Building the Blue Wave 6/30

The People's Agenda hosted a Building the Blue Wave presentation and educational community event at the Champaign Public Library on Saturday. The focus was helping those unfamiliar with the nitty gritty of political campaigns and the serious amount of work and energy that goes into getting out more of the vote than the other guys who are working to do the same. For many of us this battle raging with every election, even the elections we missed or didn't even know about, goes on without us noticing. Folks of varying political interest and awareness of the issues can easily miss or ignore a lot of the party apparatus it seems.

The theme of the overall event was the need to put in the work. Like building a lot of things in life, there's not much of a secret to building support for candidates and causes: it takes people putting in the time and doing the work. The presentation talked about what that means, what's effective and how to avoid the pitfalls.

State Representative Carol Ammons started off the event emphasizing the need to put in the work and affirming that complaining alone does not get it done. She put it simply that "we will not win if we don't work." She discussed tips and concepts to be effective in that work. The closing "important point" was probably the most critical: person to person interactions is what gets people to the polls. This can't be done from the couch.

Aaron Ammons, the Democratic Party candidate for County Clerk, spoke about his values and concerns for the County Clerk's role in ensuring the fullest possible access and opportunity to vote for everyone in Champaign County. He made a solid case for progressives concerned about their voting rights in the current political environment to want someone who not only believes that certain Republican tactics can suppress the vote of marginalized communities, but will fight passionately to make sure that their voice is protected and heard too.

Michelle Jett of the People's Agenda then did a brief overview of the local races on the ballot and took some questions that eventually led into the next big topic of the event: actions that people can volunteer for and get connected with people to do the work.

Ann Quackenbush was the next speaker and assured people there that it just takes showing up and doing the work to get started. She explained how she went to a People's Agenda meeting after the 2016 election wanting to learn what she could do. Today's she's an elected committeewoman working to help get other candidates elected. She also explained the valuable roll that poll watching plays in the election process and how people can get more information and involved in that.

There was then a lot of questions and answers on various topics raised, opportunities, and election information from voting to being an election judge. There was also a quick rundown of logistics for people who were planning on attending another event directly after this one.

Carol Ammons ended the presentation on the historic nature of the times in which we live and the critical need for people to stand together and stand up for the vulnerable when they're under attack as it is an attack on us all.

For more information the People's Agenda has a contact form on their website. If you're interested in volunteering and getting involved in the work of winning elections, they have a form for volunteers to sign up here.

The Week Ahead: 7/1 - 7-7

*** July will likely have a lot of cancellations other than the regular County Board meeting. Build Programs Not Jails will not be meeting on July 4th due to there being no CUMTD service that day. BPNJ meetings will resume every other Wednesday starting July 11th. More info below.  ***

Other Events:

There are a lot of political campaign and organizing events popping up. Check out your preferred candidates and you will likely see campaign, canvassing, or voter registration events in the area. Many are using facebook to more easily share event information and reminders. Check out the Champaign County Voter Alliance's preliminary general election candidate guide to see who is running. We'll be updating County race information from the primary election to the general soon.
 
Groups that crossover with Racial Justice Task Force recommendations meeting this week:

Build Programs Not Jails doesn't meet this week. Meetings are usually every other Wednesday at 7pm at the IMC. Due to the July 4th holiday disrupting public transportation, the next meeting is July 11th at the regular place and time. Meetings will continue every other Wednesday, e.g. the meeting after next will be on July 25th and so on.

Champaign Human Relations Commission will be having a special meeting of the officer nominating committee July 2nd at 11am. This may be more procedural parliamentary housekeeping than substantive this month. More information on City of Champaign meeting times here. This commission had previously recommended to the City Council that they remove the exemption to their housing discrimination protections as recommended by the RJTF. 

Later this month — likely at the July 24th Champaign City Council Study Session (more info here) — there will likely be a presentation on the housing issue and the exemption (more information on that here and a recent letter to the editor by the CU Tenants Union here). Support among local organizations continues to grow. The Housing Authority of Champaign County's new Executive Director reaffirmed the board's focus on expanding reentry opportunities in the community and the problems exacerbated when people with conviction histories are denied access to housing. He pointed out that HACC is still working with the Champaign County Reentry Council towards that end and he is reaching out to community organizations and government bodies in the area to work together on that and other issues.

County Calendar:

The only thing going on this week other than cancellations and a July 4th holiday closing to report is the Environment & Land Use Committee (agenda here). The committee will be receiving the Zoning Board's proposed rules on solar farms and performing the preliminary procedures to vote on them in August (more on that at this Cheat Sheet post). The Environment & Land Use Committee deals with environmental issues and how land is used within the County's jurisdiction.

The full 2018 schedule is on the Calendar page and the County page. The regular County Board meetings are back to Thursdays until next holiday season.

If you're curious about learning more about how your county government works, it's easy enough to live stream a meeting or go in person: Attend a Meeting.

*Meeting is broadcast live on Comcast Public Access and at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/champco1776

Where is Brookens?

Brookens Administrative Center
1776 East Washington Street
Urbana, Illinois 61802-4581
Phone: 217-384-3772

After 4:30 the Washington Street side Parking Lot is Closed See Maps for the North East Parking Lot Access

Solar Farm Rules

From the News-Gazette website Friday:

Champaign County Zoning Board recommends approval of solar farm rules
The Champaign County Zoning Board of Appeals has recommended approval of the rules for solar farms in the rural part of the county.

Director of Planning and Zoning for the county John Hall says that the board Thursday night voted 4-2, with Marilyn Lee and Jim Randol voting no. The rules will now go before the Environment and Land Use Committee next Thursday night.

That committee won't vote on the recommendation from the zoning board until Aug. 9th, where it could then be sent on to the full county board.

Hall says that a decommissioning plan was approved Thursday night as a part of the rules, which provides financial assurance, if and when the panels ever need to be taken down.

Some of the other rules include that the solar farms must be a certain distance away from a home, or from a community's city limits, a noise study must be done, and that there must be a road use agreement to cover the costs of damage to rural roads during construction.

Full article with additional details here. Here's a background article that lays out concerns about noise, topsoil, and other issues the potential solar farm raised (don't let the "wind" title throw you): Sidney resident offers cautionary tale on wind farms.

Community Coalition Special Meeting on Gun Violence

I wasn't able to personally attend the meeting Thursday night, but the Champaign Community Coalition highlighted local coverage on their website linked below:

WCIA had a video segment and article available here on their illinoishomepage.net website:

Community meeting focuses on gun violence prevention 

There's been a spike in gun violence in the Champaign-Urbana area this year and many are left wondering why.

Thursday night, there was a special meeting to figure out what the problem is and what can be done to make a change.

There have been four shootings the past two weekends in Champaign and dozens more gun crimes have happened this year. City leaders and people who live in both cities are saying enough is enough.

The meeting focused on three main things: People's concerns about the gun violence increase; the strengths which exist in the community for support; and actions to prevent this from happening again.

People shared their testimonies of losing family and friends and stressed why it's critical people put down the guns. It's been one shooting after another.

Preston James says, "People are scared to let their kids go out and play."

There have been 52 shootings and gun violence crimes in Champaign-Urbana so far this year. That's 18 more than this time last year. But the question remains, how can it be stopped?

Champaign County Chief Deputy Allen Jones says, "They have to go away. They have to put down the guns and stop with that attitude that it will solve our problems. We need to make sure that all of us in the community are working together to say no more."

The Champaign Community Coalition called a special meeting with city leaders, police and people who live in both cities to come up with specific solutions to make this stop. Many said people need to understand the consequences of gun violence, both for the shooter and for the people who get shot. 

More information, including the video segment, at the full article here. Fox Illinois WCCU's coverage touched on some other issues and perspectives:

CU to approach increase in gun violence as a "crisis"

...
Some concerns focused on legislative and structural faults.

"It starts at the top,” said NAACP Champaign County Branch President, Minnie Pearson. “Violence starts at the top, and we are here at the bottom trying to solve the problem.”

Others, like a mother who lost her son to gun violence in the community, appealed to people’s emotions.

“A lot of them out there shooting, I don't think they know how the parent feels when the parent loses a loved one,” she said. “How the ripple effect go all the way down like a domino. How I feel every day, and you never lose the feeling of losing a loved one."

Next, strategy was put in place.

"We have a resource-rich community, we have the University of Illinois here, we have a lot of resources,” Donté Lotts said. “But why aren't we connecting those resources to the people that need them the most?"

The group brainstormed ways to use the community’s strengths to outweigh its weaknesses.

More information along with another video segment at the full WCCU article here. Friday's News-Gazette article also listed additional ideas raised at the meeting:

Among the other action plans pitched by the group:

— Taking stock of local social services programs and making efforts to avoid duplicating them.

— Having people with a gun-violence history persuade others to avoid the activity, as opposed to people who don't come from that background.

— Encouraging the University of Illinois to provide awards or incentives to employees who integrate themselves and their work in areas outside of campus.

— Advocating for a higher minimum wage that can support a family.

— Getting youth more involved with the effort and asking for their ideas.

— Making room in schools for social service programs to be provided during school time.

More News-Gazette coverage of the meeting and additional information at the full article here. Information about CU Fresh Start at their webpage here and an overview on the Cheat Sheet here.

MTD Budget Increase

Thursday's News-Gazette had some budget numbers for the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District from their most recent board meeting:

MTD board approves budget with $10.7 million spending bump
Employee raises, capital projects and a liability insurance increase will help push next year's spending plan for the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District up by about $10.7 million.

The MTD board unanimously approved a budget for the fiscal year starting July 1 that includes a total appropriation of $56.4 million — roughly 19 percent more than the current year's $45.7 million.

A public hearing preceding that action opened and closed rapidly when there weren't any comments offered.

Most of the budget increase is reflected in capital spending, according to MTD Managing Director Karl Gnadt. That's largely linked to the MTD's hydrogen-fuel-cell project, of which a Federal Transit Administration grant is covering $1.45 million of the cost, he said.

The MTD expects to take delivery of two no-emission, hydrogen-fuel-cell electric buses by early 2020, Gnadt said.

More details, like a 2.75% raise for everyone, fares being unchanged,  and a breakdown of other spending priorities at the full article here. A quick overview of the grant announced jointly by Congressman Rodney Davis and CUMTD last year here. More information on the hydrogen fuel cell project from its page at the Center for Transportation and the Environment.

New Fake Weed or Meningitus Concern

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health Department had a couple updates this week about fake weed / bleeding issue affecting the State not popping up in our area (following up on an April post). From this past Wednesday's News-Gazette:

State seeing more reports of bleeding linked to fake pot
More cases of severe bleeding in Illinois have been linked to the use of synthetic cannabinoids.

Most of the new cases occurred in Winnebago County, and Wisconsin has also reported cases, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

More than 160 people in 14 Illinois counties have experienced bleeding from the use of fake pot, which is also called K2 and Spice. None of the cases have turned up in East Central Illinois counties to date, according to the health department.

Full blurb here. A meningitis case in Vermilion County was not the highly infectious variety that can cause medical alarm, especially in a college town like ours. It wasn't even a type required to be reported to public health agencies, though it can be just so everyone is aware what's going on. More on that from same paper:

Rare, nonreportable form of meningitis blamed in Danville woman's death
The Vermilion County Health Department said it wasn't notified about a fatal case of bacterial meningitis earlier this month because it wasn't a more common bacterial form of the disease that medical providers are required to report...

With both viral and bacterial meningitis, people experience symptoms such as headache, stiff neck and low-trade fever, but those with the more common viral meningitis generally get better in a few days. Bacterial meningitis can progress to become life-threatening.

Toole said the last case of bacterial meningitis involving the bacterial strain Neisseria meningiditis in Vermilion County was in 2011. Neisseria meningiditis is the culprit behind meningococcal disease.

Vaid said local hospitals typically report any case of bacterial meningitis to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, even if they're not required to do that, if they see something unusual or are waiting on lab confirmations about a suspicious infection. In Ms. Kiley's case, her Carle caregivers knew the source of her infection through testing, he said.

Full blurb here. 

Carle Roundup

This week there were a few stories where Carle and local government intersected. From mobile clinic programs mentioned in their presentation to the Champaign Community Coalition last month, to news about the Carle Auditory Oral School, back to the property tax disagreements that always seem to be in the background.

First on the mobile clinic. From Tuesday's News-Gazette:

Carle launching mobile health clinic to target neighborhoods in need
...
The care provided in the mobile clinic won't be free, but everyone will be served regardless of their ability to pay, she said.

The mobile clinic will accept health insurance and Medicaid, and the uninsured who can't pay will be linked to Carle's financial-assistance program, she said.

Researchers found the most disparities in health outcomes locally in the Garden Hills area of Champaign, but other pockets in the northern corridor of the community have also been identified for it to target down the road, Sellett said. Carle plans to partner with schools and churches to secure locations where it can park, she said.

Health disparities are caused by a number of factors, among them where people live and environmental factors that can lead to disease — plus social inequities such as differences in behaviors, access to health services, economic status and literacy levels, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

In fact, just 20 percent of a person's health is a result of what's in their DNA, Sellett said. Another 30 percent is linked to the kinds of day-to-day decisions — good or bad — that a person makes, and the other 50 percent is tied to social and environmental determinants, she said.

The mobile health clinic is being made possible through donations of Carle and Health Alliance Medical Plans employees, proceeds from the 2017 Carle Golf Open and other donations, according to Carle.

Full article here. Also a brief summary of their Healthy Beginnings presentation at the Community Coalition:

They are developing a 20 year plan that ranges from individual care through interpersonal, community and organizations all the way to policy towards ensuring access to health care resources. They are currently embedded in the Garden Hills community and hoping to bring in a mobile medical unit and other resources such as education opportunities to the community.

On Wednesday the News-Gazette highlighted the Carle Auditory Oral School:

At Carle's school for hearing impaired, graduation day full of sounds of success
...
Those graduating are usually children who are introduced to sound at an early age and have access to intervention before their third birthday, said CAOS Director Danielle Chalfant.

However, no matter what stage the child is in during the learning process, the program will always accept new members, she said.

"We meet children and families where they are," Chalfant said. "There are a lot of programs that base a child's eligibility on whether they can make their hearing disability unnoticeable in two years. We don't do that."

Chalfant, who has been at CAOS for 20 years, said money has never been the decision-making factor when considering a child for the program. A scale based on income and family size is used to make sure all families can have access, she said.

Full article here. And finally on property taxes, the News-Gazette had the latest information in their Friday edition. These quick excerpts only highlight a couple of the arguments made while summarizing the issue. The full article gives a better overall look at what the dispute is about and what both sides are arguing. It honestly makes my head spin a bit:

Carle attorney: Property-tax fight based on 'dead wrong' assessments
Former Cunningham Township Assessor Joanne Chester was "dead wrong" when she assessed the full values of four key Carle properties more than a decade ago, one of Carle's attorneys contended at a lengthy court hearing Thursday...

His arguments — and those from attorneys representing state and county taxing authorities — were raised in the hearing before Judge Randy Rosenbaum, which ended with the judge taking it all under advisement.

He'll likely issue a written ruling at an unspecified later date, he said.

What Rosenbaum is deciding is a motion originally filed by Carle last August seeking a judgment that would effectively open the door to it receiving refunds on property taxes it paid from 2004 to 2011 on four Urbana properties — Carle Foundation Hospital at 611 W. Park St., as well as its facilities at 809 W. Park St., 503 N. Coler Ave. and 607 N. Orchard St.

Carle paid $20.7 million in property taxes to local governments under protest on those properties...

Fletcher further argued that Carle waited an unreasonable amount of time to bring its claim based on a wrongful failure of taxing authorities, and that the delay caused an unfair damage to taxing districts. The loss to the county alone, should Carle prevail, would be more than $1.4 million, he said.

Fred Grosser, the attorney for the township, township assessor and Urbana, said Chester had learned in 2003 from the Department of Revenue that she hadn't been properly assessing properties that had previously been determined to be exempt or partially exempt and, based on that, made a change in her procedures.

One of the problems with Carle's claim is that none of the four properties had been in exclusive charitable use, and they'd qualified only for partial exemptions, he said.

More at the full article here.

Housing Authority 6/28 Meeting

 The June Board of Commissioners meeting was an overwhelmingly positive affair (agenda here). First, a couple highlights: Apparently these meetings are being broadcast on Urbana TV (website here, live streaming here). I haven't found any previous videos on-line, but I'll update if there are any on demand options available.

The Executive Director reiterated his commitment to improving housing opportunities for those reentering the community from the criminal justice system and working with local organizations and government towards that end. He mentioned specifically meeting with Esther Patt of the CU Tenants Union on the subject. She had a letter to the editor explaining her concerns in the News-Gazette yesterday as well. Previous post on the City of Champaign rule here.


Meeting Write-Up

Commissioners Adair and Rose were absent. Commissioner Walker arrived a couple minutes after the 3 o'clock start. The agenda was approved and public comment on agenda items was offered with no takers. I didn't quite follow what was going on with the minutes, but the agenda had a note that they'd be approved next month.

New Business
There was a vote moved until after closed session (5.a. of New Business on the agenda) to allow the full board to vote on the motion with additional information from conversations the new Executive Director had with some of the players involved in those sale and lease agreements.

The land swap with the Atkins group had a last minute change from the verbal agreement to after it was approved by their committee. The additional cost was described as shocking and upsetting, but still within the realm of being a positive deal for the Housing Authority. From the memo (on page 23 of the agenda packet file):

After the April board meeting we confirmed with the Atkins Group that we were in agreement with their request for the land  swap, exchanging the Newton Drive site for the Interstate Drive site. Jean Kenol has been working with their attorney since that time.

On Tuesday, we received an e-mail indicating that they would only proceed with the swap for additional compensation. Needless to say, we were shocked, that at the last hour, they presented a different deal than what they had previously resented and that we had been working on finalizing for weeks.

We really have no alternative at this point, we have  ompleted all site design, financing applications and HUD applications based on the  Interstate Drive site and we have to meet critical deadlines with HUD and for the sale of Skelton. In  looking  at this  more  calmly,  even  with  the additional compensation, it is still a good deal for HACC.

Northern agreed with that assessment. Commissioners Turnbull and Henry advised caution in the future and to consider ways to avoid sending a signal that sellers can pull stunts like this in the future. The swap was approved unanimously. All votes today appeared to be by roll call and unanimous as far as I could tell. Everything on the agenda passed prior to the closed session. I don't know how the resolution moved to after that fared.

Additional work on one of their RAD construction projects was approved for improvements not in the original plan and some added expenses while having to work around tenants being moved around.

A revenue generating project at Oakfield Place in Henry, IL was discussed with benefits and risks and guarantees of operating expenses if there are losses. It fills a demonstrated need in an area without its own Housing Authority and will provide funds for HACC projects. The resolution passed moves forward on the project by authorizing the ratification of an agreement and a payment of a reservation fee, etc.

An intergovernmental agreement with Urbana was passed for supportive housing for people with special needs in Urbana and working with the City of Urbana. Danielle Chynoweth thanked the Board and staff for its work with the City on this issue and explained a specific housing crisis and barriers between disability benefits and affordable housing available. An additional resolution to option the property involved in that agreement also passed.

A resolution approving the financial closing of the Bristol Place property passed. This covers all the needed resolutions and authorizations to finish the deal now that the City of Champaign Council approved what needed to be done on their end.

Reports
The Executive report was introduced by the Chair who took a moment to thank the new Executive Director for hitting the ground running. Northern played a promotional video for a senior housing project in Mahomet (available on the HACC YouTube channel here). It attempted to address both the need for more senior living options as well as concerns that arise in many communities by the ideas they may have about public housing.

Northern then discussed many of the meetings he has had since starting as the new director, from local police, community meetings, the CU Tenants Union, and so on. He described a major initiative to reach out and build relationships with the community. When discussing working with the U of I he mentioned a recent project with their Fab Lab Summer Camp he thought might be a good match for some of their communities.

He talked about needing to use the tools available for transparency to address community concerns. He also discussed constituent services to address concerns and complaints from tenants in a more organized way. In response to questions by Chynoweth he said this wouldn't be a new office, but part of the duties of the executive office.

He mentioned that he was going to check out the CU Fresh Start program at a meeting tonight (latest on their Call-ins here). He said to all those listening that if he hadn't met with you already, you're on the list. He'll be meeting everyone.

He also brought up a Lifetime Achievement Award from Lake County for his 24 years working in housing. Turnbull mentioned positive mentions about the new director from their communities. He spoke of setting aside vouchers and working on other ideas for reentry in response to Chair Lewis asking for his thoughts. He pointed out he's focused on the subject and working with the Reentry Council. He pointed to the problem with stigma and explained that we're all human and we all know people who've been through the system. He described this board as being on board and him being on board to improve opportunity for reentry. Turnbull suggested looking at all parts of reentry with the Housing Authority again to look for solutions and options.

The departments then gave their reports. Some highlights included a discussion about the time it takes to move people through emergency shelters to supportive units which are permanent housing. One issue is power and water bills that have to be in the resident's name and requires past delinquencies to be resolved through payment or relevant programs. How to start that process earlier was being looked at to avoid unnecessary delays.

Issues of vacancies and difficulties for those on extended waiting lists to maintain paperwork, contact information, etc over a two year period were discussed as well as intern possibilities through the U of I and Human Service Council. Training for job skills and retention were discussed with Turnbull recommending an option for professionalism training. Facilitating appointments more, as opposed to just sending folks out who may get overwhelmed or fail to connect to the services they need was mentioned as a strategy going forward.

Bed bug eradication and prevention was discussed. Screening for new furniture and protocols for tenants being moved due to construction were described. Orken has "bed bug smelling dogs" that can identify infected units without disruption to target those and neighboring units for treatment. Unfortunately there appeared to be a general dismay at how pervasive they are. One person said he no longer buys upholstered furniture, the director talked about special suits he had to wear in the past, and one staff member said the Housing Authority may never get rid of them altogether.

In an update on the audit, it was reported that the folks performing it will be finishing it up tomorrow and that there will be a presentation in July. The audit is due in September.

Wrap-Up
Northern pointed out that they're still looking a buyer for the HACC building (the one we were sitting in for the meeting on Park) and he thanked his assistant. The general public comment appeared to be introducing a new employee.

The board then went into closed session. I wasn't able to stick around for the vote afterward.

County Board Democrats Infighting

[UPDATE: I was waiting for the video of the meeting to be posted on the County Clerk's YouTube channel before posting more on this, but that will be delayed for a bit. From the County Clerk's facebook response on the hold up:

In a few weeks. Our staff person who encodes the video is on vacation and when he scheduled it, we assumed (based on the posted agenda) that there would be very little excitement at the Board meeting and therefore the delay in posting the video would be acceptable. 

So, I'll have a post up shortly after then with all the fireworks and less exciting bits.]

I wasn't able to attend the last County Board meeting to have a front row seat to the fireworks this month. I'll have more about it when the streaming video is up on the County Clerk YouTube channel. In the mean time, the News-Gazette had details on the drama that unfolded over the District 6 vacancy appointment. More from the past Cheat Sheet post (and five updates) here. From the N-G Friday:

Shunned county board pick: 'This is all about race and gender'
On the night that attorney Tracy Douglas fulfilled a dream by being sworn in as the newest member of the Champaign County Board from District 6, rival Charles Young stole the show with a blistering attack against fellow Democrats.

Young, a retired education historian at the University of Illinois, thought he had possession of the county board seat once held by Democrat Josh Hartke following a vote by precinct committeemen on May 17.

But after county board Chairman C. Pius Weibel cried foul, expressing concerns over some irregularities in that meeting, including the length of time given for notification and the alleged counting of votes representing areas not part of the district, Democratic Party leaders ordered a do-over.

"According to central committee rules, notification is supposed to be five days," Weibel said. "Only two days were given."

When the precinct committeemen assembled for the re-vote on June 10, it was Douglas, not Young, who emerged victorious...

Following the meeting, Young told The News-Gazette he intends to run for the District 6 county board seat in an upcoming election.

"It has been very, very bad to go through this," Young said. "To see this happen has been devastating as an African-American. People don't know our feeling until you are in our skin."

More at the full article here.

Originally posted 6/24/2018 at 5:05pm.

County Weekend Roundup

The News-Gazette had a few county government related updates this weekend. From Saturday:

Sheriff announces changes to tornado-siren policy
Champaign County Sheriff Dan Walsh has tweaked the county's criteria for sounding the tornado sirens in Champaign, Urbana and Savoy, in the wake of a nasty storm two weeks ago that damaged homes in west Champaign.

Walsh said Friday that, after consulting with a local meteorologist, he added the following as a reason to sound the sirens:

"If a trained spotter sees a wall cloud with rotation — the spinning up in the air — approaching our area, we will sound," he said...
Walsh said the additional criteria would not have changed the decision not to sound the sirens on June 10.

"We still intend to use the sirens only when a tornado threat is imminent, not when conditions are ripe. A tornado or straight-line winds can still occur and cause significant damage with no advanced warning," said Walsh, who oversees the county's EMA.

More here at the full article, including more information on the previous protocols this adds to. This is following up on the local concern over the lack of sirens sounding with two small tornado touch downs confirmed after a recent storm. A link to recent news coverage here and a County Board meeting where it was brought up here.

New head of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation:

Champaign County economic agency promotes from within for top job
The Champaign County Economic Development Corporation has promoted Carly McCrory to be its new executive director.

Currently the assistant director, McCrory will officially start July 1 after current executive director Craig Rost steps down.

"We felt she was the best match for our organization and our community, that her existing knowledge of the organization and of Champaign County gave her assets that other candidates didn't have," said Bruce Knight, the EDC board's chair. "She demonstrated a strong passion and commitment to the mission of the organization and to making Champaign County stronger economically."

McCrory has been at the EDC for almost six years, first as communications director, then as assistant director since July 2016.

Before the EDC, she worked for Tuscola Economic Development Inc.

Nine people applied for the executive director position in the statewide search, Knight said, and three were interviewed.

"She stood out clearly as the strongest candidate," Knight said.

More at the full article here. And from today, an update about Champaign County Forest Preserve summer programs:

More at the Champaign County Forest Preserve District website.

May Unemployment in Champaign County

From last Friday's News-Gazette:

Unemployment rate down again in May in area, statewide
The unemployment rate continued to drop in May compared with a year ago in Champaign and Vermilion counties, and around the state.

In Champaign County, the rate reached 3.6 percent last month, down from 3.8 percent a year ago...

In the Champaign-Urbana metro area, non-farm employment grew by 1,300 jobs compared to a year ago. Government added 900; education and health services added 600; professional and business services added 200; financial activities added 200; and transportation, warehousing and utilities added 100. Meanwhile, wholesale trade lost 300 jobs; retail trade lost 200; manufacturing lost 100; and leisure and hospitality lost 100.

More at the full blurb here.

Bees and Pollinators

On an issue that couldn't be much more in the wheel house of Champaign County is the intersection of agriculture, environmentalism, science, alternative energy, and politics... through bees and other pollinators. From an article about a U of I Pollinatarium event from last Friday's News-Gazette:

UI Pollinatarium raising funds with buzzworthy 'Bee-zaar'
...
Pollinators transfer pollen and seeds from one flower to another, fertilizing the plant so it can grow and produce food. It's estimated that a third of the world's crop production and 90 percent of wild plants depend on pollinators...

On May 30, the Illinois General Assembly unanimously approved Senate Bill 3214, a "pollinator-friendly" solar energy bill encouraging the creation of habitat for bees, butterflies and other pollinators at solar sites.

The UI Department of Entomology's Adam Dolezal, a honeybee expert, helped design a scorecard for designating a solar facility as "pollinator-friendly," based on similar efforts in Minnesota and Michigan, Berenbaum said.

Typically installed on farmland, solar installations affect the biological community there and can deprive beneficial species, including pollinators, of important resources, she said.

But energy farms and pollinators are compatible if the right vegetation is planted — not just flowers, but habitat suitable for nesting and over-wintering, she said...

Over the next year, in time for the Pollinatarium's 10th anniversary, Berenbaum would like to see Champaign-Urbana earn a "Bee City USA" designation, by signing on to a pledge to create pollinator-friendly environments in the city...

The city of Urbana is already a signatory to the National Wildlife Federation's Mayors' Monarch Pledge, an effort to save the dwindling monarch butterfly population, said Scott Tess, Urbana's environmental sustainability manager. The city maintains butterfly gardens at the Urbana Free Library and elsewhere with milkweed and other flowering plants that support Monarch butterflies, he said.

The city also partners with Midwest Grows Green, which promotes natural lawn care practices as opposed to chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

The UI is already in the process of becoming a "Bee Campus USA," spearheaded by students in the Sustainability Living and Learning Community this past year, said campus sustainability coordinator Morgan White.

More at the full article here, including more information about last Saturday's event.

Build Programs Not Jails 6/20

First an important notice for folks thinking of attending future meetings, the next "every other Wednesday" falls on July 4th and public transportation will be limited with the MTD closed for the holiday. The next meeting was moved to July 11th with the every other Wednesday continuing after that.

Updates 
The jail population is a bit higher in may in June (roughly 150 to low 160s), which may just be due to typical summer increase in activity. Reports on events attended included the recent presentation on Pedestrian Stop Data (a Power Point from that presentation has been added to the previous post I had on it). They also discussed the Juneteenth BPNJ table and outreach work.

There was discussion of Electronic Monitoring and the Challenging E-Carceration campaign. There will be an event coming up in Chicago about challenging Electronic Monitoring in Cook County that people from the group will be carpooling to attend. People were encouraged to check out a new blog on the subject: #NoDigitalPrisons. Concerns were raised about the pace of technology and the nonchalant or malicious use of such tracking and surveillance applications versus any real value towards criminal justice goals. As devices get smaller, more functional, and more invasive (from chipping people like pets or advancements in nanotechnology) the civil rights issues continue to grow.

Reforms to criminal justice fines and fees were discussed. A complicated new bill addressing the subject was highlighted in an article referenced in that conversation: Illinois Takes First Step in Criminal Justice Debt Reform With Passage of HB 4594- The Criminal and Traffic Assessment Act.

A few other topics were touched upon, but not substantively due to waiting on more information, responses, or relevant members' next attendance.

Projects
A number of possible future projects were discussed as well as the resources needed versus those available to carry out. The cyclical nature of this university town has a lot less manpower and resources over the summer due to the transient student population. In the short term more focused work on preparing for outreach at CU Day and a possible future local Narcan training project were discussed. More long term projects that would need more manpower resources or collaboration were discussed for a community brake light repair project and a bail fund project.

The brake light repair project would be based on a similar idea in New Orleans. that addresses some of the high costs of low income living and avoiding additional traffic stops in areas with inequity in criminal justice practices. The bail fund project would be part of growing efforts in the United States to deal with unfair bail practices that deny justice and fairness to the accused without resources. Where small infractions they may never even be convicted of can result in crippling economic ramifications as well as long and unnecessary jailing.

A possible community safety night was discussed, based on an Oakland program to bring communities together and mitigate the pressure towards and dangers of over-policing.

Politics
The Champaign County Sheriff's race has a new Democratic candidate that demanded a look at possible future scenarios and a discussion on where the candidates stand on the issues and electoral environment and possible reception. Immigration issues locally and nationally may intersect more and candidates appear to be pro-actively attempting to paint themselves as reasonable and moderate. That strategy may neither appeal to or move the more passionate partisans and ideologues of either side. It could, however, butter up the middle in a "go along to get along" Midwestern town that's desperate for normalcy in abnormal times. I might just be projecting my own concerns there, so take that as you will.

Canvassing and voter registration events are happening for a lot of the local candidates as we're now less than 150 days to the election. The protest against ICE and its heavy handed new mandate in town was discussed. A suggestion to be aware that if anyone joins other groups in the July 4th parade, they may not appreciate signs for other groups being displayed. Check first.

Next meeting
July 11th at 7pm, due to the July 4th holiday interrupting public transportation service.

The Week Ahead: 6/24 - 6/30

*** Next month (July) will likely have a lot of cancellations outside of the regular County Board meeting. Build Programs Not Jails will not be meeting on July 4th due to there being no CUMTD service that day. Meetings will resume every other Wednesday starting July 11th. More info below.  ***

Other Events:

There are a lot of political campaign and organizing events popping up. A long planned progressive organizing meeting is coming up Saturday, more information at their facebook event Building the Blue Wave. Check out your preferred candidates and you will likely see campaign, canvassing, or voter registration events in the area. Many are using facebook to more easily share event information and reminders. Check out the Champaign County Voter Alliance's preliminary general election candidate guide to see who is running. We'll be updating County race information from the primary election to the general soon.
 
Groups that crossover with Racial Justice Task Force recommendations meeting this week:

Build Programs Not Jails doesn't meet this week. Meetings are usually every other Wednesday at 7pm at the IMC. Due to the July 4th holiday disrupting public transportation, the next meeting is July 11th.

The Housing Authority of Champaign County Board of Commissioners has its monthly meeting Thursday June 28th at 3pm at their offices at 205 W. Park Ave (agenda here when available). 

County Calendar:

The week kicks off Tuesday with the The Local Emergency Planning Committee (agenda here). It deals with issues related to Illinois and Federal Emergency Management Agency issues, including training and response programs. I don't know if they will discuss the tornado siren protocol (recent changed as noted in the News-Gazette). There is public participation on the agenda to hear comments from the public. For an idea of what a meeting is like, check out the previous meeting minutes here. This meeting is held at ILEAS which is just north of Nursing Home, North of Brookens (Map!).

On Wednesday there are the Mental Health and Developmental Disability boards. If you're interested in finding out more about county Mental Health and Developmental Disability programs and agencies they can be a bit wonky. They are, however, very interesting if you want to see all of the gears moving to provide care to so many in our community. If you're interested in what an MHB or DDB meeting is like, here are a couple write up examples: Mental Health Board 2018, Developmental Disabilities Board 10/25/2017.

The Zoning Board of Appeals meeting Thursday night may continue to address concerns with Solar Farm noise and proximity to homes (upcoming agenda here). Board page here.

The full 2018 schedule is on the Calendar page and the County page. The regular County Board meetings are back to Thursdays until next holiday season.

If you're curious about learning more about how your county government works, it's easy enough to live stream a meeting or go in person: Attend a Meeting.

*Meeting is broadcast live on Comcast Public Access and at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/champco1776

Where is Brookens?

Brookens Administrative Center
1776 East Washington Street
Urbana, Illinois 61802-4581
Phone: 217-384-3772

After 4:30 the Washington Street side Parking Lot is Closed See Maps for the North East Parking Lot Access

Fab Lab Summer Camp and Local Collaboration

An amazing local collaboration resulted in access to a high tech summer camp for Urbana kids. From the News-Gazette Wednesday:

Grant lets C-U Fab Lab bring cutting-edge summer camp to Urbana kids
...
A cutting-edge summer camp offers chances to play "Minecraft," program computers and use 3-D printers. But, often, chances like this come with a price tag.

Jeff Ginger knows. As the director of Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab — short for fabrication laboratory — he's watched as his University of Illinois-sponsored camps draw a similar able-to-pay crowd every summer.

"One of the downsides of these camps is that they tend to be kids that are home-schooled or kids that have access to the university," he said. "We wanted to get out of the university and into other populations."

This year, Ginger and other Fab Lab affiliates didn't go very far: They took their programming to the Urbana Neighborhood Connections Center and organized two, two-week summer camps around space and computer technology...

Since the camp's equipment — computers, 3-D printers and a router, among other items — came from an Urbana-Champaign Big Broadband grant, all of it will remain at UNCC after the camps formally end, meaning Daniels and other kids can pick up right where they left off.

Ginger would like to see the camps' programming expand into classrooms, but noted there are all kinds of "structural barriers," like a class having 30 students and one teacher, or only a half-hour to try to implement technology like Champaign-Urbana Fab Lab offers. If it can't expand via classroom, Ginger said after-school and summer sites become integral for accessibility...

For Ginger, the summer camps represent at least two things. First is the power of local collaboration.

"Janice Mitchell (the director of UNCC) provided the space and UC2B provided the grant," he said. "It wasn't entirely just the university coming in and setting this up."

And second, responsiveness to what kids actually want.

More at the full article here. More information about the Urbana Neighborhood Connections Center here, the Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab here, and Urbana Champaign Big Broadband here.

Area Blood Shortage and Drive

There's an area blood shortage as we approach the July 4th holiday. Here's the full blurb from yesterday's News-Gazette:

Blood donations urged as two products run critically low
Two blood products used by area hospitals are at critically low levels, and donors are needed especially in the days before the July 4 holiday, according to Community Blood Services of Illinois.

The agency called on all eligible donors to step up, saying the supplies of type O and type B red cells have reached critical levels.

The blood center typically experiences a significant drop in donations during the summer, according to Amanda Hess, director of donor relations.

"There are weeks we collect 1,000 fewer units than we normally do in the spring and fall, especially surrounding the summer holidays," she said.

Donations of all blood types and products are needed, but inventories of type O-negative, O-positive, B-negative and B-positive red cells, along with all types of platelet products, are the most urgently needed before July 4, the agency said.

To schedule a donor appointment at a Community Blood Services of Illinois center or mobile blood drive, call 800-217-4483. More information on blood drives is at bloodcenterimpact.org.

Web article here. Additional information on local blood donations here: https://www.bloodcenter.org/home.aspx

Census Report Data

The US Census Bureau released updated data on the Midwest this week (direct link to their data browsing tool here). There were a few highlights in the News-Gazette yesterday:

Census: County's Asian population on the rise
Come 2035, the number crunchers at the Census Bureau report, history will be made: For the first time, there will be more people over age 65 (78 million) than under 18 (76.4 million) living in the U.S.

Closer to home, that's a long way from playing out in Champaign County, where the median age remains a smidge under 30 (28.6 for men, 31.5 for women), according to a fresh batch of population estimates due to be released today by the bureau...

— Asians make up 12 percent of Champaign County's population. Accounting for another 14.9 percent: the 32,230 black or African-American residents — though that figure is less unique, putting Champaign at 278th nationally. (For overall population, it's No. 318 — sandwiched between Pennsylvania's Lackawanna County and Alabama's Tuscaloosa County.)

...

— One of a couple handfuls of Illinois counties to grow every year this decade, Champaign (pop. 209,399) should have 10th place on Illinois' most-populous-counties list all to itself for years to come, with 12,947 more residents than No. 11 Sangamon.

More at the full article here. Additional data links from the related Census Bureau news release on the Midwest data:

This is the last of the population estimates for 2017. Previous estimates include national, county, metro area, city and town population estimates. The population estimates as of July 1, 2017, do not reflect displacement or other migratory changes to the nation’s population due to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in August and September 2017. For information on how the country is projected to change through 2060, view our previous release, Older People Projected to Outnumber Children for First Time in U.S. History.

Our QuickFacts data tool is now mobile friendly and updated with the newest population characteristics data released today. Data from today’s release are also available on American FactFinder and Population Clock.

CU Student Activist Organization

 

(Photo from a previous meeting)

A group of area students met Tuesday night to get organized and active in local political issues that affect their lives. The Student Activist Organization (SAO) includes many students and student leaders who had met and organized around the recent marches, walkouts and town halls concerned with gun violence and possible reforms. In last night's meeting of two dozen students, they laid out preliminary organizational structures and broader issue and project teams.

Some of the future work proposed included tutorial videos and educational tools for students to understand how local government works and how to effect policy changes they'd like to see. Issues such as improved sexual education with an emphasis on consent, drug policy and marijuana decriminalization, protections for marginalized groups in the community, as well as gun reform were discussed among others. They will be soliciting input from interested students about interest in committees that would be teams working on various issue areas and administrative roles.

There were a couple local candidates who offered advice and ideas as well. Urbana Alderman and County Clerk candidate Aaron Ammons was in attendance as well as Ben Chapman, a County Board candidate for District 1. Ammons encouraged them to focus their efforts and advised them how to avoid organizational pitfalls that political activist groups often face. Chapman offered examples of similar college organizations and committee structures they could either work from or modify to their specific goals.

Many students were already planning to participate in upcoming political actions on immigration, canvassing for candidates, etc. They already had the beginnings of a newsletter and a broad social media presence to help keep members informed and connected. They had assembled and were expanding a press list and discussed media strategy. Ammons offered advice on using local groups already specialized in various areas and projects to avoid re-inventing the wheel, but also as experts in their own perspectives and concerns to help inform government bodies and leaders of their needs and the issues they face. Local radio show opportunities through WEFT and the Independent Media Center were discussed along with a YouTube channel for more direct outreach on demand.

Overall there was a desire to learn more and help others know how local government works, which government bodies to go to for various issues, and long term solutions as they see projects through from conception to policy and/or law. Like many adults they found the initial foray into local government organization a bit intimidating, but were highly motivated to overcome the learning curve and encourage better civics education among themselves and for future students. They discussed a serious need in our schools to better prepare citizens for participating in their actual democratic institutions.

After having settled on next tasks until their next meeting they adjourned the general meeting and the design committee went to work on some of the logos and graphics they had designed and proposed.

It would have been an impressive start for adults organizing an indivisible or similar political activist group to get involved. I think it's safe to say that these students shouldn't be underestimated. Check them out on facebook, twitter, or their instagram at cu_sao.

Aquifer Gas Leak Issues

Residents discussed the gas leak ramifications and possible solutions in a public meeting yesterday night. From today's News-Gazette:

Water issue 'getting worse'
...
At the meeting, officials with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Oil and Gas Resource Management outlined their efforts on the issue, including 3-D modeling by the IEPA of below-ground areas. That will help determine where the remaining leaked gas might be trapped, so relief wells can be installed to "flare off" the gas.

And Mike Mankowski, director of the state's Oil and Gas Resource Management office, outlined new federal rules regulating underground natural gas storage, prompted by other leaks across the U.S.

But he emphasized that Illinois needs its own more stringent regulations, ones that would allow more monitoring of the state's 1,186 underground gas storage wells, bring tougher enforcement measures, lead to more personnel inspecting oil and gas wells, and provide more funding to make it all happen...

The task force of mostly local and state government officials, as well as experts from water-related organizations and agencies, is in the early stages of delivering groundwater protection recommendations to the state by year's end. But on Monday, members focused most of the meeting on the Peoples Gas situation, which began to unfold in late 2016 when some residents in the Mahomet area began noticing issues with their well water.

More on the leak and legal ramifications at the full article here. More on the Mahomet Aquifer Task force at their website.

Invasive Plants and Awareness

When it comes to landscaping and planning for all these parks and plazas hockey stadiums, there can be threats to the eco-system by invasive species. In a region that relies on agriculture and ag science, that could be more than a mere annoyance. From the News-Gazette a few days ago:
In the Garden | Fighting invasive plants
Many of us are utterly unaware of the serious threat these plants present to the native plant diversity of our natural areas.

Thankfully, there is a group of trained ecologists, volunteers and other plant enthusiasts who focus on invasive-plant issues and fight these destructive plants on a daily basis in central Illinois.

The Headwaters Invasive Plant Partnership was formed in 2015 to raise awareness of the invasive-plant issue by making sure area residents have access to information in order to recognize problematic plants and their negative effects on the environment. The group has produced excellent informational materials (such as the Invasive Plants and Beautiful Native Alternatives brochure), sponsors educational events and organizes volunteers to hit the front lines in the battle against invasive plants.

The group established the first Cooperative Weed Management Area in central Illinois, although many others exist across the country. These areas typically rely on voluntary participation from government agencies, nonprofit organizations, private landowners and concerned citizens.

The partnership's mission focuses on reducing the impact of invasive plants in central Illinois, including everything from awareness and early detection of invasives to rapid response and control of invasive-plant populations.
The full article is here and explains a recent awareness project that had odd synthetic plants popping up around downtown Champaign. They had advice for folks with gardens and their own landscaping work:

The take-home message is that we need to be more responsible for plant material we buy and exercise our right as consumers to carefully select the plants we buy. Since all of the invasives I listed above are currently for sale at local retail outlets, it's really important to understand the plant you are taking home.

Kaleb Lukens, the local partnership's newly hired program coordinator, offers some expert advice if you would like to be more proactive in stopping the spread of invasive species: "Gardeners should aim to identify the scientific name of what they're planning to buy, which can be used to search an Illinois invasive-species list.

"It can also be helpful to check guides and find suppliers that sell natives," Lukens said. "This way, gardeners are not only ensuring that they aren't part of the problem, but also helping to be part of the solution. Both an invasive species list and a native-plant-purchasing guide can be found on our website, Ilhipp.org."

CU Fresh Start Call-Ins

A local program that tries to help those most at risk to be part of gun violence down a different path has started it's latest "call-in." More on the CU Fresh Start program from their website here, or a Cheat Sheet overview here. From the News-Gazette last week:

CU Fresh Start's fourth 'call-in' group has six members
At the community's fourth CU Fresh Start "call-in" intervention to stop local gun violence, facilitator Tracy Parsons acknowledged that the program continues trying to find its footing.

At Thursday night's event, part of a broad initiative to curb a spate of shootings locally, a group of six black men heard stern messages from local law enforcement, government and community members. The men were encouraged to put their guns down in exchange for resources that can help rebuild their lives.

The men — selected by law enforcement — are all at least 18 years old, on probation or parole, connected with a recent violent crime and have a prior felony arrest, gun arrest or violent crime conviction...

Those who commit to Fresh Start will work with community liaison Donte Lotts. He transports them to job interviews and help them get in touch with new opportunities. But he said it isn't easy to work around employers who won't hire those with conviction records, or temp agencies that don't help with finding sustained employment.

"It's a community decision on how supportive we're going to be of these men," Lotts said. "If they're staying away from guns, then what will the benefits be?"

More at the full article here. A previous story on the last call-in here.