‘I’m not safe here’: One trans Catholic reckons with his faith as the church shifts

‘I’m not safe here’: One trans Catholic reckons with his faith as the church shifts

CHAMPAIGN — Harrison Price remembers when he first started feeling unwelcome in the Catholic church. It was 2015 when the Supreme Court was considering Obergefell v. Hodges, the case that guaranteed the right marriage for LGBTQ+ couples. “In the bulletin, there was a big note that had an image, like, you know, bathroom-sign-type image of…

Veterans Day 2023: Urbana’s Cheryl Walker and son Jay reflect on her injuries in Iraq and the toll taken on the family

Veterans Day 2023: Urbana’s Cheryl Walker and son Jay reflect on her injuries in Iraq and the toll taken on the family

November 11 is Veterans Day, when Americans honor the people who put their lives on the line. Cheryl Walker of Urbana is Commander of the American Legion District 19. In 2004, Cheryl was a member of the Illinois Army National Guard and deployed to Iraq when she was seriously injured in a mortar attack. Her…

New documents show Rantoul Police Department cleared main officers of wrongdoing in 2023 fatal shootings
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New documents show Rantoul Police Department cleared main officers of wrongdoing in 2023 fatal shootings

This story is part of a partnership focusing on police misconduct in Champaign County between the Champaign-Urbana Civic Police Data Project of the Invisible Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit public accountability journalism organization, and IPM Newsroom, which provides news about Illinois & in-depth reporting on Agriculture, Education, the Environment, Health, and Politics, powered by Illinois Public…

C-U residents smash pumpkins to curb climate change

C-U residents smash pumpkins to curb climate change

The Champaign County Environmental Stewards turned post-Halloween cleanup into a community event on Saturday with their second annual Pumpkin Smash.  Residents tossed their pumpkins against a cement wall at the Landscape Recycling Center in Urbana, turning potential landfill waste into compost that will later be sold at the center. “It’s important to divert some of…

With a ceremony, the U.S. Air Force marks the transfer of the last of its Chanute Air Force Base land to civilian hands.

With a ceremony, the U.S. Air Force marks the transfer of the last of its Chanute Air Force Base land to civilian hands.

From 1917 to its closure 30 years ago, the base hosted military aircraft from World War One to the Vietnam War, and training programs for more than one million airmen, including the Tuskegee Airmen, the nation’s first African American Air Force pilots.

Three photos comprise the image. On the left, a white man in a suit and tie plays an upright bass. In the middle, a man in a fedora is silhouetted in profile, playing the tenor saxophone. On the right, a Black man wears a blazer and plays the alto saxophone.
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CU Jazz Festival to honor local legend Morgan Powell with special performance by close friends

URBANA — The ninth CU Jazz Festival takes place this weekend with a variety of shows and events around Champaign-Urbana. One of those performances will celebrate the memory of a local jazz legend this weekend. Morgan Powell, a former professor at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign School of Music, was revered as a trombonist in the…

The Piatt County Board, with reluctance, approves the county’s first wind farm
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The Piatt County Board, with reluctance, approves the county’s first wind farm

The Piatt County Board voted 4-2 on Friday to approve a special use permit for a wind farm in the county. But several members made it clear they were approving the Prosperity Wind project reluctantly, as a new Illinois law gave them no real choice in the matter.

Champaign Police investigate ‘agency culture’ of not following domestic violence reporting laws
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Champaign Police investigate ‘agency culture’ of not following domestic violence reporting laws

This story is part of a partnership focusing on police misconduct in Champaign County between the Champaign-Urbana Civic Police Data Project of the Invisible Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit public accountability journalism organization, and IPM Newsroom, which provides news about Illinois & in-depth reporting on Agriculture, Education, the Environment, Health, and Politics, powered by Illinois Public…

Construction set to begin on Garden Hills detention pond and recreation area

Construction set to begin on Garden Hills detention pond and recreation area

  The Champaign City Council approved the next phase of a $36 million construction project to both reduce flooding and provide recreation in Garden Hills. The construction will involve building a stormwater detention basin with an ornamental wall, along with park-like amenities, including a pedestrian walkway, ornamental bridges and lighting. The new Hedge Park will…

‘Fractured’ and ‘disconnected,’ CU queer community seeks specific spaces
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‘Fractured’ and ‘disconnected,’ CU queer community seeks specific spaces

‘Support groups are not enough’: CU’s queer community works for more cohesion CHAMPAIGN — Despite feeling like “there’s no shortage of queer people in Champaign,” finding the LGBTQ community in Champaign-Urbana wasn’t easy for 21-year-old Arden Hatch when she moved here in 2020 and came out as a trans woman. “I think the community feels…

Activists say Champaign County Jail phone calls cost too much. Here’s what they propose
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Activists say Champaign County Jail phone calls cost too much. Here’s what they propose

  CHAMPAIGN — Local activists are urging the Champaign County Board to lower the costs of phone calls at the Champaign County Jail.  Tamika Davis, who spent six months in the county jail, said the high prices of phone calls made it difficult to communicate with her children and her lawyer. “How am I in…