Illinois lawmakers are requiring honesty from crisis pregnancy centers. Here’s what Urbana activists want to do.
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Illinois lawmakers are requiring honesty from crisis pregnancy centers. Here’s what Urbana activists want to do.

CHAMPAIGN — When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last summer, Kit Santa Ana, an organizer in Champaign-Urbana, said she was inspired to do something.  That started, she said, with making sure local pregnancy centers were being honest with their clients.  Pregnancy resource centers offer resources and options to people who are pregnant. But local…

Providers say Illinois set to become haven for gender-affirming care

Providers say Illinois set to become haven for gender-affirming care

As states around the Midwest consider and pass policies restricting access to gender-affirming care and the rights of transgender individuals, many say Illinois is moving towards becoming a haven for gender-affirming healthcare and trans rights in general.  Some trans people say it already is one.  Michelle Hanlon, a nurse at the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and trans…

Hospitals gear up for a Hill fight over proposed pay cuts in Medicare

Hospitals gear up for a Hill fight over proposed pay cuts in Medicare

Many common outpatient services, like X-rays and check-ups, can cost Medicare twice as much in a hospital as in an independent clinic. Congress is actively considering nearly half a dozen pieces of legislation aimed at changing this. All of this bipartisan interest in Washington has the nation’s biggest hospitals on high alert. The proposed fix,…

Champaign condemned 393 apartments with no heat, water. How does that impact renter health?

Champaign condemned 393 apartments with no heat, water. How does that impact renter health?

Dustin Schingl’s ceiling collapsed two months after he moved into Champaign Park Apartments.  And his living conditions just kept getting worse.  “It was a nightmare honestly,” Schingl said. “It was one of the most stressful places I’ve lived. I felt like my home was insecure. I lost a big sense of security.” The city of…

A sudden dust storm in Illinois led to car crashes that killed 6 and injured dozens

A sudden dust storm in Illinois led to car crashes that killed 6 and injured dozens

Updated May 2, 2023 at 9:13 AM ET At least six people are dead and more than 35 injured after a sudden dust storm passed through Illinois Monday and caused a multi-vehicle pileup, state police said. High winds blew dirt through Montgomery County, Illinois, beginning around 10:55 a.m., causing “zero visibility” on Interstate 55, Illinois…

Danville may pass an ordinance restricting abortion, but the ACLU of Illinois is prepared to fight back
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Danville may pass an ordinance restricting abortion, but the ACLU of Illinois is prepared to fight back

DANVILLE – Members of the Danville City Council’s Public Services committee voted to recommend an ordinance restricting abortion rights within the city.  The ordinance would outlaw the shipping of abortion medication abortion or tools used to provide an abortion within Danville. But, the ACLU claims the ordinance violates state law.  “Proposing an unenforceable ordinance is…

Legal abortions in the U.S. dropped 6% after Roe fell, despite an uptick in some states

Legal abortions in the U.S. dropped 6% after Roe fell, despite an uptick in some states

Some days, the phones at the Trust Women Wichita clinic ring nonstop, and staff are unable to keep up. Since the U.S. Supreme Court ended federal protections for abortion last summer, the clinic has had a math problem: too many patients desperate for care with limited time and resources to see them. “We are averaging…