Decatur Vote Illinois
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Articles

Typical reporting, capturing a story at a particular point in time.

Board of Health Appointments On April 14, 2022, the County Board proposed 3 new appointments for the Board of Health (BOH). Shad Edwards commented that the BOH had a committee working since January to recommend new appointments and that this committee would present recommendations on the followin...   See Article

Meta Report, 02-03-2023

This week's recap includes two new candidate writeups, health department resignations, a DPS job fair, Prosecutor Shortages, advocacy for Catholic Schools, Letters to the Editor, and much more. Candidates Karl Coleman is running for Decatur City Council. He is focused on business development and ...   See Article

Meta Report, 02-03-2023

I received an anonymous message expressing concerns about the departure of Brandi Binkley from the Macon County Health Department & the appointment of a new administrator, with criticisms of Mark Scranton, the Board of Health president. I have made notes to look into this further & sent a...   See Article

Blog, 02-03-2023

Jacob Jenkins is running for Decatur School Board for "four simple reasons." He says we need to "reimagine public education" and put students first, build stronger community partnerships and "[bring] the community back into the schools as a way [to] help [stabilize] and e...   See Article

Original Report, 02-01-2023

Jacob Jenkins is a candidate for Decatur School Board in 2023. View his 2023 Candidate Profile.   See Article

Summary, 02-01-2023

Karl Coleman is running for city council, because he believes our city is in a "pivotal moment" and wants to take advantage of untapped resources. He has a strong focus on "community togetherness" and "business development". Karl talks about the need for growth in bo...   See Article

Original Report, 01-31-2023

Karl Coleman currently (January 2023) serves as a Macon County Board Member and is running for Decatur City Council. See Karl's 2023 City Council Candidate Profile. See Karl's 2022 County Board Candidate Profile   See Article

Summary, 01-31-2023

Elections County Auditor Referendum: A binding referendum could eliminate the office of County Auditor if voters say YES. If the elected position is eliminated, it is likely the County Board will keep the staff and hire a financial expert to fill the role, which doesn't include much auditing, acc...   See Article

Meta Report, 01-27-2023

A WAND TV Reporter posted on Facebook that they had resigned from WAND TV, stating "I found myself crying at my desk as people watched, coworkers ignored me, I was burnt out and alone, pitch meetings became eyerolls from my news director followed by being ignored by my news director multiple...   See Article

Summary, 01-27-2023

The Macon County Auditor is the "financial arm of the county," according to Carol Reed, the current elected auditor. She manages financial reporting, payroll, health insurance, and grants. If the April 4th 2023 Referendum passes, her elected job would be eliminated and likely replaced b...   See Article

Original Report, 01-26-2023

Carol Reed is the County Auditor for Macon County in 2023.   See Article

Summary, 01-26-2023

Shelith Hansbro, at an MLK Day Event with a black audience says "I am there to ensure that we are represented. I represent the entire community, City of Decatur, Park District... But I especially have a concern about seniors, about us, and making sure that we are aware of what's there."...   See Article

Original Report, 01-25-2023

Shelith Hansbro is a candidate for Decatur Park Commissioner in 2023. See her candidate profile   See Article

Summary, 01-25-2023

"I'm tired of paying my money to Maroa Forsyth district, who just increased my school tax again, and I don't have a voice," says Gina Taylor. She's tired of seeing kids in the apartments behind Walmart, which she says is Maroa Forsyth District, "come into Decatur. Why? Because they...   See Article

Original Report, 01-24-2023

Gina Taylor is a candidate for Maroa Forsyth School Board for the 2023 election. View her candidate profile   See Article

Summary, 01-24-2023

Gun Legislation Gun legislation HB5471 passed in Illinois. "The law requires current owners of assault weapons to register their firearms with the state and bans future sales of various semi-automatic firearms classified as assault weapons," according to Taylor Vidmar. Vidmar writes tha...   See Article

Meta Report, 01-20-2023

Skywalker Outreach Services offers three free programs to kids from 5:30pm - 8:30pm on weeknights at 400 E. Eldorado Street. The Leadership Academy program gives snacks, teaches life skills, hosts gym activities like basketball and weight training, and offers gang prevention specialists and couns...   See Article

Original Report, 01-20-2023

Yesterday, Jan 19, 2023, the Macon County Poll Results Website il-macon.pollresults.net/ was down for maintenance. Josh Tanner, Macon County Clerk, said in an email "Our vendor is doing some maintenance on our website so it is temporarily down. It will be ready to go again next week althoug...   See Article

Original Report, 01-20-2023

Will Wetzel is a candidate for Decatur School Board in 2023. He previously ran a campaign for City Council and lost. See his campaign profile.   See Article

Summary, 01-20-2023

Macon County Sheriff Jim Root shares on Facebook that he will "refuse to house or book in jail any law-abiding individuals that have been arrested by other agencies solely for non-compliance with this Act." He says his office will not check that "lawful gun owners register their we...   See Article

Summary, 01-20-2023

Every Friday, we'll be reviewing local news outlets for all the most important stories, primarily focused on government, elections, and policy, and writing a summary of everything you should know. January 20th, 2023 will be our first recap. Let us know of any news outlets we should follow. Our re...   See Article

Summary, 01-20-2023

Datrice Weathers is a teacher at Hope Academy in Decatur since November 2021, and is running for Decatur School Board for the 2023 term. She has a sociology degree and enjoys working with people. Her primary focus for the School Board is to increase community engagement. Datrice says she wants &q...   See Article

Original Report, 01-19-2023

Datrice Weathers is a teacher at Hope Academy in Decatur and was running for a Decatur School Board position in 2023, before withdrawing in mid-February. View her 2023 Candidate Profile.   See Article

Summary, 01-19-2023

Dennis Cooper was appointed to City Council in August 2021 to replace Rodney Walker & says he has enjoyed working with the Council. Until Dr. Dana Ray's appointment on January 17th, he was the only African American serving. He is running again for the 2023-2027 term to represent the African A...   See Article

Original Report, 01-19-2023

Dennis Cooper is an appointed Decatur City Councilman. He is running for re-election for the 2023-2027 City Council term. View his 2023 candidate profile   See Article

Summary, 01-19-2023

The Metro Decatur Black Chamber of Commerce hosted an MLK day event to meet and greet black candidates at the Lucy Loft, 1165 N. University Ave in Decatur. Tony Wilkins hosted and introduced candidates. The candidates present (pictured above left-to-right) were Karl Coleman for Decatur City Counc...   See Article

Original Report, 01-19-2023

DecaturVote.com is a local political news website covering primarily Decatur Illinois Elections, but also providing some coverage of other elections in Macon County.   See Article

Blog, 01-13-2023

To Vote by Mail, you must request your ballot, fill it out, then mail it to or drop it off at the County Building. Please read & follow the instructions that came with your ballot. Get Your Ballot You can use the Vote By Mail application that was mailed to you, download the application yourse...   See Article

Summary, 01-13-2023

This page coming soon...   See Article

Summary, 01-13-2023

Early Voting in Decatur, Illinois Election day is April 4th, 2023, and you can vote early between February 23rd and April 3rd at the County Building, at 141 S Main St, room 119. Early Voting Hours | 2023 Consolidated Election 8:30am-4:30pm, on business days: Thursday Feb 23 & Friday Feb 24 ...   See Article

Summary, 01-13-2023