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Read more about the article Urbana’s number of waste haulers cited as environmentally unsustainable, some residents agreeDarrell Hoemann
Republic Services exterior at 2801 N Willow Rd, Urbana, IL 61802) on Sunday, December 19, 2021. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

Urbana’s number of waste haulers cited as environmentally unsustainable, some residents agree

While recycling is controlled in Urbana, trash is not consolidated in the same way, as there are seven licensed haulers for the city of Urbana, all ranging in price and accepted volume.  Not every hauler services each part of Urbana, and haulers pick up trash on a few designated days. Courtney Kwong, recycling coordinator for Urbana, said this is a long-term goal for the city to increase efficiency in the next 30 years.

Continue ReadingUrbana’s number of waste haulers cited as environmentally unsustainable, some residents agree
Read more about the article Champaign County Sheriff’s Office knew Norman Meeker had an alcohol problem for a decade. Why did it take a flipped truck and a DUI for Meeker to leave the force?
A close view of the flipped vehicle. Screenshot from body camera footage.

Champaign County Sheriff’s Office knew Norman Meeker had an alcohol problem for a decade. Why did it take a flipped truck and a DUI for Meeker to leave the force?

Champaign County Sheriff’s Sergeant Norman “JR” Meeker had a 10-year history of violations, including destruction of personal property, contract violations, a Tik Tok account that shared bodycam videos of crime scenes and mountains of missed paperwork.  Yet, he was still employed and promoted at the Sheriff’s Office until he flipped a truck while drunk. Champaign County Sheriff’s Office records suggest a systemic inability to deal with over-the-top behavior from its officers — a system in which a sergeant can be disciplined regularly, suspected for having alcohol problems for over a decade, violate contracts and be accused of using racial slurs — yet keep their job. 

Continue ReadingChampaign County Sheriff’s Office knew Norman Meeker had an alcohol problem for a decade. Why did it take a flipped truck and a DUI for Meeker to leave the force?
Read more about the article University of Illinois building monitors inconsistently enforced access while campus COVID cases surgedVivian La
A vacant building monitor desk in the School of Literatures, Cultures and Linguistics in Urbana.

University of Illinois building monitors inconsistently enforced access while campus COVID cases surged

To mitigate infection, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign had to utilize several novel technologies, yet lack of staff availability to enforce this technology…

Continue ReadingUniversity of Illinois building monitors inconsistently enforced access while campus COVID cases surged
Read more about the article Bobby Rush’s campaign spending on family ‘could be concerning’, analyst saysRush.house.gov
U.S. Congressman Bobby L. Rush (1st District of Illinois)

Bobby Rush’s campaign spending on family ‘could be concerning’, analyst says

Bobby Rush, Democratic representative for Illinois’ 1st District, has spent $402,044 so far during the 2019-2020 election cycle, with about $41,062 — one-tenth of his expenditures — going to his son, Jeffery Rush. Isaac Wink, policy analyst at Reform for Illinois, said there may be a reason to keep close attention to these payments.

Continue ReadingBobby Rush’s campaign spending on family ‘could be concerning’, analyst says
Read more about the article Campus crime reports significantly different; Some call for reform of federal Clery ActUniversity Housing
Campus crime locations include residence halls, such as Hopkins Hall, which had at least 13 incidents in the 2020 fall semester at the University of Illinois.

Campus crime reports significantly different; Some call for reform of federal Clery Act

Last year, 233 criminal incidents occurred on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus according to the 2019 annual security and fire report, mandated by the federal crime reporting law for colleges known as the Clery Act. But the university’s daily crime log routinely reports many more incidents. Some law enforcement officials said the Clery Act guidelines can be confusing and unclear for crime reporting and can lead to ‘unintended harms’, especially in the wake of COVID-19, which may make campuses appear less safe than reality.

Continue ReadingCampus crime reports significantly different; Some call for reform of federal Clery Act