League of Women Voters: Observer Reports

The last League of Women Voters meeting was a series of their annual Observer Reports. The reports are available from Urbana Public Television's YouTube channel here:

Here's a list of links to the government entities covered and the LWV reports on them:

• Champaign Public Library Board of Trustees and LWV report
   
• Champaign Park District Board and LWV report
   
• Urbana City Council and LWV report
   
• Urbana Plan Commission and LWV report
   
• Urbana School Board and LWV report
   
• Regional Planning Commission and LWV report
   
• MTD and LWV report
   
• Urbana & Champaign Sanitary District and LWV report

A couple highlights for people looking for appointment opportunities. The Urbana Plan Commission had a recent vacancy, though I don't see it on the Urbana Mayor's list of open commission seats here. I don't know if that means it has already been filled or just isn't listed yet. Another position will be opening up on the Urbana & Champaign Sanitary District, including its very controversial pay schedule, in June. Those seats are appointed by the Champaign County Board with more information on that here.

For more information on the League of Women Voters of Champaign County, visit their website and check out their annual meeting coming up this Saturday, May 4, 9:00am - 1:00pm, St Matthews Lutheran Church on Philo Rd., Urbana.

Local Refugee Situation

Earlier this month, WCIA had a video segment that highlighted the potential increase of refugees to the area due to the Trump administration wanting to divert asylum seekers to "sanctuary cities" like Urbana. The term "sanctuary city" can mean different things depending on the legal situation of any particular city and even more dramatically from ideological points of view. USA Today attempted to give the subject a  fair overview here. The News-Gazette highlighted a local organization helping refugees settle in the Champaign County area today:

Newly renamed, relocated Refugee Center seeing increase in clients
...
The local organization providing services to immigrants and refugees in Champaign-Urbana, newly renamed The Refugee Center, has been serving growing numbers of people, according to Executive Director Lisa Wilson.

The growth is likely linked to immigrants already in Champaign County who are letting friends, family members and others in their native countries know they're feeling welcome where they've resettled, she said...

In the last 12-month period, from July 1, 2017, to June 30, 2018, The Refugee Center served 2,100 people in more than 540 families, Wilson said.

From July 1 to Dec. 31, 2018, the number of clients the center served had grown by 17 percent, she said.

The Refugee Center has seen a large influx in the community of immigrants from Guatemala, along with an increase in unaccompanied minors from several countries, Wilson said.

Founded nearly four decades ago, The Refugee Center provides refugees and immigrants help with translation, assistance pursuing citizenship, tutoring for children, connections to social services and assistance adjusting and resettling...

Most immigrants coming to Champaign County are settling in Champaign-Urbana, Rantoul and Savoy, she said. Many looking for affordable housing wind up living in mobile-home parks, she said.

More information at the full article here. More information about The Refugee Center from their about webpage:

The Refugee Center was created in 1980 by Vietnamese refugees as a way to help other newly arrived refugees acclimate to American culture and provide commonly needed services.  Since then, The Refugee Center has expanded its scope to assist all refugees, immigrants, and political asylees, regardless of country of origin.

Support for the Center comes from community members' contributions, Champaign County United Way, the Champaign County Mental Health Board, private grants and donors, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and the Office of Refugee Resettlement...

The Refugee Center serves and advocates for all immigrants—regardless of their background or status—through translation and administrative services, education, and advocacy.

We open the door to new community members, help them get settled in Central Illinois, and encourage our community to understand and embrace its new members.

More at their website and facebook page.

New Phone Lockers for Courthouse

New lockers for phones and other items not allowed in the Champaign County Courthouse are coming soon to replace the old system and its associated security concerns.

New courthouse lockers to be installed in late May
New lockers for Champaign County Courthouse patrons to park their electronics should be operational in about a month.

Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman said lockers will be installed on the east side of the courthouse, in the parking lot under the same shelter where the kiosk to pay for parking is...

Heuerman said some people put more things in those lockers than phones, causing him security headaches, and frequently would forget the combination, necessitating rescue by his staff.

He and Dana Brenner, the county's facilities director, put their heads together to come up with an alternative that Heuerman said will be safer and cost-effective.

Brenner has ordered 24 lockers that will be installed next to the parking pay station. They will be approximately 8 inches by 7 inches and 8 inches deep. Users will install a quarter, load items into the locker, turn a key, lock the locker, then take the key with them inside the courthouse.

Full article with additional information here. Following up on a post earlier this month. Relevant Excerpt:

The News-Gazette and WCCU had coverage of the public locker issue last week. One major concern is that a lot of transportation is arranged through phone apps and communication for those who don't have access to a car. I've noticed a bit of a generational split on unsympathetic folks who grew up without relying on cell phones versus younger folks and advocates for the poor who point out that it's part of basic access to services now. The media coverage mainly focused on the nuts and bolts:

Doors to close on lobby lockers at sheriff's office
Concerns about the safety of the building have prompted the Champaign County sheriff to discontinue a storage-locker service in the lobby of his office at 204 E. Main St., U.

Sheriff Dustin Heuerman announced Friday that as of May 1, the 30 lockers will be removed.

"It's safety concerns," Chief Deputy Shannon Barrett said of the reason for discontinuing the public service. "They are not monitored. We don't know what's going into those lockers."
...
Barrett said Heuerman has looked into other options but hasn't found anything suitable.
"We have been trying to figure out what we can do different. It still comes down to the safety issue. No matter how small (a locker) is, a bomb could be put in there," she said. "He has done everything he can. It comes down to the safety of this building, especially having the jail below us."

Full article available here. In a short segment on WCCU, it was added, "They also said they are reaching out to community leaders and groups to find a solution."

Nursing Home Updates

Over the last couple weeks there have been some news items related to the recent sale of the Champaign County Nursing Home, but not directly about it. For example, one of the new owners has been in the news for two other area nursing homes he has purchased recently, including one he has also just closed. To be clear, the nursing home that's being closed is a different facility than the former Champaign County Nursing Home. From the News-Gazette earlier this month:

County nursing home buyer now controls two others in Champaign
One of the new owners of the former Champaign County Nursing Home in Urbana now also owns majority shares in two other nursing homes in Champaign.

William "Avi" Rothner and some members of the Rothner family now own most of the former Helia Healthcare of Champaign at 1915 S. Mattis Ave., C, and the former Heartland of Champaign at 309 E. Springfield Ave., C.

The former Heartland sold for nearly $1.4 million in December and was renamed Champaign Living Center the same month, according to county and state records.

The former Helia Healthcare was sold in May 2018 for $1.4 million. The state license transfer and new name, Champaign Rehab Center, became official April 1, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The sale, license transfer and new name for the former county nursing home, now called University Rehab Center, were also finalized April 1...

Rothner declined to talk about future plans for the two Champaign nursing homes Friday.

Full article with more information here. And from the News-Gazette a couple weeks ago:

4 months after buying Campustown nursing home, new owner set to close it
Less than four months after buying the former Heartland of Champaign nursing home in the Campustown area, the new owners have filed a notice of intent with the state to close the facility.

The 102-bed home at 309 E. Springfield Ave., C — renamed Champaign Living Center after it changed hands in December — was among three C-U nursing homes recently bought by members of the Rothner family...

Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said the state requires a 60-day notice in advance of closing a home, so the Champaign Living Center can't close before June 12.

The facility is working with residents and their families to place residents in new homes that meet their needs, she said.

As of last week, there were 45 residents in that home, according to Administrator Dawn Job.

That full article here. Empty beds has long been an issue raised with the financial state of the old County Nursing Home. Time will tell if this closing could lead to a better area situation in the long run, including for the old County Home. WILL had coverage of the State of Illinois' situation on Nursing Home closures and State funding cuts here. The News-Gazette had an AP overview of the federal situation which also includes the possibility of funding cuts in the future here.

As far as the County government's budget problems are concerned, the most recent April County Board meeting (video here when available) included a presentation of the five year forecast. Unfortunately the sale of the Nursing Home, especially with delays, still leaves the future a bit grim. A few relevant excerpts from the report (available here):

The County has limited control over the majority of its revenue sources, which poses a significant challenge for the County’s General Fund when the cost of services, commodities and personnel expenditures continue to rise.

Department Heads and Elected Officials have continuously been willing to defer capital needs and technology upgrades, restrain commodities and services spending, and use special revenue funds for personnel and transfers to alleviate pressure on the General Fund. There will be growing pressure on General Fund revenues to cover expenditures as the County focuses on increasing its investment in facilities and technology, while also experiencing cuts to revenue passed down from the State.

...

The Forecast does not included funding to replace the County’s financial system although this is an urgent need that can no longer be deferred and must be managed with currently available revenues. Upon issuance of an RFP, and receipt of responses, the County will have a better idea of the system cost. It is expected there will be limited Public Safety Sales Tax funds available beginning in FY2020 to partially fund the system. Unfortunately, there is a projected structural deficit within the General Fund. Unless new revenue sources are secured, it is essential the County restrict expenditure growth to the maximum extent possible within these funds in order to ensure it has adequate financial resources for its financial system and facility needs.

It is essential for the County Board to be cognizant of the debt it carries on the General Fund balance sheet for the $1.98 million Promissory Note and the $1 million loan to the Nursing Home.

Full forecast information packet here.

Election Turnout Analysis

Detailed election data from the Champaign County Voters Alliance showing precinct trends and more information from their latest meeting below (jump here). The News-Gazette had additional followup (see previous post here) from Tom Kacich's column Sunday comparing other counties and looking at election costs again:

Champaign County's puny 13.27 percent turnout for this month's local government election wasn't that much different than in other nearby counties.

Macon County, where there was a three-way race for mayor of Decatur, had a countywide turnout of 14.4 percent. Kankakee County's turnout was 12.8 percent. Madison County's was 11.8 percent. In McLean County, the turnout was 13.2 percent. Bloomington, which has a separate election commission, had a 9.37 percent turnout.

Danville, with a four-way race for mayor, had a 26 percent turnout, but the rest of Vermilion County was well below that.

Champaign County's was lower than comparable elections in recent years primarily because of the lack of a competitive mayoral race in Champaign. This year's election — led by incumbent Mayor Deb Feinen versus perennial candidate Azark Cobbs — drew just more than 7,000 voters in the city. That was far below the more than 12,000 who voted in a four-way race for mayor in 2015 (along with a school district tax increase referendum) and the 8,000-plus who voted in a two-way race between Don Gerard and Jerry Schweighart in 2011.

The low turnouts have raised anew concerns about the cost of these nonpartisan, consolidated elections. It's too early to calculate the cost of the election in Champaign County but it's worth noting that the county clerk's office has a budget of $130,000 just for election judges and workers. Divide that sum by the unofficial total of 17,014 who cast ballots and you have a cost of something like $7.60 per ballot cast.

More at the full article here. Cost concerns were raised previously in his Mailbag feature last week From the Cheat Sheet: C-U Local:

Tom Kacich touched on this past municipal election in last week's Mailbag and an article yesterday. The Mailbag questions had to do with the additional costs of expanding voting access under the new Clerk, which will be certain to be of interest to future candidates running for the seat:

The county operated eight remote early voting sites (in addition to the Brookens Center) in this election, the first one run by Democratic County Clerk Aaron Ammons. That's up from the six (plus Brookens) that were open in the 2015 consolidated election, run by Republican County Clerk Gordy Hulten.

There also were six days of remote site early voting this year, up from three days four years go.

Ammons estimated that the cost of providing early voting this spring was about $9,700, which includes salaries for election judges, facility fees, parking costs for judges on campus, fuel and staff costs to deliver election equipment and other assorted costs...

The cost of providing early voting in 2015 was estimated by Hulten at less than $5,000.

More at the full Qs and A here, including the County Clerk's view of the value of the expenditure.

It's hard not to see this as an early indicator that the next County Clerk race will have a vigorous debate on election budgets versus ensuring that money makes voting accessible to everyone that wishes to exercise the right. Low turnout elections will cost more per ballot, but there are probably few Democrats wanting to save money and rely on the assurances of Republican County Clerks that their constituencies will have reasonable access to the polls. From a previous Cheat Sheet post with one of the first changes by the new Democratic County Clerk:

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.

The recent Champaign County Voter Alliance meeting (during this week's extra day of winter and snow) included a more detailed break down of voting trends by precinct (in the Appendix on page 4):

The purple cells are ones with higher ballots cast than 2019. The white cells are lower ballots cast than 2019. Orange precincts are campus ones. 

If I average ballots cast extending back to '03, then 12 more precincts qualify as having above average turnout (the teal colored ones below).

More details and information at the full meeting notes here, including what was discussed at the meeting itself with those able to make it.

No Superbug Cases in Area

If you've seen some of the headlines about a superbug in Illinois, it has been in the Chicago and St. Louis area so far, but no cases locally as of yet according to WCIA:

"There have been more than 150 cases of this superbug in northern Illinois.

No one has been diagnosed in central Illinois, but the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is keeping an eye on the situation."

Full article with some basic information on the fungus and prevention here. WILL has a much more detailed explanation of the outbreak in a radio (audio only) interview with experts here. From the description:

You may have heard about a rare, but potentially life-threatening fungus that has infected more than 150 people in the state. In fact, while it is rare, Illinois has experienced the most cases in the country behind only New York. It’s called Candida auris, and what makes it so potentially deadly is that it’s often resistant to drug treatment. We should be clear that the majority of the state has not seen any cases of this happening. By far, most of the cases have been in and around Chicago. There have also been three reported cases in St. Louis.

We're joined by Dr. Ngozi Ezike. She is the new director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, and she explains what this fungus is and whether healthy people need to be concerned. Dr. Rachel Rubin is also with us from the Cook County Department of Public Health.

More at the program webpage here, including links to the audio.

County Roundup

There were a few news items related to County government this week:

• The results from the State's lottery on solar farm bids was announced. 
• A superbug fungus in Illinois hasn't been found in Champaign yet, but C-U Public Health Department is keeping an eye out for it.
• There were a couple news items following up on the Jail online bond fraud.

The News-Gazette had coverage of the solar farm lottery results and the local impact. In one article Thursday they had a overview of the winners and losers:

Five area solar-farm projects win renewable-energy credits from state
Only five area "community solar" projects were big winners in Wednesday's Illinois Power Agency lottery in Chicago, where about 10 percent of nearly 1,000 proposals snagged the renewable-energy credits made possible by the Future Energy Jobs Act.

In the larger-community category — mostly 2-megawatt projects that will generate electricity Illinoisans likely can buy through subscriptions — only one Champaign County project was chosen: a 2-megawatt farm proposed by Forefront Power near Sidney...

Not a part of the power agency's lottery were another 740 "large distributed generation" projects that were also awarded. These projects, which generally consist of smaller arrays at businesses or homes, do not connect directly to the power grid and offer subscriptions. Instead, Star said, they are designed to offset electricity use where they are located, like the one at Monticello Middle School — one of about 70 approved in Champaign and surrounding counties.

More at the full article here. The News-Gazette also highlighted one of the Urbana projects delayed by missing out on this year's lottery:

Urbana solar project on hold for at least a year after losing out on incentives
...
The project to bring a solar array to Urbana's old landfill site was not one of them, much to the disappointment of the city's environmental sustainability manager, Scott Tess...

In December, aldermen voted to strike a lease option agreement with San Jose, Calif.-based SunPower DevCo, which allowed them to apply to the incentives lottery. The two-year lease-option agreement — the first of three steps to realizing the solar-energy project — would give SunPower the exclusive right to develop solar arrays on 41 acres of Urbana's landfill property, managed by the Champaign-Urbana Solid Waste Disposal System.

Under the agreement, SunPower would have the exclusive right for two years to develop the property, as well as a lease renewal option in the event it can't secure incentives or funding in that time. But in order for them to start work on the array, they have to be secure in knowing who they'll sell the energy to.

Without the incentives, Tess said, it's not likely that the energy output generated by the array would be cheap enough to stave off competition from natural gas and other popular sources. The immediate next step for SunPower will be to apply for next year's incentives lottery.

More at that full article here.


WCIA had blurb and a video segment on local concerns with a superbug spreading nationally in medical facilities:

There have been more than 150 cases of this superbug in northern Illinois.

No one has been diagnosed in central Illinois, but the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District is keeping an eye on the situation.

Doctors say that's because more people have become resistant to treatment.

The fungus -- called Candida auris spreads quickly.

It affects people with weak immune systems, usually through contaminated surfaces or equipment...

Simple things like washing your hands after coming into contact with patients and cleaning surfaces can help stop the threat.

That article and video segment here.


There were also a couple recent followup stories on the issues with the County Jail's online bond payment system that was recently shut down due to fraudulent payments (more on that at a Cheat Sheet post here). From the News-Gazette website on Tuesday (and print edition Thursday):

An Arkansas man who showed up at his pretrial hearing Tuesday on weapons charges was arrested so he could post bond legitimately.

Edwin McCraney, 25, of West Memphis was one of about a dozen defendants for whom arrest warrants were issued last month after Champaign County Jail officials learned that their bond had been posted through an online service using stolen credit-card information.

In the wake of that discovery, Sheriff Dustin Heuerman suspended the use of GovPay.com on March 20.

Heuerman said at the time that there had been more than $25,000 in bail paid with the remote online option from suspected stolen credit-card information since the beginning of the year...

Assistant State’s Attorney Chris McCallum said the rightful credit-card holder lives in Pennsylvania and had no connection to McCraney.

Heuerman said he’s heard no complaints from anyone about the suspension of the GovPay service.

Credit cards may still be used to post bond, but they have to be presented in person at the jail by the poster. Cash and money orders are also acceptable forms of bond, he said.

More information at the article here. There was another article in today's paper along the same lines:

A Champaign man who was released from jail a month ago on bond that was paid with a stolen credit card is back in custody.

Jaime Varelas, 21, whose last known address was in the 1300 block of Williamsburg Drive, was returned to Urbana on Thursday after his arrest in Kankakee County on a warrant issued March 21...

He was jailed starting not long after the alleged incident until March 12, when someone posted $5,034 bond for him using the online service GovPay.com.

Within three days of his release, county jail administrators were notified that the bond had been posted with credit-card information that had been stolen...

Varelas' was among the highest bonds posted with the stolen credit-card information. Heuerman said the amounts ranged from as little as $184 to just over $5,000.

That full article here.

Champaign Community Coalition 4/10

The Champaign County Community Coalition's (quick Cheat Sheet overview post) April meeting focused on race relations. Donna Tanner-Harold from Parkland presented information from the Youth Race Talks project, an extension of the Racial Taboo film screening and discussion work. Kelly Ann Hurst of the Springfield Coalition on Dismantling Racism and Crossroads asked the audience to decolonize their mind and face systems of white supremacy head on and honestly. Later this month there will be an event looking at local African-American history in coordination with the Decatur African-American Cultural & Genealogical Society of Illinois Museum. Local coverage is available from the News-Gazette here, an article and nice video segment from WCCU here, and short video segment from WAND here.

Today's meeting was a special meeting focused on the race relations subcommittee. Tracy Parsons facilitating the meeting through the introductions and explaining the special format of today's meeting. He also explained the history of the collaborative group, from community meetings in the wake of the Kiwane Carrington shooting ten years ago to outgrowing the Champaign Public Library's spaces today. More here.


Donna Tanner-Harold of Parkland explained the Youth Race Talks project. She described 9 groups of 80-85 students between November 2018 and March 2019 at Central, Centennial, Urbana, Mahomet-Seymour, and Novak Academy. Every school was welcoming and invited her to come back and the students thanked her and were excited to be able to talk about the subject. Kids generally seemed optimistic about the future of race relations, believing they would be the generation to finally get it right. They still struggled to process police shootings and dealing with racism they experience in their lives. Black students often had a quiet resignation to being feared and future bad outcomes. Latinx students concerns went beyond immigration issues, but wanting to know that they matter when so much focus is on the binary of black and white race relations.

She highlighted the local Human Library project and listed ideas going forward:

• We need to empower students to deal with the subject of race.
• We need to work with staff and parents to talk about race.
• We need to help kids process the trauma after shocking events e.g. the Laquan McDonald incident.

She emphasized that young people are willing to have hard discussions, more so than adults.

During the Q & A, Minnie Pearson of the Champaign County NAACP emphasized the need to follow up and figure out what's next with these young people so they don't feel let down again. Tanner-Harold agreed and reiterated the need to follow up on the ideas she listed. She also pointed out that she had already been invited back to two schools, having visited one again already.

Kelly Ann Hurst took us through her journey as a biracial woman in America. From people accusing her black father of taking her when riding his shoulders to get ice cream at the age of four through her career as an educator where she realized she had been co-opted into support a white supremacist system. She asked the audience to face the fact that white supremacy isn't some fringe group in hoods, but the fabric of our American system. To many in the audience it was a strong applause line, but for many others this may have been offensive or possibly even nonsensical. Our community certainly has people who truly believe that our system rewards hard work and merit. Issues of racism are often blamed on individual failures where intent is critical to any accusation, while systemic racial issues are considered long ago resolved.

In Hurst's speech, she argued that impact matters over intent. She challenged perspectives on American history and encouraged people to look at how the definition of whiteness came to be and who was allowed in it, and why. 

Whether you appreciate that perspective or think it's backwards, it never hurts to learn where others are coming from. In Champaign County, regardless of what you believe are the reasons, race correlates to where we live, how we're educated, what jobs we get, how much we're paid, how we're treated by school disciplinary systems, and the criminal justice system. We're not alone in having these continuing racial disparities.

That's some impact.

County Board Meetings 4/9

There were two County Board Meetings on April 9th: a Special Meeting that passed a few resolutions having to do with the Nursing Home and related bonds, and the Committee of the Whole (what is this?). The News-Gazette covered the Nursing Home issues Wednesday:

Champaign County Board moves forward on another $410K for nursing home
...
On Tuesday night, the county board's committee of the whole voted unanimously to recommend appropriating $410,204 to pay for the insurance premium for two-year claim extended reporting coverage for liability protection for the nursing home.

And, during a special meeting held just before the committee meeting, the county board voted 21 to 0 to approve budget amendments to pay off two nursing home general obligation bonds early.

The board appropriated $3,002,800 for one bond and $1,570,000 for the second.

"We set aside money from the sale of the nursing home to pay the bonds off," said County Executive Darlene Kloeppel...

In other business, the committee voted to proclaim the week of May 5 as National Correctional Officer Week and the week of May 12 as National Police Week.

More at the full article here, including a listing of some of the other recent Nursing Home expenditures while the sale was delayed (WCIA also had a list of related articles with their blurb on the meeting here). There seemed to be some consternation over the proclamations mentioned above and ensuring they were read and given the proper recognition for the community and video audience.

The Champaign Community Coalition had a presentation (slides available here video link here when available) to highlight their efforts to facilitate collaboration between government, law enforcement, service agencies and activists to address community needs, including and especially gun violence. He noted that the group had evolved out of public meetings after the Kiwane Carrington shooting ten years ago in hopes of addressing the factors that led to that tragedy.

Tracy Parsons, the facilitator at the Coalition's monthly meeting, explained that the participation of local law enforcement, including the County Sheriff's Office was key to the successes and strengths of the group. He pointed out the continuing collaboration with many County officials on the government end as well. Among some of the challenges he highlighted were gun violence, education for at risk youth, mutual advocacy to avoid duplicating services while supporting other organizations doing important work, and Latino communities with the new ICE policies and tactics.

After the presentation the meeting had some tensions of its own. County Board member, and Chair of the Policy, Personnel & Appointments Committee, Charles Young restated his previous concerns about transparency in the appointment process of the County Executive. Other Board members focused on the process outlined by the rules. Young asserted the need for transparency for the Chair of the Committee overseeing the process listed in its title. The discussion got bogged down in questions of a point of order and ended unresolved. There seems to be an argument for an implicit structural reason for what Young is asking for, but I can't say how the Board rules may allow or limit the idea.

The Chair of the Finance Committee, Board Member Jim Goss had frustrations as well, but with the new County Clerk. Two polling places in his district were apparently moved without Board approval. The discussion revealed that one was a late venue change due to fire. The other remained an open question as he criticized the County Clerk's absence from the meeting. He made a point to thank another participant for "being here" that could have been interpreted as a further elbow.

The last highlight I'd point out is the approval for the expansion of the local Head Start program through the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission. During the Q & A it was pointed out that there is a wait list of 155 for our region and they'd follow up with impact information, which includes success stories of kids now in college and becoming lawyers and doctors. More information on Head Start here.

High Marks for Head Start

WCIA has a very short blurb on our local Head Start program receiving recognition recently (available here). I added more information from the Regional Planning Commission's news release below. First, for those who don't know what Head Start is:

The Champaign County Regional Planning Commission is the recipient of federal funding to promote kindergarten readiness to income-eligible families in Early Head Start, which serves infants, toddlers, and expectant parents; and Head Start, which serves three- to five-year-old-children. We partner with parents to assist children in developing the knowledge and skills necessary for school success and lifelong well-being. Champaign County Head Start currently serves over 576 children and their families each year...

The Champaign County Head Start program promotes school readiness by enhancing the social and cognitive development of children through the provision of culturally inclusive educational, health, nutritional, social, and other services to eligible children, their families, and pregnant women. Our daily mission is to inspire our children to develop their unique talents and skills and prepare them for lifelong learning and success.

From the RPC's news release:

A recent national monitoring review that assesses classroom quality has delivered positive scores for the RPC’s Early Childhood Education program. In results revealed in March, the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS) scored the RPC’s program above the national average in a number of the domains and dimensions it measures in regards to teacher-child interactions.

CLASS is an observation instrument that assesses the quality of teacher-child interactions in center-based preschool classrooms. Trained and certified observers conducted these reviews at the RPC’s Early Childhood Education Centers in Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, and Rantoul, which are all home to Head Start programs. The RPC scored above the national average in the domains of Emotional Support and Classroom Organization and in the dimensions of Teacher Sensitivity, Regard for Student Perspectives, Productivity, Instructional Learning Formats, and Language Modeling.

“We are very proud of the perseverance and dedication it took for our team to achieve these scores,” says Brandi Granse, the RPC’s Early Childhood Education director. “Preparing for the monitoring reviews required a great deal of work from the entire staff, and the results show that we are continuing to provide high-quality care and education to the families we serve in Champaign County.”

More at the news release here. More on the Champaign County Head Start program here.

Electronic Recycling Event Registration

Registration for Champaign County's electronic recycling event next month has begun. WCIA had a very short blurb on it today:

It's time for spring cleaning, which means getting rid of those old electronics piling up in the garage.

Online registration opens Monday at 8 a.m. for an electronics recycling event. It will be on May 18th at Parkland College. This event is for people who live in participating communities around Champaign County.

More information from the event's website here.

What day can I start registering for this event? 
The registration is now open. Select one of the available 15-minute time slots above and be sure to fill out ALL of the required information.

When is the next collection date?  
The next collection event will take place on Saturday, May 18, 2019.

Is there a place for me to bring electronic items year-round for recycling? 
Yes, there are several free year-round local recycling options (with the exception of most TVs).

Who can participate in the Spring 2019 event?
At this time, Champaign County plus 18 cities and villages within the county have agreed to participate in helping to support this Residential Electronics Collection event; therefore, if you are a resident of one of the following communities in Champaign County, then you are eligible to register to participate in this event:  Bondville, Champaign, Fisher, Gifford, Homer, Ivesdale, Ludlow, Mahomet, Ogden, Rantoul, Royal, Sadorus, Savoy, Sidney, St. Joseph, Thomasboro, Urbana, and Unincorporated Champaign County.

More at the website here.

Move Over for Emergency Personnel

In addition to a recent reminder about distracted driving, the Champaign County Sheriff's department along with other police departments are reminding drivers that they hold lives in their hands. From WCIA yesterday with video segment and interviews here:

How to best follow Scott's Law
You've heard it a lot recently: Move over for emergency responders. Now, that message is being stressed even more.

Police are working harder than ever to spread the message of Scott's Law to keep officers safe. Some are even making changes on their end. But sometimes it's hard for drivers to figure out the best thing to do.

When it comes to getting a ticket for breaking Scott's Law, officers say they take it case-by-case. They understand you might be boxed in by other vehicles or you can't see what's ahead of you because of traffic or the weather. But that doesn't mean drivers should be careless...

There are also cases where you need to slow down around a traffic stop. But officers remind people to be careful how much they slow down because that might put the driver behind you at risk. 

More at the full article here, including a video segment and interviews.

Area Opportunities to BeSMART

Over the last week, I've had the opportunity to attend a training session and presentation by a local group spreading information on kids and gun safety via the BeSMART campaign. Here's a quick summary of what that is from the campaign's website:

Each year in the United States, nearly 260 children under the age of 18 gain access to a firearm and unintentionally shoot themselves or someone else. Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America launched the Be SMART campaign to advocate for responsible gun ownership and reduce child gun deaths. Moms Demand Action volunteers encourage parents and caretakers — gun owners and non gun owners alike — to “Be SMART” and take these five simple steps to help prevent shootings by children:

• S - Secure all guns in homes and vehicles.
• M - Model responsible behavior.
• A - Ask about unsecured guns in other homes.
• R - Recognize the role of guns in suicide.
• T - Tell your peers to Be SMART.

The target audience for their presentations is essentially any group or organization with parents, whether they own guns or not, who want to learn more about preventing unnecessary child deaths with guns. The presentation I attended, for example, was at a PTA meeting at a local Champaign middle school. There are opportunities locally to have a presentation for your local organization and also future training opportunities for those interested in being a presenter.

The information isn't partisan or ideological on gun ownership one way or the other. It can be helpful whether one has strong views on the subject or none at all. The dialogue about safe storage can range from concerns about kids handling firearms without parental knowledge to accessibility in case of an emergency. It may highlight access issues or scenarios to think about, such as suicide risk with family or their friends and guests in your home. From the BeSMART online resources:

Gun violence has a devastating impact on American children. Nearly 40 percent of child gun deaths are suicides — almost 600 child gun suicides each year. One study showed that over 80 percent of children under the age of 18 who died by gun suicide used a gun belonging to a parent or relative. For people of all ages, access to a gun increases the risk of death by suicide by three times.

A national survey of high school students found that 17 percent had seriously considered attempting suicide within the last year. And one study showed that 41 percent of adolescents in gun-owning households report having “easy access” to the guns in their home...

Research shows that responsible firearm storage is associated with a decreased risk of child firearm suicide.

One study showed that households that locked both firearms and ammunition had a 78 percent lower risk of self-inflicted firearm injuries among children and teenagers.

The issue of asking other parents if there are any unsecured guns in the home can be difficult for some parents and a normal habit for others. The presentation allows parents to talk about their concerns and experiences here in a downstate college town that has folks and often family members all over the spectrum on gun views.

In a free country, we'll probably never all completely agree on gun issues, but all of us want our kids to be safe. This program helps parents know more on how to keep them safe and talk to other parents about their concerns.

For more information on presentations or on becoming a presenter you can e-mail the local group at cubesmart01@gmail.com for more information.

Gun Bounty Program Renewal and Distracted Driving

Previous post on the Champaign County Crime Stoppers' Gun Bounty program here. WCIA had a news segment on the program's achievements after a 3 month trial run and the need for public funding to continue the program here. That link also had a video from Crime Stoppers with an overview of the program and how it works.

WAND had a brief video segment and quick rundown of the program's accomplishments in an article here:

Law enforcement in Champaign County has arrested people believed to be connected to gun crimes with help from a reward program.

In the gun bounty reward program, anonymous Crime Stoppers tips that lead to the arrest of someone who used a gun in a felony crime will mean the maximum $1,000 reward. With the help of three tips, authorities arrested four people during the program’s three-month pilot period. Crime Stoppers paid each tipster and spent a total of $3,000 on rewards.

Law enforcement recovered more than 4.4 pounds of cannabis, over $2,000 in cash, a shotgun, seven handguns and two rifles with the help of the anonymous tips. One handgun and one rifle were previously reported stolen, according to a Crime Stoppers press release.

More information at the full article here and a link to where donations can be made to help support Crime Stoppers here. The News-Gazette also had a blurb in today's paper (available in their eEdition here) where local police vouched for the program's effectiveness:

Said [Champaign police Sgt. Geoff Coon]: “I talked to Champaign County Street Crimes Task Force supervisor Dave Griffet, who’s very proactive and has his ear to the streets. The feedback he’s getting is people are aware of it in the community. In his opinion, it is driving up our tips and some of the information we’re receiving.” Crime Stoppers board President John Hecker also believes the program is worth continuing. But more big rewards mean the group will need to double down on fundraising. “We’re going to need to make a major appeal to the community as a whole and also some of the larger corporate constituents of Champaign County, because these gun-related crimes definitely affect those locations,” Hecker said. “Basically, bring forth the importance of this and the success we’ve had with the hopes they would step forward to assist in the funding.”

The Crime Stoppers board meets on April 25 and could decide next steps then.

In other County law enforcement news, the new County Sheriff would prefer voluntary compliance of drivers to avoid distracted driving, but given the recent law enforcement deaths on the road, he won't be dissuading deputies from issuing tickets. From the same eEdition link in today's paper:

Deputies in Champaign and Douglas counties will join in a statewide effort this month to focus on drivers who are not focusing on their own driving.

In the wake of four law enforcement officer deaths and a dozen other officers injured in Illinois this year, police all over the state are working to increase awareness of the dangers of distracted driving.

Drive safe, for all our sakes!

Champaign County Reentry Council 4/3

The April meeting of the Champaign County Reentry Council had a presentation on Narcan by the C-U Public Health Department's PROMPT (Partnership to Reduce Opiate Mortality & Promote Training) coalition. Here's the Illinois Department of Human Services description from an older summary of similar programs:

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) provides services in Champaign, Vermilion, Ford, Dewitt, Piatt, Douglas, Edgar, Coles, Clark and Cumberland counties. During 2015, both Champaign and Vermilion Counties had population rates of opiate overdose deaths in excess of 11 per 100,000, which was higher than the Illinois statewide rate.

CUPHD formed a coalition, “Partnership to Reduce Opiate Mortality and Promote Training (PROMPT)”, to direct the expansion of the overdose prevention efforts into the East Central Illinois region. Coalition members include: county health department officials, city police, county sheriff’s officers, emergency departments, drug treatment providers, opiate replacement program providers, mental health providers and pharmacy staff. Bystanders, family and friends of persons who use opiates are prioritized through this project. 

In short, the program helps the community prevent overdose deaths. Their focus is in stopping the epidemic of overdose related deaths as opposed to treatment and continuing care is (a separate critically important matter).

The presentation explained how opiates work and affect the body and how overdoses occur. It provided information on how Narcan interrupts an overdose event and what happens after it is administered. The training they offer includes rescue breathing, as an overdose suppresses normal breathing in the victim. He also explained that it isn't a "Pulp Fiction" shot to the heart, but a normal injection into muscle. There's a nasal spray that's a bit more effective, but unfortunately more expensive. For anyone interested in the program they can contact the C-UPHD here or via the presenter's e-mail: Joe Trotter.


In other business:

The Champaign County Board renewed funding for the Reentry Council at the last County Board meeting and a presentation of the mid-annual report was given at their Committee of the Whole prior.

The most recent data for March was presented. Next month the jail data will likely be ready with a focus on reentry data only. This could help highlight and address a County Board question on the recidivism impact of the program during the Q & A part of the Committee of the Whole presentation.

Rosecrance and CU Fresh Start are partnering to address the overlap of their programs, e.g. a CU Fresh Start participant who recidivates may fall into services provided by Rosecrance.

An idea for a future presentation from those who work regularly at the jail linking people to services was approved and some housekeeping on the bylaws on keeping the council's membership organized and designating the voting representatives of each was approved.


Program update highlights:

First Followers had an update on their GoMAD (Make A Difference) program in its 11th week (of 19) and their drop-ins picking up with the warmer weather. More on the GoMAD program here.

I mentioned the upcoming City of Champaign's City Council study session on the reentry housing issue (date TBD) and the Sheriff's outreach on Courthouse lockers.

Champaign County Health Care Consumers highlighted problems due to a dispute between the Federal government and some sort of over-payment to the State of Illinois causing problems for local organizations that help people on SNAP benefits (food assistance). The Shriver Center of Poverty Law is apparently trying to fight for those affected. I don't know if this related to ongoing attempts to change SNAP benefit rules or in addition to it. More on Illinois ongoing battles with the federal government at the Chicago Tribune here.

Champaign County Adopted Legislator now Majority Leader

Last week the News-Gazette highlighted a story about the Illinois Farm Bureau's Adopt-A-Legislator program that pairs urban legislators in the State with the agricultural interests of downstate Illinois. From last Tuesday:

Champaign County farmers' adopted legislator now the Illinois House Majority Leader
Champaign County farmers now have the ear of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s right-hand man, Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago.

Named the majority leader this year, Harris has been the Champaign County Farm Bureau’s adopted legislator since he first joined the Illinois House in 2007...

These connections have helped lead to three Friend of Agriculture awards for Harris from the Illinois Farm Bureau, which gives those out based on legislators’ voting records, and local farmers who’ve met Harris said the program has given them a voice in a district where there’s no farm fields...

Area farmers said their visits to Chicago have helped them understand where Harris is coming from.

“We realize that he can’t represent us on everything, when there’s a difference between how something impacts his particular area on the north side of Chicago versus ours or the rest of the state,” Warfel said. “His area doesn’t know anything about livestock besides eating a hamburger.”

But Warfel said their visits with him have helped Harris understand where they’re coming from on regulations about pollution the livestock industry faces.

Full article with more information here. The Illinois Farm Bureau has more information on the Adopt-A-Legislator program here, and a blog of stories and connections here. You can find a lot of division between urban liberals and rural conservatives in politics, but our fates and fortunes tend to be more intertwined than a lot of us appreciate. Creative solutions to bridge the gap can help not just your own interests, but everyone's. Something to keep in mind when you run into folks who want to write off one or the other.

County Courthouse Lockers and Retirement

Two Courthouse news items could have an impact on those relying on Court services in Champaign County and already political issues. One involves access to public lockers for those using the Courthouse who don't have a car or other way to keep banned items they're traveling with. The other is a retirement, in part to help ensure further Republican control of the Sixth Circuit Court.

The News-Gazette and WCCU had coverage of the public locker issue last week. One major concern is that a lot of transportation is arranged through phone apps and communication for those who don't have access to a car. I've noticed a bit of a generational split on unsympathetic folks who grew up without relying on cell phones versus younger folks and advocates for the poor who point out that it's part of basic access to services now. The media coverage mainly focused on the nuts and bolts:

Doors to close on lobby lockers at sheriff's office
Concerns about the safety of the building have prompted the Champaign County sheriff to discontinue a storage-locker service in the lobby of his office at 204 E. Main St., U.

Sheriff Dustin Heuerman announced Friday that as of May 1, the 30 lockers will be removed.

"It's safety concerns," Chief Deputy Shannon Barrett said of the reason for discontinuing the public service. "They are not monitored. We don't know what's going into those lockers."
...
Barrett said Heuerman has looked into other options but hasn't found anything suitable.
"We have been trying to figure out what we can do different. It still comes down to the safety issue. No matter how small (a locker) is, a bomb could be put in there," she said. "He has done everything he can. It comes down to the safety of this building, especially having the jail below us."

Full article available here. In a short segment on WCCU, it was added, "They also said they are reaching out to community leaders and groups to find a solution."

The News-Gazette also had coverage of Judge Difanis' retirement and motivations:

His retirement, just one month prior to the end of his current term, is timed so that his seat can be filled by election instead of appointment, and so he can maximize his retirement benefits.

Judge Jason Bohm, 42, has said he plans to run for Difanis' open seat.

Difanis admits that he timed his announcement in part to help Bohm secure a Republican judgeship...

When Bohm was appointed, he said he would run for the resident judgeship in 2020 as a Republican, a seeming shoo-in in the normally Republican stronghold of Champaign County.

But anti-Donald Trump sentiment in the 2018 midterm elections that put Democrats in five countywide offices, four of which had long been held by Republicans, signaled to Bohm he'll have an uphill climb if he wants to run as a Republican in just Champaign County in 2020.

That full article here. Democrats would probably argue that it is an over-simplification to pin the lopsided results in Champaign County on just anti-Trump sentiment, but it's hard to deny the lopsidedness comparing Champaign votes only (top) to the votes of the full Sixth district (bottom) in the 2018 races:

The News-Gazette also pointed out a couple local Democrats are already looking to seize on that trend:

Jason Bohm, appointed as a circuit judge last year, has already said he plans to run in the March 2020 Republican primary for Difanis' seat.

As a result, two other lawyers have said they plan to run in the Democratic primary for Bohm's seat, a resident judgeship, which means they have to run in only Champaign County.

Assistant Public Defender Ramona Sullivan is one of them; Urbana attorney Ruth Wyman is the other...

Wyman, an attorney for almost 15 years, has a general practice of law and formerly served on the Urbana City Council for eight years.

As with many other political matters, you're bound to hear politicians assure us that their opponents are trying to bring politics into things that should be apolitical. I leave it to the reader to decide whether to chalk that up to one of the most overtly political things a politician can say.

More information on Sixth Circuit judicial candidates and races at ballotpedia here and the Sixth Circuit website here. General information and links on the Courts page (with some 2018 election information still on it).

Nursing Home Sale Finalized

The Nursing Home has finally changed hands. There may have been disagreement on whether to sell the home or not, but neither side of that debate appeared to want to see the budgetary limbo continue during these delays. From the News-Gazette's eEdition this morning:

Nursing home sale finalized, at long last
After months of delays and financial bailouts, the former Champaign County Nursing Home in Urbana has officially changed hands.

County officials finalized the sale to the new owner Monday, according to County Executive Darlene Kloeppel...

The new name of the nursing home at 500 Art Bartell Road is University Rehabilitation Center of C-U, and the legal entity operating the home is University Rehabilitation Center of C-U LLC.

While the final sales price remained the originally-agreed-to $11 million, there were $1,340,000 in credits made to the buyer that were negotiated as adjustments against the final sales price, Kloeppel said.

The credits resulted mostly from issues identified by the buyer based on the condition of the building, Kloeppel said. Plus, she said, the county didn’t meet certain closing conditions on time, so the buyer waived certain legal rights in exchange for financial considerations.

Full article now available on their website here and also their eEdition with more details about the sale terms and the delay chronology. It will likely be on their main website later this morning. For the last Cheat Sheet post detailing the delays: Nursing Home Sale Delay Update. The previous recent posts with the "Nursing Home" label talked about the latest County Board actions on funding during the delay here.


[UPDATE 4/5/2019: WILL had additional coverage here that got into more details.]

Measles Outbreak Update

[UPDATE 4/1/2019: The last update on the measles outbreak we had was good news about no new infections, people being able to leave quarantine, and waiting to make sure no new symptomatic people/cases popped up. That deadline has passed and the outbreak is officially over. The News-Gazette had a short article here. Relevant excerpt:

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District waited out two full 21-day incubation periods since the onset of the last measles case before closing the book on an outbreak that included more than two dozen people being quarantined and more than 1,000 people being interviewed after being potentially exposed to the disease.

With no new cases in 42 days, district communicable disease investigator Rachella Thompson-Brown said the Champaign County outbreak can be considered over as of this past Monday.

In all, the measles outbreak that began in the county in January included four confirmed cases. Others quarantined had been exposed to measles and couldn't verify their immunity.

More at that article here. Today the News-Gazette had additional information about there already being more U.S. measles cases in the beginning of 2019 than all of last year. More on that here.]

The local measles outbreak appears to be mostly over as the last quarantined cases of exposed people failed to develop symptoms. The official end of the outbreak is defined a bit further into the future if there aren't any new cases. From the News-Gazette today:

Measles, cabin fever both stayed away during Mahomet woman's quarantine
...
Susi was one of 26 people quarantined during the Champaign County measles outbreak that began Jan. 19. She and others who were the last people remaining in quarantine were free to leave their homes as of today after going 21 full days without developing measles.

The health district won't officially declare the measles outbreak over until later this month, after two full 21-day cycles have passed following the last known exposure date, Feb. 11. That's provided that no new cases develop in the upcoming weeks.

Containing the measles outbreak to four cases has been a labor-intensive effort for health officials, local medical providers and others, according to Julie Pryde, the public health district's administrator.

It included identifying and making public all the public places the four measles patients had been during the eight days they were considered to be infectious — four days before a rash appeared and four days after — and interviewing more than 1,000 people who had been exposed.

Full article here. It gets into more details about the expenses that went into the process and future estimates of how much the outbreak cost taxpayers. It explains the difference in terminology between "isolation," or isolating people who are sick with an infectious disease and the more rare quarantines. Quarantines separate people who may have been exposed to an infectious disease to wait to see if they become ill. There's also additional facts and myths about vaccines, what constitutes an outbreak, and how measles spreads and its dangers.

The above is the most current update, though there were a couple updates in the past month when this website wasn't updated. For people interested in the chronology of the outbreak and public information on cases, testing, and statuses here are the dates and links:

• News-Gazette 1/24/2019 (web), 1/25/2019 (print version): Case of measles reported in C-U with several possible exposure sites
• News-Gazette 1/29/2019: 3-4 more being tested for measles after last week's confirmed case
• News-Gazette 1/30/2019 (web), 1/31/2019 (print version): Tests find six suspected cases aren't measles; no others pending
• News-Gazette 2/3/2019 Second case of measles confirmed in Champaign-Urbana
• News-Gazette 2/5/2019 Flu season is intensifying throughout the area (includes measles update)
• News-Gazette 2/17/2019 (web), 2/18/2019 (print version): Two more measles cases confirmed in Champaign County
• News-Gazette 2/21/2019: Lab results still out in four more suspected measles cases in C-U 
• News-Gazette 3/8/2019 (article referenced at the top of this post): Measles, cabin fever both stayed away during Mahomet woman's quarantine  

There were a couple other related news items on vaccines and infectious diseases unrelated to the measles as well:

• A national shortage of the vaccine for shingles is having an effect on local supplies. There are shortages causing intermittent interruptions in availability at locations in town: The Health Reporter Is In, Feb. 14, 2019
• In a previous post there was also some concern in the Champaign County Jail after a sick inmate was reported to have been coughing up blood and tested positive for tuberculosis. More at that post: County Jail Updates.  

All apologies to germaphobes.


[Updated post. Originally posted 3/8/2019 at 9:35pm.]