Read more about the article Hospital cost disclosures under transparency law inconsistent and hard to compare without third partiesDarrell Hoemann
Carle Admin Center at Carle at the Fields on Sunday, December 19, 2021. photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

Hospital cost disclosures under transparency law inconsistent and hard to compare without third parties

On average, the Methodist Medical Center Of Illinois in Peoria charges $26,892.08 for a procedure known as a mastectomy, a total breast removal —…

Continue ReadingHospital cost disclosures under transparency law inconsistent and hard to compare without third parties
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 Trains often carry hazardous materials through Champaign County, but public kept in dark because of security concernsJ. Sidney Malone
An employee delivers orders at the Neil Street Culver's that stands less than 15 yards from railroad tracks carrying hazardous material. Beyond the tracks is the Illinois Fire Service Institute, which trains to handle hazardous material incidents.

Trains often carry hazardous materials through Champaign County, but public kept in dark because of security concerns

A train passes through Champaign County every fifteen minutes, many of which carry flammable, corrosive and hazardous materials.  The recent disaster in East Palestine,…

Continue ReadingTrains often carry hazardous materials through Champaign County, but public kept in dark because of security concerns

State data gives early warning of layoffs from larger companies, but lost jobs from small businesses go uncounted

A few months ago, Everyday Kitchen on Neil Street in Champaign suddenly announced its closing after over four years in business. But if one…

Continue ReadingState data gives early warning of layoffs from larger companies, but lost jobs from small businesses go uncounted
Read more about the article Longtime Champaign attorney’s compensation rose $100,000 before retirement; Total compensation for all city staff rose 4.5%
Champaign city building on 102 N Neil St. Screenshot from Google Street View.

Longtime Champaign attorney’s compensation rose $100,000 before retirement; Total compensation for all city staff rose 4.5%

Before retiring last May, Champaign’s City Attorney Frederick Stavins’s compensation rose about $100,000 compared with the previous fiscal year, data shows. The total compensation…

Continue ReadingLongtime Champaign attorney’s compensation rose $100,000 before retirement; Total compensation for all city staff rose 4.5%
Read more about the article Urbana doubled bonuses paid to its workers in 2022; Total compensation for workers rose $1.4 million, a 6.64% increaseGoogle Maps Street View
Urbana City Building from Google Maps.

Urbana doubled bonuses paid to its workers in 2022; Total compensation for workers rose $1.4 million, a 6.64% increase

The amount of bonuses paid to Urbana employees doubled between the previous two fiscal years, city data shows.  During fiscal year 2021, 28 people…

Continue ReadingUrbana doubled bonuses paid to its workers in 2022; Total compensation for workers rose $1.4 million, a 6.64% increase
Read more about the article Some Champaign landlords limit use of vouchers as income, meaning it’s harder for low-income families to rent; But Urbana landlords accept vouchers
Housing Authority of Champaign County, located at 2008 N Market St in Champaign. Image from Google Maps Street View.

Some Champaign landlords limit use of vouchers as income, meaning it’s harder for low-income families to rent; But Urbana landlords accept vouchers

Champaign landlords are reluctant to consider federal housing vouchers as income, prompting many to not accept vouchers — but Urbana’s laws protect tenants from…

Continue ReadingSome Champaign landlords limit use of vouchers as income, meaning it’s harder for low-income families to rent; But Urbana landlords accept vouchers
Read more about the article Two years later, COVID breaks death records in Champaign County
This illustration, created at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), reveals ultrastructural morphology exhibited by coronaviruses. Note the spikes that adorn the outer surface of the virus, which impart the look of a corona surrounding the virion, when viewed electron microscopically. A novel coronavirus, named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified as the cause of an outbreak of respiratory illness first detected in Wuhan, China in 2019. The illness caused by this virus has been named coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Two years later, COVID breaks death records in Champaign County

As the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic begins, cases plunge after the deadliest month for Champaign County just this year. Nearly 62,000 cases.…

Continue ReadingTwo years later, COVID breaks death records in Champaign County
Read more about the article ‘Wolf in sheep’s clothing’: Cannabis workers describe pushback against unionization effortsLeafly
Jobs in the cannabis industry have grown by 161% in the last four years. (Illustration: Joshua Titus for Leafly)

‘Wolf in sheep’s clothing’: Cannabis workers describe pushback against unionization efforts

Ramy Akram-Ahmed, a wellness advisor at Sunnyside Cannabis Dispensary in Champaign, Illinois, made $17 an hour while the parent company of Sunnyside, Cresco Labs,…

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Read more about the article County COVID breakthrough cases undercounted, but university offers more accurate numbersMcKinley Health Center website
McKinley Health Center on the University of Illinois campus.

County COVID breakthrough cases undercounted, but university offers more accurate numbers

Because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) only requires healthcare administrators to report severe infections of COVID-19 among the fully vaccinated, the true number and percentage of vaccine breakthrough cases infections in Champaign County and across the nation is significantly undercounted, public health experts say. Data from the University of Illinois shows that breakthrough cases — severe and mild — are much larger than than the state numbers. Since May, 75.9% of, or more than three out of four, positive tests belonged to fully vaccinated students or staff. 

Continue ReadingCounty COVID breakthrough cases undercounted, but university offers more accurate numbers