The story was reported by The State Journal-Register on Dec. 16, 2024.

"Two University of Illinois Springfield Performing Arts Center venues will be closing for more than a year starting in 2025.

The Sangamon Auditorium and the UIS Studio Theatre, housed within the University of Illinois Springfield’s Public Affairs Center, will be closing in June of 2025 for work to modernize the building's plumbing system.

The work is estimated to take a year and three months, and the Performing Arts Center plans to reopen in September 2026."

The story was published by WAND-TV on Dec. 10, 2024.

"Amazon is bringing a distribution center to Springfield near I-55, according to Ryan McCrady, President and CEO of Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance.

The distribution center is being built on the southeast corner of Bissell Road and North Dirksen Parkway.

The following column as written by Ben Hage, director of the University of Illinois Springfield’s business incubator, Innovate Springfield. It was published by the Illinois Times on Dec. 3, 2024.

"As the director of Innovate Springfield, the University of Illinois Springfield’s business incubator, I’m excited to share the momentum we’re building within our entrepreneurial community. Since joining iSPI in August last year, our team has worked to ignite Springfield’s startup scene with fresh, dynamic programming. Today, I’m proud to say we’re achieving that vision."

The following story was published by The State Journal-Register on Nov. 25, 2024.

"Players can also take the intramural route at University of Illinois Springfield, which has a sleek, new arena at Founders Residence Hall. The UIS teams compete in the National Esports Collegiate Conference, separate from IC’s Midwest Valley Esports Conference and Midwest Esports Conference.

It may be more relaxed, but that’s only true to an extent.

The following story was published by the Springfield Business Journal on Nov. 1, 2024.

"A group of five University of Illinois Springfield students won $10,000 in seed funding for their startup business, TredBase, during a pitch competition hosted by Innovate Springfield on Oct. 28. The competition featured three entrepreneurial teams pitching innovative ideas.

The following story was reported by WICS-TV 20 on Oct. 28, 2024.

"University of Illinois Springfield students collected 9,074 pounds of food and grocery items during the annual Trick-or-Treat for Canned Goods event on Sunday.

UIS says atotal of 10 teams, comprised of more than 130 students, went door-to-door in Springfield neighborhoods.

All items collected will be donated to Central Illinois Foodbank, which distributes supplies to food pantries, soup kitchens, residential programs and after-school programs in a 21-county region."

The following column by Jason Piscia, assistant professor and director of the UIS Public Affairs Reporting program, was published by the Illinois Times on Oct. 17, 2024.

"Have you heard anyone say recently “I can’t wait for this election to be over?” Have you said it?

The feeling is understandable. The nonstop, mean-spirited social media posts, advertisements and political commentary can be exhausting.

The following story was posted by the Illinois Times on Oct. 10, 2024.

"Education has always come in many shapes and forms. But in Springfield Public Schools, some of those forms may be the plank, the downward-facing dog and the butterfly.

Yes, youngsters are being taught yoga along with reading, writing and arithmetic.

The following story was reported by WAND-TV on Oct. 2, 2024.

"Today is International Wrongful Conviction Day and the team at the Illinois Innocence Project (IIP) recognized the day by placing 3,588 flags into the ground, each representing a person who was wrongfully convicted and exonerated in the United States since 1989.

Of those flags, 555, or 15%, represent individuals from Illinois who were exonerated.

The following story was reported by WICS-TV 20 on Sept. 24, 2024.

"The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) has been named the top public regional university in Illinois for the sixth consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report.

The 2025 Best Colleges rankings, released today, also rank UIS as the seventh-best public regional university in the Midwest.