Illinois Public Media News

For one east Urbana neighborhood, the Christmas season means more than time with family and exchanging gifts. There’s also a sense of pride up and down the street when it comes to showing off holiday spirit on the front lawn, the porch - and maybe even the roof. Candlestick Lane started in 1963, brought on by a utility company's decorating contest, and is still a local attraction 53 years later.

Former University of Illinois Urbana Chancellor Phyllis Wise, who has been a professor in the Department of Moecular and Integrative Physiology in past year, is reportedly leaving the campus to take a leadership position with the Colorado Longitudinal Study, a biotechnology reserach project. 

The largest college on the University of Illinois Urbana campus will have a new dean, as of January First.

The university announced Thursday that associate dean Feng Sheng Hu had been named the new permanent dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, pending approval by trustees.

On this encore edition of The 21st: With the holidays just around the corner, we talked about traveling with young children. Then, we discussed the impact that climate change could have on the geese that migrate to southern Illinois. Plus, we learned about how to improve communication with our dogs.

Illinois Public Media's Brian Moline spoke with Lisa Micele, college and careers counselor at University Laboratory High School in Urbana, about current and next steps for students and their families going through the college admission process.