April 4, 6:30 pm. Champaign Public Library, Robeson Room. This month's Reading Club topic will be "No Cash Bail: The Illinois Experiment with Justice Reform." Since September 2023, Illinois courts no longer use a cash bail system. Instead, they use a “pretrial release” system as allowed by the SAFE-T Act. Articles to read and discuss will be sent out to members soon. Plan to come to learn more about this new system and what it means for the judicial process. Members will be sent more details before the meeting.
Hear from Local Experts On Tuesday, March 26, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm, hear from local waste management experts about the recycling efforts within Champaign, Urbana, and across the University of Illinois campus. Background Documents for the MeetingThe presenters have provided the following background material ahead of time for this meeting. Link the links below to view or download the pdf files.
Join the Meeting on March 26 Come to the Zoom session with your questions about how we can improve our environment through best practices in the field. Click the red button to attend on March 26, 7:00 pm.. Keeping It Local is a monthly League of Women Voters of Champaign County program to discuss local issues.
Read Across America is holding its 24th annual celebration of community reading. Sponsored by the Urbana Park District, the event is geared toward children through age 10 and their significant adults.
The Voter Ready team of LWVCC will have a table at this event featuring age-related ballots for children to read and complete. They will also share voting and election reminders with adults. The event is at Lincoln Square Mall, 201 Lincoln Square, Urbana . Stop by to chat---open to the public. On Wednesday, February 28, 2024, League members Trisha Cowley, James Manrique, and Kannitha Fay led a Members Zoom session that explored many ways voters have to become informed about primary election candidates this spring. Below is a summary of the discussion at this event.
Be an Informed Voter: How to Find Information about Candidates My Voting Information: Trisha Crowley reminded everyone to access My Voting Information on the county clerk’s website to see or download your sample ballots for both parties. Champaign County’s Candidate Guide is the best local resource for nonpartisan information about candidates in contested races. James Manrique explained how he and other team members connect with candidates, gather their contact information, and request their responses to a questionnaire. Icons by each candidate’s picture lead to their website, social media, and perhaps email and phone number, all ways to find out more information about each candidate. How about social media? At the bottom of each of our website pages are icons that take you directly to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, and YouTube. From there, you can look up candidates’ pages. Kanittha Fay pointed out that a candidate’s website might provide policy statements, but it’s usually static. Social media sources are immediate, direct communication with voters. For example, access a candidate’s Facebook page and click on “Photos” to see what the candidate has been doing lately, often with commentary. Although brief and likely not in depth about issues, social media provides a real-time view of candidate activity. Adding in other sources—advice from knowledgeable people, local media reporting, candidate forums and meet-and-greets, and opportunities to meet personally with candidates—all lead to being an informed voter. Access the candidate's social media. If the candidate's website doesn't provide links to their social media, type in the candidate's name + social media platform name. Recently, LWVCC recorded a forum between the two Democractic candidates for Champaign County Coroner. The Coroner is responsible for the investigation and certification of cause and manner of death in cases of violence or undue means. Press the button below to watch the video. Or, learn more with these links:
On Thursday, February 1, 6:30 pm, the Reading Club will meet on Zoom to discuss Civic Education. This discussion, which is a follow up to a discussion which started in the October Reading Club, will be led by LWVCC President Trisha Crowley.
Here are two suggested reads:
Questions to Annette Lansford at alansford1713@gmail.com. The LWVCC Reading Club meets three times a year to discuss either a book or a few articles on a topic of interest. Wednesday, January 24, 7:00-8:00pm, Attend using the Zoom link below. State Senator Paul Faraci (D) and recently retired State Representative Mike Marron (R) will share how they were able to work together in these polarizing times. They will also discuss how to encourage qualified citizens to run for office - from school board to county board - to ensure more contested elections in Champaign County. This event is part of LWVCC's Keeping It Local series.
LWVCC volunteers are holding voter registration and information events throughout Champaign County in advance of the 2024 election season. At these events, you'll find LWVCC tables where volunteers will help people register to vote, answer questions about elections and provide information about the League of Women Voters. You're invited to stop by to visit. Below are the dates and times of events from January to March, 2024. Saturday, January 20, 8:00 am - 12:00 pm Indoors Farmers Market, Lincoln Square Mall, 201 Lincoln Square, Urbana, IL 61801. Sunday, January 21, 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm Mahomet Public Library, 1702 E Oak St, Mahomet, IL 61853. Saturday, February 3, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm Ogden Rose Public Library, 103 W Main St, Ogden, IL 61859. Saturday, February 10, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Indoors Farmer's Market, Lincoln Square Mall, 201 Lincoln Square, Urbana, IL 61801. Thursday, February 15, 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm Rantoul Public Library, 106 W Flessner Ave, Rantoul, IL 61866. Saturday, February 17, 10:00 am – 1:00 pm St. Joseph Township – Swearingen Memorial Library, 201 N 3rd St, St Joseph, IL 61873. Sunday, February 18, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm The Urbana Free Library, 210 W Green St, Urbana, IL 61801. Saturday, March 9, 8:00 am – 12:00 pm Lincoln Square Mall, 201 Lincoln Square, Urbana, IL 61801. If you have questions, or you'd like to help out, contact the Voter Ready team via email at VoterReady.LWVCC@gmail.com.
TThere will be a Naturalization Ceremony at Parkland College Theatre on November 30, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm. The event is hosted by the Honorable Eric I. Long, United States Magistrate Judge, Central District of Illinois, Urbana. It's a joyful event for the new citizens and for their friends and families.
LWVCC volunteers will help the new citizens register to vote and become better informed about their voting options. (Please note: attendance limited to new citizens, families and friends, due to space limitations.) The video is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEXzfU4XMnA for farmers who depend on its crop insurance, commodity subsidies, and rural development funding. Given the prospect of the first trillion-dollar Farm Bill in U.S. history, its reauthorization is expected to be highly contentious. Many local citizens, including our always well-informed League members, feel uninformed and uneducated about the Farm Bill and its full impact and importance to our community. We are fortunate to have a local, highly sought, national expert on the Farm Bill join us for this month’s Keeping It Local program. Jonathan Coppess, associate professor of Agricultural Policy and Law at the University of Illinois and director of the Gardner Agriculture Policy Program, will discuss the history and key components of the Farm Bill, how coalition-building across party lines has provided strength, and what is at stake if the bill is diminished or broken apart. Jonathan is the author of The Fault Lines of Farm Policy: A Legislative and Political History of the Farm Bill. He previously served as Chief Counsel for the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and Administrator of the USDA Farm Service Agency. Jonathan earned his Juris Doctor from George Washington University Law School. This program is part of LWVCC’s Keeping It Local series, featuring topics of interest with a local or regional presenter, followed by discussion.
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