Latest news with #Urbana
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Urbana pool manager offers tips to stay safe amid high temperatures
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — With the extreme heat wave Central Illinois is experiencing, people are flocking to pools like Urbana's Crystal Lake Park Aquatic Center. The pool had almost 1,000 visitors Saturday, and is offering tips to stay safe during high heat and UV days: How to beat the heat: Tips from the Illinois Emergency Management Agency Apply sunscreen on the hour every hour to avoid getting sunburnt. Drink water as often as you can to avoid heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Don't run at the pool or dive in the shallow end. The facility's manager, Max Katz, also offers guidance for families with young children or seniors. 'So with our little ones, we definitely say supervision is key,' Katz said. 'Keeping an eye on your little ones if you have them with you. Keeping them close by as well and at an arm's distance. And then for those older ones, just knowing your limits and making sure that you're staying on top of yourself; not getting too dehydrated or overheated in any way.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Sun
18-06-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Lead singer of hit 1980's rock band injured in car crash after falling asleep at the wheel following afterparty
ROCKSTAR Terry Luttrell has been involved in a horror car accident after he reportedly fell asleep behind the wheel. The former REO Speedwagon lead vocalist, 78, was rushed to hospital after the crash which left his car totaled following an afterparty. 1 Terry told News-Gazette after the crash on Interstate 57: "It just happened. I nodded off. "I rolled the car over, and I woke up, and I was in a cocoon. "Unfortunately, it totaled the car." He was left with a cracked sternum and quickly rushed to the Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana for treatment. Terry is still bedbound and receiving medical care. He continued: "I was able to get up and get out of the car. "I have a little back pain and neck pain. It's nothing that can't be overcome." The accident came after a one-off reunion concert held at the State Farm Center in Illinois in honor of REO Speedwagon. Terry joined the iconic band back in 1968 and was the frontman for four years before he left in 1972. .
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Urbana Dems, the county board has a spot for you
Jun. 16—Ds want you The Champaign County Board has a vacancy to fill, prompting the local Democratic Party to solicit applications from individuals interested in serving from District 10 in Urbana. The vacancy was created by board Democrat Chris Stohr's decision to resign after he was appointed to serve on the board of the local sanitary district. Local party officials have set a July 6 deadline for submission of an application. A link to the application can be found on the party's website. District 10 is located in east central Urbana. Specifically, party officials said it is "generally bound by Airport Road to the north, County Road 2000 E to the east, Homer Lake Road and Windsor Road to the south, and Cedar Street, Vine Street, and Anderson Court to the west." Applications will be reviewed by Democratic precinct committee members, and the name of the preferred applicant will be submitted to Jen Locke, who heads the county board. She, in turn, is expected to ask the full county board to approve the nomination. The individual who is nominated and confirmed will be required to run for the post in the November 2026 general election. That individual might, if another Democratic chooses to seek the office, be required to run for the party's nomination in the March 2026 primary election. Campaign calumny There may be no cryin' in baseball, but there definitely is lyin' in politics. That's why a recent Cook County jury award of $1.475 million to a defeated Chicago aldermanic candidate is stunning. A jury ordered the political organizations of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and Alderman Lamont Robinson to pay the punitive damages for making defamatory statements about Ebony Lucas, a real-estate lawyer who ran and lost for Chicago City Council. Lucas charged the pair made repeated false statements about her in campaign mailers and text messages. The effect was a "coordinated smear campaign alleging Lucas had unpaid liens and fines" for business-related misconduct. Lucas said the jury decision represents a "stand for truth in our elections," expressing gratitude to jurors for "seeing through the falsehoods and delivering justice." Robinson vowed to appeal, charging the lawsuit was "politically motivated." Well, of course it was. The lawsuit was about tawdry tactics in an election campaign. Preckwinkle also promised to appeal and expressed confidence the jury's verdict will be overturned. Perhaps. But in the meantime, the jury's decision not only raises questions of law, but also questions of political tactic. The lie is a politician's best friend. What exactly are candidates for public office supposed to do in a campaign if lying about their opponents is off limits? Perhaps, as an alternative, they could tell lies about themselves by vastly exaggerating their qualifications and abilities. Blast from past Anyone remember a guy named Joe Walsh? No, not the aging rock star or the British soccer player. The Joe Walsh in question is the former one-term Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives (2010-12) whose incendiary conservative rhetoric foreshadowed his political doom. He was defeated in his bid for re-election by current Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth. The former social worker-turned-politician-turned-radio show host later left the GOP to become an independent. Now he says he's a Democrat. Walsh recently announced he's moving from Illinois to South Carolina and said he may run for the U.S. Senate against GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham. Given Walsh's history, the Dems may not want him. But what's done is done, at least for now. Walsh said he's still a conservative but hates President Trump, whom he called a "tyrant," and the Republican Party. Capitol Hill showdown Gov. J.B. Pritzker was loaded for bear when he appeared last week before a hostile GOP congressional committee looking into sanctuary policies for illegal immigrants in various cities and states. The subject of crimes committed by those in the country illegally came up, one involving the death of Katie Abraham in an Urbana car crash. She was killed in January by a suspected drunken driver illegally in the United States. He was subsequently arrested and faces trial. Illinois U.S. Rep. Mary Miller attempted to question Pritzker about "rolling out the red carpet" for the many thousands of illegal immigrants in Illinois. But Pritzker ignored her question and launched an obviously pre-planned rhetorical counter-attack. "I am not going to be lectured to by someone who extolled the virtues of Adolf Hitler," Pritzker said, alluding to Miller's 2021 comments referencing the German dictator's emphasis on presenting propaganda that was embraced by young people. The hearing turned into a political game of "gotcha," with Pritzker, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz exchanging insults and observations on a variety of subjects with GOP committee members. Walz was not as well prepared in the sound-bite game as Pritzker, as indicated by an exchange with Republican U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina. Another Republican asked Pritzker if he had ever used women's bathrooms. "Not that I recall," he replied. On the down low When Gov. J.B. Pritzker runs for president in 2028, there's one study of Illinois' economic health he'll forget to mention. The personal finance website WalletHub released its list of best and worst state economies. Illinois ranked 40th for its state economy but dead last in the economic health category. A Center Square news account said researcher Chip Lupo established three key categories focusing on "economic activity, economic health and innovation potential." "Then we applied 28 relevant metrics, and those run everything from GDP growth, start-up activity and share of jobs in high-tech industries," said Lupo. He said, "Illinois ranked 48th in change in non-farm payrolls, 41st in economic activity, and scored poorly for high foreclosure rates and the state's unemployment rate." Illinois' unemployment rate is 4.8 percent, one of the highest in the country, and is in the top 10 for states with the biggest increases in unemployment claims. WalletHub said Massachusetts has the best state economy while Iowa has the worst. "Illinois will under-perform the region and the U.S. in 2025, with gross state product, employment, and income increasing less than elsewhere," the report's summary said. Lupo said, "the best state economies encourage growth by being friendly to new businesses and investing in new technology that will help the state deal with future challenges."
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Flooding shuts down numerous roads in Steuben County
UPDATE 10:04 p.m.: Director of the Steuben County Office of Emergency Management, Timothy D. Marshall, announced that as of 9:30 p.m. on Monday, June 9, a state of emergency has been declared for some towns in Steuben County. Listed below are the towns under a state of emergency: Canisteo Cameron Bath Urbana Pulteney Wayne Marshall said this is due to the excessive rainfall and multiple road closures. People should only travel in these towns if it is an emergency, Marshall explained, first responders and highway crews are actively responding to calls. STEUBEN COUNTY, N.Y. (WETM) — Heavy rains in the area have caused flooding on Monday, with several county and state routes becoming blocked off due to the flood waters in Steuben County. Director of the Steuben County Office of Emergency Management, Timothy D. Marshall, announced that as of 8:30 p.m. on Monday, June 9, multiple roads in Steuben County are closed due to heavy rainfall and flooding. Marshall advised people that the following roads are closed: County Route 10 County Route 15 County Route 119 County Route 76 County Route 87 County Route 88 County Route 89 State Route 36 State Route 54 State Route 238 State Route 54-A First responders are helping to assist whoever needs it, Marshall emphasized, motorists are advised to stay clear of the roadways. Only call 911 for emergencies and report wire calls to local utility, Marshall said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Kathy's #Mailbag, June 6, 2025
Jun. 6—The story of Urbana's "state streets" ... next steps for a long-time church congregation on the UI campus ... a recent NOAA weather radio signal outage ... and what happens to gym shoes that are tossed over power lines. All in this week's Mailbag. Townies and most UI alumni know about the cluster of "state streets" in the neighborhood just north of Florida Avenue and east of Lincoln Avenue. It turns out that at least 19 U.S. states have lent their names to streets in the City of Urbana since it was founded in 1833. They were named one at a time, or a few at a time, over many decades. And some of their names were changed along the way. It's easier to trace the "when" than the "why" behind the names. An 1858 map of Urbana shows California and Oregon streets extending east from present-day Lincoln Avenue. California had become a state in 1850, but Oregon did not officially join the union until 1859 — so the street in Urbana may, technically, have been named after the Oregon Territory. An 1893 atlas of Champaign County showed Ater Street as the name of current-day Nevada Street. Dry Street had been renamed Illinois Street by 1909, and Nevada Street (west of Lincoln Avenue) was shown on the 1909 map, as well. (If you're not confused enough already, think about this: Hubbard Avenue was the name of the three-block stretch of current-day Nevada Street that lay just east of Lincoln Avenue, as shown on a map dated "191?" at the county historical archives. Back then, Ater Street picked up again east of North Street, which we know today as McCullough Street. There is no Ater or Hubbard street today; those segments are now Nevada Street.) In his April 30, 2021 Mailbag, Tom Kacich told the story of Blair's Addition — the first name of the fashionable subdivision developed by UI Professor Joseph C. Blair. It soon became known as the University Heights Addition to Urbana, and it's the area that comes to mind when many of us hear the term "state streets." Some townies may have had their own name for the neighborhood in later years. "In 1910, according to a February 1937 story in the Urbana Courier, Blair purchased 40 acres of land — south of what is now Michigan Avenue — that he intended to develop as a model residential section of Urbana. Streets and lots were surveyed, sewage and water lines were installed, streets and sidewalks were built on five 'state' streets: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Delaware and Florida," Kacich wrote. A 1913 map of Urbana shows Washington Street just south of Nevada Street, and the corporate (city) limit boundary was just south of Michigan Avenue. The map shows Michigan Avenue, Iowa Street, Indiana Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue (east of Lincoln Avenue). However, it appears present-day Indiana Avenue was called Morris Avenue at that time. And it seems current-day Ohio Street was called Indiana Avenue in those early years. I've not found documentation about who, exactly, named which of those streets — or why some of the names were changed. Several maps from the same era show that the west-of-Lincoln-Avenue portion of present-day Pennsylvania Avenue was called Maple Avenue in the city's early days; Maple Avenue had been renamed Pennsylvania Avenue by the time the 1923 campus map was published. Florida Avenue was on that 1923 map, as well. A 1926 map of the city, "revised in 1936 and 1947," showed Maryland and Virginia Drives as short north-south streets sandwiched between Pennsylvania and Florida Avenues. I don't know whether those names appeared on the original 1926 map, or if those streets and their names were added in the later revisions. (Perhaps a reader who has an unrevised 1926 map, or a map from the early '30s, could check and let us know if Maryland and Virginia Drives existed then.) A 1952 map shows Colorado Avenue in southeast Urbana, and a newspaper article from January of that year referred to "the Sidney road, now renamed Colorado Avenue." So what about the origins of some of Urbana's later, and lesser-known, "state streets" — including some that came and went within a relative few years? Maps from the late 1940s and early '50s show "Illini Village" in the area where the Pennsylvania and Florida Avenue Residence Halls are today — between Lincoln Avenue and Mount Hope Cemetery. Several online resources from the UI Archives tell us Illini Village was a temporary student housing complex for veterans and their families, built after WWII. A 1950 map, titled "University of Illinois's Hometown of Champaign-Urbana," shows Carolina as the next north-south street east of Virginia Avenue. Today, the former Carolina seems to be a driveway that runs between the Sigma Nu fraternity house, and Carr and Babcock Residence Halls. A couple of even shorter north-south streets, Alabama and Georgia, were located approximately where Saunders Hall is today. By the time the oldest Baby Boomers were ready for college in the 1960s, there was an immediate need for a more traditional type of student housing. PAR (1962) and FAR (1966) were built where Illini Village had been, and some of Urbana's shortest (and shortest-lived) state streets disappeared for good. Pastor Kristine Light tells me the UniPlace congregation is not disbanding, and will be moving to the University YMCA this fall. "Our last worship service in the building will be Sunday Sept. 14, 2025. We are excited to be taking our student ministries, food pantry, Community Free Dinner program, worship life and excellent music ministry with us to our new home at the University YMCA," 1001 S. Wright Street in the heart of campus. On Thursday evening, the Champaign County History Museum hosted a History on the Town reception at the current church, 403 S. Wright in Champaign. The invitation to the event noted that the congregation has, indeed, decided to sell the property. Details on the potential sale were not available at presstime. According to CCHM, the congregation's first church was established on the campus in 1872. The current church, which was dedicated in April 1936, was built after a March 1932 fire destroyed the previous building. Gregory Manzana, deputy chief of operations with the Champaign Police Department, said CPD and other city departments work hard to ensure a fun, welcoming and safe environment for visitors to FNL and other city events. Champaign Police officers are assigned in the department's north district and on specific downtown details throughout the summer, and part of their role is to ensure that traffic in the area complies with the Illinois Vehicle Code. "I am thankful for this person's willingness to reach out through the Mailbag, as Champaign Police received no calls for service related to speed or vehicle noise on Friday night, May 30, and this provides actionable information to our officers in the area. On Friday night, officers did take proactive steps to address concerns they saw in the area, including speeding. Manzana said an infrastructure change already is planned to slow traffic and encourage everyone to safely share the right-of-way as part of the Phase II construction of the Downtown Plaza. "A tabled intersection is planned for the intersection of Neil and Hill Streets that will slow vehicles in the area and make access to the Neil Street Plaza more welcoming, regardless of mode of travel or physical ability." More information on the tabled intersection is available at . That project is being coordinated through the city's Planning & Development and Public Works departments. The Champaign weather radio station, which is operated by the National Weather Service's office in Lincoln, posted this notice on the US National Weather Service Central Illinois Facebook page on May 28: "Due to a required, scheduled update to our main computer systems, all NOAA Weather Radio stations operated by our office will be off the air from about 7 a.m. Tuesday, June 3rd through the afternoon of Thursday, June 5th. We are unable to reschedule this upgrade in the event of severe weather, so be sure to have alternate ways to receive severe weather information during this time period." Weather radio stations with transmitters in Bloomington, Champaign, Galesburg, Jacksonville, Newton, Paris, Peoria, Shelbyville and Springfield were affected by the scheduled outage. Full disclosure: the reader's question came in a few days before the planned outage, so we got in touch with NWS-Lincoln's lead meteorologist, Chris Geelhart, to see if the computer updates had begun early. He checked for the Champaign signal shortly after we sent him the question, "and WXJ-76 is currently broadcasting; we're able to pick it up over the air from here. Not sure if it was a momentary fluke" with the radio signal or the reader's receiver. Months ago, a Mailbag reader asked whether NOAA could livestream its weather radio stations, and the official answer was "no." That same reader just told me that WeatherUSA, a privately owned company that offers weather-related data and business services, streams some NOAA Weather Radio stations including Champaign-based WXJ-76. You can hear that stream, and others from around the country, free of charge at . Note that the streams may be delayed by 10 seconds to 2 minutes because of buffering or network delays. Lily Walton, executive director of the Housing Authority of Champaign County, said the project "is still underway and is expected to be completed by the end of the summer. Work has been ongoing and the windows are boarded-up to prevent squatters" from occupying and possibly vandalizing the units. UI spokesperson Robin Kaler said yes, it was — and "when the column-I was retired, we asked all university units to use the materials they had already produced and phase out the logo in ways that were sustainable, realistic and budget-conscious. "Changes to websites began almost immediately, and supplies of stationery and other paper supplies continue to dwindle. Obviously, adornments designed to be permanently displayed on outdoor spaces are the most complicated to change." They also can be some of the most costly changes related to a rebranding effort — a one-time expense that's not necessarily a part of a unit's annual budget. "Since the announcement of the new Illinois brand platform in 2024, Strategic Communications and Marketing has been providing additional support to update prominent column-I logos to our new branding. Replacement of the signs on the overpass on I-57 and extension offices across the state, as well as at the Illini Union Bookstore, the intersections of Lincoln/Green, University/Wright, Race/Florida and Race/Windsor began several months ago. We plan to have these completed by the end of September. "We are as eager as your readers to show our block-I pride everywhere!" Ameren spokesperson Karly Combest said that utility's linemen do remove athletic shoes from lines when necessary. For whatever reason, the shoe-tossing "seems to be abundant during the move-out season for students." She points out that the particular set of overhead wires in the reader-submitted photo is not an electric line; it's a communications line, likely belonging to AT&T. Uhhh, it's been a while now. City of Champaign spokesperson Jeff Hamilton said "in July 2024, the City of Champaign revoked the liquor license previously issued to Joe's Liquor on Bradley, Inc., located at 1807 W. Bradley Ave., following multiple violations of the city's Liquor Ordinance. Around this same time, the Illinois Liquor Control Commission also revoked the business's state liquor license for multiple violations of state law."
