Parkland Board of Trustees Vacancy

For anyone interested in being on the Parkland's Board of Trustees, there's an appointment opportunity due to a vacancy. Trustee positions are generally filled by elections during off-year local elections. Smile Politely highlighted the opening and how to apply:

The Parkland Board of Trustees is looking for applicants to fill a vacancy left by former board president Greg Knott. Knott recently became secretary to the University of Illinois Board of Trustees, leaving an open seat...

This person will serve until April 2021, when there will be another Board of Trustees election. You can find application details here. 

Full blurb here. More detailed coverage on Knott's changing jobs here at the News-Gazette. It was mentioned along with other recent UIUC updates in a previous Cheat Sheet post here and in Parkland updates in a post here. More details from the Parkland information page:

The Parkland College Board of Trustees, District 505, is accepting applications to fill a current vacancy on the Board. This position as Trustee will serve until the next Board of Trustees election in April 2021.

Interested persons should send no more than six pages, including a Letter of Intent and resume to Krystal Garrett, Assistant to the President and the Board of Trustees, by 12 p.m. on Wednesday, February 12, 2020.

To be eligible for this position, the candidate must be a citizen of the United States, 18 years of age or older, a resident of Illinois and District #505 for at least one year preceding the date of appointment, and not treasurers of a common School Board. District 505 includes Champaign, Coles, DeWitt, Douglas, Edgar, Ford, Iroquois, Livingston, McLean, Moultrie, Piatt, and Vermilion counties. 

Full details at that page here.

Champaign City Council Study Session 1/28

This post covers a recent Champaign City Council Study Session that focused on the City's appointed boards and commissions. This is a followup to last week's City of Champaign Updates post.

The first part of the meeting had an overview of the City's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (See What's a CAFR on the County Cheat Sheet here). That video presentation is available here at CGTV and the full report is available here. Excerpt:

In our opinion,based on our audit and the report of other auditors,the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the respective financial position of the governmental activities, the business-type  activities,  the  discretely  presented  component  units,  each  major  fund,  and  the  aggregate remaining  fund  information  of  the City  of  Champaign,  Illinois,  as  of June  30,  2019,  and  the  respective changes in financial position and, where applicable, cash flows thereof for the year then ended in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

The video presentation is less than 15 minutes. The CAFR itself can be overwhelming, but it has an introduction that explains what it is, what it's for and the gist of the report. The Study Session CAFR report includes the CAFR, but has an additional introduction and summary for the City Council that may be more easily digestible for laymen than the one in the report itself.

The bulk of the two and a half hour long meeting was dedicated to the overview of the City's appointed boards and commissions (full video here). A great deal of information is available in the Study Session boards report itself here, including an overview of the City's particular boards and commissions (as opposed to those required and regulated by State statute) on pages 3-9 of the report. That information is available under the City of Champaign Cheat Sheet page here as well.

The video presentation didn't rehash the whole report, but it did have some additional explanations on the types of boards and commissions looked at here versus others regulated by State statute. It also explained more thoroughly the power structure and how the boards, staff, and City Council are supposed to interact with one another.

The presentation and council comments overall avoided singling out any one board or subcommittee. The impetus for the overview had previously involved some tensions between some on the City Council and the police review board after it had suggested reforms. More on that at a previous Cheat Sheet post here. At times some of those previous concerns could be heard being alluded to, but probably not noticeably unless one was aware of the background.

A few highlights with video links:

• Public participation started out with a lot of input from the Historic Preservation Commission at about the 56 minute mark.
• The public participation also included the chair and a couple police review board members starting around the 1:06 mark.
• Council comments on possible changes, reforms, and concerns began around the 1:28 mark.

The session ended with City Council direction to staff to go to the various boards and commissions and work up recommendations based on this meeting and their input for a future study session to consider.

Landmark Hotel Sale

The long unused Landmark Hotel has been an ongoing concern for Urbana and often viewed as a negative symbol for the local economy and City. This week brought some hopeful changes after previous failed sale attempts. WAND had a brief overview:

The Urbana Landmark Hotel was purchased by Icon Hospitality and will be undergoing major changes.

A redevelopment agreement between the City of Urbana and developer Sam Spiritos and associates calls for a $15 million historic renovation of the Urbana Landmark Hotel in the next two years...

Mayor Diane Wolfe Marlin said this will be the biggest reinvestment in the property in over 35 years.

Full article with video segment here. WCCU also had an overview here. The News-Gazette had a lot of additional details on the deals behind the scenes to get here:

The hotel has been closed since April 2016 and for sale since 2015, when Yuan had an asking price of $5.4 million.
The sale price wasn’t released Tuesday, but the developer had said it wouldn’t buy the hotel for more than $1 million.
Last summer, the city signed a redevelopment agreement with the developer to renovate and re-open the hotel...

With interest on the expected 10-year bond, Marlin said the total cost to the city could be about $6.5 million.

More at that article, including previous deals here. Previous Cheat Sheet update from last May with the initial letter of intent here. More on a previous deal that fell through before that here.

UIUC Plans and Updates

There has been a lot of information on the future of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign campus lately. The recent UI Trustees meeting had updates on tuition increases, programs, staffing, etc covered in a recent Cheat Sheet post here. But since then the University presented its master plan to the Urbana City Council and the Chancellor had his State of the University address.

Other news updates below (jump to link) include ongoing litigation by Yingying Zhang's family, a free tax help course for low income and elderly members of the community, and an update on international enrollment numbers. Latest updates on local preparations to the Wuhan coronavirus here.

The presentation of the U of I Campus Master Plan (related to land use and planning) to the City of Urbana is available here on the City of Urbana's website. The 2017 Campus Master Plan information is available here and more information on planning with the University is available at the Facilities and Services website here. A student senate document here helps explain the master planning process and what it is.

There was a recent update in the Daily Illini about ongoing MCORE improvements here. There's also a more broad University strategic plan, "The Next 150," available here.

The Chancellor's "State of the University" address had an overview by Illinois Newsroom last week:

In his annual “State of the University” address Friday, University of Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones applauded the Illinois government for a recent revenue increase, discussed campus strategies to recruit and retain top-notch faculty and announced new efforts to increase outreach to the local community.

Jones also explained what U of I officials are doing to address the Urbana campus’ most critical challenges, which include handling of sexual misconduct cases, creating a campus climate of tolerance, dialogue and open expression, and addressing the issue of Chief Illiniwek–the campus mascot retired more than a decade ago that continues to be a “point of contention” among students and alumni.

That full article here. The Daily Illini had a more comprehensive breakdown here.


Other UIUC News:

The latest update on the Zhang family's litigation against the University over their potential liability after the murder of Yingying Zhang by a former University graduate student. From this morning's News-Gazette:

After a federal judge dismissed a lawsuit filed by the estate of Yingying Zhang against two social workers at the University of Illinois Counseling Center, her family is trying again in state court...

The family of the slain visiting Chinese scholar had argued that the social workers should have done more when Brendt Christensen, who was later convicted of murdering Ms. Zhang, told them three months before her death about his fascination with serial killers and that he’d purchased and returned items to move and dispose of a body. But U.S. Judge Colin S. Bruce ruled last month that Ms. Zhang’s death “was simply too remote a consequence of Defendants’ alleged actions to hold them responsible under the federal civil rights law.”

More at that full article at the News-Gazette eEdition here (subscription). Previously a judge had dismissed the family's federal lawsuit. More on that at the News-Gazette from December here.


A free tax help program will be available to some members of the community from UIUC students this tax season. From WCCU yesterday:

The students are currently enrolled in a 6-week course to prepare them to file taxes.

Then, They'll be running a free tax help program for low-income residents and the elderly...

The students will be preparing taxes from February 18th through April 9th.

That full article with video segment here.


On international enrollment, the News-Gazette highlighted data from a recent report comparing the University to national trends:

Freshman international enrollment at the University of Illinois has been trending downward since 2015, though it held steady this fall at 569 students.

But the UI rose a spot, to No. 5, among American universities for total international enrollment in the latest “Open Doors” report from the Institute for International Education, commissioned by the U.S. State Department...

The UI was tops among U.S. public universities with 13,497 international students, up just slightly from 13,445 in 2017-18. Arizona State, which had been in the No. 5 spot, saw its enrollment drop to 13,324, from 13,459 in 2017-18.

More at the full article at the News-Gazette eEdition here (subscription).

Health Updates and Data

[UPDATE x2: Coverage from yesterday's forum with local health officials on preparations and proactive steps being taken in regards to the Wuhan coronavirus and the need to be vigilant about the flu season in general. From Illinois Newsroom:

Health officials in Champaign County say they are ready, if any cases of the novel coronavirus outbreak that originated in Wuhan, China should turn up locally. But they say no cases have shown up so far.

As of Tuesday, five cases of the coronavirus have been reported in the United States, with one reported in Chicago. In Champaign County, officials with the University of Illinois’ McKinley Health Center say they determined that one person showing possible coronavirus symptoms did not have the illness. The vast majority of reported cases are in China, with the World Health Organization reporting more than 4,593 cases as of Tuesday morning, including more than 100 deaths.

At a news conference at the U of I, McKinley Health Center director Robert Parker says he emailed each of the 146 students who came to the Urbana campus from Wuhan, with information related to the virus. He says several wrote back to say they had not traveled to Wuhan during the university’s winter break that ended last week, which means they are not at risk of bringing the virus with them. And for those who had traveled to Wuhan, Parker said several said they had decided to “self-quarantine” themselves.

Full article here. Illinois Newsroom has been adding updates at their information post here. WAND had an overview of the forum here with a video segment. There was additional coverage in the News-Gazette this morning here.]

[UPDATE: Another update on the local coronavirus response since I posted this earlier this morning from Illinois Newsroom:

Tomorrow, health officials in Champaign will discuss their response to the coronavirus at a forum on the University of Illinois campus. The forum will take place at 9:00 a.m. at the Fire Service Institute at 11 Gerty Drive. Champaign Urbana Public Health administrator Julie Pryde will answer questions. She’ll be joined by Robert Parker, the director of the U-of-I’s McKinley Health Center and Janet Jokela, the acting dean of the University of Illinois’ College of Medicine.]

First, the latest updates on the Wuhan coronavirus. The CDC's risk assessment has been updated to describe an important exception to the overall low risk to Americans in general:

The risk to individuals is dependent on exposure. At this time, some people will have an increased risk of infection, for example healthcare workers caring for 2019-nCoV patients and other close contacts. For the general American public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus, the immediate health risk from 2019-nCoV is considered low.

More at the CDC website here. The Daily Illini had an update on campus precautions yesterday:

After coronavirus spread to the United States, McKinley Health Center has been taking precautionary measures to make sure everyone on campus is healthy.

According to a Massmail sent around noon Monday, there have been five confirmed cases of coronavirus in four states, including one in Illinois.

Since then, one University student has shown possible symptoms, but it was determined to not have been coronavirus...
On Friday, McKinley started contacting students with a known connection to Wuhan City, China, where the virus first started. Some students who traveled home to Wuhan City have chosen to self-quarantine, monitor themselves or wear a surgical mask.

More at that full article here. The News-Gazette's eEdition had an update this morning noting the increased sales of face masks and other precautions given our international community:

“We know there are no symptomatic individuals right now in this community,” he said. The UI contacted students with a known connection to Wuhan City on Jan. 24, according to UI McKinley Health Center Director Dr. Robert Parker. All students coming to the health center with respiratory symptoms are being masked at the door and told about how to keep themselves healthy, he said in an updated email to the campus community Monday.

More at that article on A1 of the eEdition here (subscription). Previous updates on local reactions to the Wuhan coronavirus risk are available on the C-U Local Cheat Sheet here.


In other local government health news:

Our local health district administrator received an appointment from the governor. From the News-Gazette earlier this month:

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District Administrator Julie Pryde has been appointed to a three-year term on the Illinois State Board of Health.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced seven appointees to the board on Monday, pending confirmation by the Illinois Senate.

Full article here.

The C-UPHD also announced that they're gearing up for the latest local health assessment (the 2017-2020 assessment is available here with a treasure trove of data) with additional grant funding. From the News-Gazette a few weeks ago:

The newly awarded $10,000 federal grant is aimed at a more meaningful inclusion of the needs of people with disabilities in the next three-year community health needs assessment, according to the public health district Administrator JULIE PRYDE.

Historically, people with disabilities are under-represented in planning processes such as these, Pryde said...

The health district works with the Carle Health System and OSF HealthCare on a community-wide health needs assessment every three years.

That full article here. There was also an overview of the assessment and an interview with Pryde in Smile Politely last week:

When we first started collecting this data about 20 years ago, it was part of a requirement for the Health Department, and it was just sort of a joke.

It was just 10 people sitting around a table putting 10 things on paper and then putting the report on a shelf and do nothing with it. However, every year we try to do better with how we do it. We use a process called MAPP (Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships).

This year (as they prepare the 2021-2023 report), we are doing even more. We are going to start this month. And if you are interested in being on that group, we would love it. We try to get a huge array of people involved. Media is important. People don’t realize it, but the media is very important.

Full article here. The 2017-2020 assessment is available here and has a lot of data looking at different impacts to different neighborhoods, demographics, racial disparities, etc. The introduction explains the structure of the assessment and how it's put together:

The Champaign County Community Health Plan provides a current portrait of the health assets and needs of the residents of Champaign County. Illinois state law requires every local health department to participate in this process, called the Illinois Project for Local Assessment of Needs (IPLAN). This process must be conducted at minimum every five years. The detailed assessment and plan provides the foundation for evidence based health planning and decision-making.

The essential elements of IPLAN are:
1. An organizational capacity assessment;
2. A community health needs assessment; and
3. A community health plan, focusing on a minimum of three priority health problems. 

The Champaign County Community Health Plan was created using a model called Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnerships (MAPP). This collaborative approach to community health planning was developed by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) in cooperation with the Public Health Practice Program Office and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). MAPP helps communities form effective partnerships that can better identify their unique circumstances and needs and use their resources wisely.

Full assessment here. The C-UPHD's facebook page also highlighted the issue of redlining and the legacy that housing discrimination continues to have on health incomes in this article from Shelterforce. For more on segregation in the Champaign-Urbana area, check out this C-U Local Cheat Sheet post: C-U Segregation.


[This post has been updated. Originally posted at 8:11am on 1/28/20.]

Local Mentoring

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This month was National Mentoring Month and you may have noticed a lot of mentoring programs in the news or highlighting events. This post covers a handful of local programs that I've stumbled across, but is not exhaustive to all of the mentoring opportunities available through other programs and organizations:

• CU One-to-One Mentoring Program
• Girls2Women Mentoring Program (New)
• Boys2Men Mentoring Program
• Illini Mentoring Program

First, CU One-to-One Mentoring, which is the program that has been mentioned quite a bit in local news lately. WCIA had a quick overview of a program in our local school districts that is recruiting mentors right now:

Urbana and Champaign’s school districts are searching for mentors for kids in 3rd thru 7th grades.

The program currently has 625 mentors. Leaders said they hope to reach 700 by the end of the school year. Mentors will be matched one-on-one with students for a year. The program consists of hour-long sessions on school grounds once a week.

Mentors said they’re determined to help kids succeed.

That full article with video segment here. The Daily Illini had more on the University's Facility and Services departments long time collaboration with the program:

A mentoring program for schools in Champaign-Urbana, CU 1-to-1, is starting the year by celebrating National Mentoring Month. The University’s Facilities and Services celebrated 15 years of partnership with CU 1-to-1 on Jan. 15.

CU 1-to-1 is a mentoring program that offers mentors to Champaign-Urbana students in grades 3-12. According to Lauren Smith, community outreach coordinator for Champaign Unit 4 schools, there is no set curriculum for mentoring within the program, unlike other programs.

“It is a relationship-building program,” Smith said. “They’re not doing catch-up work with the students. They’re not doing tutoring. They’re not checking to see if they completed their homework for the day.”

Instead, it’s a holistic program that strives to create a relationship between mentor and mentee, to create trust and confidence and to do day-to-day activities together, such as playing basketball, Smith said. 

More at that full article here. The News-Gazette had similar coverage of that collaboration here.

There are upcoming events this week and next month to learn more and get involved. From CU One to One Mentoring's News and Events page:

Mentor Breakfast
Join us on Tuesday, January 28, 7:15 - 8:30 for Breakfast at Stone Creek Church, 2502 S. Race Street.  Enjoy scones from Common Ground, Bagels from Einstein Bagels, Yogurt, Fruit, Juice and Coffee

What Does it Mean to Mentor?  will be the topic and you will have a chance to discuess what mentoring means to you with fellow mentors.   Bring a friend interested in mentoring.

...

For Prospective Mentors (pick one)
One to One Initial Mentor Training

Thursday, January 30, 2020  6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Urbana Middle School (1201 S. Vine, U.)
...
Wednesday, February 12, 2020  11:30 - 1:30 p.m., Champaign Mellon Building (703 S. New, C.)

More at the that page, including RSVP contact information, here.


More Mentoring Programs:

Girls2Women Mentoring Program is a new program based on the successful local Boys2Men program described below. Their first meeting is tonight at the Urbana Free Library at 6:30pm. Their facebook page with additional information is available here. WAND had coverage last month of their initial vision here:

The program was inspired by the Boyz2Men mentoring program that was created in 2015.  Mentors say there has been a great turn-out for the guys, but they kept being asked why girls weren't included...

She says one thing both groups have in common is a need for space. At this moment, they are providing their services at the Champaign Public Library but are looking for a permanent place to teach the youth. They are also working on fundraisers to help make this space possible.

The program is completely free for girls in 6th to 12th grade. For more information contact girls2womenmentoring@gmail.com

More at the full article here. More coverage at the News-Gazette here.


Boys2Men Mentoring Program has a description on their facebook page:

Founded in 2015, by Devon Turner Sr., the Boyz 2 Men Mentoring Program's mission is to improve the academic achievement, self-esteem, social awareness, and social competence of young males. By providing young men with professional male mentors, Boyz 2 Men will help their mentees to reach their full potential thereby cultivating productive citizens.

Since its creation, Boyz2Men has directly connected with over 100 young men through direct mentoring. Seeing an opportunity to expand their influence and effectiveness, a weekly mentoring group for male students in grades 6th-12th was introduced at the start of the 2018-2019 school year. On average 22 students attend each meeting, with conversations that address common areas of concern and interest for young males. The mentors use this time to discuss racism, conflict resolution, popular news stories, effective means of communication, amongst less serious topics like sports and pop culture. The approach is designed to build lasting trust while also addressing real life challenges for the students.

The News-Gazette also had an overview with Devon Turner Sr. discussing the program a few months ago here.


And finally, the Illini Mentor Program, which I haven't heard much about yet. From it's webpage:

Illini Mentor Program is a registered student organization of the University of Illinois dedicated to fostering meaningful and consistent mentoring relationships between University students and children in the local community with the goal of supporting learning, growth, skill-building, and interracial and cultural understanding.

More at their facebook page and its main University website.

Urbana City Roundup

This Urbana City Roundup includes City Council updates, an area police records system that has to be updated this year used by the County, Urbana and a few other police agencies locally, some budget figures for the "Gather" development, a few other development updates, and a couple Urbana Police Department updates on dismissed litigation and the suspended bike giveaway program.

First some older City Council updates from last month:

• In December the City Council approved increased development incentives for the Philo Road Business District.
• Approved an increase to its food and beverage tax to 2%, matching cities like Bloomington/Normal, but still slightly less than Champaign's recent increase to 2.5%.

This month some big issues popped up at the Urbana City Council meeting (agenda and video links here). One involves the local police information system used by the County Sheriff and other local police department agencies, Area-Wide Records Management System (ARMS). From the information presented at the City Council meeting when updating the memorandum of understanding for the collaboration:

Urbana was the agency that created ARMS, and we are still the Lead Agency responsible for it. Part of that responsibility is keeping up with evolving requirements. One of those is coming up - starting on January 1, 2021 the State of Illinois and the Federal government will require police agencies to report by the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). This method replaces the current method, which is the Uniform Crime Reports Summary Reporting System.

Although Urbana is actively researching replacements for ARMS, we will not have a new system in place by January 1, 2021 – and so we must modify ARMS to comply with these standards. Based on our estimates, we think that this will require more than 1,300 hours of effort.

The good news is that the Sheriff’s Office applied for, and received, a grant from the Department of Justice to help us comply with the NIBRS standards and be a pilot agency to help the State confirm its process. That is the “National Crime Statistics Exchange – Special Data Collections and Statistical Studies” grant. In addition, the Sheriff’s Office has a separate grant that has a requirement for a portion of its value to be used towards NIBRS compliance. (The latter is the “Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Grant Assistance Grant”.)

In both cases, the City of Urbana is acting as a contractor for the Sheriff’s Office, and we will bill the Sheriff’s Office for hours spent on this work, then they will seek reimbursement through the grants.

More at the full resolution information here. Two resolutions also passed to allow the City of Urbana to be involved with the County's Board of Review on hospital property tax exemption issues that may come up. From the explanation memo:

The two proposed resolutions will allow the City to initiate, intervene in, and participate in property tax exemption proceedings before the Champaign County Board of Review and the Illinois Department of Revenue involving OSF Healthcare System, d/b/a OSF Heart of Mary Medical Center, and the Carle Foundation for revenue year 2019 pay 2020 for parcels these entities own in the City of Urbana. 

More at the full memo here and News-Gazette coverage explaining how this empowers the City to be involved if further property taxes disputes arise this year here. Excerpts:

Both Urbana hospitals have until the end of this month to file affidavits with the county that will be used by the Board of Review to determine whether they qualify for a continuation of their property-tax exemptions for that tax year...

City Administrator Carol Mitten said the council would be authorizing the city staff to challenge any finding by the Board of Review that OSF Heart of Mary and/or Carle meet the definition of a charity (and would thus be eligible for a charitable tax exemption) under a 2018 Illinois Supreme Court ruling.

Both hospitals have easily met the current standards for exemptions under state law, which makes them exemption-eligible if the dollar amount of the charity they provide is at least as much as the amount of property taxes they’d have to pay on any given year.

That full article here. A presentation on pedestrian and bicycle safety measures was presented at the same meeting. WCIA coverage of that here, with additional information available at the organization's website here. City Council presentation video here.

There has also been some coverage on the "Gather" development in Urbana that is being promoted as a new gateway to the University of Illinois through Urbana at the intersection of Lincoln and University Avenues. The News-Gazette recently had some figures on property purchase prices and expected project spending:

The Texas-based developer that bought it now plans to spend $30 million to develop a new project at the southeast corner of Lincoln and University avenues.

It is expected to include about 200 apartments, 50 extended-stay rooms and 15,000 square feet of lobby, retail and outdoor public areas.

More on that here. A more detailed overview of the project plan was published in the News-Gazette last month here.

WCIA had coverage of a potential new wellness center being discussed at Lincoln Square Mall here. They had additional coverage of a separate spiritual wellness center, Soul Care, that opened in Urbana this month here. The News-Gazette had some general updates on the Lincoln Square Mall current and possible future usage here.

A federal lawsuit was dismissed against the Urbana Police Department which alleged retaliations over litigation against another police department, that ended with a settlement with Champaign PD. The News-Gazette had coverage of that last month here:

The suit filed on behalf of Benjamin Mann and his girlfriend, Samantha Wade, alleged that the Urbana officers retaliated because he stood up to the city of Champaign regarding Rush’s alleged behavior on March 16, 2014.

The complaint sought damages for Mann and Wade on 11 counts, including retaliation, false arrest, fabrication of evidence and illegal search.

Two of those were dismissed in December, including claims against a University of Illinois police officer, and the remaining nine were rejected last week by U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long.

“There is no evidence the Officers considered (or even cared) that Mann was a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the Champaign Police Department,” Long concluded in a 37-page opinion granting a request from Urbana for summary judgment.

More at the full article here.

Urbana Police Department also had an update in Tom's Mailbag on their suspended Bike giveaway program and the storage issue that needs to be resolved to get it started again:

It’s a matter of storage space for all those bikes, said Urbana Police Chief Byrant Seraphin.

“When the Goodyear building at 202 S. Vine, which had been owned and used by the city, was torn down in June of 2019 as part of the redevelopment project there, the city was left with less storage space,” he said. “In order to work within the space we do have, we are currently making donations of useable, abandoned bicycles on a much more frequent basis to Salt & Light. This keeps our inventory much smaller and more manageable.

“It is our hope to restart the bike giveaway as we move through the storage space issue.”

From Tom's Mailbag this week here. More on what happened to the old Goodyear building towards the end of this News-Gazette article here and the proposed project here.

City of Champaign Updates

This post covers several updates on recent City Council meetings, Downtown Plaza updates, an update on a Garden Hills program, the City's Diversity Advancement Program, and some additional City information on marijuana legalization to STD rates.

There's a City Council Study Session coming up reviewing City boards and commissions (and may cover earlier concerns about the police review board). More on that in a separate post here. At the last Study Session the City Council looked at guidelines for the City sponsoring events. From the News-Gazette a couple weeks back:

The Champaign City Council is still trying to settle on guidelines for helping it determine which events to sponsor...

Staff came back Tuesday with the recommendation that the city shouldn’t sponsor or fund events, with narrow exceptions for existing agreements with 40 North’s Friday Night Live program and the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon.

At the end of Tuesday’s meeting, they again directed staff to prepare for another study session on guidelines for event sponsorship.

That full article here. Earlier this week the City Council approved an engineering contract that would get the ball rolling on the planning stages for the Downtown Plaza project. WCIA had a helpful blurb here:

It would turn the parking lot at Neil and Washington into a public plaza. On Tuesday night, city council members unanimously approved an agreement with engineering firm, Clark Dietz, Inc. The agreement is worth $119,475.

The firm is working on the “immediate phase” of the project — which includes making design plans for a stage, specialty lighting, sidewalk improvements and a crosswalk at Neil and Hill Streets.

To read the full council bill that was approved, click here.

Full blurb and video segment here. The News-Gazette had additional details in its article previewing the City Council meeting here. Even more information and links in the bottom half of a previous Cheat Sheet post on Champaign City Planning here, including information about potential phases of the Plaza development.

The Garden Hills SLEEP program received additional funding approved at that same City Council meeting. WCCU had a quick overview here:

Garden Hills will be receiving more exterior lighting thanks to the City of Champaign and Busey Bank.
The Champaign City Council approved the almost $68,000 grant at Tuesday night's meeting...

Busey Bank will also grant $75,000 for five homeowners to add more upgrades to their homes.

Full blurb with video segment here. The News-Gazette had additional background in their coverage here:

The city initially committed $122,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding to the program and got 59 applications from homeowners in 2019...

The new funds will go toward “emergency escape and rescue windows, and the lighting features at the entry points, as well as the yard poles,” said Jennifer Carlson, the city’s neighborhood programs manager.

“When we developed the SLEEP program, we always had the intent that we would seek out other funding sources because we see it as a great need and a great opportunity,” Carlson said.

That full article here. Additional background and concerns about the SLEEP program and the City priorities with the Garden Hills neighborhood in a previous Cheat Sheet post here.

Smile Politely highlighted the City's Diversity Advancement Program and an information session coming up for it on January 28th:

The City of Champaign Diversity Advancement Program "encourages City departments, contractors, and other vendors doing business with the City to increase the amount of goods and services provided by local businesses owned by minorities, women, and other socially and economically disadvantaged groups." On Tuesday, January 28th at 8:30 a.m., the City of Champaign and Small Business Development Center at the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation are hosting an info session for those interested in learning more about how the program works.

Rachel Joy, the City of Champaign’s Community Relations Manager/Compliance Officer will give a presentation, followed by a Q&A. The session will take place at 1817 S. Neil Street, Suite 100, Champaign. It's free, and walk-ins are welcome, but RSVP if you can. 

That full blurb here. More information at the links in the excerpt or the City's website here.

The Daily Illini had a recent article about STD rates in the United States and Champaign's ranking 50, possibly due to the perils of college town lifestyles. More on that here.

The City of Champaign released a Champaign Police Department video answering questions about legally using marijuana in the City of Champaign on their YouTube channel here.

Citizens Review Subcommittee Review Update

Coming up this Tuesday, 1/28, the City Council of Champaign will be having a study session that includes reviewing local boards (agenda here). The Study Session report for that subject has an excellent breakdown of the boards and commission of the City of Champaign with descriptions, composition, and duties starting on page 3 of this PDF here. The descriptions are also available on our City of Champaign government organization page here.

Initially the calls for reviewing the City's Boards came after a controversy arose with the Citizens Review Subcommittee of the Human Relations Commission. Full Cheat Sheet post on that with a lot of links of local coverage on the controversy here. After the Subcommittee publicly suggested potential reforms, there was immediate backlash focused on the manner in which they did so. Initial calls to look at the need for the board were changed to call for a review of all boards and commissions. This appeared to be to avoid looking like they were singling out the board that reviews citizens complaints of the Police Department. Excerpt from the last post:

A lot has happened since the reform ideas were initially presented to the Champaign HRC in June. The Citizen Review Subcommittee discussed the recommendations with Chief Cobb at their August meeting (video available here, overview in the minutes available here). The News-Gazette had coverage of that meeting with Chief Cobb here. with many of his initial thoughts and Q & A with subcommittee members:

The city’s top cop has several concerns but no solutions about proposed changes to the way citizens file complaints about police officers.

Champaign police Chief Anthony Cobb appeared before the citizen review subcommittee this week to address recommendations the 2-year-old, five-person commission made in late May. The chief left the meeting agreeing to work with members of the group but not ready to sign off on any of the four changes to the process they had suggested.

That full article here. The recommendations and attention has raised concerns among some City Council members. From the News-Gazette earlier this month:

Some on Champaign council questioning Citizen Review Subcommittee's role as police chief reviews recommendations
...
Among Fourman’s issues with the group’s recommendations is the elimination of a time limit on filing a complaint.

That, she said, “is not going to work in the citizen’s best interest,” given that body-camera footage is deleted after 90 days, unless it’s flagged...

According to the ordinance that established the subcommittee, it has a role in promoting “thoughtful policy recommendations and ongoing outreach” in addition to its duties as an “unbiased review board.”

But like Fourman, Stock questions whether the subcommittee is overstepping its bounds.

That full article here. Attempts to resolve the City Council members concerns led to a rift between council members concerned about recommendations that tread into policy and subcommittee members who consider recommendations a clear mandate of the subcommittee passed by the council itself.

That full post available here. This Study Session will be coming up less than a week after a former Champaign Police Department officer was sentenced for breaking into cars and making local headlines about substance abuse while previously on the job. From WAND:

A former Champaign police officer has been sentenced to probation after he admitted to breaking into cars in his hometown.

Justus Clinton, 45, said he was under the influence when he broke into about ten vehicles in May 2018....

Clinton was with the Champaign Police Department for 14 years.

The News Gazette reports Clinton had struggled with substance-abuse in the past while he was with the police department and even came to work under the influence in 2017 and 2018. The city had offered to get him help so he could keep his job.

His attorney said he has PTSD from a time when he narrowly avoided being shot in the head.

Full blurb here. More from the News-Gazette here. One of the reforms suggested by the Review Subcommittee that appeared to have some broader Council support at the time was to "eliminate the current 30-day limitation on filing complaints."

Latest Wuhan Coronavirus Updates

This post is following up on yesterday's update on US cases of the Wuhan Coronavirus respiratory illness and local precautions. New information and links below, but first, as of this posting, all the news I've seen at the local, state and federal level puts the general risk here as "low at this time."

The CDC had an update on the status of the outbreak yesterday, but in its risk assessment still stated that "the immediate health risk from 2019-nCoV to the general American public is considered low at this time." The Governor of Illinois noted yesterday that the State of Illinois had been preparing for the possibility of cases here before the confirmed case in Chicago. From the Springfield Journal-Register:

A Chicago woman who returned from China this month is currently hospitalized and isolated, but doing well, according to the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, Ngozi Ezike. She added that CDC officials landed in Chicago this morning, and Pritzker said the CDC, IDPH and local agencies are closely monitoring the situation.

“Illinois has a strong public health system that has been proactively preparing for this situation,” Pritzker said. He advised people to take the same precautions as one would with the flu, such as washing your hands and calling ahead of a doctor’s visit if experiencing symptoms.

That full article here. He also sent out a series of tweets yesterday assuring that the State was dealing with the potential problems and the risk remained low. The Mayor of Champaign retweeted that this morning.

Locally there have been preparations as well for screening and some proactive measures on campus delaying a gala for international students celebrating the lunar new year. From the News-Gazette:

Amid growing concern about an outbreak of a new virus, the Chinese American Association of Central Illinois is postponing its annual Lunar New Year gala that had been scheduled for Saturday at Parkland College...

More than 5,800 students at the University of Illinois are from China, and Emily Liu, the director of the annual gala, said some who returned from winter break are from Wuhan.

“We are afraid that this kind of large gathering of people will endanger public safety,” she said through a translator.

Full article here. Local hospitals have been preparing to screen for possible cases as well. From the News-Gazette eEdition this morning (subscription):

“We encourage patients to call ahead if they feel like they may have been exposed, so we can take proper precautions to isolate them to protect themselves and others,” said Carle spokeswoman Jamie Mullin.

Isolation measures would involve the patient being masked and placed in isolation and medical caregivers putting on masks, gowns and other protective gear, Mullin said.

There’s no need to panic if you walk into a waiting room and see patients in masks, she advised.

That full article in the eEdition here (subscription). Carle had a lot of additional information on precautions and for people with concerns here. Christie Clinic had information including travel declaration forms for people recently having traveled in Wuhan China here. McKinley Health Center had information for students here.

Wuhan Coronavirus Updates

The News-Gazette reported that the University of Illinois will be screening students for a respiratory virus that has recently been detected in the United States after an outbreak in China. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers the risk low at this time, but since this is a novel virus, they're taking precautions. From the CDC:

Outbreaks of novel virus infections among people are always of public health concern. The risk from these outbreaks depends on characteristics of the virus, including whether and how well it spreads between people, the severity of resulting illness, and the medical or other measures available to control the impact of the virus (for example, vaccine or treatment medications).

There is much more to learn about how the 2019-nCoV virus spreads, severity of associated illness, and other features of the virus. Investigations are ongoing. While CDC considers this is a serious public health concern, based on current information, the immediate health risk from 2019-nCoV to the general American public is considered low at this time. Nevertheless, CDC is taking proactive preparedness precautions.

More information at their website here. CNN had a helpful overview here as well. The News-Gazette article is available here. Excerpt:

Students with respiratory illnesses will be screened regardless of whether they’ve been to an area with a confirmed case of the virus, which has infected more than 400 people in six countries, including a case confirmed Tuesday in Washington state.

So far, nine people in China have died from the virus, which can be spread through coughing and sneezing, the UI said.

Despite considering the risk to the American public to be low, on Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention began screening for the disease at three airports that receive most of the travelers from the province in China where the disease started — San Francisco International Airport, New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport.

That full article here. WAND had coverage of the first case being reported in the United States yesterday:

The U.S. patient is a male in his 30s and in good health the CDC said. He arrived in the U.S. around Jan. 15 after visiting Wuhan. Airport screenings for those traveling from Wuhan did not begin until Jan. 17.

The patient is from the U.S. He said he did not have any symptoms when he returned, but immediately reached out to a health care provider when he started to develop symptoms.

NBC reports the strain could be passed in so-called super-spreaders or highly infectious patients. Those people could sicken dozens all at once...

Currently major airports have been screening passengers who are arriving from Wuhan, to prevent the spread of the virus. The CDC added Chicago O'Hare and Atlanta to the list on Tuesday. 

Full article here. WCCU had additional coverage including reaction from the C-U Public Health District and University working together on the issue:

[Deputy Administrator of the C-U Public Health District, Awais] Vaid said the District and University are close in contact.

"Before waiting for any of this to happen they're being very pro-active," Vaid said. "They ask the question for anyone that comes into the McKinley Health Center if they have any travel history or if they have any symptoms on mimicking coronavirus,."

Vaid said it's still too early to tell what could happen in the C-U area.

"The situation is very current as of what we know right now but things will change in the next 24 to 48 hours," Vaid said.

That full article here. I suppose we can only keep an eye out for any changes in the news and hope that the risk remains low. 

UIUC Updates

This post contains updates from the recent UI Board of Trustees meeting in Chicago. It also contains  other updates (jump to link) with:

• A couple professors and pending litigation. 
• A couple local professors in the news for good reasons.
• Link to an overview of UI initiatives moving forward
• Local coverage of upcoming Illinois Fire Service Institute training on campus.

UI Trustees Meeting:

The News-Gazette had several articles previewing the Board of Trustees meeting (e.g. on tuition and Killeen's raise) in Chicago as well as later coverage of various measures approved. The Daily Illini had a quick summary of the top headlines out of the meeting Friday:

Incoming students will see a 1.8% increase if they choose to attend either the Urbana-Champaign or Chicago campus, while students attending the Springfield campus will see a 1% increase.

The tuition increase will not affect current students, as the Illinois Truth in Tuition law ensures the price students pay in their first year of attendance is what they will pay for their four years in college.

This is the first time since 2014 that President Tim Killeen will not recommend a tuition freeze after initially doing so to attract more Illinoisans, ending the longest freeze in UI System history. 

Full article here with some basic details on Killeen's pay raise. This News-Gazette article from Friday was probably the most comprehensive here. Excerpt:

In addition to a tuition hike and extending Tim Killeen’s contract, UI trustees signed off on a number of other items Thursday in Chicago. Among them:

— The appointment of two-degree UI mechanical engineering grad William Jackson as executive director of the Discovery Partners Institute. His annual salary will be $414,000.

— The appointment of former Parkland College trustee and UI assistant libraries dean Greg Knott as secretary of the Board of Trustees and UI System. His annual salary will be $182,500.

— A $67.5 million budget for upgrades at two Illinois Street residence halls — Townsend (to be completed in July 2020) and Wardall (July 2021).

Full article with a great deal of additional information here. There was also a lot of detailed information on the meeting items at the UI System's press release here, including specifics on tuition and fees:

Trustees also approved student fees for the 2020-21 academic year. In Urbana, those fees will increase 2.5 percent, or $76, to $3,162 per year, and Chicago’s fees will rise 1 percent, or $32, to $3,340 per year. In Springfield, fees will be unchanged, remaining at $2,426 a year. Fees help pay for student health services, library maintenance, student unions and other services and are set in consultation with committees that include students.

Undergraduate room-and-board costs in Urbana, based on the standard double-occupancy room and meal plan, will rise 3.65 percent, or $394, to $11,168 per year. In Chicago, costs will increase 2.6 percent, or $293, to $11,553 per year. In Springfield, the cost for a double-occupancy room in Lincoln Residence Hall with a gold meal plan will remain unchanged at $10,810.

That full press release here as well as one specifically on Killeeen's contract extension and raise here along with biographical information. The News-Gazette also had information on the Discovery Partners Institute's new Executive Director approved at this meeting in coverage earlier this month here.


Other Updates:

In the last month there have been a couple updates with professors facing accusations. First on Jay Kesan from WILL last month:

A University of Illinois law professor previously accused of sexual misconduct and slated to return to teach in January will instead go on "university-sanctioned leave."

That’s according to an email sent this week to College of Law faculty and students on behalf of the college’s dean, Vikram Amar, and reviewed by NPR Illinois. The email says Jay Kesan, faculty at the U of I’s flagship campus in Urbana-Champaign, will not teach two courses he had previously been scheduled to begin in January 2020. Instead, on January 1, he will go on leave “during which he will not be teaching” the email says...

A 2019 investigation by ProPublica and NPR Illinois detailed several cases where U of I professors had been found to have violated university policy after facing accusations of sexual misconduct and had their reputations protected by the university. Some were promised the university would not disclose the details of their resignations. Others, including Kesan, were allowed to remain on faculty.

Full article with an overview and timeline of the accusations and fallout here. ProPublica investigation into several UI cases here.

Also about a month ago, a professor who has been inaccessible (believed to be in China) was finally served legal documents via email. From the News-Gazette last month:

The alleged victims of former University of Illinois Professor Gary Xu were finally able to serve their federal lawsuit to him over email.

Their civil lawsuit had been held up by their inability to deliver the lawsuit to Xu, despite multiple attempts to do so since it was filed Sept. 10, and earlier this month, they were granted an extension to serve the lawsuit.

When the extension was granted at a Dec. 6 hearing, the attorneys also discussed with a magistrate judge a sealed motion to serve the lawsuit by email, which was apparently granted.

Full article here. Background information on the accusations here and in the ProPublica series and article here. I haven't found any further updates on the Kesan and Xu situations more recently. [UPDATE 1/22: WCIA has a short blurb on their website saying Gary Xu is denying the accusations in a federal lawsuit, but it doesn't have any additional information here.]

In better news, two local UI professors are in the news for good news and accomplishments. Ming Kuo will be speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos. From Smile Politely:

Ming Kuo, associate professor in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, will be speaking on "the connections between mental health, urbanization, and loss of contact with nature, making the case that investments in urban greening could improve mental and physical health."

Kuo, an expert in urban greening, is the first person from the University of Illinois to speak at the forum's annual meeting, which takes place in Davos, Switzerland next week. Thousands of global business leaders and heads of state attend each year with the goal of, according to the website, shaping "the global, regional and industry agendas at the beginning of each year."

Full blurb with additional information and links here. Another professor was awarded a fellowship from the NEH. From WCIA:

A UI music professor has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for 2019.

The recipient, Christina Bashford, is a professor of musicology...

The NEH awarded $30.9 million in grants for 188 humanities projects across the nation. The fellowship program supports advanced research in the humanities, and the recipients produce articles, books, digital materials or other scholarly resources.

The NEH has received an average of 1,110 applications per year for fellowships in the last five rounds of competition, according to the NEH website. Over that time, it awarded an average of 79 fellowships per year for a funding rate of 7%, making the fellowships among the most competitive humanities awards in the country.

Full article available here.

The Sunday News-Gazette had a five year outlook on issues facing the University. Excerpt from the description:

Enrollment continues to rise, but administrators have their eye on a declining number of high school graduates and the growth of online programs.

Faculty hiring is ramping up after a budgetary dry spell, with aggressive efforts to recruit new talent. But finances, and affordability for students, remain a concern.

Two huge new projects — the Discovery Partners Institute in Chicago and the Carle Illinois College of Medicine in Urbana — are up and running but still in fundraising mode.

And after a year of headlines about sexual misconduct, the campus is moving to implement new procedures to protect students and staff.

Full article here.

And finally, the Illinois Fire Service Institute on campus has its winter training coming up. WCIA had a blurb with some preview coverage:

Nearly 300 of the state’s bravest will descend on Central Illinois this weekend. The Illinois Fire Service Institute (IFSI) is hosting the 25th annual Winter Fire School this weekend.

The attending first responders will experience in-depth, hands-on training from more than a dozen classes and live fire courses. Topics include traditional essential skills, large animal rescue, active shooter for EMS, investigation, wildland firefighting and advanced level rescue training.

Full blurb here. More information on the training event from the institute's website here, including registration and class information here.