The highlight of the weekend will be the national premiere of the official documentary Dick Van Dyke: 100th Celebration, created by Emmy-winning filmmakers Steve Boettcher and Michael Trinklein. The feature-length film weaves together clips from Van Dyke’s classic work across television and film, heartfelt interviews with the entertainer and his legendary co-stars, and a touching visit to his Danville roots. The film will debut nationally through Fathom Entertainment in theaters across the country on December 13 and 14, coinciding with Van Dyke’s 100th birthday weekend.

The Danville premiere will headline Saturday evening’s festivities, which begin with hors d’oeuvres from The Local, musical performances by members of the Danville Symphony Orchestra, and a live art demonstration by local artist Katie Weston, who will create a date-stamped portrait of Van Dyke during the event. The evening will also feature surprise announcements, themed cocktails, and the opportunity to explore the Fischer’s extensive collection of Dick Van Dyke memorabilia and photographs.

Sunday’s lineup features a full day of film screenings celebrating Van Dyke’s legendary career:

• 11:00 AM — Bye Bye Birdie
• 2:30 PM — The Comic
• 6:00 PM — Mary Poppins

Before each screening, Chicago and Central Illinois film critic Chuck Koplinski will share behind-the-scenes stories and anecdotes about the featured films. Afterward, audiences can engage with him in short Q&A sessions, adding a personal and interactive touch to the experience.

Festival attendees will also enjoy additional highlights throughout the weekend:

• A large community “birthday card” canvas available for signatures and well-wishes, which will be mailed to Van Dyke after the event.
• Commemorative t-shirts, original artwork by John Jansky, and themed trivia activities.
• Fischer concessions available both days for moviegoers.

Tickets and event information for FischerFest are available through the Fischer Theatre box office.

The post Danville to Celebrate Dick Van Dyke’s 100th Birthday with National Film Premiere and Festival first appeared on SJO Daily.

Guests can discover what Parkland has to offer through its academic programs, campus life, support services, and more from noon to 2 p.m. in the Student Union, Health Professions and 

Career and Technical Education facilities on the main campus, and Health Professions labs at the Parkland College on Mattis building.

The event allows guests to tour campus and have their questions answered from many Parkland representatives, including those from Accessibility Services, Admissions and Records, Agriculture, Applied Sciences and Technologies, Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business and Computer Science, Financial Aid, Health Professions, Natural Sciences, and more.

The Health Professions portion of the open house will take place in the L wing of the campus and at the Parkland on Mattis building. The Dental Hygiene, Nursing, Practical Nursing, Radiologic Technology, Respiratory Care, Surgical Technology, and Veterinary Technology programs will be featured in the L wing.

The Parkland on Mattis building will feature Emergency Medical Services, Fire Service, Highway Construction, Medical Assisting, Nursing Assistant, and Occupational Therapy programs.

Parkland’s Career and Technical Education division will host scheduled tours of its facilities and equipment labs in the B wing of the main campus and in the Parkhill Applied Technology Center and Tony Noel Agricultural Technology Applications Center on the west side of campus. Faculty and departmental staff will be on hand to answer questions about programs and training opportunities.

There will be a shuttle service from the main campus to the other buildings. The event will also include an optional main campus walking tour with student ambassadors.

Register for the open house at parkland.edu/openhouse.

For more information, contact Admissions and Records at 217/351-2482 or admissions@parkland.edu.

The post Parkland College to Welcome Future Students, Families for Fall 2025 Open House first appeared on SJO Daily.

Guests of all ages can enjoy classic fall fun, including hayrack rides around the campground and hands-on activities running from 3 to 5 p.m. Everyone is encouraged to come in costume—those who do will be entered into a drawing for prizes, with winners announced at 5 p.m. near the campground’s play structure.

The event is designed for all ages, though children must be accompanied by an adult. Whether you’re looking for outdoor adventure, festive crafts, or a place to show off your Halloween costume, Hoot ‘N Howl offers an afternoon of tricks, treats, and nature-filled fun.

For more information, call (217) 586-2612 or email cprahl@ccfpd.org.

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Step back in time at the 1840s Pioneer Homestead Cabin and experience Thanksgiving history through all five senses at this hearth cooking demonstration. Samples of historically inspired foods will be available throughout the event that will be prepared by reenactors using traditional tools. Guests may pick up a recipe list to recreate their favorites at home.

Admission is free and open to all ages. Children under the age of 16 need to be accompanied with an adult. Call 217-662-2142 for more information. Forest Glen Preserve is located at 20301 E. 900 North Road, Westville, IL 61883.

The post Forest Glen Preserve to Host Historic Thanksgiving Celebration at Pioneer Homestead Cabin first appeared on SJO Daily.

The hands-on sessions will guide participants through the official requirements for earning space and astronomy-related badges, offering an educational experience far beyond a traditional planetarium show.

Girl Scouts can participate in the Space Science Badge Workshops on two separate evenings. Daisies and Brownies will meet Oct. 29, from 6 to 7:30 p.m., while Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors will attend Oct. 30, also from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The cost is $7 per Scout and includes a badge booklet and patch.

The Boy Scouts of America Astronomy Merit Badge Workshop will take place Nov. 3, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Registration is $6 per Scout and includes a merit badge booklet.

Organizers emphasize that these workshops are interactive educational sessions—not just a show. Scouts are asked to bring a pencil or pen along with a flashlight covered in red plastic or cellophane. Each workshop will cover the official badge requirements, and participants can later submit their completed booklets to their local Scout office for certification.

Advance registration is required; no sign-ups will be accepted at the door. The deadline to register is one week before the selected workshop. Each Scout and leader must complete a separate registration form online.

The planetarium requires a minimum number of participants to host each session. If that threshold is not met, refunds will be issued.

For details or to register, visit planetarium.parkland.edu or call 217-351-2567.

The post Staerkel Planetarium Hosting Scout Badge Workshops This Fall first appeared on SJO Daily.

The planetarium’s October schedule features a mix of returning classics and fresh additions, pairing visually dazzling laser displays with music from legendary performers and modern icons alike. Fans can look forward to shows themed around the Beatles, Taylor Swift, Led Zeppelin, and Michael Jackson, as well as newer artists like Billie Eilish and Lizzo. “Laser Motown” and “Laser Pride” will also bring vibrant cultural sounds and celebration to the space.

Show Schedule:

• October 23 – Laser Beatles, 6:10 p.m.; Laser Motown, 7:20 p.m.; Laser Michael Jackson, 8:30 p.m.
• October 24 – Laser Halloween, 6:30 p.m.; Laser Stranger Things, 7:20 p.m.; Laser Lizzo, 8:30 p.m.
• October 25 – Laser Taylor Swift, 1 p.m.; Laser Disney Movie Magic, 2:10 p.m.; Laser *NSYNC with Britney, 3 p.m.; Laser Taylor Swift, 4:10 p.m.; Laser Halloween, 6:30 p.m.; Laser Billie Eilish, 7:20 p.m.; Laser Pride, 8:30 p.m.
• October 26 – Laser Halloween, 1 p.m.; Laser Floyd: The Vision Bell, 1:50 p.m.; Laser Zeppelin: Whole Lotta Led, 3 p.m.

Tickets are $12 per person and can be purchased in person or online through Parkland College’s ticket portal. Groups may also book private showings by contacting the planetarium directly for pricing and availability.

For more details on upcoming events, tickets, and group bookings, visit planetarium.parkland.edu or call 217-351-2446.

The post Staerkel Planetarium to Light Up October with New Music Laser Shows first appeared on SJO Daily.

The “No Kings” demonstrations, which drew two million more participants than similar protests held in June, marked the third major mobilization against the Trump administration since the president returned to office in January. The protests extended beyond American borders, with solidarity rallies held in major European cities including London, Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Rome, and Lisbon, as well as in Canadian cities such as Vancouver and Montreal.

According to the Urbana Police Department, 4,000 demonstrators gathered outside the Champaign County Courthouse in Urbana.

Urbana’s peaceful demonstration featured speeches from multiple community leaders, including Matthew Hurtado, outreach coordinator for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, who emphasized the importance of optimism within activist movements. Other speakers included Kendell Harrison of Champaign County Indivisible, University of Illinois student body president Gabi DalSanto, Cunningham Township supervisor Danielle Chynoweth, and law professor Faye E. Jones.

Following approximately one hour of speeches, demonstrators marched through downtown Urbana streets that had been closed by city officials with concrete blocks and barricades. 

The nationwide movement emerged in response to what organizers and participants described as an escalating pattern of executive overreach. Protesters cited multiple grievances including aggressive immigration enforcement operations conducted by often-masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, the deployment of National Guard troops to Democratic-led cities without local consent, significant cuts to federal education and environmental programs, attacks on the media and political opponents, and the ongoing government shutdown now in its third week.

The protests demonstrated unprecedented geographic reach, extending far beyond traditional liberal strongholds into rural areas and Republican-voting counties. According to Jeremy Pressman, a political science professor and co-director of the Crowd Counting Consortium at the Harvard Kennedy School and University of Connecticut, protests in 2025 have reached a broader spectrum of counties, including those where many residents voted Republican, compared to earlier years of Trump’s presidency.

Despite concerns raised by Republican leaders about potential violence, the demonstrations remained overwhelmingly peaceful. Law enforcement in New York and Washington D.C., where some of the largest crowds gathered, reported no arrests related to the protests. A few isolated incidents occurred, including a woman arrested in South Carolina for waving a firearm near protesters. In Los Angeles, dispersal orders were issued hours after the main protest concluded when a small group of approximately 100 people refused to leave, resulting in at least one arrest.

Prominent Democratic lawmakers participated in the rallies across the country. In Washington D.C., Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut addressed the crowd. Sanders criticized tech billionaires who he claimed have amassed greater wealth and power since Trump took office, specifically calling out Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Mark Zuckerberg.​​

“When we stand together and don’t allow demagogues to divide us up, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish,” Sanders said.

Also in DC, Journalist and Zeteo founder Mehdi Hasan delivered a passionate address that directly challenged Republican critics while celebrating American diversity.

“I’m not here out of hate. I’m here out of love. I love this country. I love America. I love the First Amendment. I love our democracy. I love our diversity. And I am not willing to sit back and watch our glorious American multi-racial, multicultural, democratic experiment, our constitutional republic destroyed by the guy from Home Alone 2.”

In Chicago, Illinois Congressman Jonathan Jackson said, “If anybody thinks that this gathering is about blowing off steam, they have grossly underestimated the severity of this moment. And better still, they have misunderstood the determination that we have not to allow this country to become a racist dystopia where cruelty destroys the rule of law.”

The Boston rally on Boston Common attracted over 100,000 protesters and featured Mayor Michelle Wu as the keynote speaker.

“Day after day, this president and his corrupt cabinet mistake cruelty for greatness and chaos for power. These are the tools of a tyrant desperate for the respect that he’ll never earn.”​

“He is counting on us going quiet, getting too scared or too tired to keep speaking out. But Boston has never been good at surrender or silence.”

Republican leaders condemned the demonstrations in harsh terms. House Speaker Mike Johnson labeled the events a “hate America rally,” claiming without evidence that participants were being compensated for their attendance. Johnson stated on Fox News, “It’s all the pro-Hamas faction and the antifa supporters. They’re all coming out.”

Johnson, along with others in the Trump administration are using several tactics to paint an unrealistic picture of the No Kings protests and dissatisfaction with what the Republican party is currently doing. 

The primary tactic is poisoning the well, a propaganda technique and logical fallacy where irrelevant negative information is presented preemptively to discredit an opponent or their arguments before they are even made. This rhetorical technique involves “preemptively discrediting an opponent to bias the audience against them before they even have a chance to present their argument”. By labeling protesters with inflammatory characterizations before examining the substance of their concerns, Johnson attempts to create a “mental anchor” that biases how the public interprets the demonstrations.

Johnson’s comments also represent a delegitimization strategy, specifically used to undermine protest movements. This involves portraying protesters as illegitimate actors rather than genuine citizens exercising their rights. The claim that participants were “being compensated for their attendance” fits the historical pattern of the “outside agitators” or “paid protesters” trope, which has been used throughout American history to undermine the legitimacy of protests.

Johnson’s characterization involves a straw man fallacy, where he misrepresents the protesters’ actual position to make it easier to attack. By claiming the rallies were “all the pro-Hamas faction and the antifa supporters,” he creates a distorted version of who the protesters are and what they represent. This involves “exaggerating, distorting, or oversimplifying the original argument” to create an easily refutable position that doesn’t reflect reality.

The straw man works by substituting the protesters’ actual concerns about authoritarian governance with false characterizations about terrorism support and anarchism, allowing Johnson to attack this fabricated version rather than address the genuine grievances about executive overreach.

The rhetoric also employs demonization, a propaganda technique that “promotes an idea about the enemy being a threatening, evil aggressor with only destructive objectives”. By associating peaceful demonstrators with Hamas and Antifa, Johnson portrays them in moral terms as inherently threatening and evil. This “character of the opponent is depicted in a Manichean way, as good against evil,” creating a stark binary that dehumanizes those exercising their First Amendment rights.

These overlapping tactics work together to create what researchers call “out-casting,” a macro-strategy that includes “enemization, criminalization, evilification”. The combination is particularly powerful because it exploits “cognitive biases, particularly confirmation bias” and “the anchoring effect,” where “the audience is primed with negative information about a person or entity” making them “more likely to interpret subsequent actions or statements from that target in line with the initial negative framing”.​

The effectiveness of this rhetorical approach lies in its ability to prevent rational examination of the protesters’ actual concerns while creating emotional reactions that “cloud the audience’s judgment, making them less likely to evaluate the opponent’s arguments critically”.

The post Thousands Rally in Urbana as Part of Nationwide ‘No Kings’ Protests Against Trump’s Authoritarian Policies first appeared on SJO Daily.

The exhibit, located in the center court at 2000 N. Neil Street, is free and open to the public during weekday hours from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m., and weekend hours from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Organized by the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation’s Holocaust Education Center, the exhibit features large, illustrated panels paired with historical photos, maps, and firsthand survivor accounts that chronologically chronicle the Holocaust.

The exhibit’s grand opening takes place on October 20 from 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Throughout the exhibit’s run, the Holocaust Education Center has organized several companion events to deepen the educational experience:

Wednesday, October 22 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. will feature a CHAI Seniors Film Screening of “The Pawnbroker” (1964), the first film made entirely in the United States to deal with the Holocaust from the viewpoint of a survivor. The screening will be followed by a Q&A session, with light refreshments served. The film, directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Rod Steiger, earned international acclaim and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 2008.

Friday, October 24 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. will feature Dr. William Gingold himself, who will share his experience surviving the Holocaust as a child and how his family rebuilt their lives afterward. Now retired from his role as Clinical Professor of Family Medicine at the University of Illinois, Dr. Gingold dedicates his time to educating others about the Holocaust and promoting tolerance.

Saturday, October 25 at 2:00 p.m. will showcase the Students of Urbana High School Orchestra, led by Orchestra Director Tamra Gingold. Tamra Gingold has been the Urbana High School Orchestra and All City Strings Director for 22 years in the Urbana School District, teaching grades 5-12. She is also an active member of the Holocaust Educational Committee and the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation Educational Committee.

Sunday, October 26 features two events: at 1:00 p.m., music with Cameron Cornell, a composer, director, actor, and coach based in Champaign, followed at 2:00 p.m. by a film screening of “999 – The Forgotten Girls,” an award-winning documentary featuring five extraordinary young women of the first official Jewish transport to Auschwitz.​​

The documentary reveals the untold story of 999 unmarried young Jewish women who were initially registered for government service in a purported shoe factory, only to be tragically sent to Auschwitz in March 1942. Director Heather Dune Macadam spent 11 years interviewing survivors, who were in their 90s at the time of filming.

Monday, October 28 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. will feature the Papashoy Klezmer Trio, which plays old-time klezmer music from the world of Jewish and Yiddish Eastern Europe.​​

Educational Tours Available

School tours for community groups, children in grades 5 through 12, and university classes may be arranged outside of regular public viewing hours. Those interested in viewing the exhibit with a trained volunteer guide may contact the Holocaust Education Center at hec@cujf.org or call 217-367-9872.

The post International Holocaust Exhibit “Courage To Remember” Opens at Marketplace Mall in Champaign first appeared on SJO Daily.

The protests, organized by a coalition of more than 200 progressive organizations led by the Indivisible Project, will span approximately 2,000 cities and towns across all 50 states. 

In East Central Illinois, protests are planned at the Champaign County Courthouse at 101 E Main St. , Urbana, from 12-2 and at the Monticello Courthouse at W Washington St # 310, Monticello, from 4:30 – 5:30 p.m.

This marks the second major No Kings mobilization, following the inaugural protests on June 14, 2025, which coincided with Trump’s 79th birthday and a controversial U.S. Army 250th Anniversary Parade in Washington D.C.. Organizers estimated that over five million people participated in more than 2,100 events during the June protests, making them among the largest coordinated demonstrations since Trump returned to office.

The movement’s name and messaging center on the foundational American principle that “America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people.” Organizers describe their mission as defending democratic norms against what they characterize as authoritarian displays and erosion of democratic values.

Event organizers emphasize their commitment to nonviolent action and have established clear guidelines for participants. All No Kings events require participants to seek de-escalation of any potential confrontations, act lawfully, and avoid bringing weapons of any kind, including those legally permitted.

The Trump administration has pursued what scholars identify as an extreme interpretation of the “unitary executive theory,” which advocates for the president to have supreme control over the entire executive branch.

The administration has conducted unprecedented mass layoffs of federal workers, with over 300,000 federal civil service positions eliminated since January 2025. During the current government shutdown alone, more than 4,200 federal employees have received layoff notices across seven agencies, including the Treasury Department (1,400+ employees), Health and Human Services (1,100+ employees), and Housing and Urban Development (400+ employees).​

These actions violate established civil service protections and represent what experts characterize as an effort to eliminate institutional constraints on presidential power. Trump’s team has specifically targeted inspectors general, FBI agents, and other oversight personnel who traditionally serve as checks on executive authority.

Perhaps most concerning, Trump has deployed National Guard and active-duty military forces in Democratic-led cities across the country without state consent. These deployments have occurred in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Memphis, Portland, and Chicago, with administration officials describing America as under “invasion” and waging “a war from within.”​

Legal experts note these deployments violate the Posse Comitatus Act, which limits military involvement in domestic law enforcement. Federal courts have ruled several deployments illegal, yet the administration continues expanding military presence in civilian areas.

The administration has systematically targeted perceived opponents across multiple levels, including:

• Using federal funding as leverage to force political compliance
• Using regulatory agencies to punish critics through license revocations and contract cancellations
• Directing federal investigations against political opponents
• Intimidating civil society organizations and independent media
• Threatening to prosecute lawyers representing opposition groups

The American Revolution was fundamentally about rejecting the concept of absolute executive power embodied by monarchy. ​The founders designed the Constitution explicitly to prevent the concentration of power in a single individual. As Alexander Hamilton wrote in Federalist 69, the presidency was carefully distinguished from monarchical power through specific limitations and checks.

The Constitution’s system of checks and balances was designed to ensure “no one branch would be able to control too much power”. The founders understood that “concentrating authority in one body would result in tyranny” and therefore divided government into three co-equal branches with the ability to check each other.​

This system requires the president to work within constitutional constraints, not above them. The Take Care Clause obligates the president to “faithfully execute” laws and court rulings, not to reinterpret or ignore them based on personal preference.

The post Nationwide ‘No Kings’ Protests Scheduled for October 18: Urbana, Monticello first appeared on SJO Daily.

The “Justice in Focus” event, organized by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District’s Justice Coalition, aims to spark dialogue on the enduring challenges and inequities faced in healthcare access and insurance, particularly within the Black and African American community. The documentary delves into historical and ongoing barriers, exploring policies like the Affordable Care Act and their social impact.

In addition to the film, attendees will participate in a moderated discussion designed to create an open, respectful environment for personal connection and community healing. The evening will also feature live music from artists Jarrel Young and Caleb Mutua and provide opportunities to connect with local organizations and vendors at a resource fair focused on health and wellness.

The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required. The registration link is available at www.bit.lyjusticeinfocus.

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