Champaign Fire Dept. responds to downtown fire
The fire was reported around 10:48 a.m. around 210 South Market Street. WCIA's weather camera in the downtown area recorded firefighters around the structure with light smoke coming from it.
Jewish community addresses Champaign city councilman after swastika post
Randy Smith, the Public Information Office for the Champaign Fire Department, told a WCIA reporter that a passerby reported a fire in the single-story commercial building. Once on the scene, firefighters found some materials had caught on fire; Smith couldn't say what the materials were. Using a single hose line, firefighters had the flames extinguished within five minutes.
The cause is unknown at this time and investigators are still on the scene. No one was hurt.
This is a developing story. We will share updates as we learn more.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pennsylvania ranked top ten ‘most religious states' in new study
PENNSYLVANIA (WTAJ) — With more than two-thirds of adults being religiously affiliated nationally, a new study shows that Pennsylvania ranks within the top ten of 'most religious states.' The study, conducted by SmileHub, compared all 50 states based on 13 key metrics. The data set ranges from the number of faith and religious support charities per capita to the share of people who pray at least daily. The report also focused on three key dimensions: religious interest and places of worship, religious education and careers and religion-affiliated organizations. Pennsylvania ranked overall in spot 10, with a total score of 52.16. In the aforementioned categories, the Commonwealth ranked: Religious interest and places of worship: 24 Religious education and careers: 10 Religion-affiliated organizations: 7 The top nine spots were secured by Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Texas, North Carolina, Mississippi, Indiana and Georgia, respectively. New Hampshire was ranked last, with Maine ranking in 49 and Vermont ranking 48th. Pennsylvania residents predominantly identify as Christians, with 62% of residents reporting they practice the religion from 2023-2024. Other religions reported in the Commonwealth include Jewish (2%), Muslim (1%) and Buddhist (less than 1%). 30% of Pennsylvanians reported being religiously unaffiliated, with 20% identifying as 'nothing in particular,' 5% identifying as Atheist and 5% identifying as Agnostic. Interestingly, in 2014, 73% of Pennsylvania residents identified as Christians, with an even higher number of 82% being logged in 2007. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
My Work Disrespected Me During a Religious Holiday. I Held My Tongue, But I'm Mad.
Good Job is Slate's advice column on work. Have a workplace problem big or small? Send it to Laura Helmuth and Doree Shafrir here. (It's anonymous!) Dear Good Job, I work in an office. A few months ago, something happened that I can't seem to get over. We had an all-hands meeting in person with some sensitivity training for everyone. It was pretty bog-standard HR generated stuff, reminding you not to openly discriminate against people in ways that could get the company sued. That's all well and good I suppose, but the meeting did have some food provided, a variety of dishes from around the world which was supposed to showcase outreach or something. The training was held during Passover and I am Jewish, meaning I had a pretty restricted set of things I was religiously allowed to eat at that moment. Before taking anything on offer, I asked the two ladies running the workshop whether or not anything there was pesadik. They did not even know what that meant, so I figured that nothing was and declined to eat anything. That led to me being lectured, in front of my coworkers, for my 'insularity' and how this is how that sort of xenophobia they were just warning against gets started. I am aware of the irony, and also quite upset with how this turned out. My immediate, emotional response was to complain to either my boss, HR, or both. But a louder part of me said that the overall economy isn't good and that I might just be putting a target on my back by complaining about it. But it's been months now, and I keep thinking about it. Should I have complained? And if so, is it too late to say anything? —Insensitivity Training Dear Insensitivity Training, Oh yes, the irony of being lectured for 'insularity' during an anti-discrimination workshop is just too rich. Are people truly this un-self-aware? I have to believe that something about your request made them feel defensive so this was their response, but yeesh. I'm with you that their reaction was completely inappropriate, and I don't think it's too late to say anything. One approach, since you're mindful of not wanting a target on your back and you don't want to come across like you've been stewing over this for months, would be to wait until the month or so before Passover and then send a note to your boss and/or HR reminding them that Passover is approaching, and because you'd like to avoid the misunderstanding that happened last year, this is what you can and cannot eat during the holiday. Which brings me to my next point. I'm truly not trying to blame the victim here (to be clear, you are the victim!), but as a fellow Jew, I try not to assume that anyone has knowledge of Jewish traditions. You say you 'asked the two ladies running the workshop if anything was pesadik,' aka kosher for Passover, aka made without wheat, barley, oats, rye, and spelt. But I think it may have been unrealistic to expect that they knew what 'pesadik' meant (which, for what it's worth, is a term I haven't heard most Reform Jews use either). You wrote 'They did not even know what that meant' and so you didn't eat anything, but I think it's worth giving people grace in these moments and explaining what it means. Yes, it's annoying that it's on you to educate people, but next time, I would probably just send an email to the organizers ahead of time, explaining that you observe Passover, it runs for eight days, and during that time you cannot eat anything leavened that is made with these five grains. And if you ever get a similar response as you did during the workshop, please do not wait to bring it up to your boss and/or HR. If the workplace is serious about sensitivity training, then they should be receptive to your feedback. Laura Helmuth and Doree Shafrir want to help you navigate your social dynamics at work. Does your colleague constantly bug you after hours? Has an ill-advised work romance gone awry? Ask us your question here! (It's anonymous!) I am a few months into my first full-time job. It's exacting and rewarding, with multiple pathways for advancement. Our team is almost exclusively women who have seamlessly incorporated me into their community. I also really liked my cubicle partner—well, my former cubicle partner. Last week I realized that my department may not have extended the same welcome to everyone. One evening I got a terse email that it was my cubicle partner's last day— his desk had already been completely cleared out by the time I got to work the next morning. Then during our department meeting, the boss shared a long 'team-building' PowerPoint that emphasized how no work environments were inherently toxic, that pre-conceived negative attitudes can turn imagined slights into reality, and that the best way to resolve interpersonal conflicts was to speak one on one with the other person and only elevate to management in dire circumstances. We were also told not to gossip, so clearly asking for details is inappropriate, but I have a sinking feeling that I know why an otherwise close-knit, largely white and female department had to sit through that presentation. My former cubicle partner (who quit? Was fired?) had been the third most recent hire, but was the only Black man (indeed the only Black person) in the entire company. I have belatedly realized that I was the only person who ever chatted or ate lunch with him and realized that my other colleagues only mentioned him in unflattering contexts (e.g. he was out-of-touch for bringing up that he enjoyed nonfiction books when several people had just been talking about the romance novels they were reading, that pretentious for sharing that he enjoyed visiting art museums on his days off). His unceremonious disappearance from the office, combined with the weirdly pointed presentation and my coworkers' seemingly collective agreement to pretend he never existed, is raising my hackles. In comparison, two white women with less than two years experience also recently left the company, but were each celebrated with cupcakes at lunch and drinks after work. I have polled some friends who have been working longer in similar fields and they agree that the weird PowerPoint was likely the HR response to a scathing exit interview from my now ex-colleague. I realize that I am not privy to any more information, and that maybe this guy said or did something horrible before I was hired that elicited a chilly attitude from literally everyone (but was not egregious enough to get him fired on the spot). What is the best way forward given that the details are seemingly confidential? Without any more context, I am now suspicious that my coworkers are racist and/or sexist and that my bosses are unwilling to resolve conflicts, whereas just two weeks ago I thought I'd scored a jackpot in terms of a first job. —Suddenly Dubious Dear Suddenly Dubious, Your company's reaction to the departure of this colleague is bizarre! And anyone with any awareness of human nature should know that if you tell people not to gossip about something, that will be the first thing they want to gossip about! So I completely understand where you're coming from in wanting to know what happened, and I also appreciate that you are sensitive to the racial and gender dynamics at play here. That said, I think that you have to let this particular situation go and just try to do your job well. As you pointed out, something may have happened with this guy that led to him being fired that you were not aware of. And I hate to sound like a wizened old crone, but this is going to be just the first of many jobs you'll have over the course of your life where people get fired or quit for reasons that you are not looped in on. Most workplaces have their problems! I also don't think it's necessarily fair to assume that your coworkers are racist and/or sexist, but it's certainly something to keep an eye on, and if you feel like your workplace has turned toxic for you, maybe it's time to look for a new job. —Doree My husband and I were married seven years before he unexpectedly died. He was from overseas and told me he didn't have much in the way of family since his parents died. He lied. When I finally mustered up enough courage to go through his old boxes, I found photos, letters, and documents. My husband had been married and then divorced in his home country. Worse, there were pictures of him with his five children. The man that I loved, that was trying to build a family with, left his five young kids behind without a look back. He never breathed a word about them to me. He certainly never financially supported them. The entire foundations of my world have been shaken. Is it wrong to go looking for his family? Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Teen Wants to Keep Late Dad's Last Name After Mom's New Marriage, but She Says It Sends the Wrong Message
A teen wants to keep his late father's name, but his mom and stepdad say his refusal to adopt their hyphenated last name is hurtful NEED TO KNOW A 16-year-old refuses to adopt his blended family's hyphenated last name His mom and stepdad believe his choice shows rejection toward their family The teen, however, says he wants to honor his late father by keeping the original name A teenager turns to the Reddit community for advice following ongoing tension in his blended family over his last name. The 16-year-old, who shares his story on the popular platform, reveals that he's the only member of his household who doesn't use the family's hyphenated name — and he doesn't plan to start anytime soon. 'My mom has asked me about 5 times since she remarried to change my last name but I still say no," he writes, noting that he only uses his dad's last name, "Doe," rather than the new one combining the two households, "Jones-Smith." His resistance to adopting the hyphenated name has caused strain with his mother and stepfather, especially since everyone else in the house — including his half and stepsiblings — embraces the combined identity. Giving more context, the teen noted that his parents split when he was a toddler and his dad died when he was 7. His mom remarried when he was 11, bringing her new husband and his three kids into the picture, who mostly stay with them rather than their biological mother. The last name issue came to a head shortly after the marriage, when his mom chose to keep her surname to match her younger children. 'Instead they hyphenated both and some of the kids changed theirs too,' he writes. 'The others didn't but they use the family name anyway.' While the poster didn't want to change their last name, they offered to make the hyphenated option their "middle name," but their mom still wasn't satisfied. 'She said she didn't like me being the only person not connected in and rejecting the family name,' he writes. 'She told me that she knows I don't really like her husband… but he's a good guy and a better dad than my half siblings dads.' The teen, however, stands firm in honoring the name he shares with his late father. 'I told her I was good and I wanted to keep using my name,' he writes, noting that his father was also a good man and was in his life "until he died.' Things escalated during a family outing when they attended a workshop and were asked to create "family crests." He made one for his last name while everyone else did one for the hyphenated name. His stepfather told him that he "should've done one" for the family name, too, because "it was a family experience." When his mom asked if he "wanted to go back and do another one," he declined. That night, tensions boiled over. His mother and her husband confronted him again about his choice to stick with his dad's last name. 'They told me I don't need to be so rigid about the name and that never using it just makes it look like I hate all of them,' he shares. According to the teen, things got more intense when his mother reminded him she could have legally changed his name without his input. 'Mom told me she could have changed my name without my permission but she tried to work with me and I spat in her face right back,' he says. 'I told her I could just change it back eventually if she had done that.' That response didn't sit well with them. 'They looked upset that I said it but it's true,' he continues, noting that they insisted his choosing the other last name was a "bad" thing. Regardless, many commenters sided with the teen, pointing out that it's his name and his choice. One Redditor wrote, 'NTA, it's your name, apart from the legacy of your father who you've loved and who has loved you from your words, it's also a huge hassle to change the name on all official documents and stuff like that.' The original poster adds that he's also heard how legally "risky" name changes can be in general. 'I've also heard it's really risky now to change your name multiple times,' he writes. 'And I would always change it back eventually if mom had mine changed against my wishes.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. He finishes his post by standing his ground and questioning the emotional weight others have placed on a name he never wanted. 'I'm not sure what it is that makes it such a risk/pain,' he says. 'But I see people talking about it and warning women getting married to keep their own names because of legal issues with changing them.' With his family pushing for unity through a shared name, the teen turns to Reddit simply asking: 'AITA for never using the family last name and only using mine.' Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
