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A newcomer to the Champaign City Council hopes to see the city offer the same protections for those living in the country illegally that Urbana officials have provided. Alicia Beck topped 32-year incumbent Michael LaDue Tuesday to win the District 2 council seat, 63 to 37 percent. Beck says some of her backers want Champaign to explore the idea of becoming a sanctuary city, which Urbana reaffirmed in late 2016.
On the 21st: Domestic violence agencies in Illinois haven’t received funding from the state since last July. We checked in with several of them to hear about the impact of the shortfall on their services. We also spoke with the Republican Senator behind the "taxpayer bargain" proposal aimed at balancing the state budget.
As Illinois enters its 22nd month without a real budget, the state services most affected by the political fight include those that help victims of domestic violence.
Akron has hired former Illinois coach John Groce to take over its program. Groce replaces Keith Dambrot, who surprisingly left his alma mater last week after a successful run to coach at Duquesne. Groce is familiar with the Mid-American Conference after spending four seasons at Ohio. He went 85-56 at the school and twice led the Bobcats to the NCAA Tournament.
Sam Werkmeister, a father of two, nearly died six times last year. He started taking pain pills to get through shifts at a restaurant. That led him to a full-blown addiction to opioids. After a relapse last summer, it took Werkmeister six months to gather the courage to go back into treatment.
