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CU-CitizenAccess.org – Community online news Skip to content Contact Us About Us User Agreement and Privacy Policy GO Go Public Health Housing Justice Education Public Funds Apps, Maps and Visualization Freedom of Information Guides University Crime Report Global Navigation Contact Us About Us User Agreement and Privacy Policy CU-CitizenAccess.org - Community online news CU-CitizenAccess.org (https://www.cu-citizenaccess.org/) Public Health Housing Justice Education Public Funds Apps, Maps and Visualization Freedom of Information Guides University Crime Report COVID-19 Tips 94 total COVID-19 cases so far, 4 deaths in Champaign County: If your physician believes you have had COVID-19 (coronavirus), but you have not been tested, please let CU-CitizenAccess know. We are attempting to count those cases. Numerous nursing homes cited for problems in infection prevention programs By Karen Liu/CU-CitizenAccess and The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting | April 9, 2020 At a time when nursing homes nationally are facing outbreaks of coronavirus, a review of federal inspection data reveals that more than half of nursing homes in Illinois were cited for deficiencies in infection prevention and control in 2019. The review of the federal data on Illinois nursing homes by CU-CitizenAccess and the Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting found that 396 of about 720 active nursing homes that are Medicare & Medicaid certified have been cited for deficiencies in infection prevention and control in 2019. The reports showed that nursing homes did not have adequate measures to “provide and implement an infection prevention and control program.” “Infection control practices are vitally important for long-term care facilities at all times, but especially now as we are facing a national emergency fighting COVID-19,” said Kelly Richards the Illinois State Long Term Care Ombudsman, “It is imperative that all facilities follow infection control guidance issued by the CDC and the IL Dept. of Public Health.” Infection prevention programs at nursing homes have come under scrutiny since the start of the COVID19 outbreak, as residents and staff members from numerous facilities have tested positive and died. According to the Illinois Public Health Department, 213 Illinois long term care facilities have COVID cases, as of April 8. Illinois has 773 cases associated with long-term care facilities (including assisted living), which includes patients and staff, the department said. MTD Managing Director salary far exceeds other employees’ pay In 2017, the MTD awarded Gnadt, who has worked at MTD since 1995 and has been director since July 1, 2014, a five-year contract during which he will be awarded an annual 2.75 percent pay raise. The contract was approved unanimously by the MTD board members and runs until June 30, 2022. Twin city employees see big difference in pay The median total compensation for Urbana employees in Fiscal Year 2018-2019 is $70,739. However, the median total compensation for Champaign city employees in the same year is $114,323. In total, 21 employees in Champaign received total compensations over $200,000, while no employee in Urbana exceeded that amount. Informants, guns and travel: Seized funds free police to spend on wide range of items Under state and federal laws known as civil asset forfeiture, police departments may seize property – such as cars and cash – they believe is used in criminal activity. The owners of the property may never themselves be charged with a crime and getting property back could take years and involve costly attorney fees. In some cases, the funds from seizures are substantial, especially in small urban cities in central Illinois. The City of Champaign, for example, which took in at least $1.17 million in forfeiture funds between 2014 and mid-2019, spent at least $7,000 at restaurants such as Hooters, Arby’s and In-N-Out Burgers and utility/internet usage charges from July 2017 to August 2018. More Headlines Champaign-Urbana Amtrak ridership continues to decline What drives collisions in Champaign County: Causes of crashes revealed Urbana schools attempt equitable discipline Featured Public lab testing of coronavirus faced weeks of delays; number of tests conducted locally unknown By Pam Dempsey, Daria Makhneva, Isaiah Baba, and Madeline Perry | March 28, 2020 The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District started preparing for the coronavirus outbreak in January of this year, but no testing for the disease locally began until the first week of March, according to interviews with health officials.And, as of Saturday, March 28, 15 people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus and only 132 tests had been submitted to state testing labs for Champaign County residents, which has a population of 209,000. It is unclear if all test results have been returned because it can take days for state lab results to be sent back to the healthcare institution that submitted the test. More from CU COVID-19 Coronavirus leaves international students scrambling to get home First-person account of my travel experience during Coronavirus Concerns over COVID-19 lead to cuts in county jail population Full Coverage » Justice Dangerous flaws in medical care persist in Champaign County jail On November 30, 2015, Toya Frazier was transferred to the Satellite Jail in Champaign County after turning herself in for theft at the courthouse that morning. Allegedly begging for help over the next 24 hours, she died from a medication overdose after being denied medical attention and being moved to solitary confinement. Four months later, jail inmate Paul Clifton died from respiratory failure. Community Voices I had COVID-19 and here is my story Elizabeth Schneider is a marketing program manager at NanoString Technologies and is based in Seattle, Washington. This is a republication of her Facebook post on March 8, 2020. I had COVID-19 and here is my story. Public Funds MTD Managing Director salary far exceeds other employees’ pay Managing director Karl Gnadt of Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, has an annual salary of $166,809, which was $54,059 more than the second highest annual salary, for 2019-2020, according to the compensation forecast published on the MTD website. The median salary for the MTD’s employees is $68,411, for 2019-2020. FOIA Guides A primer on the Freedom of Information Act This page is a guide to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act, with basic information about what the law entails. You can read the entire law here. If you have additional questions about the Freedom of Information Act, check out this helpful “Frequently Asked Questions” compiled by the Illinois Attorney General’s office. Complete Coverage About CU-CitizenAccess.org CU-CitizenAccess is a community online news and information project devoted to investigative and enterprise coverage of social, justice and economic issues in east central Illinois. CU COVID-19 Coronavirus leaves international students scrambling to get home Yashovardhan Maheshwari, a freshman at the University of Illinois’ Urbana-Champaign campus, was aboard one of the last planes allowed to fly to India on March 20, two days before that nation imposed a temporary ban on international flights. As college campuses across the nation were being shut down, international students around the world were left […] Explore: First-person account of my travel experience during Coronavirus Public lab testing of coronavirus faced weeks of delays; number of tests conducted locally unknown Concerns over COVID-19 lead to cuts in county jail population Complete Coverage Follow CU-CitizenAccess.org Like Us on Facebook Follow Us on Twitter Follow Us on YouTube Find Us on GitHub Subscribe via RSS Restaurant App Click on the map to see the latest inspection reports on all your favorite eateries! Neighborhood News Displaced Bristol Place residents to return home The site of the old Bristol Place neighborhood on Bradley...