Read more about the article Racial disparity in Urbana police traffic stops highest in 10 yearsDarrell 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

Racial disparity in Urbana police traffic stops highest in 10 years

The ratio of nonwhite to white drivers involved in traffic stops in Urbana hit a 10-year high in 2022 — for every 10 white…

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Read more about the article Citations for unlawful ID use by minors soars in Champaign after pandemic; underage drinking citations plummetGoogle Street View
Joe's Brewery on Google Street View. Screenshot taken on August 23, 2023.

Citations for unlawful ID use by minors soars in Champaign after pandemic; underage drinking citations plummet

About five times the number of 19- and 20-year-olds have been arrested or fined for unlawful use of ID in the first seven months…

Continue ReadingCitations for unlawful ID use by minors soars in Champaign after pandemic; underage drinking citations plummet
Read more about the article Number of surveillance cameras continue to increase on University of Illinois campus; has surged to nearly 2,400Nicole Littlefield
Henry Administration Building

Number of surveillance cameras continue to increase on University of Illinois campus; has surged to nearly 2,400

A steadily increasing number of security cameras have been used to solve hundreds of investigations on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus in…

Continue ReadingNumber of surveillance cameras continue to increase on University of Illinois campus; has surged to nearly 2,400
Read more about the article Pritzker, lawyers and insurers helped finance Illinois Supreme Court elections, but transparency lacking for many other donorsillinoiscourts.gov
Justice Elizabeth M. Rochford, Justice Lisa Holder White, Justice P. Scott Neville, Jr., Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis, Justice David K. Overstreet, Justice Joy V. Cunningham, Justice Mary K. O'Brien.

Pritzker, lawyers and insurers helped finance Illinois Supreme Court elections, but transparency lacking for many other donors

Nearly $9.6 million went into the Supreme Court of Illinois elections for the second and third districts last November according to data obtained from…

Continue ReadingPritzker, lawyers and insurers helped finance Illinois Supreme Court elections, but transparency lacking for many other donors
Read more about the article Champaign and Urbana police still mostly white despite repeated attempts at racial diversityDarrell 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

Champaign and Urbana police still mostly white despite repeated attempts at racial diversity

Despite years of pledges and efforts to bring racial diversity to their departments, only 31 of 203 employees — or 15% — at the…

Continue ReadingChampaign and Urbana police still mostly white despite repeated attempts at racial diversity
Read more about the article Central Illinois police training for mental health cases questioned, involuntary commitment issues remainDarrell Hoemann
Tisha Bryson at her home in central Illinois on Saturday, June 4, 2022. photo by Darrell Hoemann/C-U Citizen Access

Central Illinois police training for mental health cases questioned, involuntary commitment issues remain

Tisha Bryson has been shackled, hospitalized and shoved to the ground by central Illinois law enforcement officers more times than she can count while…

Continue ReadingCentral Illinois police training for mental health cases questioned, involuntary commitment issues remain
Read more about the article Of 50 victims, young minorities harmed most by flurry of Champaign gun violence
A map of shootings in Champaign from Jan. 1, 2016 to Nov. 15, 2021. It was released in the Community Violence Reduction Blueprint, which was released in February 2022.

Of 50 victims, young minorities harmed most by flurry of Champaign gun violence

There were 50 lethal shootings in the city of Champaign between 2015 and the first half of 2022. Of those 50 victims, 15 were…

Continue ReadingOf 50 victims, young minorities harmed most by flurry of Champaign gun violence
Read more about the article Urbana police stop giving out fines for underage drinking at bars during pandemic
Underage drinking citations from 2015 through November 2021 in Urbana, IL.

Urbana police stop giving out fines for underage drinking at bars during pandemic

Like the City of Champaign, Urbana issued no underage drinking citations or made any arrests last year through November 2021, according to police data…

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Read more about the article Domestic violence exacerbated by pandemic, leaving marginalized communities especially vulnerableDarrell Hoemann
Satellite Jail exterior on Wednesday, December 15, 2021. photo by Darrell Hoemann/C-U Citizen Access

Domestic violence exacerbated by pandemic, leaving marginalized communities especially vulnerable

Domestic violence in the city of Champaign rose by 13% last year, surging from 871 incidents in 2019 to 982 incidents in 2020, a…

Continue ReadingDomestic violence exacerbated by pandemic, leaving marginalized communities especially vulnerable
Read more about the article City of Champaign no longer enforcing underage drinking laws at Campustown bars during pandemic
Champaign-Urbana social-media community exploded in hundreds of comments under the Facebook and Reddit posts discussing a long line of people waiting at the entrance of one of the campus bars – Red Lion, on January 23, 2021.

City of Champaign no longer enforcing underage drinking laws at Campustown bars during pandemic

It’s no secret that some underage students at the University of Illinois like to drink at nearby Campustown bars, and that those under 21 have ample opportunity to violate the law at Campustown bars. But throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Champaign Police Department has made it even easier for minors to get away with underage drinking at the local campus bars.

Continue ReadingCity of Champaign no longer enforcing underage drinking laws at Campustown bars during pandemic