Yearly Archives: 2017

‘No Taxpayer Dollars’ for coaches at the University of Illinois? It’s a lie

The Multimillion-Dollar Head Fake is an investigative project by Jay Rosenstein, a University of Illinois professor of Media and Cinema Studies, on how the University of Illinois spends state money on its athletic department despite claims to the contrary. Here part one of a four-part series as presented on Rosenstein's website. It was also featured in the Huffington Post, the Champaign News Gazette, Illinois Public Media and the Chicago Tribune.

Continue Reading‘No Taxpayer Dollars’ for coaches at the University of Illinois? It’s a lie
Read more about the article Volunteer East Lawn cemetery lacks city, county supportDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
The East Lawn Burial Park in Urbana on December 1.

Volunteer East Lawn cemetery lacks city, county support

It’s not always easy for a local cemetery to stay alive. Gravesites need to be maintained, bills need to be paid, and revenue relies solely on death. Every active cemetery deals with difficulties, but for a board of less than 10 retirees, maintaining East Lawn Burial Park in Urbana is a grave concern.

Continue ReadingVolunteer East Lawn cemetery lacks city, county support
Read more about the article Center for juvenile delinquents deals with more than 500 clients a yearDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Jonathan Westfield sits in the family meeting area in the Youth Assessment Center on November 7. Westfield has served as director of the center since July.

Center for juvenile delinquents deals with more than 500 clients a year

There is no such thing as a typical day at the Youth Assessment Center in Champaign, according to director Jonathan Westfield.

Continue ReadingCenter for juvenile delinquents deals with more than 500 clients a year
Read more about the article Champaign schools implement coding curriculumDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Kevin Zhu shows off some of his coding in his third grade class at Kenwood Elementary School in Champaign on November 7.

Champaign schools implement coding curriculum

Champaign Unit 4 Schools have implemented a curriculum based around coding, beginning in kindergarten and going all the way up through high school. The students have designated time each week to learn how to code through the programming language Scratch.

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Read more about the article As deadline approaches for action on downtown jail, Champaign County faces funding and activists as roadblocksDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
A common area for inmates to gather during the day at the Champaign County jail in Downtown Urbana.

As deadline approaches for action on downtown jail, Champaign County faces funding and activists as roadblocks

With a U.S. Department of Justice-imposed deadline approaching, Champaign County officials have increasing pressure on them to either renovate or close the 37-year-old jail in downtown Urbana.

Continue ReadingAs deadline approaches for action on downtown jail, Champaign County faces funding and activists as roadblocks
Read more about the article Pesticide applicators report drift issues with dicamba, even when using brand names in good weatherDarrell Hoemann/Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Dicamba resistant soybeans in rural McLean County on August 7.

Pesticide applicators report drift issues with dicamba, even when using brand names in good weather

More than 100 Illinois pesticide retailers reported the weed killer dicamba drifted and damaged soybeans even when it was sprayed in good conditions, according to a recent industry survey.

Continue ReadingPesticide applicators report drift issues with dicamba, even when using brand names in good weather
Read more about the article Inspectors fail 16 food establishments from June to SeptemberDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Bacaro at 113 N. Walnut St. in Champaign failed its routine health inspection on September 15.

Inspectors fail 16 food establishments from June to September

Altogether, from June 1 to September 30, 16 food establishments were closed or failed inspections for health code violations, according to a review of inspection records by the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.

Continue ReadingInspectors fail 16 food establishments from June to September
Read more about the article Long-time housing for migrant farmworkers closesDarrell Hoemann/The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Nightingale Camp, a former hospital on the decomissioned Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois, sits abandoned. It was once the largest migrant housing camp in the state.

Long-time housing for migrant farmworkers closes

Since 2001, the former hospital on Nightingale Court in Rantoul, Ilinois housed as many as 450 migrant farmworkers and their families to work in the fields in central Illinois. But this year, its owner – Unique Storage Inc. – did not submit a migrant labor camp application for the site, known as Nightingale, according to the state public health department. Instead, housing for the farmworkers was moved elsewhere.

Continue ReadingLong-time housing for migrant farmworkers closes
Read more about the article Damage from dicamba spurs confusion, questionsDarrell Hoemann/Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Soybeans in a field in rural McLean County on August 7.

Damage from dicamba spurs confusion, questions

In 2016, Monsanto released its dicamba-resistant soybeans in the company’s largest ever rollout of a new biotechnology. But its accompanying herbicide – XtendiMaxTM herbicide with VaporGripTM Technology – was not approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency until several months later, leading some farmers to use other versions of the herbicide on their soybeans.

Continue ReadingDamage from dicamba spurs confusion, questions
Read more about the article In wake of new Monsanto seed, Illinois sees more crop damageDarrell Hoemann/Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting
Dicamba resistant soybeans in rural McLean County on August 7.

In wake of new Monsanto seed, Illinois sees more crop damage

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has received 368 complaints so far in 2017, which are more alleged pesticide misuse complaints than in the previous three years combined, according to a review of a statewide database of complaints by the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting.

Continue ReadingIn wake of new Monsanto seed, Illinois sees more crop damage