WILL-AM

News Local/State

Two small towns in rural Illinois recently lost their Walmart stores -- more than three decades after the retail giant came in and pushed out mom and pop shops. Now, the communities have lost convenience as well as major property and sales tax revenue. Some see it as an opportunity to revitalize main street, while others are not so optimistic.

News Local/State

A former University of Illinois administrator—who campus investigators say sexually harassed students—has been placed on paid administrative leave from his current job at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.

News Local/State

Champaign County is the site of several proposed solar panel installations, but only one of them would go up on a landfill site. That could happen, under a lease agreement approved by the Urbana City Council at their meeting Monday night. 

News Local/State

The Farm Bill, which awaits action from President Trump, would legalize the production and sale of industrial hemp. A research program is underway at Southern Illinois University to get answers to questions farmers have about growing industrial hemp, which was legalized in Illinois under state law in August.

News Local/State

On Christmas Day at 1 PM, an army of volunteers will be serving a community dinner at  Champaign's First Christian Church, and you’re invited. This will be the nin th year for the annual dinner, which involves some 200 volunteers and a ham dinner provided by local businesses and other donors.

News Local/State

Come January 14, Illinois will have a new pro-pot-legalization governor and a Democrat-held legislature, leading many to believe the state will legalize recreational cannabis. That’s exciting for some, concerning  for others. 

News Local/State

Documents obtained by Illinois Public Media through an open records request show an administrator at the University of Illinois School of Architecture resigned in August 2017—less than two weeks before campus investigators concluded he sexually harassed students in violation of campus sexual misconduct policies.

News Local/State

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says he tried to get out of his failed re-election campaign.

News Local/State

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Trent Frazier scored 25 points on Saturday to lead Illinois past East Tennessee State 73-55.

News Local/State

Ryan Zinke is out as Secretary of the Interior.