Middle Fork and County Video Updates

First off, if you've been waiting for new County government videos, there's a new batch on the County Clerk's YouTube channel here. They include the 2/26 County Board Strategic Planning Study Session, the 3/5 Facilities Committee meeting, the 3/7 Environment and Land Use Committee, and the last County Board Committee of the Whole on 3/12.

There have a been a few news items related to the Middle Fork River in the past couple weeks. First there are some upcoming Dark Sky events, including some at our recently certified Dark Sky park for astronomical viewing. From the News-Gazette last week:

International Dark Sky Week is April 1-7, and Middle Fork River Forest Preserve, which is now an official Dark Sky Park, is hosting a special event the week after on April 13 called Discover the Night Sky at the Activity Center in the Middle Fork River Forest Preserve. From 7:30 to 10 that night, you can celebrate the dark sky at one of the darkest spots in Champaign County and learn about the night sky and light pollution, participate in hands-on activities, create and take home special crafts, speak with astronomy experts and look through telescopes. The event is free and open to all ages. No registration is required. For more information, call 217586-2612.

Blurb available at the News-Gazette eEdition here. There were also some public input given at the recent Illinois Environmental Protection Hearing on the Dynergy toxic coal ash issue (more posts on the bank armoring issue here and the toxic ash issue here). From the News-Gazette this week:

Crowd at IEPA hearing pushes for removal of coal ash near Middle ForkDespite warnings against making comments regarding coal-ash removal at Tuesday's public hearing held by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, most of the people who spoke ignored that directive.

And if there were any doubt where the more than 250 people in the audience stood on the issue, all doubt was gone after one public commenter, Cindy Shepherd with Faith In Place, asked for a show of hands: Who wants the coal ash to be moved away from the Middle Fork River?

An overwhelming majority quickly put their hands in the air...

The riverbank, which has significantly eroded, is the only thing between the river and two coal-ash impoundments on the site of the former Vermilion Power Station, which Dynegy closed in 2011.

The ash contains contaminants that can harm the environment, and Dynegy wants to stabilize the bank to avoid a collapse that could release those contaminants into the river.

But, for years, local environmental organizations have urged Dynegy, the IEPA and other government officials that the energy company should move the coal ash away from the floodplain of the river. Removal will ensure there will never be a spill and eliminate the need for future streambank stabilization projects, they argue.

More at the full article here. There was a lot of additional information on the background in an article previewing the tensions prior to this meeting as well. It has general information about the issues, but also explains the frustrations of those who have been trying to be heard about removing the toxic ash itself instead of what they consider temporary solutions:

At 6 p.m. Tuesday at Danville Area Community College's Mary Miller Gymnasium, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is granting the public its first official — and maybe only — opportunity to comment on the record about Dynegy's plan to reinforce about 1,950 feet of bank separating the Middle Fork River from more than 3 million yards of coal ash.

River regulars have been pushing for more than four years for a public hearing on the Dynegy coal-ash impoundments. And although this hearing is narrowly focused on the stream bank project, Light and the Richarts said it's impossible to separate the two...
Coal-ash spills elsewhere — including one near Kingston, Tenn., and another in Eden, N.C. — caused "widespread environmental and economic damage to nearby waterways and properties," according to the U.S. EPA...

Rather than the proposed monthslong stream bank stabilization, Eco-Justice, the Prairie Rivers Network and other environmental groups would prefer to see quicker, smaller-scale emergency work done to the bank now, followed by long-term efforts to move the ash.

That full article here.

Reentry Presentations

Two area reentry collaborations made presentations to the Champaign County Board this month. Below is video and other material from those presentations and some additional information about both from an earlier Reentry Council post.

First, the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission's new Young Adult Reentry Program's full video presentation to the board is available here. The slides are available on the County website here. One slide highlighted the collaborative nature of such programs with public and private entities:

The Champaign County Reentry Council also had a presentation (video link here and text of that report is on the County website here (page of 7 of the packet and page 10 of the PDF file). The Reentry Council is also a collaborative group of government, public and private organizations. Here's a list of their members:

The constituencies with voting representation on the Council are the Champaign County Board, the Champaign County Sheriff’s Office, the Champaign County Mental Health Board, the State's Attorney's Office, the Judiciary, the County Jail, Champaign County Health Care Consumers, Champaign County Probation, U.S. Probation, Rosecrance Central Illinois, the Champaign County Continuum of Care, Champaign County Housing Authority, Champaign County Regional Planning Commission, FirstFollowers, Ann's House, GROW, State of Illinois Department of Corrections Parole, TASC, a law enforcement representative, a liaison from the Crisis Intervention Team Steering Committee, and a designated Citizen Representative.

The YARP representatives also talked with the Reentry Council recently, so there is some related information about both and their presentations in my last post on the Reentry Council. Here are the relevant excerpts:

First off, there were some helpful informational guides and flyer about local reentry resources. The first is for people interested in more information about participating in the new Young Adult Reentry Program getting started by the Regional Planning Commission: YARP Participant Handbook. The second is a local resource flyer for people needing services upon reentry to the community from the criminal justice system. The third is a Reentry and Resource Guide and Workbook from Rosecrance for people reentering. It provides step by step information for some critical starting issues, such as obtaining a valid ID (no easy task when the prison issue ID isn't accepted):

  

There will also be a presentation of the Reentry Council's mid-annual report to the Champaign County Board this Tuesday at 6:30pm at their Committee of the Whole meeting. The text of that report is on the County website here (page of 7 of the packet and page 10 of the PDF file). I'll post a link of the video presentation when it's available. These presentations, like this one last year, help explain the data and charts involved in reentry collaboration, which can be heavy on jargon and abbreviations, even to those on the council. For the reader's sake, I'm highlighting probably the key bit from the conclusion:

It remains the view of the Reentry Council that more resources are needed in Champaign County to better support the successful transition of citizens returning here from incarceration. With recent leadership changes at the Champaign County Housing Authority, it appears that housing options, perhaps the most critical need faced, for the reentry population, will be increased.

As reentry case management is a vital component of success for all persons returning from incarceration, willing to engage in supportive services - particularly those with behavioral health needs, it is the hope of the Council that all supportive resources will become sustainable. On-going, reliable support for releasing individuals will offer the best opportunity to formerly-incarcerated people to establish productive lives that will serve the betterment of themselves, their families, and the Champaign County community

Although the data is more recent, this language is the same as the council report last summer and remains true (That July 2018 report is available here on page 14 of the agenda packet PDF (page 9 on the printed version). The difficulties and hurdles for people reentering are multi-layered and intertwined. It's complicated for those trying to help people navigate the system to meet their basic needs, let alone the people going through it themselves.

The recent updates on the Reentry Council are available in this last post here. More updates soon as the Reentry Council meets at the beginning of April.

County Updates and Brief Board Meeting

The March County Board hearing was only 20 minutes, with most of the business unanimously passed in the consent agenda approved in the Committee of the Whole last week. The News-Gazette had an overview in a blurb in today's paper:

Board commits to rebuild Ludlow-Gifford route
The Champaign County Board committed Thursday night to spending more than $3 million to rebuild a highway in the northern part of the county.

In a 20-0 vote, the board awarded the contract on the project to Cross Construction, which made a $3.18 million bid.

The project calls for reconstructing 5.22 miles of the east-west County Road 9, running from Ludlow to north of Gifford. The road is frequently used for farm traffic and to transport market products...

In other business: — The board voted 20 to 0 to increase public defender salaries to be equitable with salaries for attorneys in the state’s attorney’s office, based on comparable workloads, time admitted to the bar and time in service.

— The board voted 20 to 0 to spend $287,052 to pay nursing home employee benefit time and nursing home management retention bonuses. This money will be included on the last paycheck from the county following the sale of the home, if and when that takes place.

Full blurb available here in the eEdition for digital subscribers. I'm still waiting for the video to be uploaded of the last Committee of the Whole meeting (updated with link) and information from the reentry presentations. In other County government news we had scammers cause the remote bail option to be shutdown for jail and the Forest Preserve doing some controlled burns. WAND had a video a short blurb and a video segment on the remote bail payments here. The News-Gazette had more in yesterday's paper:

Credit card fraud shuts down bail option in Champaign County
About 10 people have been released from the Champaign County Jail since the first of the year after having posted bail using stolen credit card information.

The discovery of the fraud prompted Sheriff Dustin Heuerman on Wednesday to suspend indefinitely the online payment method GovPay.com, which was intended to increase convenience for someone posting bail for an arrestee...

"Since the beginning of 2019, there has been more than $25,000 in bail paid with the remote option from suspected stolen credit card information. We have seen an increase in fraudulent activity as of late and fear that as word of this spreads, more fraud will take place. There are a variety of inmates who have been released as a result of this fraudulent activity and bail amounts have also varied," the sheriff said...

Heuerman said his investigators are looking into the fraud.

Meanwhile, those wanting to post bond for an inmate can still do so by appearing at the jail with cash or an actual credit card, as opposed to just a credit card number. The bond poster must present valid identification and if paying in cash, have the exact amount.

Full article here. And from Monday's News-Gazette, the Forest Preserve's efforts to get native plants to grow involves controlled burns. Video segment and a short blurb available from WCIA here. Excerpt:

Prescribed burning started today at the Champaign County Forest Preserve near Homer Lake.

It is an effort to get native plants to grow.

The area they were in today they attempt to do burns every other year.

More here. More specifically on why controlled burns help in a prairie ecosystem in a later article here.

Identifying and Addressing Disparities

The Champaign County Regional Planning Commission released some new data on internet access in the county broken down by race and income here. There are some excerpts from their overview below. There have also been a series of Cheat Sheet posts on local racial disparity data in the County and especially the Champaign-Urbana Metropolitan Area. Here are some quick links:

• School discipline: Education Racial Disparity Data
• "Pushout" of minority students in local schools
• Housing segregation: C-U Segregation
• Mass incarceration: as a feedback loop
• Pedestrian and Traffic Stop Data
• More County data from the Regional Planning Commission here

And an excerpt from the RPC internet access data page:

Breaking this data down into greater detail shows that computer and internet subscription disparities do exist by race, ethnicity, labor force status, and educational attainment in Champaign County. But before we get to what we can take from this, there are a few assumptions we can’t make based on this data.

As we noted above, this data doesn’t cover smartphones as a primary means of internet access, so it’s important to keep in mind that what may be different among the analyzed populations is not whether they can access the internet, but how. Also, as we’ve noted a lot, correlation isn’t causation. We can see that individuals who are unemployed are more likely to also have limited access to computers and internet subscriptions, and it’s obvious that the internet is an excellent job-hunting resource, but this analysis of this data cannot support a conclusion that limited internet access causes unemployment, or vice versa.

That aside, there are significant lessons to be learned here. One is the importance of ensuring that online resources offer user experiences of the same quality regardless of device: users on computers, smartphones, and tablets should all be able to have an easy, intuitive, and visually engaging experience. Another is that programs to improve internet access can and should be tailored based on a community’s needs and circumstances. This data also reinforces the importance of facilities like public libraries, which provide access to computers and the internet and can be critical community resources for those who do not have other access options.

Full overview and data available here.

In an example of an attempt to address disparities, the Housing Authority of Champaign County is claiming some preliminary success in attracting diversity in contracts. From the News-Gazette earlier this month:

Housing authority: Growth in bids from diverse subcontractors 'impressive'...
The Housing Authority of Champaign County announced recently that a plan to increase opportunities for female-, minority- and veteran-owned businesses "has produced impressive early numbers" in bids for two affordable-housing developments in the city.

It has been one of housing authority Director David Northern's main goals since he started last year, after he received calls from many minority- and female-owned businesses concerned about disadvantages in contracting...

The focus right now is on bringing more disadvantaged businesses to work on the housing authority's two biggest projects, Bristol Place Residences and the Haven at Market Place, which will have a combined 212 units of affordable housing and cost over $48 million.

Already, 34.05 percent of contracts awarded for the Haven at Market Place have gone to disadvantaged businesses. And at Bristol Place, the picture is slightly better, with disadvantaged businesses representing 35.79 percent of all contracts awarded and executed so far. That includes 10 local businesses and seven from outside the area.

Those numbers surpass the goals Champaign Neighborhood Services Director Kerri Wiman said the city, the housing authority and the developer set for Bristol Place, in addition to a goal that, once complete, the complex hire at least 10 locals, with preference given to people who may have been displaced from the area.

More at the full article here.

County Health News Roundup

Carle opened a new "Convenient Care Plus" clinic at their hospital location this month. From the News-Gazette earlier this month:

It will be open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, including holidays.

This new center will give patients coming to the emergency room for non-emergency care another option — and a less expensive one — at the hospital, according to Carle...

Patients can access the Convenient Care Plus center at the hospital through patient registration in the lobby off Orchard Street.

The center will treat the typical kinds of conditions convenient-care centers serve, such as fevers, urinary tract infections and sprained ankles, but it will also have some advanced services available, according to Carle. It will be staffed with full-time physicians and advanced practice providers and provide CT scans, X-rays and advanced lab testing.

Article available here. More information about Carle Convenient Care locations at their website here.

There's a women's health expo with information on pregnancy and postpartum health needs coming up. WCIA has a short blurb on that here. Here's an informational flyer from the CUPHD facebook page (click to enlarge):

And the News-Gazette had county health rankings in today's paper:

Research released Tuesday that ranks U.S. counties from most to least healthy placed Champaign County in roughly the top third in Illinois — making it one of the state's healthier places to live — while Vermilion County was ranked dead last in the state...

Emphasized in the 2019 survey was a link between high housing costs and health. Researchers found 11 percent of households in the U.S. spend more than half their income on housing.

In Champaign County, 20 percent of households were considered to have severe housing problems — meaning they're dealing with at least one of these factors: high housing costs, overcrowding, lack of kitchen facilities or lack of plumbing facilities — compared to 12 percent in Vermilion County.

Overcrowding in housing can encourage more disease spread, according to Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Administrator Julie Pryde. And when people have to spend an unhealthy amount of their income on housing, she said, that can impact both physical and mental health.

More information and data at the full article here. Even more data and information at the website for the annual survey here.

Champaign County Party History

Tom Kacich of the News-Gazette had brief history of political party control in Champaign County last month in an article that also included an interview with the president of the local Republican Party, Mark Ballard.

Tom Kacich | Only recently did GOP lose its hold on Champaign County
For most of its history, Champaign County was as reliably Republican as the state of New Hampshire or the western suburbs of Chicago. Republican presidential candidates won the county in all but one election between 1940 and 1988, and, until last December, the GOP usually held all but one or two countywide offices...

The GOP's hold on the county began to break in the 1990s and has accelerated this decade to the point where Democrats hold six of the nine countywide offices and 13 of 22 county board seats, and their presidential candidate has won seven consecutive elections between 1992 to 2016...

There have been 46 presidential elections in Champaign County's 186-year history and Republicans won 30, Democrats 12 and Whigs three (1840, 1848 and 1852). In 1912, Progressive Party nominee (and former Republican President) Theodore Roosevelt narrowly won Champaign County with 35.6 percent of the vote, versus 35.4 percent for Woodrow Wilson and 25.6 percent for Republican William Howard Taft.

That one-quarter of the vote for the Republican nominee (misleading as it was since Roosevelt had been a Republican) was the worst showing ever for a Republican presidential candidate in Champaign County. Second worst was George H.W. Bush's 35.6 percent in 1992 in a three-way race where independent Ross Perot took 18 percent of the vote in the county.

More information, including more recent trends and Ballard's take here. It paints a bit of a dire picture for 2020, but anyone who has followed the ebbs and flows of political party fortunes knows, no gains last forever. Predictions in these uncharted waters may be more complicated than quantum physics.

County Roundup

I have a few County government related news links to share until the full Committee of the Whole meeting becomes available on the County Clerk's YouTube channel (there are some reentry presentations and such I'll be highlighting in more detail later). The News-Gazette had some highlights from the COW until then:

County board OKs spending another $278K on nursing home employee costs
At a committee-of-the-whole meeting on Tuesday night, board members recommended spending $287,052 to pay nursing home employee benefit time and management retention bonuses.

This money will be included on the last paycheck from the county following the sale of the home, if and when it takes place...

In December, the county board approved $2.7 million in funding to keep the nursing home in operation for another couple of months.

In January, the county board approved another $6 million in nursing home expenses both to pay off bills to nursing home vendors dating back to 2015 and to write off nursing home bad debt.

In February, the county board voted to grant the county executive and treasurer authority to cover any shortfall in the nursing home's accounts payable for March with a loan for up to $200,000. Then, the board authorized them to use a loan to make up for any March payroll issues.

In other business, board members unanimously recommended renewing its contract with Rosecrance for the re-entry program. The new contract runs through June 30, 2020.

The board also recommended spending $35,423 to increase public-defender salaries to make them equitable with salaries for prosecutors in the state's attorney's office.

More at the full article here. Agenda packet here and full video (when available) here. Until the video becomes available, the written presentation of the Reentry Council Mid-Annual Report is available in the agenda packet (page 7 of the packet, page 10 of the PDF file). The RPC Young Adult Reentry Program slideshow presentation is available here.

The Environment and Land Use Committee (ELUC) addressed a zoning issue for a future rural event center:

County board panel endorses Flatville couple's plan to turn barn into events center
...
On Thursday, the Champaign County Environment and Land Use Committee voted 7-0 to move that plan forward, recommending rezoning the property from AG-1 Agriculture to AG-2 Agriculture.

Arik and Kylie Miller plan to renovate a burgundy and white barn on their 10.3-acre property at 2079 County Road 2600N, less than a mile from Flatville, into an event center with a capacity for 300 guests.

"We're going to call it Miller Farms Barn," Arik Miller said. "We just acquired the property. The barn has sat empty for the last 20 years. In addition to weddings, we would like to host corporate events, family gatherings, whatever..."

Miller said he is planning enough space for 100 vehicles, including handicapped-accessible parking spaces.

Full article here. I didn't see anything in the ELUC agenda packet or action report about the horse stable approved at the Zoning Board last month, so that may be on next month's ELUC agenda. From last month:

Champaign Co. Zoning Board OKs couple's special-use permit for horse stable
A rural Pesotum couple plan to start up a horse stable, complete with an indoor arena, southwest of the village.

The Champaign County Zoning Board voted 4 to 0 Thursday night to approve a special-use permit for Fields of Grace Stable, at 683 County Road 100 N, also known as the Parkville Road.

The proposal next advances to the Champaign County Board Environment and Land Use Committee.

The permit would authorize Jessica and John Gill to operate their riding stable in an agriculture zoning district.

Jessica Gill said her stable will be able to board up to 12 horses and will hold riding lessons and events.

Full blurb here.

This month's home sales numbers aren't out yet, but I'm still playing catch up. Here are the numbers reported last month (of January's numbers):

Champaign County home sales down 20 percent in January over 2018
Home sales in Champaign County dropped more than 20 percent in January compared with the same period in 2018, according to the Champaign County Association of Realtors.

There were 117 homes sold in January, down from 153 a year ago.

The association blamed higher prices, cold weather and the partial government shutdown for the slowdown.

Sale prices rose significantly in January compared with a year ago, with the median price increasing from $132,500 to $155,000.

More information at the full blurb here.

Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and two local organizations are part of efforts to bring awareness and help those who need it. First a quick highlight of CASA:

Champaign County Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is a not-for-profit organization which recruits, trains, and monitors volunteers who advocate for the best interests of abused and neglected children.

CASA volunteers work through the juvenile court system to facilitate prompt delivery of services and make independent recommendations to the court concerning the child’s well-being.

In addition to these volunteers their office is participating in the Pinwheel Project to raise awareness and funding to prevent Child Abuse. More at their website here. Last month the News-Gazette's Mary Schenk interviewed Rush Record, the executive director of CASA on her "Legally Speaking" podcast. Excerpt:

Besides two paid attorneys, you have volunteers assigned to cases. Who are they and what do they do?

They come from all backgrounds ... retired folks, working professionals. They have a heart to work with kids. Most have not worked anything close to abuse/neglect before. They simply applied, interviewed, passed the background check and did the extensive (30-hour) training.

These are people knocking on doors making sure kids are safe ... driving all over the state to see the kids, attending all the meetings. Ultimately, they have an opportunity to give a written report to the court which includes their opinion and recommendation. That's so unique, for a volunteer to have that input to a judge.

More excerpts and link to the podcast here. The Champaign County Children's Advocacy Center is also working on awareness efforts locally. From today's News-Gazette:

Children's Advocacy Center's 'Blue Kids' to reappear in April
Blue silhouettes of children will be reappearing in April outside businesses, homes and other places in Champaign County.

The county's Children's Advocacy Center places the "Blue Kids" as annual reminders of the unknown children who have suffered as a result of child abuse or neglect...

The Children's Advocacy Center said it interviews about 250 kids a year as a result of reports of sexual assault or serious physical abuse...

Anyone who suspects a child is being abused or neglected is urged to call the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Hotline at 800-252-2873 or report it to local police.

Full blurb here. More at their website here.

Champaign Community Coalition 3/13

The Champaign County Community Coalition (overview of this organization here) had its March Meeting yesterday. The room was full again and the facilitator, Tracy Parsons, explained that they were outgrowing the space at the Library and there would be more information on that next time. He did say that the April meeting will still be at the same place, however, at the end.

The "good news" highlights included Pius Weibel explaining the success of the Eastern Illinois Foodbank's "prom night" fundraising effort. From the facebook event page:

Abbie Osterbur and Jason Reda were crowned Prom Queen and King of the 2019 Prom Benefit for Eastern Illinois Foodbank! Congratulations to all of the court candidates! Thanks to the court, attendees, and sponsors, we raised more than $141,000. Official results still to come, but we know that translates to hundreds of thousands of meals to feed our neighbors in need.

Tracy Parsons highlighted Maurice Hayes, a local business owner who was formerly incarcerated for murder. He has become involved with the CU Fresh Start program, using his experiences to get through to kids and young men who are on a similar path. More on his story from WCCU here, including his work mentoring youth.

The local police chiefs went through the most recent shooting incidents, development of suspects, and arrests. The Street Crime Task Force was responsible for some of those arrests which included a situation with two juvenile arrests in a situation with multiple guns. Parsons highlighted the fact that no shots were fired and that nobody in the community wins with juveniles getting into shootouts. He also stressed that these are our kids and our families and not isolated cases in Chicago (a possible push back to myths that local violence is due to out of towners at a recent event). Since the last meeting Champaign had two incidents with shootings, Urbana had zero. The U of I police chief explained that "unofficial" St. Patrick's Day celebrations was becoming more of a non-event with a lot of student groups helping on top of continued city regulations. He also later highlighted a youth leadership camp later.

There was a presentation by the Youth Employment Services program supervisor, Jeanine Russell. The News-Gazette coverage of the meeting focused on the YES program in today's paper:

Director of Champaign's youth-employment program shares vision for expansion
Looking to expand on an already-successful initiative, Jeanine Russell shared her vision for Champaign's Youth Employment Services program with local leaders Wednesday.

Since 2011, the program — formerly known as the Summer Youth Employment Program — has provided hands-on work opportunities to Champaign school district students between the ages of 14 and 19. For six weeks during the summer, more than 100 students who qualify for free and reduced lunch are placed in jobs around the community and paid through the program. They're exposed to training, resume-building and workshops in an effort to better prepare them to find jobs outside of school, Russell said...

"As we get a chance to think about these things, we need to remember that their need for money is a whole other level than what we understand," Parsons said. "For a lot of them, in their family dynamics, the need for money is critical. Often, that money can make a difference between the students and their siblings eating or having access to other things. So we must continue thinking about how we strengthen these programs for our youth."

More at the full article here. Parsons mentioned a Summer Youth Employment Program and the Care 4 U program. Apparently there is a job fair coming up in April including opportunities for kids to practice the job interview process. He highlighted Champaign Chamber of Commerce stepping up to work with programs addressing the critical issue of youth employment here and health care providers working with programs for entry level jobs in health care (e.g. housekeeping).

There were updates by the Race Relations Subcommittee about more discussions in the community about race including youth (such as a Parkland event yesterday evening) and a future presentation in coordination with the woman who runs the African-American Cultural & Genealogical Society of Illinois Museum in Decatur (more on her story in the Decatur Herald & Review here).

The Gun Violence Subcommittee updates included information on the Trauma and Resiliency Initiative's upcoming events and efforts (click to enlarge):

More from the CU Child Abuse Awareness Month facebook page here and the Men, Boys, Violence and Trauma: A Summit eventbrite page.


Information Sharing by local organizations:

Mothers Demand Action highlighted their wear orange events in town and their work with the coalition, Truce and the CU Area Project, to reduce gun violence in the community. 

Kristin Walters from Illinois Public Media highlighted the Democracy in CU event today and stressed their efforts to work with the community to get information about candidates to voters and vice versa. An on-line survey is available for people who were unable to attend tonight's event.

Rattle the Stars highlighted their work in youth suicide prevention. They emphasized that self-destructive paths, such as gun violence, can be driven by the same factors that lead to suicide. Similar to suicide by cop, the phenomenon of "suicide by brother" was described as violent behavior that puts the youth in immediate danger of retaliation. They noted that mass shooters are often found to have had suicidal motivations as well.

The Champaign County Voters Alliance highlighted their efforts to get information out to voters (e.g. their candidate guide) on the current election (for which Early Voting has already begun) and highlighted their easy to remember website names: votecu.org or votechampaign.org. They can use all the help they can get for their non-partisan get out the vote efforts.

The Krannert Center highlighted its "50 years of Krannert" events. More information here.

The Disability Resource Expo was highlighted. Previous Cheat Sheet post on that event here.

A couple last minute highlights:

• A never-before-seen Aretha Franklin movie will be shown at Ebertfest.
• The University of Illinois Police Department highlighted its leadership camp.
• Parsons asked folks to "like" the Community Coalition on facebook.
• And a tutoring program at the Dublin Street Church of Christ in Urbana was mentioned. I wasn't able to hear the details, but I imagine more information is available at their number:     (217) 367-4867.

County Executive Conversation Lunches

A quick reminder for folks who want to talk to our new County Executive about the new County government, County issues, etc. From the News-Gazette last month:

Champaign County Executive Darlene Kloeppel has scheduled a series of "Community Conversation" lunches open to the public. The first will be March 6 at Crane Alley, 115 W. Main St., Urbana. To reserve a seat at the table — you're on your own for lunch — contact Tammy Asplund at 384-3776 or by email at tasplund@co.champaign.il.us. More lunches are planned for every Wednesday through July 3 at locations in Champaign, Rantoul, Mahomet, St. Joseph, Tolono and Savoy. The full schedule is at co.champaign.il.us/AdministrativeServices/CountyExecNewsReleases.php

Early Voting Update

There's been some election related news lately, from the new County Clerk taking office with an election right away, to avoiding hours long winding staircase lines for students. From WCCU Tuesday:

The Champaign County Clerk is reminding residents how important local elections can be.

"Your local elected officials are the ones you are going to bump into at the bank or at the store. The ones you can walk into their office and have a conversation with and make sure they really understand what is your concern or your idea,” said Aaron Ammons, Champaign county clerk.

So far, Ammons said about 400 absentee ballots have been returned and about 200 people have voted in-person in Champaign County...

Starting March 27, the Champaign County Clerk’s Office will extend their hours until 7 p.m. to accommodate voters. Also, eight other early voting locations will open across the county.

Voting in the April 2nd Consolidated Election has already started! If you haven't voted yet, you still have a lot of options. Here are some quick basics (mostly linking to the Champaign County Clerk website):

Still need to register to vote?

Information on Grace Period Registration.


Need to check to see if you're registered to vote in Champaign County?

The County has a Voter Information Lookup page. The State of Illinois has a more general voter registration lookup here if you need it.


Need a candidate guide?

Votechampaign.org has you covered: Candidate Guide.

We had a recent post on candidate forums and meet and greets here.


Need to vote?

Early voting at Brookens Administration Center has already begun (more information here).

Early voting at all early voting locations starts March 27th in just under two weeks (more information here)... including on the first floor of the Illini Union for students concerned about a repeat of the winding staircase lines last year.


Want to vote by mail?

Vote by mail requests are still being accepted online. Applications to vote by mail can also still be requested by phone, mail, or email (more information here). The application is also available on the website to print here with directions. The deadline to apply to vote by mail is five days before the election (or slightly less than two weeks from now).

I haven't spotted any news on voting problems or calamities yet, but it's early, even for early voting. A month ago the new County Clerk, Aaron O. Ammons was assuring voters that they would be ready for this election in spite of some unexpected staff turnover. From the News-Gazette in February:

Tom Kacich | For new Champaign County clerk, 'it's been a learning curve'
Aaron Ammons, about two and a half months into his new job as Champaign County clerk, said the start hasn't been smooth but that citizens shouldn't be concerned about this spring's municipal elections or the preparation of property tax bills...

Soon after he took over Dec. 1, the county clerk's office was down six employees. Ammons said it was a foregone conclusion that his Republican opponent, Matt Grandone, would leave the office, as would former clerk Gordy Hulten and Hulten's Chief Deputy Jeremy Cirks.

But he said he was unprepared for the loss of three other employees almost immediately, plus a fourth who left within a couple of months. He said it was "disheartening" that two of the former employees gave two days' notice and another gave no notice at all...

Slowly, he said, he's filling positions. He's hired an information technology specialist, expects to have a deputy county clerk within a week and is close to hiring a chief of staff. By May he thinks all the positions in the office will be filled...

Although he'll be shorthanded, Ammons said he doesn't expect problems with the April 2 election or with the on-time distribution of property tax bills around May 1.

More at the full article here, which includes more from Ammons on the amazing staff that remained as he focused on preparing.

One early success appears to be working with the University to have student voting in a larger and more accessible first floor area of the Illini Union in future elections (including the Pine Lounge for this election). The previous County Clerk had assured the County Board that better spaces were neither available nor necessary to accommodate student voters prior to the election which resulted in long lines down winding staircases. Whether the changes will be enough to prevent bottlenecks in 2020 remains to be seen.

I've found that the politicos in Champaign County have varying amounts of reasonableness behind their skepticism of the opposite party controlling the County Clerk's Office. The partisan suspicions can be healthy to pressure candidates to prove their claims of fairly managing elections, even if only to avoid feeding the conspiracy theories that often don't need help.

There are some serious disagreements to be had about what constitutes fairness, wise management, and the ethical bounds of a political office that serves all constituencies. Those disagreements may not always fall down party lines in local offices, but they can and often do. These local elections are a first test for County residents to gauge the success or failure of the Democratic change in this office... and whether it will be held by them or flip back to the Republicans.

Hazardous Waste Collection Efforts

A question to Tom's Mailbag last month inquired on hazardous waste collection in Champaign County. The answer revealed an effort to have such events in the County again after a years long lull. Below excerpts from that article, I'm also including additional information on a nearby (Gibson City) hazardous waste recycling event. From the Mailbag:

The last Illinois EPA one-day household hazardous waste collection event held in Champaign County took place in September 2012. Soon after that collection, Champaign County Recycling Coordinator Susan Monte submitted another application request to the IEPA.

"We have been waiting since 2013 to be selected as a site for an IEPA one-day HHW collection," she said.

In order to improve household hazardous waste collection options locally, Monte said, the HHW Leadership Team, a group of concerned citizens formed in 2017, has continued to meet with local government recycling coordinators "to guide efforts toward implementing a convenient, safe and environmentally responsible household hazardous waste management options for Champaign County residents," she said.

The group's current initiative is to launch a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting these efforts. For more information about how to become involved or how to assist in these efforts, call Monte at 217-819-4021 or email her at smonte@co.champaign.il.us.

Full Mailbag article here, which included links to information for County area collection of motor oil and transmission fluid. Smile Politely had information on the Gibson City hazardous waste collection opportunity later this month here:

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is sponsoring a Household Hazardous Waste Recycling Event on March 23rd in Gibson City. Even though this is in Ford County, it is open to all Illinois residents, and is the closest option for Champaign County residents.

From 8 a.m to 3 p.m you can bring the items mentioned below to 115 S. Sangamon Avenue in Gibson City.

State and Local Resource Fair and disABILITY Resource Expo

Two events are coming up this March for people who are looking to find information and ask questions about resources that may be available for themselves or family members on everything from health care, disabilities, employment, aging issues, veterans in need, and more. The first event involves State and local agencies and organizations this Thursday, March 14th. From Champaign County government facebook page:

"The Illinois State Treasurer's Office is partnering with the Champaign County Supervisor of Assessment's office to provide Champaign area residents one-stop access to local and statewide agencies. All are welcome to attend this event on Thursday, March 14th.

The following organizations will be at the event to provide you with information and assistance:

• Senior Resource Center at Family Service
• Champaign County Health Care Consumers
• Health Alliance
• Illinois Dept. on Aging
• City of Champaign Township
• Illinois Comptroller's Office
• Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs Office
• Illinois Home Care Ombudsman Program
• IlliniCare Health
• Veteran’s Assistance Commission
• Board of Review (Champaign)
• Molina Healthcare
• Illinois Dept. of Employment Security
• Illinois Epilepsy Foundation
• Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White's Office (not mobile services, informational table)
• Champaign County Supervisor of Assessments"

Also later this month: the disABILITY Resource Expo on March 30. More information on that event here. Their mission statement: "To provide full access to information and resources from a wide variety of agencies and organizations, to promote a better quality of life for people with disabilities in Champaign County and East Central Illinois." They have a searchable interactive resource guide on their website here.

Champaign County Community Coalition Updates

There were a few updates on the work of the Community Coalition in February. Here are some of the highlights I found in the news heading into their March meeting this Wednesday (more information on that meeting here). WCCU had a quick blurb and a short video segment with highlights of the February meeting here. Excerpt:

Every month Champaign County leaders and concerned citizens gather to discuss community issues.

On Wednesday, the room was packed.

Since the last meeting in January, there have been five shootings in Champaign and six shots fired calls in Urbana.

The police chiefs continue to ask the community for their help in reporting this violence.

The coalition has also created a subcommittee to tackle gun issues — that includes developing a crisis plan when there is a shooting to keep everyone informed.

The blurb and video segment available here. A more detailed explanation of what the Community Coalition is and does at an earlier post here. Tracy Parsons, who facilitates the Community Coalition meetings, spoke later that same week as part of a lecture series at the campus YMCA on building a culture of nonviolence:

As communities across the U.S. grapple with gun violence, data from the city of Champaign suggests part of the problem stems from kids using guns to solve personal conflicts, according to Tracy Parsons, the city's community relations manager.

Parsons leads the Champaign Community Coalition, which brings together organizations and groups working to address local gun violence.

Speaking at the University of Illinois YMCA Friday Forum on February 15, Parsons said most shootings in Champaign-Urbana follow domestic incidents, or when interpersonal conflicts are handled with guns...

To help stop the shootings in Champaign-Urbana, Parsons said the University of Illinois should do more to address its root causes, which include poverty, racism, and lack of access to opportunities for black children...

Parsons said U of I faculty and staff too often swoop into black communities, collect data about kids and social issues, publish research studies, and then move on.

Full WILL article and audio segment here. WAND also had coverage in a short article and video segment on the same here. In the WAND interview he touched on the issues of reentry from the criminal justice system by formerly incarcerated people. Extreme difficulties in housing, employment, and educational opportunities can play a role a significant role in recidivism. For the latest updates on reentry issues, see this post on the most recent Champaign County Reentry Council meetings here.

As far as the crisis plan for shootings incidents, here's the explanation as I understood it from the January Community Coalition meeting:

A crisis plan is being worked on by the gun violence subcommittee of the the Community Coalition. As a community we have plans for fires and tornadoes and other tragedies, but the chaotic aftermath of gun violence still results in uncoordinated needs for trauma care, counseling, up to and including opposing gangs fighting in emergency rooms while health care providers desperately try to save lives. But it also includes a need to interrupt patterns of retaliation and community intervention to tamp down on the multiplicative effect that can have.

 Additionally, there was an update to the C-U Fresh Start program, now on its 5th call-in. Article and a short audio segment from WILL:

Eleven young men who had been involved in violent, gun-related offenses were offered a choice Thursday night --- stay on a path that could lead to prison or death, or accept an offer of help to turn their lives around. The choice was offered at a “Call-In” session held in downtown Champaign by C-U Fresh Start.

The event at the Illinois Terminal Building was the fifth such Call-In for the Fresh Start program, which was launched in 2016 by the Champaign Community Coalition, in response to a rise in gun violence in the community.

116 shooting incidents, including nine homicides, were reported in Champaign-Urbana in 2018. So far in 2019, there have been at least 16 shootings and one homicide.

The men heard messages from police, ministers, and from Shirley Bailey Phillips of Champaign, who admonished one of the young men to look at her, not at the floor, while she told how her daughter, Erica Cox, was killed by a stray bullet in 2016...

However, all of the participants who were offered help through C-U Fresh Start are 18 or older, on parole or probation, have a prior felony arrest or gun arrest or a violent crime conviction, or have been identified through credible information as having a recent involvement in violent crime.

The eleven participants later went to another room for the second part of the call-in, where they learned about the “Services Pillar” of C-U Fresh Start. This was the help they could receive in completing their parole or probation, educational and job training opportunities and help in finding employment.

More information and details at the full article here. More information about C-U Fresh Start at their webpage here. There are numerous organizations, activist groups, service providers, churches, and government collaborations working on criminal justice and equity issues from prevention to felon rights. A small sampling of organizations I've gotten to understand better are on our Organizations page with links to more information. It is far from an exhaustive list.

Area Park Grants and Updates

Local parks in Champaign County will be receiving State grant money soon, according to a recent announcement from the governor. Below there are also a couple news updates about local trees. From a blurb on Smile Politely earlier last month:

Governor Pritzker just announced $28.9 million in grant money that will fund 89 projects throughout the state through Illinois Department of Natural Resources, and a few Champaign County spaces will benefit:
Champaign County Forest Preserve District: $152,400 for expanding accessibility at Lake of the Woods
Champaign Park District:  $400,000 for Human Kinetics Park Development
Village of Rantoul: $360,000 for Rudzinksi Park Redevelopment
Urbana Park District: $400,000 for Crystal Lake Rehabilitation Project
You can find out more about the statewide grants here.

Since that blurb, there's been additional coverage in the News-Gazette and the Rantoul Press on the individual projects that will benefit from the grants. Starting with the coverage on Champaign County Forest Preserve and its use of the Lake of the Woods grant here at their eEdition. Excerpt:

Lake of the Woods will expand its lake accessibility within the next two years following Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s awarding of $152,400 from the state’s Open Space Land Acquisition and Development grant, which assists parks in acquiring open space or developing and improving local recreational facilities throughout the state.

“We’re very excited about it,” said Mary Ellen Wuellner, executive director of the Champaign County Forest Preserve District.

Grant coordinator Jarrod Scheunemann said the money will be used to improve accessibility for individuals with disabilities in the area near the intersection of Tin Cup and Lake of the Woods roads, commonly referred to as the peninsula.

Full article here (requires digital subscription). The grant for the Champaign Park District was covered here:

Money from the grant will pay for outdoor sports fields and courts, a path system, a shelter and a playground...

The grant money will be added to a $4.4 million donation from Rainer and Julie Martens to construct a community center, called the Martens Center, on the site.

This state-of-the-art multipurpose facility will be owned and operated by the park district...

Among the offerings will be exercise and nutrition classes, English as a second language programs, business courses and swimming lessons.

The development is part of a partnership with the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club.

Full article here. The Rantoul Press had coverage for the Rudzinski Park grant:

A new playground and swing set, shade structures and circuit-training area are among the items to be added to Rantoul’s Christopher Rudzinski Park.

Work could begin this spring on a redevelopment of the park, thanks to a $360,000 state grant...

The state will provide 90 percent of Rantoul’s $400,000 project cost. The village will kick in the remaining $40,000.

Mayor Chuck Smith formally announced the award at last week’s Rantoul Village Board study session.

Recreation Department Superintendent Luke Humphrey said in November, the goal is to upgrade the park area west of Baerman Drive. The upgrade would include new playground equipment, swing set, rubber safety surfacing, parking lot, shade structure, furnishings and an outdoor circuit training area...

He said because Rantoul is considered a “distressed community” economically, it qualified for 90 percent funding of the project.

Full article here. And finally on the Urbana Crystal Lake Park grant:

Plans to revitalize the area around Crystal Lake Park have been at the top of the Urbana Park District's wish list for years...

Hopes are that the $400,000 will fund work on a large section of the lake edge, in an effort to rehabilitate it "into more naturalized systems," [Executive Director Tim Bartlett] said.

The strategy for improving the water quality at Crystal Lake calls for removing as many invasive tree species and shrubs as the park district can without damaging existing ecosystems.

The money will also go toward construction of a new nature-themed playground, a family game area and a boat dock with an accessible kayak launch.

But it's the water quality piece that's most important for attracting more visitors. Last fall, when park district officials presented the Crystal Lake improvement plans to the Urbana City Council, then-council member Aaron Ammons said it should be a top priority to decrease the level of pollution in the lake from runoff nitrates and invasive species.

Bartlett said the water quality will improve once the edge of the lake is planted with native species that can filter and cleanse the water of chemicals and runoff.

Full article here.


And finally a couple local tree updates: 

• The Daily Illini on how MCORE construction includes planning to replace lost trees. Tom's Mailbag answers a question on the same subject.
• The emerald ash borer beetle continues to menace area ash trees. News-Gazette had coverage yesterday and today about the ramifications, as laid out by a local arborist, and to let people know why Champaign County Forest Preserve staff are cutting down affected trees:

  If you’ve visited Champaign County Forest Preserve District parks this week, you may have seen freshly cut tree stumps or trees actually being felled. Unfortunately, there’s a very good reason. District crews were cutting ash trees, a species that’s been decimated by the emerald ash borer, an exotic beetle native to Asia that’s killed millions of ash trees in Illinois and more throughout the Midwest. Preserve district staff were taking down trees at Lake of the Woods in Mahomet this week and at Homer Lake Forest Preserve on Thursday, along trails and the road, said Michael Daab, director of natural resources. A lot of ash trees have also been felled at Kickapoo State Recreation Area near Oakwood.

Nursing Home Sale Delay Update

WCIA had a blurb confirming that the State board who needed to approve the most recent delay in the sale of the Nursing Home did so last week:

The Health Facilities and Services Review Board voted to extend the ownership permit for the Champaign County Nursing Home for another month.

It means the sale is still pending. The nursing home was supposed to be sold in November.

The county has spent millions of dollars to keep it afloat and get the sale through.

The extension gives the county ownership until April 1. 

Article here (including a video segment restating this information). The big question is: "Now what?" From the News-Gazette article explaining the reason for this vote extending the sale deadline:

One factor that had been holding up the sale has been addressed.

As of Jan. 23, the county nursing home had corrected the deficiencies related to a Jan. 3 state Department of Public Health inspection, according to the letter from Chicago attorney Anne Cooper to the state board.

"The applicants are diligently working to transfer the existing contracts and to obtain a new license for the skilled nursing facility," the letter said.

That included the state approving plans of correction and the nursing home clearing all of the deficiencies.

A separate communication to the state board from Cooper said the buyer is waiting for a new license to be issued before filing for a change of ownership with Medicaid and Medicare. Under Medicare rules, the owner must file for the change of ownership within 60 days of completing the sale, she said.

So, as long as nothing goes wrong, it sounds like the Nursing Home will officially belong to the new owners under their new names on April 1st. How likely that is, I cannot say. No matter what side of the issue people were on about selling the home, the budget ramifications appear to only get more complicated with each delay.

For folks hoping for a clear "will it" or "won't it" be sold, I'm afraid all I've got is "sounds likes" and "appears." I suppose we'll know if it sold or not on April Fool's Day. I might avoid posting that day and wait until April 2nd to confirm any news.

Reentry Council Updates

This update will highlight information from the last two reentry council meetings on February 6th and March 6th of 2019. For the last Reentry Council meeting post from January click here.

First off, there were some helpful informational guides and flyer about local reentry resources. The first is for people interested in more information about participating in the new Young Adult Reentry Program getting started by the Regional Planning Commission: YARP Participant Handbook. The second is a local resource flyer for people needing services upon reentry to the community from the criminal justice system. The third is a Reentry and Resource Guide and Workbook from Rosecrance for people reentering. It provides step by step information for some critical starting issues, such as obtaining a valid ID (no easy task when the prison issue ID isn't accepted): 

There will also be a presentation of the Reentry Council's mid-annual report to the Champaign County Board this Tuesday at 6:30pm at their Committee of the Whole meeting. The text of that report is on the County website here (page of 7 of the packet and page 10 of the PDF file). I'll post a link of the video presentation when it's available. These presentations, like this one last year, help explain the data and charts involved in reentry collaboration, which can be heavy on jargon and abbreviations, even to those on the council. For the reader's sake, I'm highlighting probably the key bit from the conclusion:

It remains the view of the Reentry Council that more resources are needed in Champaign County to better support the successful transition of citizens returning here from incarceration. With recent leadership changes at the Champaign County Housing Authority, it appears that housing options, perhaps the most critical need faced, for the reentry population, will be increased.

As reentry case management is a vital component of success for all persons returning from incarceration, willing to engage in supportive services - particularly those with behavioral health needs, it is the hope of the Council that all supportive resources will become sustainable. On-going, reliable support for releasing individuals will offer the best opportunity to formerly-incarcerated people to establish productive lives that will serve the betterment of themselves, their families, and the Champaign County community

Although the data is more recent, this language is the same as the council report last summer and remains true (That July 2018 report is available here on page 14 of the agenda packet PDF (page 9 on the printed version). The difficulties and hurdles for people reentering are multi-layered and intertwined. It's complicated for those trying to help people navigate the system to meet their basic needs, let alone the people going through it themselves.

Both the February and March Reenty Council meetings touched on this upcoming presentation and further efforts to compile data in a useful way for all of the agencies and organizations involved. For example, flowcharts of how people leaving the criminal justice system from Jail or Illinois prisons (IDOC) and how do they get referred to the reentry services, how are they followed up on, etc: Local Reentry Flowchart (note: abbreviation help on last page).

February's meeting had some brief highlights of a couple local programs. Parkland and Salt & Light Ministries had a collaboration for adult basic education, including "Free GED, literacy, job-prep skill classes." More information here. An organization called GROW is offering help in a peer-support program that offers some alternatives and advantages to compliment the work of traditional mental health services. More information from the GROW website here and I'll have additional information in a future post as well.

March's meeting highlighted some upcoming presentations to the reentry council from organizations doing work related to reentry including the CUPHD's community outreach in April, TASC in May, and the Salvation Army in June on their transitional employment and training program (information, application, and upcoming dates at that link).

There were some other highlights as well. The Regional Planning Commission's new reentry program will also be giving a presentation to the County Board at the March 12th meeting. Heartland Bank is collaborating with the Housing Authority of Champaign County to offer classes on fixing credit and other financial help. Information is available from any local Heartland Bank branch or by calling 309-664-4524.

Both meetings dealt a bit with internal organization issues and housekeeping. Getting the voting members properly established for the bylaws. The issue of the Executive Committee having a member that can ensure a voice for the impacted community was debated on specifics and effectively tabled for now.

If you're interested in finding out more about reentry issues or criminal justice reform in the community, I'd encourage checking out the upcoming County Board Committee of the Whole either by attending the meeting, streaming it at home, or when it's posted on the County Clerk YouTube channel a few days later.