Illinois

Many Illinois Chinese students unsure if they can finish studies after Rubio post on visas

Published

7 months ago

May 29, 2025

Many Illinois Chinese students unsure if they can finish studies after Rubio post on visas

CHICAGO (WLS) — It’s estimated that some 280,000 Chinese students are currently enrolled in American universities. Thousands of them are in Chicago and across Illinois.

But, with little detail to go on regarding what might happen to their visa status, many are now questioning whether they will even be able to complete their studies.

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On the University of Chicago’s campus Thursday there was fear and consternation. Much of the university’s international student body is Chinese.

“I’m an atmospheric scientist. I just graduated and started my postdoc here in the Geophysical Sciences Department,” Jin Yan said.

Despite being in Chicago for over five years and in the process of applying for a green card, Yan is now unsure she will be allowed to remain, or even if she wants to.

It’s the same story for Zi Tian, who is in the midst of getting his Ph.D. in geophysical sciences.

It’s unclear if theirs are among the “critical fields” Secretary of State Marco Rubio was referring to Wednesday when he said in a social media post on X, “The U.S. will begin revoking visas of Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields.”

“I’m just an individual, and I think my personal effort is not going to be able to fight against a government action like this,” Tian said.

During a press briefing Thursday, a State Department spokesperson called every visa adjudication a national security decision, saying, “I have no idea what the numbers will be. What I do know is that the people who are deemed to be a threat to the country or a problem now will be vetted again or looked at seriously, and Americans will be safer. That’s the story here.”

Grace Chan McKibben came to the United States 41 years ago as a student from Hong Kong.

Speaking in Chinatown Thursday, she expressed concern about singling out students solely for Communist Party membership.

“Folks that might want particular academic opportunities or employment opportunities might join the party. It may not specifically be related to their ideology,” said Chan McKibben, who is part of the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community.

Most of the state’s major universities did not respond to a request for comment Thursday.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which has one of the largest Chinese student bodies in the nation, with more than 6,000 currently enrolled, said they, like others, are really still trying to figure out what this all means and how to best support their students moving forward.

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Illinois

Over 81K deer harvested in Illinois firearm deer season

Published

7 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Over 81K deer harvested in Illinois firearm deer season

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (KWQC) – Early numbers show more than 81,000 deer were harvested during Illinois’ firearm deer season this year.

Officials said preliminary totals show 91,225 deer were harvested during the seven-day season that ended on Dec. 7, according to a news release.

This is down from the 82,496 deer harvested during the firearm season last year, officials said.

Local firearm deer season totals:

Rock Island County: 728
Whiteside County: 699
Jo Davies County: 1,336
Knox County: 1,057
Henry County: 572
Mercer County: 873
Warren County: 516
Bureau County: 909

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Illinois

Bears again expand stadium search, including outside Illinois

Published

19 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Bears again expand stadium search, including outside Illinois

CHICAGO — Three days before hosting their biggest game at Soldier Field in years, the Chicago Bears are exploring moving outside the city for which they are named.

In an open letter to fans Wednesday evening, team president and CEO Kevin Warren said the Bears will explore other locations — including outside of Cook County, where the team owns a 326-acre property in Arlington Heights, Illinois — to build a domed stadium.

That includes moving the Bears out of Illinois altogether.

“In addition to Arlington Park, we need to expand our search and critically evaluate opportunities throughout the wider Chicagoland region, including Northwest Indiana,” Warren said. “This is not about leverage. We spent years trying to build a new home in Cook County. We invested significant time and resources evaluating multiple sites and rationally decided on Arlington Heights.

“Our fans deserve a world-class stadium. Our players and coaches deserve a venue that matches the championship standard they strive for every day. With that in mind, our organization must keep every credible pathway open to deliver that future.”

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker pushed back against a potential move of the team out of the state.

“Suggesting the Bears would move to Indiana is a startling slap in the face to all the beloved and loyal fans who have been rallying around the team during this strong season,”Pritzker spokesperson Matt Hill said in a statement. “The Governor’s a Bears fan who has always wanted them to stay in Chicago. He has also said that ultimately they are a private business.”

The Bears purchased the Arlington Park property that formerly housed the Arlington International Racecourse for $197 million in 2023, shortly before Warren replaced Ted Phillips as team president and CEO. The Bears proposed building a 60,000-seat fixed-roof stadium within a $5 billion mixed-use development.

Not long after closing on the land in Arlington Heights, the team began exploring options for a new stadium site when it announced its plans to build at the Arlington Park site were “at risk” as negotiations over property taxes reached a $100 million impasse.

Shortly before the 2024 draft, the Bears shifted their focus to building their new stadium on the lakefront south of Soldier Field and announced they would invest more than $2 billion in private money into the construction and development of the stadium and surrounding areas.

Although the team has maintained that the construction of a new stadium will be privately funded, concerns over the burden placed on taxpayers to fund the infrastructure around the stadium led to an impasse. That led the Bears to explore Arlington Heights once again as an option, which Warren announced during league meetings in April. Ahead of the Bears’ home opener against theMinnesota Vikingson Sept. 8, Warren released a letter to fans, saying the team’s sights were set on building in Arlington Heights. He has said throughout the year that the goal was to break ground before the end of 2025.

However, the Bears have been in a battle with lawmakers over tax breaks and securing $855 million in public funding for costs related to building the new stadium.

“We have not asked for state taxpayer dollars to build the stadium at Arlington Park,” Warren said. “We asked only for a commitment to essential local infrastructure [roads, utilities, and site improvements], which is more than typical for projects of this size. Additionally, we sought reasonable property tax certainty to secure financing. We listened to state leadership and relied on their direction and guidance, yet our efforts have been met with no legislative partnership.”

The Bears’ current lease at Soldier Field runs through 2033. On Saturday night, the 10-4 Bears will host the Green Bay Packers in a high-stakes meeting that will heavily determine Chicago’s path to the postseason.br/]

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