“It’s always a joyous occasion when we’re together,” said Desiree McMillion, vice president of the Epsilon Epsilon Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha.
'We have seen declining attendance and sponsorship, difficulty filling volunteer roles and increasingly limited visibility of the fireworks due to growth of surrounding trees.'
Aquatics Director Jenny Redden said the group’s behavior “ruined the day for a lot of other people” at the pool.
The Champaign County forest preserves started 75 years ago when Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve, a 260-acre park in Mahomet, opened on Memorial Day 1948 to throngs of county residents eager to fish, boat and swim.
Mayor Rickey Williams Jr. said it may be a while longer before that becomes reality.
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City Administrator Drew Hoel said a pump went on the fritz, delaying the opening, which had been scheduled for Saturday.
Which rough railroad crossing is being removed this week? Why changes are planned for the Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center this summer and next fall? And will the grounds at Woodlawn Cemetery be in better shape for Memorial Day than it was for Mother’s Day? (Visitors sure hope so!).
The Spurlock Museum of World Cultures is taking strides in a diverse and inclusive direction by redeveloping the Gallery of African Cultures, led by Monica M. Scott, manager of community engagement and programs.
A greater chance of injury, danger from toxic substances and extreme heat are among the prime drawbacks of turf fields cited.
“The goal,” Monticello Superintendent Adam Clapp says of the district's four turf fields, “is to have our facilities to be used as much as possible and become a point of pride for everyone in the community.”
"When he encounters hostile individuals, he acts as though they just need more information about the issue at hand to bring them around,” a friend said of the late David Monk.
"What I remember was that everything was so nice, no issues with the people sitting next to you," Delora Siebrecht says.
City signed agreement with trails association allowing it to develop parts of Harrison Park for recreation. The group has been busy raising grant money and is building a parking lot on the west side of the park and soon hopes to start building a mountain-biking trail.
Near Champaign-Urbana, Busey Woods is a great place to see some of our native spring ephemerals throughout the season.
A new pedestrian bridge is on the way in Urbana’s Crystal Lake Park, and it’s going to be twice the width of the current one so both walkers and bicyclists will have room.
A donation from former Champaign Park District commissioner James Barham allowed the recently-opened facility in north Champaign to furnish its music space with brand-new equipment from Sweetwater and The Upper Bout.
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Katie Snyder writes: The Museum of the Grand Prairie is honored to collaborate with Community Coalition/Walk as One to record oral histories of the local Champaign County Black community in a project called “Revisiting Your Legacy.”
The Sousa Archives began its life in August 1932 when 39 trunks and two boxes of John Philip Sousa’s original music manuscripts were donated to the University of Illinois to help preserve the March King’s legacy.
Champaign's newest youth basketball team rides uses wheelchairs, and is coached by a Paralympic medalist. “We’re flying through different skills, and it’s only been three weeks,” Coach Kaitlyn Eaton said.
Set for Saturday just outside Farmer City: The Illinois Collegiate Rowing Invitational, which draws college rowers from several states.
'The goal is to minimize the impact of the course on Champaign-Urbana so that it doesn’t take over the whole city'
The city of Urbana has lined up state funding for two pedestrian and bicycle path projects, but construction isn’t likely to begin on either of them until 2026.
The three plants I’ll describe to you today are all long bloomers lasting about a month, and they are all about 3 feet tall.
The village consulted with Farnsworth Group engineers to lead the village through the process, which took about a year and a half. The process also included several open houses, stakeholder meetings and a survey on the village website.
The city of Champaign was awarded $500,000 for construction of the first phase of Neil Street Plaza — one of 89 projects across the state being funded. If all goes well, the goal would be to start construction on phase one of the plaza in early 2024.
“There’s a clause in it that says if the property is used for anything other than the county fair ... it shall revert back to the state of Illinois,” Bolinski said.
Overheard by a party of two at the tail end of last month’s first-ever Allerton Bigfoot Hunt: “There were 12 of us when we started out!”
Village President Sean Widener said while voter turnout was relatively low, “clear direction was received, which was a majority of the community does not want to pay for or support the plan for a new recreation center and pool as presented.”
These cold winter months are always a good time to put on some comfy clothes, grab your favorite blanket, have a hot beverage next to you and read.
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