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About Check CU
This non-profit site was established to aid in disseminating information about relevant issues in the Champaign-Urbana area. Transparency and access to public records is paramount to functioning government and since the public bodies within CU are failing in that regard, civilians must do the work. If you have files or documents that are of public interest, please consider sending them to Check CU so that we can make them publicly accessible.
-Christopher Hansen, Founder
Latest articles
Urbana Mayor Attempts to Deflect Responsibility After Losing FOIA Lawsuit
Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin Two days after losing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin sent out a press release in an attempt to cast blame on a third party. The FOIA lawsuit sought records related to the alleged purse theft by State...
Urbana Council Continues to Stumble Over New Public Speaking Rules
Urbana Council Member Jared Miller proposes a new meeting agenda item where individual Council members can bring up new items of concern/discussion at any Council meeting (December 7, 2020). The December 7th Urbana City Council meeting demonstrated that the Council...
New Urbana Community Engagement Coordinator has Strong Police Ties, Questionable Hiring Circumstances
New Urbana Community Engagement Coordinator, Lemond Peppers, speaks at a Human Relations Commission meeting on December 9th, 2020. Check CU is in possession of records from the City of Urbana which reveal more about the recent hiring of Lemond Peppers as their...
Urbana City Administrator Overthrows Outcome of Human Rights Hearing
Urbana City Administrator Carol Mitten and City Attorney James Simon. Mitten has administratively overthrown the outcome of a Human Relations Commission hearing wherein the Commission reversed the wrongful denial by James Simon of a human rights complaint against the...
Judge Delivers Stern Lecture in Urbana FOIA Judgment: Ammons Case Details “Conspicuously Absent” From Affidavits
Urbana City Attorney James Simon enters the Champaign County Courthouse to defend the City from a lawsuit on their denial of a public records request seeking the police reports on the alleged purse theft by State Representative Carol Ammons. On the morning of December...
Electoral Board Unanimously Throws Out Objection to Urbana Ward 5 Candidate
Ward 5 Candidate Meghan McDonald (left) defends against an objection submitted by Cunningham Township Assessor, Wayne T Williams (far right). Williams was represented by his attorney, Abraham Mattew (middle). The hearing took place within the Council chambers of the...
Urbana Electoral Board Hearing Was a Clumsy Circus
Front (left to right): objector Michael Langendorf, attorney for both objectors Abraham Matthew, objector Wayne WilliamsRear: City Clerk Phyllis Clark, Ward 1 City Council member Maryalice Wu, Ward 6 City Council member William Colbrook This afternoon, Urbana convened...
The Quandary of the Carol Ammons Police Report
In January of 2020 there was a big kerfuffle over the alleged theft of a purse from the Carle Auxiliary Resale Boutique, 810 W. University Avenue. State Representative Carol Ammons was named as the suspect and naturally, with very little information, everyone...
Prior Champaign City Attorney Seeks to Disqualify Political Opponent of Mayor’s Personal Fitness Trainer
In Champaign, a prior staff member of the City is attempting to dismantle the candidacy of one newcomer to the political arena. Rochelle Funderburg, who was the Assistant City Attorney for the City of Champaign from 1988 to 1996, filed a formal objection against...
Thirteen Candidates File for City of Champaign 2021 Primary Election
The candidate petitions for the City of Champaign 2021 election, to be held on February 23rd, are now available in Check CU’s records database. Thirteen candidates filed petitions for seven different positions: Township Assessor, Township Supervisor, and City...
Diane Marlin Donor Verifies Candidate Challenge in Wrong County
One of the four candidates in the Democrat mayoral race for the City of Urbana has received a formal candidacy objection from the Diane Marlin camp. Michael Langendorf, who donated funds to Marlin’s 2017 mayoral campaign, is arguing to have newcomer candidate...
Urbana’s New FOIA Officer Bragged About Arrest-Count as a Cop
Curt Borman, serving as Urbana's Freedom of Information Act Officer, has become known for numerous illegal records denials and fees in regards to resident requests for police records. Records provided by the Village of Carpentersville have Urbana residents asking even...
Township Assessor Seeks to Disqualify Urbana City Council Candidate on Minor Technicalities
Cunningham Township Assessor Wayne T Williams hired Chicago firm Matthew & Drnovsek Law to author his formal objection against newcomer candidate Meghan McDonald. McDonald is running against Williams's partner, Chaundra Bishop, and Williams wishes to see McDonald...
Urbana City Administrator: City Will Sanction Board Members for Disclosing Closed Sessions
Urbana City Administrator Carol Mitten claims that the City will sanction its public board members to prevent them from disclosing what happens in closed sessions. On the evening of November 30th, the Urbana Civilian Police Review Board (CPRB) assembled for an appeals...
Four Apply for Urbana Ward 2 Vacancy
Urbana Mayor Diane Marlin has received four applications for the Ward 2 City Council seat left vacant when Council member Julie Laut suddenly resigned on October 28th. Laut was appointed by Marlin to fill the Ward 2 spot after Eric Jakobsson resigned in June,...
U of I PhD Candidate Deborah Liu Runs for Urbana City Council, Ward 3
Deborah Liu is running for Urbana City Council in Ward 3 (photo provided) “I've lived and worked in many places before landing here (California, Texas, Louisiana, Pennsylvania), and I genuinely find Urbana the most delightful place to work and live out of all of...
Ward 7 Alderman Jared Miller Runs for a Second Term on Urbana City Council
Jared Miller is running for a 2nd term on Urbana City Council in Ward 7 “I want to continue fighting for real change within the City of Urbana on many of the contentious issues that the City is still struggling to find real answers for and take real action on.” Those...
U of I Student Andy Ma Runs for Mayor in Urbana
Andy (Yinxi) Ma is running in the Democratic Primary for Mayor of Urbana (photo provided) U of I student Andy Ma will run against three other candidates in the 2021 Democratic primary election for the Urbana Mayor spot. Ma will finish his degree in political...
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