Over one year later, no detached housing built following Champaign ordinance

Complaints about yard waste and housing in disrepair continue to rise in Urbana; Property inspections behind schedule goal

Champaign County doesn’t allow looking up property by name. We made it searchable again.

About Us

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.

NEW TOOL: Click here to search Champaign County property by owner name — a feature removed by county officials

Neighborhoods

Over one year later, no detached housing built following Champaign ordinance

Some residents expressed concern about a negative impact on neighborhoods when the city of Champaign passed a June 2022 ordinance to build additional, detached housing on their properties.  But over one year...

Garden Hills residents question number of businesses selling liquor in and near neighborhood

Some Champaign residents in Garden Hills have expressed concern over the number of businesses selling alcohol in close proximity to the neighborhood, saying those businesses are more prevalent in their neighborhood than...

Small grant program funds in Champaign doubled this fiscal year; Program supports neighborhood initiatives, activities

The funding for Champaign’s Neighborhood Small Grant Program increased from ​about ​$22,500 to $52,000​ this fiscal year, meaning​ it can assist​ dozens more projects, ranging from neighborhood cleanups to spring picnics. Since...

Neighborhoods

Over one year later, no detached housing built following Champaign ordinance

Some residents expressed concern about a negative impact on neighborhoods when the city of Champaign passed a June 2022 ordinance to build additional, detached housing on their properties.  But over one year...

Garden Hills residents question number of businesses selling liquor in and near neighborhood

Some Champaign residents in Garden Hills have expressed concern over the number of businesses selling alcohol in close proximity to the neighborhood, saying those businesses are more prevalent in their neighborhood than...

Small grant program funds in Champaign doubled this fiscal year; Program supports neighborhood initiatives, activities

The funding for Champaign’s Neighborhood Small Grant Program increased from ​about ​$22,500 to $52,000​ this fiscal year, meaning​ it can assist​ dozens more projects, ranging from neighborhood cleanups to spring picnics. Since...

Recent News

Champaign hired Police Chief Timothy Tyler despite disciplinary past and allegations of misconduct

This article originally appeared on IPM Newsroom on January 29, 2024. This story is part of a partnership focusing on police misconduct in Champaign County between the Champaign-Urbana...

Illinois sees exit of firearm dealers despite all-time high in gun ownership 

Despite an all-time high in the number of Illinois residents possessing a firearm ownership card, the number of gun dealers and businesses registering guns throughout the state has...

Health district launches survey on elder care amid deficit of nursing home beds, closed facilities

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and local group Advocates for Aging Care have launched a survey to help identify the state of senior services in Champaign County.  Champaign...

These Champaign County restaurants failed health inspections in 2023

Last year, as of late November, 10 restaurants in Champaign County were closed and received a red placard because of failed health inspections. But 75 failed an inspection...

Health inspectors failed about 80 restaurants and closed 10 last year in Champaign County; Some restaurants repeatedly failed for weeks

A moldy bell pepper.  Bare hands touching ready-to-eat food. Food that expired over a week ago sitting in the fridge. These are just a few of the health...

Garden Hills residents question number of businesses selling liquor in and near neighborhood

Some Champaign residents in Garden Hills have expressed concern over the number of businesses selling alcohol in close proximity to the neighborhood, saying those businesses are more prevalent...

Justice

After fatal shootings, Rantoul police recommended more training. They just sent one officer to a gun range

This story is part of a partnership focusing on police misconduct in Champaign County between the Champaign-Urbana Civic Police Data Project of the Invisible Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit public accountability journalism organization, and IPM...

Champaign hired Police Chief Timothy Tyler despite disciplinary past and allegations of misconduct

This article originally appeared on IPM Newsroom on January 29, 2024. This story is part of a partnership focusing on police misconduct in Champaign County between the Champaign-Urbana Civic Police...

Accidents and emergency calls mount at Archer Daniels Midland plants in Decatur in past year; Employee dies in rail accident, multiple employees injured in explosions

Listen to WILL’s coverage for interview audio and hear from the reporters on The 21st Show. Just months before he planned to retire, 66-year-old Robert Dautel was killed in an...

Champaign looks to expand automated license plate reader program    

Champaign has been using automated license plate readers (ALPR) in an effort to reduce gun violence — and its police department is looking to not only continue usage, but to...