign and Vermilion counties. OSF HealthCare launched rapid testing at four of its Urgo urgent-care centers in Champaign-Urbana and Danville about two weeks ago, according to Molly Barnes, director of operations for the Urgo centers. While OSF hasn’t promoted that it’s making rapid testing available, there has been an upswing in patients coming in and asking for it, Barnes said. “I think it’s more word of mouth,” she said. The form of rapid testing…

The deputy director of the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) said the recent positive cases in schools throughout Champaign County were expected. “In situations when there are others around them, there is always a possibility of a case here and there,” Awais Vaid said. Five students and three staff members in the Unit 4 School District tested positive over the course of its first week back to in-person learning. Two schools in the Rantoul City School District have turned to remote learning after COVID-19 issues. Six teachers tested positive at the Rantoul Township High School, which led to even more…

A shooting at an Urbana Circle K left one person wounded. Police said they responded Friday night to the Circle K and Bradley Avenue and Lincoln Avenue for a report of shots fired. The found a man wounded at the store. He went to a hospital and is expected to be OK. His wound is not life-threatening. A K-9 unit responded to the scene. Police are continuing to investigate late Friday.

It won’t be long before kids will be telling Santa Claus what they want for Christmas. Some malls will be taking reservations for you to meet St. Nick. Starting November 27, Santa will be at both the White Oaks Mall in Springfield and the Market Place Mall in Champaign. Paid reservations will be required. Those reservations include photo packages. Walkups may be possible throughout the day, but priority will be given to those who registered. Market Place will also be offering virtual visits with Santa through JingleRing. You will also need a paid reservation for that. In Forsyth, there are no reservations required to…

The coronavirus pandemic has forced so many students and parents to work from home. That has created a real problem for people who don’t have access to the Internet. Pastor Willie Comer is offering some help. For the past three weeks, the pastor and members of Berean Covenant Church have been taking a bus into neighborhoods in Champaign and Urbana to help students access Wi-Fi. The bus is parked in a neighborhood. Then students are able to access the Internet from their front porches or even inside their homes for free. So far, they have taken it to places such…

The use of contact tracers by public-health agencies to help control the spread of infectious diseases isn’t new. But COVID-19 has created an urgent need for many more people to do the job. As of late July, the American Medical Association called for at least 100,000 additional contact tracers in the U.S. as states continued to lift restrictions intended to control the spread of coronavirus. Part of the job of contact tracing is to interview by phone people who have tested positive for COVID-19, then call the people with whom they’ve been in close contact and deliver the news nobody…

A shooting at an Urbana Circle K left one person wounded. Police said they responded Friday night to the Circle K and Bradley Avenue and Lincoln Avenue for a report of shots fired. The found a man wounded at the store. He went to a hospital and is expected to be OK. His wound is not life-threatening. A K-9 unit responded to the scene. Police are continuing to investigate late Friday.

wo staff members at the Eastern Illinois Foodbank have tested positive for COVID-19. President and CEO at Eastern Illinois Foodbank Jim Hires says they learned of the results on Wednesday. The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is currently conducting contact tracing.