Government
Read more about the article Rep. Cheri Bustos starts returning campaign funds after retirement announcement
Cheri Bustos

Rep. Cheri Bustos starts returning campaign funds after retirement announcement

At the end of April, Bustos had gathered just over $450,000 in funds, but by the end of June, her disbursements were just over $240,500, accounting for over half of her donations.  Specifically, Bustos has spent almost $30,000 on contribution refunds, giving back to her donors after announcing she is not running for reelection. This is her second-largest expenditure of the year, next to fundraising services. 

Continue ReadingRep. Cheri Bustos starts returning campaign funds after retirement announcement
Read more about the article Rep. Brad Schneider decreases campaign spending so far from last electionCongress Website
Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois's 10th district.

Rep. Brad Schneider decreases campaign spending so far from last election

Democratic congressional incumbent Brad Schneider has sharply decreased his campaign spending from $3,024,001 in 2019-2020 to a spending just a little over half a…

Continue ReadingRep. Brad Schneider decreases campaign spending so far from last election
Read more about the article Pay gap between Champaign and Urbana employees actually widening, new data revealsGoogle Maps Street View
Urbana City Building from Google Maps.

Pay gap between Champaign and Urbana employees actually widening, new data reveals

Recently released data on employee salaries of the City of Champaign and City of Urbana show that Urbana pays substantially less than Champaign and that the pay gap between the two cities has actually increased over the past two fiscal years, according a CU-CitizenAccess review.  When the data for employees receiving under $75,000 a year is included, the number of employees increases to 315, more than double the 145 employees included in the compensation report the City of Urbana publishes. 

Continue ReadingPay gap between Champaign and Urbana employees actually widening, new data reveals
Read more about the article Hiring shortages an obstacle for policing amidst increasing gun violenceDarrell Hoemann
Looking south to the Champaign Police Department Building on First Street. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

Hiring shortages an obstacle for policing amidst increasing gun violence

Several months after addressing increasing gun violence in a community update, a new report on hiring reveals the Champaign police force is understaffed. Urbana and University of Illinois police are experiencing some shortages, but have significantly less unfilled positions.

Continue ReadingHiring shortages an obstacle for policing amidst increasing gun violence

Champaign financial impact from pandemic offset by taxes and repurposing, records show top costs remained mostly same

Champaign’s cash outflow reports show that business assistance funding has dramatically increased during the pandemic, aided by a fund program that wasn’t designed to…

Continue ReadingChampaign financial impact from pandemic offset by taxes and repurposing, records show top costs remained mostly same
Read more about the article Majority of Champaign and Urbana police live elsewhere; Effect of non-residency on community policing debated nationallyDarrell Hoemann
The window for the Urbana Police Department office inside the Urbana City Hall on Thursday, September 4, 2014. photo by Darrell Hoemann/C-U Citizen Access

Majority of Champaign and Urbana police live elsewhere; Effect of non-residency on community policing debated nationally

The vast majority of police staff members in Champaign-Urbana don't live in the cities they serve. Local and national experts attempting to unravel community policing solutions see residency as one more piece of the puzzle, but other factors may turn out to be more important for the community's residents.

Continue ReadingMajority of Champaign and Urbana police live elsewhere; Effect of non-residency on community policing debated nationally
Read more about the article Champaign and Urbana police struggle to diversifyDarrell Hoemann
Looking south to the Champaign Police Department Building on First Street. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

Champaign and Urbana police struggle to diversify

In 2014, the police staff in Champaign was 88% white and Urbana’s police staff was 84% white, CU-CitizenAccess reported at that time. Almost seven years later, those numbers are virtually unchanged, despite pledges by both cities to diversify their police forces.

Continue ReadingChampaign and Urbana police struggle to diversify
Read more about the article Illinois Rep. Lauren Underwood spends over $5 million on reelection campaign
Lauren Underwood

Illinois Rep. Lauren Underwood spends over $5 million on reelection campaign

Incumbent Lauren Underwood has spent over $5 million so far on her reelection campaign for Illinois’s 14th Congressional District. During Underwood’s first election, her expenditures totaled $4.89 million; that number has been exceeded, with Underwood spending $5.3 million for the 2019-2020 cycle so far.

Continue ReadingIllinois Rep. Lauren Underwood spends over $5 million on reelection campaign
Read more about the article Rep. Darin LaHood outspends all Republican Illinois candidates during 2020 election cycleU.S. House Office of Photography
Darin LaHood

Rep. Darin LaHood outspends all Republican Illinois candidates during 2020 election cycle

Despite no opposing candidate, U.S. Congressman Darin LaHood outspent all other Illinois Republican candidates during the 2020 election cycle. So far, out of the other top-spending Illinois Republican candidates running in the 2020 election, LaHood has outspent Jim Oberweis from the 14th District by $90,000, Jeanne Ives from the 6th District by $84,000 and incumbent Rodney Davis from the 13th District by $10,000.

Continue ReadingRep. Darin LaHood outspends all Republican Illinois candidates during 2020 election cycle
Read more about the article Rep. Bill Foster’s spending focusing on staff payroll, donations in 2020 electionBill Foster's official website
The most recent official photograph of Rep. Bill Foster.

Rep. Bill Foster’s spending focusing on staff payroll, donations in 2020 election

Seeking re-election for a fourth consecutive cycle, Democratic incumbent congressional representative Bill Foster appears to be comfortably spending campaign money outside his own campaign, as he lacks an opponent capable of credibly threatening his seat. Running in the 11th Congressional District of Illinois for the House of Representatives, Foster’s campaign has spent $1,451,981 so far for his 2020 cycle according to the Federal Election Commission.

Continue ReadingRep. Bill Foster’s spending focusing on staff payroll, donations in 2020 election