Weather cancellations and schedule changes for Jan. 22

This page will be updated as we receive information from businesses, schools, and event organizers. If your business or organization has a change that you would like to inform the general public, email information to editor@oursentinel.com.

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Unity's home game against Pontiac put on hold

Rocket senior Raegen Stringer is 6 points away from hitting the career 1000-point mark. It looks like she won't have an opportunity to reach the milestone for a few days. The game is rescheduled for a 7 p.m. tip at the Rocket Center on Wednesday.

pic.twitter.com/vbU3xbNoe5

— UnityGBB (@uhsgbb) January 22, 2024

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Unity Youth Wrestling Club cancels practice tonight

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Philo Public Library closed

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Tolono Public Library will not open today

The Tolono Public Library is closed today. The digital library is always available at https://tolonolibrary.org/virtual-resources.

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World Harvest closing at 2 p.m. today

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Tennis center closed on campus

This morning Atkin's Tennis Center announced the indoor courts would be closed for the day due to inclement weather. According to notification emailed today: "This includes all court time reservations (RCT and PCT) and Atkins Clinics. If you pre-registered for a clinic this evening, you will receive a refund."

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SJO Fine Arts Booster club meeting postponed

Tonight's meeting for the St. Joseph-Ogden Fine Arts boosters has been pushed back to Thursday at 6 p.m. The monthly meeting will be held in the band room and is open to anyone interested in supporting the art, music, and drama programs at SJO.

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Bright Beginnings will not be open due to icy conditions

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St. Joseph Library closed due to weather conditions

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Blend Spot in St. Joseph closed today

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Billy Bob's closed due to weather

Billy Bob's Under the Water Tower in Ogden is closed today due to weather conditions.

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Remote Learning Day for St. Joseph Middle School

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Red Barn Veterinary Service closed

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St. Joseph CCD cancels activities due to weather

All practices and events for students at St. Joseph Middle School have been cancelled. The 7th grade boys basketball regional semifinal has been reschedule for this Wednesday at Hoopeston. Tipoff will be at 6 p.m.

The 7-8th grade volleyball game against Edison Jr. High has not been rescheduled at this time.

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No practices or games at SJO

All practices and games at St. Joseph-Ogden for tonight have been cancelled. Per the athletic director, SJO's girls'basketball game at Mattoon will not be made up at a later date.

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E-Learning day at St. Joseph-Ogden High School

Due to icy conditions this morning, St. Joseph-Ogden High School will utilize an E-Learning day today. A decision on extracurricular activities and practices is expected at noon today.

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Urbana boys basketball came cancelled

Urbana's boys basketball game against the Kays of Kankakee for tonight has been cancelled.

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City of Urbana offices closed until Tuesday morning

The City of Urbana will close its regular business offices today, Monday, January 22, 2024, at noon. The business offices will open tomorrow at 10 a.m. when weather conditions are expected to improve.

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Oakwood Girls Game Cancelled

Oakwood High School's girls' basketball game scheduled tonight is cancelled. A makeup date to be announced.

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Urbana City Council meeting rescheduled

The regular meeting of the Urbana City Council scheduled for Monday, January 22, 2024, at 7 p.m. has been rescheduled due to inclement weather. The rescheduled meeting of the Urbana City Council will be held on Monday, February 5, 2024, at 7 p.m.

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Breaking News: School's out

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Governor J.B. Pritzker is expected to announce the closure of schools until August during his daily Covid-19 briefing today or tomorrow.

The closure will affect some 2.2 millions students around the state and will break the hearts of hundreds of athletes, particularly seniors, who will not be able to participate in high school sports. The Illinois High School Association has yet to tip its hand, but after the governor makes the official announcement the state's athletic organization will probably make the official announcement soon after.

Illinois will join 27 states that have either ordered or recommended the same action according to Education Week.

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* * * UPDATE * * *

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During today's briefing Gov. Pritzker officially announced the end of in-school instructions for all schools in Illinois.

"My decision are hard ones but they will follow the science. The science says our students can not go back to their normal routine. Therefore, I am suspending in-person learning in schools for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year," the governor announced following the decision of other state leaders around the country like in the states Tennessee, Wisconsin and California. "I know many felt this was inevitable but trust me when I say this was not a decision I made lightly."

By 2:50pm, the IHSA released their statement.

"As we previously indicated, the cessation of in-person learning will make it difficult for the IHSA to conduct spring state tournaments this year. More information will be provided following Tuesday’s Board meeting."

The Board of Directors will meet on Tuesday to make their final determination on the spring sports tournament series the release said.

Governor ask that Illinois schools close until March 31

Earlier today, Illinois announced all schools K-12, both public and private in the state, will be closed through March 30 starting next Tuesday, March 17.

A little more than 24 hours before the governor's announcement, St. Joseph-Ogden CHSD #305 superintendent Brian Brooks sent a letter to parents outlining the districts plan to remain open, but to cancel extra-curricular events and field trip as of yesterday until Sunday, April 5.

In the statement from Brooks, he shared that SJO has begin working on an E-Plan for online/remote teaching should the governor is forced to extend the term of the closure in the interest of public safety and health. The Illinois State Board of Education is working with lawmakers to create a waiver system in order to expedite approval for schools in a similar situation that did not submit a plan at the beginning of the year for E-Learning.

Pritzker ordered the closing of every school in the state until March 30 starting Tuesday amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus pandemic. The number of confirmed cases in Illinois rose to 46 earlier today.

"All of these choices have cascading effects for citizens and vulnerable populations when it comes to food access, safety, childcare, and social services," Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement earlier today. "We’ve seen what happens in places that didn’t move with urgency. I ask all of you not to hesitate to do the right thing for your family, your friends, and your community. One small step at a time, we will get through this together."

The state's chief lawmaker hopes that social-distancing will slow the spread of the virus.

Almost two million students will not be returning to classrooms next week. This also means no practices for sport teams, practice for scholastic and performing arts groups and the postponement of meetings normally held on high school campuses around the state.

Other states and large cities around the country have announced school shutdowns this week over to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. DC, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wisconsin have closed schools for until the end of the month or longer.

Earlier in the week, the governor called on the public to call off any event or gathering of 250 people or more. He also asked that all events with one thousand or more people in attendance be canceled or postponed immediately.