Read more about the article COVID’s toll in Champaign County as emergency ends: 325 deaths, 86,946 cases, unknown number of long haulersPam Dempsey/CU-CitizenAccess.org
A tent and signs indicate a Covid-19 testing site at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's Alice Campbell Alumni Center on Friday, July 31, 2020. The University is conducting free saliva tests for faculty, staff and students with results typically known within 48 hours.

COVID’s toll in Champaign County as emergency ends: 325 deaths, 86,946 cases, unknown number of long haulers

As the COVID-19 pandemic emergency measures ended this month, Champaign County had reported 325 COVID-related deaths from 86,946 cases over the past three years.…

Continue ReadingCOVID’s toll in Champaign County as emergency ends: 325 deaths, 86,946 cases, unknown number of long haulers
Read more about the article Illinois gets D+ grade in 2015 State Integrity InvestigationDarrell Hoemann/The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
The quad on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign on Tuesday, November 3, 2015.

Illinois gets D+ grade in 2015 State Integrity Investigation

Four of the seven Illinois governors elected from 1960 through 2006 went on to serve time in prison, so it’s no surprise that Illinois has developed a reputation more criminal than credible. Nor is it surprising that Illinois earned a D+ in the State Integrity Investigation, an assessment of state government transparency and accountability by the Center for Public Integrity and Global Integrity.

Continue ReadingIllinois gets D+ grade in 2015 State Integrity Investigation
Read more about the article Efforts at transparency in government lost in translationDanielle Sheppard
The Champaign county clerk's office collects nearly 2,000 statement of economic interest forms each year from local elected officials and high-ranking government employees. But few of them disclose any information.

Efforts at transparency in government lost in translation

Illinois state law requires government officials in Champaign County to file forms disclosing financial dealings that might lead to conflicts of interest in their official duties. But a review by CU-CitizenAccess.org of over 9,000 forms filed by officials over the past five years found that an average 16 percent of officials reveal any specific information.

Continue ReadingEfforts at transparency in government lost in translation