Community Voices
Read more about the article How Champaign County residents organized an AI data center resistance
Kimberlie Kranich, one of the steering members of the community group opposing AI data centers, gives a speech where she shared the names of the companies proposing data centers to Champaign County officials: ABEI Energy and Clean Cloud Energy. Photo taken Aug. 25 by Kaniz Fatema.

How Champaign County residents organized an AI data center resistance

Longtime Champaign County residents Ruth Yontz and Antonia Herbstreit had never met before organizing what would become an AI data center resistance group. Yontz,…

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Read more about the article While officials debate data center regulations, residents want to know where they’ll be builtKaniz Fatema
Members of the Champaign County Data Center Activities Task Force met July 13, 2026 to discuss regulations for data centers, including noise, vibration and minimum separation distances. Photo by Kaniz Fatema.

While officials debate data center regulations, residents want to know where they’ll be built

Although Champaign County is under a 12-month moratorium on new large-scale data centers, concerns about the location of a potential facility continue to grow…

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Read more about the article Champaign County seeking legal counsel to regulate data centers following failure of Illinois POWER ActChampaign County
Committee members of the Champaign County Board's Data Center Activities Task Force met on June 22, 2026. Screenshot captured July 2.

Champaign County seeking legal counsel to regulate data centers following failure of Illinois POWER Act

The failure to pass a proposed state law on data centers has pushed Champaign County officials to develop their own regulations to address concerns…

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Read more about the article Despite local concerns, Illinois health officials say Piatt County glioblastoma rates remain within expected rangeMadyson Magnus
A street sign marks the intersection of East Grant Street and Monticello Street in Monticello on June 3, 2026. Photo by Madyson Magnus.

Despite local concerns, Illinois health officials say Piatt County glioblastoma rates remain within expected range

The Illinois Department of Public Health said a recent review of cancer registry data found no evidence of an increase in glioblastoma cases in…

Continue ReadingDespite local concerns, Illinois health officials say Piatt County glioblastoma rates remain within expected range
Read more about the article Champaign community news, culture sites filling gaps left by shrinking traditional mediaMadyson Magnus
Former newsroom and offices of The News-Gazette at 15 E. Main St. in Champaign in April 2026. Photo by Madyson Magnus.

Champaign community news, culture sites filling gaps left by shrinking traditional media

On Main Street in downtown Champaign, the former News-Gazette building still stands, like a mausoleum to what is known as legacy news. Its signage…

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Read more about the article Long waits for appointments at social security district office persist, but recipients report faster service once appointment madeDarrell Hoemann
Champaign Social Security office exterior at 101 S. Country Fair Drive in Champaign on Thursday, April 17, 2025. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

Long waits for appointments at social security district office persist, but recipients report faster service once appointment made

Getting an appointment at Champaign’s social security district office continues to take 30 days or more, but some recipients report that once they are…

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Read more about the article Residents hit with higher summer electricity bills that exceeded estimated increases
The Ameren Illinois service zone and the grid operator's zone covers much of the same territory. Source: Ambit Energy Pros (Left), MISO Planning Resource Auction for Planning Year 2025/26 Results (Right) 

Residents hit with higher summer electricity bills that exceeded estimated increases

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%…

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Read more about the article Gun violence in Holiday Park neighborhood steadily drops in past five yearsSam Rink
A school speed limit sign stands on Maplewood Drive across the street from Kenwood Elementary School in the Holiday Park neighborhood in Champaign, IL on Nov. 5, 2025. Photo by Sam Rink.

Gun violence in Holiday Park neighborhood steadily drops in past five years

Gun violence in the Holiday Park neighborhood in Champaign has decreased significantly in the last five years, according to data from the Champaign Police…

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Read more about the article ‘It’s amazing they function at all’: social security recipients and workers brace for cutsDarrell Hoemann
Champaign Social Security office exterior at 101 S. Country Fair Drive in Champaign on Thursday, April 17, 2025. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

‘It’s amazing they function at all’: social security recipients and workers brace for cuts

For Kiel Hodges, replacing a lost Social Security card has turned into a five-week ordeal with three office visits.  "I need it to get…

Continue Reading‘It’s amazing they function at all’: social security recipients and workers brace for cuts