Author Archives: Brian Dolinar

About Brian Dolinar

Brian Dolinar has been a community journalist since 2004.

Illinois Prison Phone Rates Are Lowest Following Grassroots Activism

Posted on April 2019 by Brian Dolinar

“There were a lot of times my sons tried calling me,” recalled Annette Taylor, who regularly receives calls from her two sons in prison, “but there was no money on the account.” Those were some of the “hardest calls,” she … Continue reading →

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Local Sheriff Cooperating with ICE

Posted on December 2018 by Brian Dolinar

On the day Manuel went to have his electronic monitor cut off, he was feeling “uneasy” about being picked up by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). It only took minutes for the sheriff’s deputy at the county jail … Continue reading →

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After Four Months in Detention, 8 Year-Old Girl Reunited With Family in C-U

Posted on November 2018 by Brian Dolinar

This eight-year-old girl (on the right in the photo) traveled 4,000 miles and spent four months in detention to get a hug from her mother. They were reunited last week at Willard Airport in Champaign. The news reports about children … Continue reading →

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Open Scene Open Mic w/ DJ Silkee

Posted on November 2018 by Brian Dolinar

Open Scene Open Mic w/ Host DJ Silkee Wednesday, Nov. 14, 6-8pm at IMC Join the Urbana Public Arts Program and Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center for the next installment of Open Scene Open Mic, a downtown showcase of poetry, spoken … Continue reading →

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Call For Artist to Design IMC’s New Outdoor Sign!

Posted on May 2018 by Brian Dolinar

The IMC is now seeking proposals from artists to design and paint a new outdoor sign. We seek a diversity of applications by a variety of artists. The chosen design will serve as a main identifier for the public to … Continue reading →

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ICE on Main Street: Undocumented Immigrants Arrested in Urbana

Posted on May 2018 by Brian Dolinar

  When Juan showed up for work one morning at Siam Terrace on Main Street in downtown Urbana, two men were waiting for him in the parking lot. They were dressed in plainclothes, but wearing guns on their hips. They … Continue reading →

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New Bill Takes Effect Cutting Cost of Calls from Illinois Prisons

Posted on January 2018 by Brian Dolinar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 8, 2018 FOR MORE INFORMATION: Brian Dolinar, Program Director, Independent Media Center, (217) 621-5827, briandolinar@ucimc.org The Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center (UCIMC) is proud to announce that as of January 1, 2018, a new state law took … Continue reading →

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Soros Fellowship Awarded to UCIMC’s James Kilgore for Electronic Monitoring Campaign

Posted on July 2017 by Brian Dolinar

July 25, 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE We are proud to announce that James Kilgore has been awarded the prestigious Open Society Foundation Soros Justice Fellowship for 2017-18. Building on work supported by Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center (UCIMC) for the last … Continue reading →

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No Accident: White Cop Shoots Another Black Man in Champaign

Posted on June 2017 by Brian Dolinar

The shooting of unarmed Black men by white police in the United States is a story that keeps repeating over and over. The recent case of a local 22-year-old African American man shot in the shoulder by Champaign police officer … Continue reading →

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The Cops Killed Richie

Posted on May 2017 by Brian Dolinar

No matter how much training or technology they get, the cops just can’t stop killing Black people. On a Wednesday morning, November 16, 2016, at approximately 8:30 a.m., Champaign police received a call about a “disorderly” subject, Richard “Richie” Turner, … Continue reading →

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