(NEXSTAR) – If a walk in the park catapults you into bouts of sneezing, eye-rubbing and coughing, you're not alone. Allergy season, which came early this year, is still in full swing with most of the nation forecast to have medium to high pollen levels entering the weekend, according to a map by researchers at IQVIA, the the healthcare analytics and research company that runs pollen.com. (Credit: Pollen.com/OpenStreetMap) The 5 U.S. cities with the highest pollen count forecasts were Grand Rapids, Michigan; Muskegon, Michigan; Flint, Michigan; South Bend, Indiana; and Lansing, Michigan. IQVIA ..read more

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) -- The Champaign Park District is back with their summer concert series. The Edison Middle School Band will be performing in Hessel park on Saturday, May 4 at 2 p.m., marking the first concert of the summer. Park district officials say it's great opportunity to support the community ..read more

PAXTON, Ill. (WCIA) -- Some children in Ford County, Loda and Buckley are getting the opportunity to receive free books. The Gibson Area Service Association partnered up with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library to send one free book a month to eligible children ..read more

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) -- The Champaign Unit 4 School District board vacancies are getting closer to being filled. Regional Superintendent Gary Lewis is leading the search to find needed replacements. He enlisted the help of five educators he respects; Assistant Regional Superintendent Donna Kaufman and former Urbana Superintendent Preston Williams being two of them ..read more

ARCOLA, Ill. (WCIA) -- One Central Illinois High School is helping students clear their minds by bringing in pets. The American Heart Association says dogs can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. The LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry was contacted to visit Arcola High School on Friday. It's a program that is free of charge to help with relieving stress for anyone ..read more

CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) -- A truck with screens depicting Israeli hostages has been making its way around college campuses. On Friday, it made a stop at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The truck has screens on the side that display photos and information about antisemitism. One screen on the truck reads "Bring all the hostages home," while others depict photos of hostages in Gaza. So far, the truck has made its way through Milwaukee and Chicago. UIUC Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel announced the arrival of the truck on his Facebook page, saying "Look out! Can you spot the truck on c ..read more

DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) -- A 20-year-old Decatur man is under arrest following a shooting earlier this week that left the victim in critical condition. Lieutenant Scott Rosenbery, Decatur Police Criminal Investigations, said the shooting happened at 2:08 a.m. in the area of Riverside Avenue and Maffit Street. A 21-year-old man had been shot in the head and chest; he was taken to the hospital where he remains in critical condition ..read more

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) -- Two amenities at Spalding Park in Champaign will be closed for the next few days as crews install a safety net to separate them. The net is going up at the skate park and the central baseball field, and both will be closed until May 8. Officials with the Champaign Park District said the net is meant to address safety concerns regarding foul balls from the field entering the skate park ..read more

URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) -- Despite the ongoing encampment on the University of Illinois campus, the university's commencement ceremony is still a go. Questions surrounding commencement have been risen after universities across the country saw pro-Palestine encampments be set up on their campuses, demanding that the universities divest from companies supporting Israel. In one case, the University of Southern California canceled its commencement ..read more

DANVILLE, Ill. (WCIA) -- The Danville Farmer's Market is returning this month with a new location. The Farmers Market will be open every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. from May 11 to Oct. 5. This year, it will take place at the parking lot of DIY Storage Center at 2721 N. Vermilion, next to Planet Fitness. More than 80 vendors will be selling their locally made, grown, baked or cooked food items, as well as frozen beef, pork, chicken and craft items like soaps, candles, lotions and more ..read more