Technology
Read more about the article Hundreds of Champaign County elevator certificates listed as expired in state databaseAdelyn Mui
The elevator in Gregory Hall on Dec. 10, 2025. Photo by Adelyn Mui.

Hundreds of Champaign County elevator certificates listed as expired in state database

Nearly one-third of the active elevators and conveyances like escalators and lifts in Champaign County appeared to have expired safety certificates in the Office…

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Read more about the article Software issues led Champaign to axe SeeClickFix in favor of new public reporting system BrightlyBrightly Citizen Portal
The Brightly Citizen Portal, the new public reporting system for the City of Champaign, which replaced SeeClickFix. Screenshot taken Dec. 9, 2025.

Software issues led Champaign to axe SeeClickFix in favor of new public reporting system Brightly

Pothole repair requests appearing at residential addresses. Mapping software preventing reports within the city. Anonymous reports limiting city follow-up to resolve reported issues. These…

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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 Champaign County task force approves $161,000 in new opioid settlement spending
A pie chart from the Illinois Opioid Settlements website shows how more than $531 million in settlement payments have been allocated statewide to date. The remediation fund receives the largest share at 55%, followed by 33% to local governments and 12% to the state. Screenshot on Nov. 3, 2025.

Champaign County task force approves $161,000 in new opioid settlement spending

Champaign County’s Opioid Settlement Task Force approved about $161,000 in new spending this week toward emergency medical equipment for fire protection districts across the…

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Read more about the article Urbana quietly closed its open data portal. Suddenly several public safety datasets were gone.
The City of Urbana now uploads public data to the Illinois Open Data Portal after discontinuing its city-managed portal earlier this year. Screenshot taken Nov. 11, 2025.

Urbana quietly closed its open data portal. Suddenly several public safety datasets were gone.

Without notice to the public, the Urbana Open Data Portal was shut down after nearly 10 years of service.  Urbana residents and the general…

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Read more about the article Efforts continue to keep Illinois’ aging nuclear power reactors operating
Aerial photo of the Clinton Nuclear Power Plant facility. Photo from the Constellation Energy website.

Efforts continue to keep Illinois’ aging nuclear power reactors operating

The Clinton Power Station nuclear reactor, about 34 miles from Champaign, generates enough energy to provide heating and electricity for over 800,000 of Illinois'…

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Read more about the article Champaign County doesn’t allow looking up property by name. We made it searchable again.Darrell Hoemann
Brookens Admin Center in Urbana, IL 61801 on Wednesday, December 15, 2021. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

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

Although the Champaign County Assessment Office has a property tax lookup tool developed by the software company DEVNET, the office decided to remove the…

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Read more about the article Health district launches survey on elder care amid deficit of nursing home beds, closed facilitiesFarrah Anderson
Broken furniture and items lay outside the former Champaign County Nursing Home which William “Avi” Rothner purchased in 2018. Photo by Farrah Anderson.

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…

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Read more about the article University of Illinois seeks to have ‘less adversarial’ relationship with landlords to provide more resources for student tenants
Screenshots of the Housing Explorer retrieved using the Internet Archive.

University of Illinois seeks to have ‘less adversarial’ relationship with landlords to provide more resources for student tenants

Following the takedown of the University of Illinois’s Housing Explorer database, a resource for students seeking housing in Urbana and Champaign, the Off-Campus Community…

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