Latest news with #UofI
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Urbana man charged with hate crime on U of I campus following erratic behavior
CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — An Urbana man has been charged with a hate crime that occurred on the University of Illinois campus after a month of erratic behavior. On Wednesday, 39-year-old Tyler Kirkwood was arrested by the University of Illinois Police Department, and the Champaign County State Attorney's Office charged him with a hate crime. It came after an Asian student on U of I's campus claims he was chased and threatened with violence this week. Champaign School Board president responds after tense meeting outing superintendent 'His behaviors have been escalating to the point that he is dangerous,' said Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz Wednesday was the latest, but not the only incident Kirkwood has allegedly caused. Campus police were called for two other outbursts over the last month. Currently, he's being held at the Champaign County Correctional Center. As Rietz explains, all three situations included threats and racial harassment directed towards people on campus. 'It's unfortunate that we are put in the position sometimes of using the criminal justice system to get people the mental health treatment that they need,' Rietz said. That's been the case for Kirkwood. He's had three separate incidents on campus over the last 30-days. The first came on April 30, when witnesses said Kirkwood was yelling threats outside a U of I sorority house. 'He was yelling he was going to burn the house down,' Rietz said. 'And they took him to Carle at that time for an involuntary admission, and he stayed for a few days.' Champaign restaurant asks for help after cameras catch teens damaging property Fast forward to May 15, and officials were called once again after Kirkwood yelled at people on Wright and Green Streets. 'In the course of that conversation, he said specifically that he was upset with foreign students and that he felt they were taking our land,' Rietz said. The third incident happened the afternoon of May 28 on Springfield Avenue in Champaign and involved an Asian student. Rietz said Kirkwood asked the student for money, and that the student said he didn't have any. 'In response to that, Mr. Kirkwood started using racial slurs and threatening him, saying, 'I'm going to crack your head' or 'I should crack your head' and 'get out of this town,'' Rietz said. Rietz also said Kirkwood followed the victim with an object that appeared to be knife or pipe. Police were then called again, and they arrested Kirkwood on campus. He was then taken to the county jail, after Rietz's Office decided his actions met the criteria of a hate crime. 'Alternatives have been tried. Involuntary and voluntary commitment, medication, supports have been tried and his behaviors are escalating,' Rietz said. 'And so, this is what we feel we have to do to protect the public and to protect him.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
U of I researchers discover two new crayfish species, encourage conservation action
CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — University of Illinois researchers studying an invasive species of crayfish recently made a unique discovery — two new species that had long been mistaken for the Signal Crayfish. The Signal Crayfish is invasive and has spread to Europe, Asia and parts of the United States. As U of I researchers studied the Signal Crayfish, they eventually identified two new species — the Okanagan Crayfish and Misfortunate Crayfish — in the Pacific Northwest. How to manage the spread of invasive species in Central Illinois: Eris Larson, study co-author, is an associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, which is part of the College of ACES. 'I think we underestimate how rich the biological world around us can be,' Larson told the Colleges of ACES. 'People are surprised to learn that there are over 600 described species of crayfish globally, and now, there are two more.' Over the years, scientists had investigated 'unusual looking crayfish' by studying their genetics. Larson and his team used a process called 'genome skimming' to compare crayfish lineages. Through the process — along with field sampling and other analysis methods — the Okanagan Crayfish and Misfortunate Crayfish were discovered. 'Most research on the Signal Crayfish focuses on its role as an invasive species,' Larson said. 'I think people would be surprised that within its native environment, we missed that this animal we thought was the Signal Crayfish was actually harboring multiple, undescribed species.' Endangered species found in Sangamon River 120 years after last sighting Larson hopes that this discovery leads to conservation action. The new species may be vulnerable to extinction and displacement, especially from invasive crayfish. A large part of this issue stems from people moving species between different ecosystems. Larson advised against using invasive species for fish bait or aquaculture or dumping them in classroom releases and aquarium dumps. 'There are unexpected consequences when we move crayfish from one place to another,' Larson said. 'Invasive crayfish can't easily be removed, and as they spread, they seem to be replacing these newly described crayfish species.' The Misfortunate Crayfish got its name from this very issue — a species of invasive crayfish is actively taking over its habitat. What invasive species are most concerning for Illinois? 'By the time we discovered the Misfortunate Crayfish, it had already lost much of its native range to the invasive Rusty Crayfish,' Larson said. 'That's what gave us the idea for its name. This animal went unrecognized by science until a fairly unlucky event had happened, and that seemed like a little bit of a misfortune.' Larson hopes this discovery helps to raise awareness for the Okanagan Crayfish and Misfortunate Crayfish and inspires others to protect them. Now, Larson is working on a slightly different mission: to study invasive species and understand the native species that are impacted. You can read more details about the study here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
U of I Board of Trustees to discuss $10M Memorial Stadium Wi-Fi system
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCA) — The U of I board of trustees is discussing the possibility of purchasing a Wi-Fi system for Memorial Stadium. The $10 million project would work to improve the fan experience by giving internet access to people throughout the venue and the tailgating area in Grange Grove. The system would also support stadium operations including tickets, concessions and security. U of I graduation unites people of all majors, backgrounds and ages 2025 graduate Veronica Kucharczyk said it's nearly impossible to call or text anyone as the tailgating area sits currently. She said the Wi-Fi would be a gamechanger for her and many others. 'I'm actually part of Polish Club and we'll host a couple of tailgates, especially for Dad's Weekend,' Kucharczyk said. 'It's really hard if your parents show up late to have them find where we are because I know they're not really familiar with the school, so if you tell them, 'Oh, we're in this corner' they don't know where that is. I think if they extended the Wi-Fi that would be really helpful.' The board will be talking about the proposal Thursday. It's one of nine purchase recommendations on their agenda. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Mahomet ‘beetique' honey shop continues expanding, buzzes with business
MAHOMET, Ill. (WCIA) — The pandemic was an uncertain time for just about everyone. In need of income to help keep her family afloat, one Mahomet mom grew a passion into The Hive Honey Beetique. 'I'm just sort of trying to hold on tight and steer it where it needs to go,' said owner Jessica Trefzger. U of I graduation unites people of all majors, backgrounds and ages The COVID-born business has gone from two hives to 40. Jessica and her husband, John, started selling their products at a local farmers market after Jessica was furloughed from her physical therapy job. The two opened their first shop in 2021, but outgrew the space and moved to their current location on Patton Drive about a year ago. 'We just want to continue to grow,' Trefzger said. Most recently, their honey hobby turned business has expanded to include a production kitchen. Staff make charcuterie boards, creamed honey and more in the space. Beyond the bees, Trefzger hopes the space celebrates people and the community that continues to support them. The shop offers multiple workshops including candle and soap making. Beekeeping educational talks are also available. Mahomet Police Dept. working to reduce impaired driving 'We really feel like hands-on workshops are a great way to incorporate the community and help them learn more about bees,' Trefzger said. In Mahomet and beyond, she said the beekeeping community is close-knit and always willing to help out. She does her part by putting imported products on the shelves. 'We sell honey from all over the world,' Trefzger said. 'I've now made actual partnerships and friendships with beekeepers all over the country and in Australia, in New Zealand.' What started as a far-out idea continues buzzing with business, while giving back to the village that's helped them spread their wings. 'There's not a lot of honey shops like this or in general in the United States, so we feel really grateful for the opportunity to be able to have this right here for our community,' Trefzger said. The 'beetique' is working with other local businesses to bring a lineup of summer events to the area including tastings, dinners and new workshops. New this year, they're introducing Girl Dinner on a couple Wednesdays this summer. You can learn more on their Facebook. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA provides $1M for AI-Astronomy led by U of I grad student
CHAMPAIGN-URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — NASA has awarded $1 million in funding to a research project lead by the Department of Astronomy at the University of Illinois. The DeepDISC-Euclid interdisciplinary research project was significantly driven by graduate student Grant Merz, whose leadership and key contributions have been instrumental in developing the foundational learning framework that is DeepDISC. Budzinski introduces bipartisan biofuel bill Under the guidance of Principal Investigator Professor Xin Liu, DeepDISC-Euclid addresses one of the most critical challenges of the European Space Agency Euclid mission: The precise detection and classification of blended astronomical objects in deep, multi-band, high-resolution imaging. 'Merz's groundbreaking work on DeepDISC, leveraging advanced AI techniques such as Transformer-based models and Detectron2, is expected to deliver unprecedented accuracy in object detection, segmentation, and physical inference for precision cosmology,' the U of I said on its website. The DeepDISC-Euclid project integrates cutting-edge computer vision techniques with extensive astronomical survey datasets, enhancing the scientific potential of the Euclid mission. Co-Investigators Volodymyr Kindratenko, Yue Shen and Yuxiong Wang, all professors at U of I, provide expertise in computational infrastructure, astrophysical analysis and machine learning. $157M in federal funding committed for Springfield railroad project This project is expected to produce open-source, well-documented software tools to be incorporated into the Euclid NASA Science Center's analysis suite, ensuring wide accessibility and significant scientific impact. On top of that, DeepDISC-Euclid prioritizes the mentorship and professional development of early-career researchers. The structured internships and hands-on training in computational astrophysics and AI-driven research will give postdoctoral scholars, graduate students and undergraduates with skills aligned with NASA's strategic objectives and Illinois Astronomy's educational excellence. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
