According to The Murder Accountability Project, Danville has had⁠ 39 homicides between 2018 and 2024⁠, and only one of those was solved. While the family of one victim still waits for justice, they have started a foundation in their daughter's name.

On this episode of Get With The Times, Kaighla sits down with two families who have spent the last year building what their community needed while fighting to be heard by the people elected to help them.

Phillip and Yolanda Davis lost their daughter Aniyah to gun violence in Winter Park in June 2025. Instead of waiting for justice that hasn't come, they built the Aniyah Davis Foundation — and they're hosting a Banquet and Daddy-Daughter Dance on April 3rd in her honor.

Michael and Catherine Ewing have kept Danville Rescue open for a full year through sheer determination. To mark one year of keeping the doors open, the Ewings are hosting a celebration on April 11th.

Both families join Kaighla to talk about what they've learned and what they still need from their elected officials and their community.

Two events. Two families worth showing up for. Links in the show notes: https://vermiliontimes.com/get-with-the-times/

Our governmental system isn't sacred; it's man-made, and it can be man-unmade and rebuilt

In preparation for upcoming primaries (March) and mid-term elections (November), this season of "Get With The Times" will be all about civics: the study of the rights and duties of citizens and of how government works.

In this third episode of Season 2, we examine a simple but powerful idea: government isn’t destiny — it’s design.

From tribal consensus systems and monarchies to the U.S. Constitution’s checks and balances, we examine how societies throughout history have organized power, why legitimacy matters, and how American democracy was intentionally constructed to manage conflict rather than eliminate it.

As midterm elections approach, we ask a deeper question: if people built this system — through social contracts, amendments, civil rights movements, and sustained civic pressure — what responsibility and power do we have to shape it now, both nationally and here in Vermilion County?

For show notes, visit www.vermiliontimes.com/get-with-the-times

In preparation for upcoming primaries (March) and mid-term elections (November), this season of "Get With The Times" will be all about civics: the study of the rights and duties of citizens and of how government works.

In this second episode, we discuss the multiple layers of government, starting with local government, to figure out exactly how everyday people can have a say in how their day-to-day reality plays out.

Joining us for this episode are Alderman Doug Ahrens (Ward 7) and Chairman Mike Puhr (Ward 5) from Danville's City Council.

They share the insights they've gained across more than two decades of participation in City government, as well as their opinions on ways things could improve. They also share stories of times when public involvement had a major hand in making changes.

For show notes, visit https://vermiliontimes.com/get-with-the-times/

What is power, really? Who holds it, who’s lost it, and how do we reclaim it in our everyday lives?
In this Season 2 premiere of Get with the Times, a podcast from The Vermilion Times, we break down the concept of power from the ground up.

This season will be all about Civics: the study of the rights and duties of citizens and of how government works.

In this first episode, we start from the bottom, exploring power — using ancient Western philosophy, Indigenous governance, modern politics, and even baboon behavior to understand how power operates, and how everyday people can start shifting its balance.

From the Iroquois Confederacy to the Patriot Act, Sun Tzu to social contracts, we ask: What kind of power do we really want to have in our communities, and what will it take to claim it?

In this episode:
• Cooperation vs. competition in the “state of nature”
• The psychology of hierarchy and sociology of leadership (with baboons!)
• Ways to spot authoritarianism on the rise
• What yellow journalism and corporate personhood reveal about modern control
• And how small groups of united, organized people can, and do, change everything

For show notes, visit https://vermiliontimes.com/get-with-the-times/

Food insecurity is on the rise in the United States, as the Trump regime has declared there will be no emergency spending to help fund SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) while the government is shut down (though such funds could be used technically, and the USDA has a plan in place.)

Since 16.3% of the people of Vermilion County rely on SNAP benefits for food — and 30% of all VC children — organizations and small businesses all across the VC are stepping up to fill that gap.

On this episode, we feature just one of the many organizations working to ensure Vermilion County residents have food — St. James United Methodist Church. Congregants and other volunteers have been running St James' food pantry since 2008, where food is given freely every third Wednesday of the month.

For show notes, visit https://vermiliontimes.com/get-with-the-times/

On this episode of Get With The Times, our guests are local midwives Isis Rose, Hannah Landis, and Elizabeth Cannon.

Hannah is a homebirth midwife and the founder of The Danville Birth Project, while Elizabeth serves as the Executive Director. DBP is a non-profit that employs an innovative, community-driven model to connect babies, mothers, and families to services proven to improve outcomes and change lives.

Isis is a student midwife studying under Hannah. She will soon become the first Licensed Professional Midwife in Champaign-Urbana upon completing her training and certification.

She is also the founder of BIPOC for Better Birth — a nonprofit that offers free and low-cost trainings for BIPOC people who want to become doulas, midwives, lactation professionals, childbirth educators, and herbalists.

For show notes, visit www.vermiliontimes.com/latest

On this episode of Get With The Times, our guest is Alyssa Julian, Executive Director of The Humane Society of Danville — a non-profit, no-kill shelter, which is dedicated to the care and welfare of animals in Danville, Illinois.

The HSD's mission is to provide safe shelter for animals in transition, serve as advocates for animals and their people, work to end animal overpopulation, and educate the public about compassion and responsibility towards all animals.

For show notes, visit www.vermiliontimes.com/latest

On this episode of Get With the Times, we discuss Project Success — a local nonprofit that provides children and family services to kids all across Vermilion County. Their mission is to empower area children and families to achieve their highest potential, so they can become responsible and productive members of our community.

Our guests on this episode are Jamie Nightlinger (Violence Prevention and Family Outreach Services Coordinator), Jazmyn Gaines-Tharp (parent and Liberty Elementary School Project Coordinator), and Zavier Simmons (a Danville native who is a new employee of Project Success).

For show notes, visit www.vermiliontimes.com/latest

On this episode, we discuss Peer Court — an alternative path for juvenile offenders to avoid entering the criminal justice system. Our guests on this episode are Katie Osterbur, Executive Director of Peer Court, Inc. in Danville — one of the first such programs in the nation — and Jermaine, a recent graduate of the program.

For show notes, check out www.vermiliontimes.com/latest

On this episode, we hear from Michael & Catherine Ewing and Ed Alio of Danville Rescue. We discuss reasons for homelessness in Danville, the City's recent decision to criminalize homelessness, and some key misunderstandings out there about people who are homeless.

Topics discussed include:

• Some history of Danville Rescue (previously Vermilion County Rescue) Homeless Shelters
• The group's personal experiences of being homeless

• The myth of homeless people "not wanting help"
• Root causes of homelessness
• The tendency of privileged people to lack empathy for the suffering of the working class
• The interconnectness of us all
• American society's puritanical view that poverty = immorality

For show notes, visit www.vermiliontimes.com/latest