Rental property and nuisance complaints have soared in Urbana over the past few years, records show. 

The records, obtained via Freedom of Information Act Request, show a total of 1,002 complaints were submitted to the city from Jan. 1 to Oct. 6 last year — more in just 10 months than the previous year’s total and marking a significant increase each year since 2020...

There is an eerie silence in the room. In the center of an office in the Smith Memorial Hall, you stand before two lyric theatre faculty members and one accompanist. You eagerly await the moment the accompanist begins playing your music: two classical pieces, two musical theatre pieces and one monologue. Hundreds of hopeful applicants audition every year. Only fifteen are ultimately accepted – fifteen optimistic college freshmen preparing to enter the “cut-throat” world of professional theatre...

Unlike many young children, Mikayla Renfrow never dreamed of growing up to become a princess. She never saw herself represented in any of the standard Disney princess films. It was not until she watched the 1997 Cinderella adaptation with Whitney Houston and Brandy that she truly saw someone – Prince Christopher played by Paolo Montalban – who looked like herself in a fairytale. Now, as an adult Renfrow, who identifies as an Asian-American woman, wears the glass slippers eight times a week as Cinderella in Rodger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella at the Paramount Theater in Aurora, Illinois...

The stage lights dim as the finale number “Raise You Up” draws to a close. She and the rest of the cast rush to their places for curtain call, dripping with sweat after two hours of singing and dancing on stage. The velvet curtain slowly rises as the audience jumps to their feet and erupts with applause. She gazes down at her sparkly red boots as she takes a bow. It’s the end of another regular workday for Shelbi Voss...

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to rage around the world, many industries fight to stay afloat amidst the chaos. Among those industries struggling to re-gain stability are leisure facilities and food services, though many establishments have been able to safely re-open their doors despite the uncertainty of these times...

While the coronavirus vaccine becomes more readily available, the nation remains divided over whether to reserve appointments. Over the last several months, vaccination distribution has been in full swing, with many individuals eagerly awaiting their time to receive the shot...