Complaints about yard waste and housing in disrepair continue to rise in Urbana; Property inspections behind schedule goal

Rental property and nuisance complaints have soared in Urbana over the past few years, records show.  The records, obtained via Freedom of Information Act…

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Read more about the article Champaign County doesn’t allow looking up property by name. We made it searchable again.Darrell Hoemann
Brookens Admin Center in Urbana, IL 61801 on Wednesday, December 15, 2021. Photo by Darrell Hoemann/CU-CitizenAccess

Champaign County doesn’t allow looking up property by name. We made it searchable again.

Although the Champaign County Assessment Office has a property tax lookup tool developed by the software company DEVNET, the office decided to remove the…

Continue ReadingChampaign County doesn’t allow looking up property by name. We made it searchable again.
Read more about the article Champaign bars, liquor stores failed 25% of underage compliance checks by Illinois Liquor Control Commission last year
Police in a crowd at KAMS during Halloween weekend in 2023. Photo by Stephanie Wayda.

Champaign bars, liquor stores failed 25% of underage compliance checks by Illinois Liquor Control Commission last year

The state of Illinois Liquor Control Commission has made enforcing and documenting underage drinking on its website a priority since 2021 — and enforcement…

Continue ReadingChampaign bars, liquor stores failed 25% of underage compliance checks by Illinois Liquor Control Commission last year
Read more about the article After fatal shootings, Rantoul police recommended more training. They just sent one officer to a gun range
The Rantoul Police Department failed to follow through on recommendations to further train officers on how to use force after the city’s first two fatal shootings. Photo by Farrah Anderson, Invisible Institute/Illinois Public Media

After fatal shootings, Rantoul police recommended more training. They just sent one officer to a gun range

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…

Continue ReadingAfter fatal shootings, Rantoul police recommended more training. They just sent one officer to a gun range
Read more about the article Champaign hired Police Chief Timothy Tyler despite disciplinary past and allegations of misconductFarrah Anderson, Invisible Institute/Illinois Public Media
In 2022, Timothy Tyler was chosen to lead the Champaign Police Department — despite a string of misconduct allegations from his first policing job in the south Chicago suburb of Markham through his time at the Illinois State Police.

Champaign hired Police Chief Timothy Tyler despite disciplinary past and allegations of misconduct

This article originally appeared on IPM Newsroom on January 29, 2024. This story is part of a partnership focusing on police misconduct in Champaign…

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Read more about the article Illinois sees exit of firearm dealers despite all-time high in gun ownership Illinois State Police 2012
Photo from Illinois State Police website.

Illinois sees exit of firearm dealers despite all-time high in gun ownership 

Despite an all-time high in the number of Illinois residents possessing a firearm ownership card, the number of gun dealers and businesses registering guns…

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Read more about the article Bike thefts surge on University of Illinois campus, but online reporting system aids police investigationsUniversity of Illinois Blog
The University of Illinois Police Department operates from the Public Safety Building, 1110 W. Springfield Ave., Urbana.

Bike thefts surge on University of Illinois campus, but online reporting system aids police investigations

Persistent bike thefts continue to plague the campus community, with reported incidents surging over the past two academic years. Between Aug. 1 and Nov.…

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Read more about the article Bike accidents more frequent on University of Illinois campus; Electric skateboards a new concernUniversity of Illinois Blog
The University of Illinois Police Department operates from the Public Safety Building, 1110 W. Springfield Ave., Urbana.

Bike accidents more frequent on University of Illinois campus; Electric skateboards a new concern

Bicycle accidents on the University of Illinois campus have become more frequent in the past few years, prompting a mass email last fall reminding…

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Read more about the article Domestic crimes continue to pervade Urbana’s Lierman neighborhoodDarrell Hoemann
The window for the Urbana Police Department office inside the Urbana City Hall on Thursday, September 4, 2014. photo by Darrell Hoemann/C-U Citizen Access

Domestic crimes continue to pervade Urbana’s Lierman neighborhood

Although the number of domestic dispute and violence incidents has fallen in Urbana’s Lierman neighborhood last year, these incidents remain the top reported for…

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Bristol Place development project moves to new phase; Aims to turn Champaign’s ‘last resort’ into affordable, improved neighborhood

In 1998, the Champaign police estimated that there was a significant drug problem in the Bristol Park neighborhood, with up to transactions every 2…

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