illinois
Read more about the article Rep. Adam Kinzinger fundraising expenditures rise up while media expenses decrease in 2020US House Office of Photography
Adam Kinzinger's most recent official photograph.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger fundraising expenditures rise up while media expenses decrease in 2020

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger showed an immense change in campaign fund spending for the current 2019-2020 Illinois' 16th Congressional District election campaign, which includes a decrease of media and advertising and an increase in fundraising spending. During his previous campaign, Kinzinger’s campaign budget consisted of spending $788,336 toward media-related purchases. However, he has spent only $60,169 in media purchases and $28,459 in advertising purchases so far for his current campaign, which is a total of $88,628.

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Read more about the article Rep. Mike Quigley cuts expenditures by nearly half in 2020 campaignUS House Office of Photography
Mike Quigley's most recent official photograph.

Rep. Mike Quigley cuts expenditures by nearly half in 2020 campaign

Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley has spent more than $631,000 so far as he runs for his seventh term as Illinois’ 5th Congressional District’s representative in 2020, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) data. The expenditures in the 2019-2020 election cycle are a decrease from the amount he spent in the previous cycle, during which he spent over $1.2 million, according to the FEC.

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Read more about the article While abortion clinics diminish, crisis pregnancy centers flourish
Ramiro Ferrando

While abortion clinics diminish, crisis pregnancy centers flourish

While the state of Illinois is often called an abortion “oasis” in the Midwest because of easier access to abortions than neighboring states, there are 86 crisis pregnancy centers – known as CPCs - compared with 25 abortion clinics in Illinois. Champaign has two of those centers.

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Read more about the article Longtime Illinois representative campaign expenditures low
Rep. Danny Davis (D-7th IL)

Longtime Illinois representative campaign expenditures low

U.S. Congressman Danny Davis, Democrat, of District 7 has occupied his seat in the House of Representatives for over 20 years.  Davis was re-elected to his seat on earlier this month – defeating his opponent Republican Craig Cameron by more than 80 percent of the votes. And each year, Davis has one of the lowest campaign spending and contribution amounts of the Illinois representatives, spending anywhere from $300,000 to $600,000 and raising as little as $200,000 and as much as $600,000.

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Read more about the article Rep. Bobby Rush’s family continues to benefit from campaign dollarsRush.house.gov
U.S. Congressman Bobby L. Rush (1st District of Illinois)

Rep. Bobby Rush’s family continues to benefit from campaign dollars

A 2018 report from the House Committee on Ethics shows Democratic Representative Bobby Rush is still utilizing the federal campaign finance system to benefit his family despite following a 2016 questioning by the Federal Election Committee. In 2016, the Federal Election Commission inquired into Rush’s campaign finance report due to vague categories of expenditures. Additionally, watchdog groups have questioned the large amounts of campaign money going to Rush’s family members.

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Read more about the article ‘Uncharted waters:’ Illinois water use issues exacerbated by irrigation, lack of water supply planningDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Mark Pflugmacher with irrigation equipment at his farm just outside of Gifford, Ill., on November 29.

‘Uncharted waters:’ Illinois water use issues exacerbated by irrigation, lack of water supply planning

In our “Uncharted Waters” series, The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting took at look at what’s behind the recent spike in irrigation, the lack of regulations around groundwater and stalled water supply planning efforts and the impact this will have on Illinois in the future.

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Read more about the article Lack of irrigation reporting leaves uncertain future for Illinois groundwaterDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Mark Pflugmacher with irrigation equipment at his farm just outside of Gifford, Ill., on November 29.

Lack of irrigation reporting leaves uncertain future for Illinois groundwater

Almost 1,000 pivots have been installed in counties statewide in the past four years as a result of higher crop prices and the demand of seed corn companies, an almost 20 percent increase in overall irrigation that equals the use of more than half a million people each year.

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Read more about the article Irrigation playing role in water issues across IllinoisDarrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess.org
Irrigation equipment at Mark Pflugmacher's farm just outside of Gifford, Ill., on November 29.

Irrigation playing role in water issues across Illinois

While Illinois is not currently facing a water crisis, highly populated areas with high growth — namely Chicagoland and Champaign County — are undergoing…

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Read more about the article Native American student still anguished over campus attitudesPhoto courtesy of Suey Park.
Sandoval holds a sign outside of the Native American House during a University-sponsored "I stand for..." event last year.

Native American student still anguished over campus attitudes

Xochitl Sandoval is proud of her Native American heritage. She is not proud, however, of her campus's attitude toward her Native American heritage. Sandoval, a recent graduate of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, follows the Nahua tradition of her mother's heritage and has a Rararmuri background from her father. Through volunteering with the Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Sandoval became interested in learning more about her indigenous culture.

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Read more about the article Native American student carries on retired Chief traditionDarrell Hoemann
Ivan Dozier Jr., graduate student at the University of Illinois and unofficial chief portrayer, stands on the south quad, June 2, 2014.

Native American student carries on retired Chief tradition

The first time Native American Ivan Dozier Jr. saw the Chief perform was at a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign football game that his father took him to when Dozier was a child. He said he was bored and restless. At halftime, Dozier remembered, he got up to get something to eat.

Continue ReadingNative American student carries on retired Chief tradition