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CU-CitizenAccess is an online newsroom devoted to community and watchdog reporting by journalism students at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
The newsroom focuses mostly on Champaign County and central Illinois, but produces occasional regional, national and international stories.
This past June, Ameren Illinois increased its summer electricity supply rates from 8 cents per kilowatt-hour to 12, projecting bills to increase from 10% to 22% — but Champaign-Urbana residents have reported...
Emulsicoat Inc., an asphalt production plant in Urbana, promised residents to relocate most of its operations out of their neighborhood to reduce the irritating odor it produced. But the odor remains in...
To the surprise of its customers, Republic Services — a North American solid waste collection company with services in Champaign-Urbana — silently increased its rate for trash collection this fall. In October...
A lawsuit filed by the City of Champaign against the out-of-town owner of run-down apartment buildings remains unresolved heading into 2026. Champaign has been involved with an ongoing legal battle starting in...
Emulsicoat Inc., an asphalt production plant in Urbana, promised residents to relocate most of its operations out of their neighborhood to reduce the irritating odor it produced. But the odor remains in...
To the surprise of its customers, Republic Services — a North American solid waste collection company with services in Champaign-Urbana — silently increased its rate for trash collection this fall. In October...
A lawsuit filed by the City of Champaign against the out-of-town owner of run-down apartment buildings remains unresolved heading into 2026. Champaign has been involved with an ongoing legal battle starting in...
Champaign County’s Opioid Settlement Task Force approved about $161,000 in new spending this week toward emergency medical equipment for fire protection districts across the county. The money came...
Without notice to the public, the Urbana Open Data Portal was shut down after nearly 10 years of service. Urbana residents and the general public could use the...
The Safety Lighting Energy Efficiency Program (SLEEP), originally designed to improve outdoor lighting and security in the Garden Hills neighborhood in 2019, got new life after city planners...
After years of economic downturn, vacant storefronts and aging infrastructure, the City of Urbana is once again setting its sights on reviving the once-thriving Philo Road corridor in...
Gun violence in the Holiday Park neighborhood in Champaign has decreased significantly in the last five years, according to data from the Champaign Police Department. In 2020, residents...
Student alcohol violations dropped 58% to 230 incidents during the last school year on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign campus, according to the Office of Student Conflict Resolution...
A lawsuit filed by the City of Champaign against the out-of-town owner of run-down apartment buildings remains unresolved heading into 2026. Champaign has been involved with an ongoing legal battle...
Champaign County spends over $700,000 from opioid settlement funds on local health, housing programs
Champaign County has directed over $700,000 in funds over the past two years from national opioid settlements to housing, health and safety supplies, medical equipment and improved access to medical...
In 2023, the University of Illinois Police Department conducted 2,526 traffic stops — 19% lower than traffic stops made five years ago and nearly half of the 4,701 traffic stops...
In the last 11 years, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has racked up at least $51.9 million in fines for 90 federal- and state-level offenses and violations in the United States. ...