Champaign and Urbana

Jan Seeley and Mike Lindemann, co-directors of the Christie Clinic Illinois Marathon on One on One Sunday

Alex Ruggieri — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:00:00 GMT

Tune in Sunday at 10:00a on WCIA channel three!

Bill Vavrik has re-opened novak4u4.com

Charles Schultz — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:19:00 GMT

http://www.novak4u4.com/ has been re-opened

Calling All Inspirational Teachers! Our Town, Our Heroes Wants You!

Holly Connor — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:08:00 GMT

Is there a teacher, principle, or professor from your community who has touched your life or your child’s life? Now is your last chance to send in your nomination for the General Motors Our Town, Our Heroes program – a grassroots initiative designed to reward people doing great things in their communities.

Women in Politics Series: Stephanie Holderfield

Angie Patton — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:37:00 GMT

Holderfield is Republican nominee for Circuit Clerk after Winkel drops from race

Women in Politics Series: Lori Hansen

Angie Patton — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:22:00 GMT

Interview of Lori Hansen–Democratic candidate for Circuit Clerk

Attention on the Champaign County Jail in Downtown Urbana

Jeff Kibler — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:56:00 GMT

In the next few years, Champaign County must focus attention on the conditions at the Champaign County Main Jail in Downtown Urbana. Recently, several county-wide office seekers visited the jail to get a firsthand look at its condition.

Why a Champaign County Black Chamber of Commerce ?

Craig Walker — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 01:24:00 GMT

One of the biggest questions I get is why is their a need for a Black Chamber of Commerce when we have a Champaign County Chamber of Commerce already in existence. My response is that there are needs and services specific to black owned businesses that have not been addressed in the traditional Chamber. There is nothing wrong with that, what is important is for both Chambers to work together where there is common ground. Some examples of those specific needs that the Black Chamber can meet are, assistance in government certification as a minority business enterprise – MBE, access to capital at a micro level ie $1,000, - $10,000 working capital loans, and training seminars on the public/private partnership models for economic development at the neighborhood level. Another area the Black Chamber can provide assistance is networking opportunities between members of both Chambers of Commerce through a variety of networking events like First Friday. Speaking of which, Friday December 2nd the Champaign County Black Chamber Holiday First Friday will be at the Refinery on Green street starting at 5pm. Alan Nudo is a sponsor along with Habeeb Habeeb. I hope everyone can attend.

I was recently appointed Chair of the Economic Development Committee within the Champaign County Black Chamber and will be seeking to broaden partnerships across many spectrums for economic development initiatives in the County. I look forward to that effort. Dwight Miller was a key player in the launch of the CCBCC and with his vison then, and willing partners now, I believe real growth can be made for the CCBC which will be great for Champaign County as a whole.

Below are excerpts from the Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce about what they do and how the organization works.

The Illinois Black Chamber of Commerce (ILBCC) is dedicated to the economic empowerment and sustained growth of black enterprise across the State of Illinois. We achieve our mission and ultimate objectives through our 23 local chapter organizations that provide intimate support and assistance to local black business owners. We serve as the voice of black business within Illinois and a strong advocate for economic policies that strengthen our growth. The ILBCC works in close association with the National Black Chamber of Commerce (NBCC) to ensure harmonization of our strategy and initiatives throughout the State.

Our local chamber organizations provide members with:

Programs to attract the investment of resources for stabilizing and developing Black-owned businesses.

Channel Assistance For Access To Capital For Black Enterprises

Training and technical assistance to entities interested in economic development of the community at the sub-community and neighborhood development levels.

Small Business Certification

One of the best ways to establish business credibility as a black business is to become certified. Certification may open opportunities for commercial and government contracting. Certification can be an excellent way to market your business to corporate and government entities. To get your business certified as a Minority/Disadvantaged business enterprise, please visit the following websites to learn more:.

Cronyism - Wikepedia excerpts

Craig Walker — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 04:06:00 GMT

Ask yourself what is the empirical standard that you can apply, that will define Cronyism purely on an analysis of empirical data ? More on this in December.

Kurtz 'Role' with energy firm not a conflict.

Andrew Dunne — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 20:47:00 GMT

County Board Member Al Kurtz interests questioned over Champaign County wind development and his 'role' in a Mary-Kay-esque green energy sales group.

Welcome Class of 2015!!!

Go Joe — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:16:00 GMT

Welcome new students & freshman to the University of Illinois!

Will two become one?

Karen Foster — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:00:00 GMT

Recent events, such as the issue of whether or not to begin a new tax, has had people comparing the cities of Champaign and Urbana and newcomers ask why we are separate towns. As someone who has lived most of my life in Champaign, I have strong feelilngs about not living in Urbana. Friends who live in Urbana have similar feelings about moving across Wright Street to the west. This is a short article to allow you to voice your opinion on the topic.

Government Accounting Standard changes will hit States/Cities balance sheets hard.

Craig Walker — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 08:16:00 GMT

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board unveiled a pension accounting and reporting proposal Friday that would fundamentally alter how cash-strapped states and localities report pension liabilities and pose challenges for them

What is a City Manager ?

Craig Walker — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 16:00:00 GMT

It is important to understand what is a City Manager. This post is a reprint of the Wikipedia version of the definition of City Manger its orgins and some data on City Managers. Its an interesting read.

Local GOP Focus should be on Jamar Brown’s race for School Board on April 5th

Craig Walker — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 13:01:00 GMT

There are rare opportunities for a political party to make significant inroads into a constituency that has not traditionally voted for their candidates. At this time at this moment the Republican Party of Champaign County has that opportunity.....I am urging the local GOP to campaign for and with Jamar Brown in communities all across this City. By embracing this fine man and demonstrating a commitment to diversity the local GOP can build upon the great work City Councilman Will Kyles has done in the African American community advocating as a Republican with the party ideals

Smart investors take advantage of media inspired Municipal panic

Craig Walker — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 02:22:00 GMT

The sophisticated investor in retail municipal bonds has remained calm the past few months even as mutual funds have dumped state and local government debt by the truckload

Snowman Murder!

The Observer — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 18:45:00 GMT

Everyone has probably heard about the snowman "murder" in C-U. This went from funny to sad when the bus driver resigned. Merry Christmas everyone!

Weak Get Weaker as Muni Bonds Are Sold Off

Money Tree — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 22:00:00 GMT

Amid the recent and shocking selloff in the municipal-bond market, investors are increasingly differentiating between state and local governments with strong finances and those facing big fiscal woes.

That trend could have significant implications for holders of bonds issued by weaker state and local governments, some of which are already paying higher interest rates and have seen the prices of their bonds decline in value.

In Memoriam

Ryan — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 20:00:00 GMT

Nick Schmidt of Champaign, 31, passed away December 1. The story of his marriage and battle with cancer was told in the Chicago Tribune on December 12.

Governmental Accounting Standards Board changes to Pension liabilities is more bad news for City of Champaign.

Craig Walker — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 20:53:00 GMT

Under the preliminary proposed standards, GASB is calling for several fundamental changes to pension reporting. In particular, GASB would require the unfunded portion of a retirement plan to be included in the financial statement and to constitute a liability. Under the GASB guidelines the Champiagn pension fund liabilities will increase by over 25% with the Police Department fund liability increasing to over $30 million.

Making a Difference in Honduras

Mark Ballard — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 17:00:00 GMT

Choose your piece of the world in which to make a difference

MTD Ridership Up 8.1%

The Observer — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 22:19:00 GMT

MTD ridership is up 8.1% this year.

I Support Supportive Businesses

Eric Bussell — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:58:00 GMT

Support businesses that support local non-profits!

Be attentive. Be Flavorful. Be a Foodie.

Annie Murray — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:00:00 GMT

I have a lot to say—and I talk really fast—so try to keep up.

I needed comfort food. Nothing makes you crave carbs like a week of abstaining from them in order to fit into the annual Christmas tree outfit. On top of that, the weather turned into full fledge fall with occasional freak spring showers instead of snowing. And finally, I needed carbs because the prince of England had the nerve to seal the deal with a woman, other than myself. The only thing that could turn last week around was one of my favorite comfort foods, Thai.

As Hippocrates said, “our food should be our medicine and our medicine should be our food”. This particular night featured one of those freak spring showers that would be better classified as a monsoon; but we swam out to Thara Thai to warm up and dry off. I’m not going to lie; the weather was so nasty that getting a room for the night in the sketchy hotel behind Thara Thai was semi-appealing. As it turns out, the food was worth the venture into the rain.

Thara Thai is smaller and less attractive than the diner in my hometown, not an award that most restaurants aim to win. Nonetheless, the seats were filled and the door was nearly revolving with takeout orders. We were hungry and thirsty…and after our appetizers it was clear we had chosen a location to satisfy those needs.

For starters, we had thai spring rolls and pot stickers.

The spring roll appetizer ($5.99) came with two spring rolls and homemade sauce. They were made with a thicker rice paper than I have ever had, but they were filled with delicious vegetables and herbs.

The potstickers ($4.99) were a more generous size portion. You can’t go wrong with fried vegetable dumplings.

Paige ordered my favorite item of the evening, the Pineapple Pad Thai ($13.99). It was a little spicier than my pad thai, but I loved the combination of sweet pineapple and spicy noodles. Every time she turned her head to check out our fellow patrons pouring on the Sriracha, I stole another bite.

Mel tried the Pad See Eiw ($12.99). She chose Tofu Pad See Eiw, which is wide rice noodles, stir fried egg, broccoli.

I wanted to try something more interesting than Pad Thai, but I love Pad Thai. I’ve had Pad Thai at numerous thai restaurants so I stuck to my favorite classic. I tried Thara Thai’s Specialty Pad Thai, made with rice noodles, See Eiw Pad Thai ($13.99). I ordered mild because I had heard that Thara Thai was known to serve food with a kick! The portion was generous, but it was so deliciously spicy I wanted to finish every bite. (I'm sorry that there is no photo, but I neglected to take a picture because I was too busy eating.

Overall, I would recommend Thara Thai. We gave it four knives. The food was some of the best Thai I’ve had in Champaign. Plus, I’m a huge supporter of Mom and Pop restaurants, even if they are in a semi-sketchy location.

Restaurants are rated on a five knife system. Please see my bio to see the rating scale. Annie Murray. Co-owner L.A. Gourmet Catering. contact at lagourmetcatering@gmail.com

Mayor for the Day proposal on City's budget crisis.

Craig Walker — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 16:00:00 GMT

Eric Bussell asked me to write my feature as Mayor for the Day and today in that role I am releasing a plan to add to the debate of the current budget crisis of the City of Champaign

Some thoughts on the Election

Mark Shelden — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:00:00 GMT

In a remarkable Republican year, how did Republicans lose their chance at the Champaign County Board and Illinois Governor's office.

Poverty in Champaign-Urbana

Keith Hays — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Champaign-Urbana is well insulated from the effects of the 2007-2009 Great Recession with our stable employers in the education and health care industries. Our unemployment rate is markedly lower than that of our neighbors in Danville and Decatur. The problems of the Great Recession seem to have passed us by. In August the City of Champaign Township Supervisor told us that she did not need any increase in the levy for the General Assistance Fund, the source of emergency relief for destitute families. In July the City of Champaign Township Supervisor handed out emergency relief to only 25 residents. They each received $212.00, enough to get by for a month if they are careful, her office said. We are apparently doing quite well in these hard times.

Change has arrived at the Univeristy of Illinois

Craig Walker — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 16:00:00 GMT

Hogan, who was chosen by the new Board of Trustees of the U of I has a mandate to change the structure of the University and make sweeping changes. Citing a need to eliminate the competition between the three campuses administrators and faculty, Hogan is seeking to centralize certain functions that are duplicitous across the three campuses. I am certain this is only the first step in President Hogan’s vision to reestablish the U of I among the top ranked schools in the country.

Clean Diesel at MTD

Jan Kijowski — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The MTD and IEPA have partnered to install equipment on older MTD buses which result in much cleaner emissions. This article details the Diesel Particulate Filters recently funded by the IEPA.

40 Under 40

Eric Bussell — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 00:54:00 GMT

Congratuations 40 Under 40 winners!

One man's junk is another man's treasure

Pam Hulten — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 15:00:00 GMT

There is a good chance between now and the end of the year if you haven’t already been asked to give to a charitable organization, you will hopefully be asked by someone you know. I truly believe people in Champaign County do step up to the plate and help take care of others who can’t otherwise support themselves or their families without some extra assistance. Something that I find particularly interesting however is that for those of us who are not necessarily in a good position to give a large sum of money to an organization(s) is that donating in-kind items goes completely unnoticed.

Polar Bear Hunting

Keith Hays — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:21:00 GMT

In a sensationalized piece of reporting the News-Gazette splashed a photograph of the former TV and Radio personality, Mike Sola on its front page on Wednesday. The picture showed a portion of the bruised and battered meteorologist’s face. Sola had been the victim of an apparently random attack by at least two assailants on the previous Friday evening while walking on Crescent Drive following a Champaign Central football game. The article described the assailants as Black teenagers and linked the Friday attack with a spate of similar attacks by groups of Black young men on isolated White male victims across the city and in the U of I campus area. The reporter called the attacks, “Polar Bear Hunting” as the article focused on the racial aspect of the attacks; that they were Black on White crimes without any apparent motive other than the race of the victims.

Federal Small Business Programs Enables Tech Startups in Champaign County

Laura Frerichs — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 16:00:00 GMT

How do those startup tech companies fund their businesses in the Research Park? I often get asked this question and I usually respond with a combination of scenarios: some have venture capital funding, some are bootstrapping, some have borrowed from friends and family, and some are relying on a source of funding that many people don’t know much about….the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program.
This program is very competitive, but locally our community of entrepreneurs is very good at being awarded this funding. Here are some examples of high tech companies in Champaign County that have been awarded SBIR/STTR funding since 2009.

Women's Basketball won't be good until they play at Huff

UofI Sports Fan — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 21:00:00 GMT

It's time to get some wins at Huff.

This is Where To Go...a Pub and Eatery worth checking out!

Annie Murray — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 16:00:00 GMT

This restaurant reminds me of one of the greatest lessons I learned as a child, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” The small “Burgers and Beer” sign with an arrow leading down to a basement behind Nitaya Thai is deceiving; there really are good things on the inside.

Champaign Pundit Changing Formats?

Middle of the Road — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 22:28:00 GMT

The Champaign Pundit (formely the Illini Pundit) blog announced today that it is pondering paying contributors to be reporters.

What's good about the real estate market?

Steve Whitsitt — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:01:00 GMT

The headlines have been daunting the last two years. Mortgage delinquencies have hit new highs. Home sales volume and prices have declined. Major retailers have closed, and the overall outlook for real estate has been pessimistic. If one were only to read the headlines, they would be afraid to invest in real estate of any form or fashion. In spite of these sensational headlines, the reality, particularly in Champaign-Urbana, is less dismal than what is seen in other sections of the country.

Benefits of Volunteering are Priceless …

Pam Hulten — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

We all live in a busy world and how could any of us possibly have a few extra hours to volunteer these days? I speak from first-hand experience, as I come home every night from my job, focus on taking care of my family, but I still have a hard time saying ‘no’ to people because when it’s all said and done, I feel at my best when I can volunteer time in the community. That’s what makes volunteering so priceless. If you haven’t tried volunteering, there is no time like the present.

Sustainability at MTD

Jan Kijowski — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The C-U MTD is much more than a bus service. As a community member and service provider, MTD strives to behave in a responsible manner in all activities. MTD's sustainabilty commitment is evidence of our desire to embrace technology and improve operations in ways that benefit everyone in the long run. For years, MTD has been committed to making its operations sustainable and environmentally-friendly and encourages all organizations to adopt this philosophy.

Welcome Class of 2014!!!

Joe Alexander — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:00:00 GMT

17 years ago this very week or so, I like thousands of incoming freshmen will do tomorrow, came to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for school for the very first time. I moved into beautiful Scott Hall, Room 360 to be precise, in the Six Pack. If you’re confused at all, the University doesn’t officially ...