Rodney Davis and Mary Miller oppose Protecting Our Kids Act
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Rodney Davis and Mary Miller oppose Protecting Our Kids Act

URBANA – On Wednesday, The House passed the Protecting Our Kids Act, which would enact new gun control measures following the mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, Texas. It would raise the age required to buy a semi-automatic rifle from 18 to 21, and it would ban the sale of ammunition magazines with a capacity…

‘Jelani Day’ missing persons bill signed into law
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‘Jelani Day’ missing persons bill signed into law

SPRINGFIELD — Gov. JB Pritzker has signed the “Jelani Day” bill into law, amending the Missing Persons Identification Act in hopes of preventing a repeat of what the Day family experienced last year. When Jelani Day went missing, his body was not found for nearly two weeks. Once found, Day’s remains went unidentified for three…

Professionals take center stage at next News, Brews & Beatz
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Professionals take center stage at next News, Brews & Beatz

Illinois Public Media is committed to having calm and comprehensive discussions about reducing gun violence in Champaign-Urbana. Our fourth “News, Brews and Beatz” discussion happens on the evening of Monday, May 9, 2022. Illinois Public Media News and Public Affairs Director Reginald Hardwick previewed the next discussion with Morning Edition host Brian Moline. Brian: What will…

Champaign PD announces new Chief of Police and partnership with University of Illinois

Champaign PD announces new Chief of Police and partnership with University of Illinois

CHAMPAIGN – A Colonel in the Illinois State Police is the new Chief of Police in the city of Champaign. On Wednesday, City Manager Dorothy Ann David announced Timothy T. Tyler will become the new chief on June 6, 2022. Tyler’s starting annual salary will be $180,000. At a Wednesday morning news conference announcing his…

Champaign Unit 4 School Board votes to renew police contract
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Champaign Unit 4 School Board votes to renew police contract

CHAMPAIGN – If the Champaign Police Department has enough staff, the Champaign Unit 4 School District Board of Education wants to reinstate resource officers – or SROs – at schools. Six school board members voted to renew the SRO contract at Monday’s meeting. Board member Elizabeth Sotiropoulos voted no. She said the board resolved to…

A Black man, a white man and a white woman all look into their webcams during the debate.
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Three Democrats are running for Congress in the new, bluer 13th District. Here’s where they stand on gun violence, reparations, and immigration

CHAMPAIGN – The three Democratic contenders for Illinois’ 13th Congressional District faced off on Tuesday, revealing different approaches to gun violence, reparations for slavery, immigration and more. Tuesday marked the first public forum with the three candidates. The progressive Jewish organization Bend the Arc hosted the event online. Illinois Democrats redrew the Congressional districts last…

Champaign Police Cars

Champaign police announces 3 finalists for chief

CHAMPAIGN – The city of Champaign has announced three finalists for the role of police chief. Angela Coonce is the Commander of the North Patrol Division of the St. Louis, Missouri police department. She has held that post since November 2019. Most of her career has been with that department. She holds advanced degrees in Security…

How Medicaid enrollment can disrupt the cycle of incarceration
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How Medicaid enrollment can disrupt the cycle of incarceration

COLUMBIA – Mo. — One of the first stops for people leaving prison in central Missouri is the Reentry Opportunity Center in Columbia. The center sees about 80 people a month who are in the process of putting their lives together after being incarcerated. According to the center’s program director, D’Markus Thomas-Brown, leaving prison often…

Woods speaks from her office.

Legal aid network seeks to expand, seeks more state dollars than budgeted

CHAMPAIGN — A network of legal aid groups across Illinois is hoping to expand, and is asking for more state money to do so. Tanya D. Woods is one of the nonprofit leaders behind Illinois Access to Justice. She says the places that are called food deserts due to a lack of grocery stores are…

A woman and a man sit at a table in front of a sign that reads "News Brews & Beatz."
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C-U administrators: Schools can be places of refuge, if done right

CHAMPAIGN — Schools should change to fit their students’ cultures, not the other way around. That was one theme at Illinois Public Media’s News, Brews and Beatz conversation on Monday night. “Like we all know, if you’re a person of color, you are constantly reprocessing what you’re saying to make sure it fits in,” said…

New ‘Jelani Day’ bill to require FBI involvement in cases where bodies remain unidentified
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New ‘Jelani Day’ bill to require FBI involvement in cases where bodies remain unidentified

SPRINGFIELD — It’s been six months since Illinois State University graduate student Jelani Day went missing. His body was not found for nearly two weeks. Once found, Day’s remains went unidentified for three more weeks. State Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, says the process should not take so long. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s402/audio/2022/02/jelani-superspot.mp3 Listen to this story here. “When…

The photo shows a gray car and a blue car, with a university sports stadium in the background.
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Catalytic converter thefts continue in Champaign-Urbana. Who is buying the stolen parts is a mystery

CHAMPAIGN — Catalytic converters keep disappearing from Champaign-Urbana cars. The University of Illinois Police Department has already reported seven catalytic converter thefts in 2022. Why someone would steal them, though, is a bit of a mystery for local law enforcement. The metals in the devices are precious, for sure. Palladium, for example, fluctuated in value last…

City of Champaign no longer enforcing underage drinking laws at Campustown bars during pandemic
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City of Champaign no longer enforcing underage drinking laws at Campustown bars during pandemic

It’s no secret that some underage students at the University of Illinois like to drink at nearby Campustown bars, and that those under 21 have ample opportunity to violate the law at Campustown bars. But throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Champaign Police Department has made it even easier for minors to get away with underage…

Champaign County Sheriff’s Office knew Norman Meeker had an alcohol problem for a decade. Why did it take a flipped truck and a DUI for Meeker to leave the force?
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Champaign County Sheriff’s Office knew Norman Meeker had an alcohol problem for a decade. Why did it take a flipped truck and a DUI for Meeker to leave the force?

This story is part of a partnership between the Invisible Institute and CU-CitizenAccess exploring police misconduct in Champaign County. Champaign County Sheriff’s Sergeant Norman “JR” Meeker had a 10-year history of disciplinary violations, including destruction of personal property, contract violations, a Tik Tok account that shared bodycam videos of crime scenes, and mountains of missed paperwork.  Yet,…

Champaign shootings spread to westward neighborhoods over years, fueled by recent surge in gun violence
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Champaign shootings spread to westward neighborhoods over years, fueled by recent surge in gun violence

CHAMPAIGN — Gun violence in Champaign has steadily marched westward over the past three years as shootings have increased in neighborhoods north and south of West Springfield Avenue, especially in or near several apartment complexes, according to a review of police data over the past seven years by CU-CitizenAccess.org. Three of the four top blocks…