Abigail Bottar

It's been almost one year since algal blooms overwhelmed Mattoon's water system, prompting city officials to declare do-not-drink orders for five days.

Rising concerns over water, energy and noise have state and local lawmakers rushing to catch up as they offer proposals to regulate date centers.

Rising concerns over water, energy and noise have state and local lawmakers rushing to catch up as they offer proposals to regulate date centers.

An EF2 tornado forms in Charleston, Illinois, on June 17, 2026. Illinois leads the nation in tornadoes in 2026.

The majority of tornadoes this year have blasted through states in the Midwest and Southeast, including Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and Iowa. Tornado activity has been increasing east of the Great Plains in recent decades.

URBANA – State Rep. Carol Ammons and her husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, pleaded not guilty to a combined 11 counts of wire fraud and obstruction of justice Thursday morning.

The U.S. has had a busy tornado season so far, and the majority of the storms are blasting through the Midwest, east of what's traditionally thought of as Tornado Alley.

The U.S. has had a busy tornado season so far, and the majority of the storms are blasting through the Midwest, east of what's traditionally thought of as Tornado Alley.

Champaign officials have signed an agreement with Homefield Energy to be the city's new energy supplier.

The group – called Resist AI Data Centers in Champaign County – was launched last month to push against data center development in the county.