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

DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) -- After hundreds of man hours, work on a Decatur fence mural is complete. The Beautify Decatur Coalition announced on Facebook Thursday afternoon it has completed the white, yellow and green fence mural. Image from Beautify Decatur Coalition via Facebook Pride community decoration hung on Urbana fence The Coalition thanked the volunteers and project manager Marvin Sowers in the post. The fence is located on 22nd Street ..read more

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) -- In less than 48 hours, Democrats introduced, passed and signed an election reform package that could directly affect who makes it on the ballot this November. State Democrats fast-tracked a bill that changes the rules on how candidates can get on the ballot for the November election. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed the bill Friday morning amid protests from Republicans and even some members in his own party. The bill ends a process called slating, which allows county party chairs to add someone to the ballot for a general election, even if they didn't run in the prima ..read more

MACON, Ill. (WCIA) -- The Macon Speedway is set to reopen later this month under its third owner in the last 18 months. The racetrack was sold in November of 2022 by Bob Sargent, who owned it for 37 years. Longtime race official Chris Kearns bought it, but after just one year, Kearns placed the track up for sale again. Now, the racetrack is under the ownership of Eric Turner, Kenny Brown and their families ..read more