Black male voters
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Voice of the Voter: Black men in Champaign County address angst surrounding presidential election

  Both presidential campaigns are making their closing arguments in the final days leading up to the election. Conversation online about Black men not willing to vote has spiraled after former President Barack Obama pushed them to cast a ballot. Like many residents in Champaign County, McKinley Phillips told Pierce he and his family are…

Some worry ‘Middle Eastern North African’ census designation will be misused if Trump wins
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Some worry ‘Middle Eastern North African’ census designation will be misused if Trump wins

The category of Middle Eastern North African, or MENA, was added to the U.S. Census earlier this year. It’s a change the MENA community had been trying to achieve since 1997. But with a potential Trump presidency on the horizon, some are concerned that the census might become a tool to fuel xenophobia and target the MENA community.

A sign that reads "Everett McKinley Dirksen United States Cuorthouse"
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Wiretaps show McClain arranging checks for Madigan loyalist fired after #MeToo allegations

Defense attorneys seek to undermine evidence that speaker knew of arrangement CHICAGO – It had been a tumultuous winter and spring for Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan as he was forced to fire or distance himself from several top allies, three of whom were accused of sexual harassment at the height of the #MeToo movement….

Mike Madigan and Mike McClain
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Madigan co-defendant had unparalleled access to speaker, ex-top aide testifies

Jury hears another wiretap of Mike McClain referring to Madigan as ‘real client’ CHICAGO – Under the stained-glass dome of the Capitol in Springfield, lobbyists often wander the building, popping into a quiet corner to make a phone call or ducking into an empty committee room to send emails. Some veteran lobbyists have longstanding arrangements…

Dirksen Courthouse
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ComEd execs joked Madigan co-defendant was ‘double agent,’ utility’s former top lawyer testifies

Mike McClain’s job recommendations weren’t bribes – or even improper, witness says   CHICAGO – For decades, electric utility Commonwealth Edison renewed its contract with top Springfield lobbyist Mike McClain – in part because of his strategic abilities, but also because of his close relationship with longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. But it was…

A sign for the Meadowbrook Community Church that says "vote here" below next to a parking lot.
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Champaign County Clerk discusses efforts to prevent voter intimidation

With one week until Election day, officials in Champaign County are urging the public to abide by voting rules after incidents where violence and unlawful political activity occurred at polling places.  County Clerk Aaron Ammons said there was a physical fight Saturday at the Meadowbrook Community Church voting center. He said an individual wore a…

Voice of the Voter: Local college students find convenience in early voting
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Voice of the Voter: Local college students find convenience in early voting

Election season is causing anxiety for some college students who are casting their ballots for the first time. Many students are voting early and taking advantage of the service being offered on campuses across Champaign County. One of several polling locations include Parkland College.  Robin Fitzgerald, 19 was one of the first in line before…

ComEd manhole
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Madigan co-defendant warned ComEd CEO not to ‘provoke a reaction from our Friend’

In ex-speaker’s trial, former utility exec calls Madigan’s apparent involvement in contract talks ‘unusual CHICAGO – Commonwealth Edison’s top attorney was busy preparing for the General Assembly to take up major legislation the utility had spent months negotiating when ComEd’s top in-house lobbyist stopped by his office in late October 2011. A little over 13…

Madigan court documents
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‘My client is the speaker’: Jury hears wiretapped calls of Madigan co-defendant, longtime friend

Prosecutors paint picture of Mike McClain’s extreme loyalty to ex-Illinois House speaker CHICAGO – By early 2019, Mike McClain had been a fixture around the Statehouse in Springfield for the better part of 50 years, first as a Democratic lawmaker in the 1970s and then for decades as a high-profile contract lobbyist. And though he…

A man stands on a ramp next to a plaque and a wreath commemorating Lincoln's speech against the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
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Community honors 170th anniversary of Lincoln’s Urbana anti-slavery speech

  Before he was elected president, Abraham Lincoln spoke in Urbana on Oct. 24, 1854, to denounce a law that allowed for the expansion of slavery. On Thursday, one hundred and seventy years later, a commemoration was held at the Champaign County Courthouse. Around 50 community members gathered to hear the history behind those remarks….