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Fourth of July Celebrations throughout East Central Illinois
Get ready for an explosive celebration on Monday, July 3rd, and Tuesday, July 4th. Here’s a rundown of the exciting events taking place:. The Village of Fisher will have fireworks on July 3rd at dusk by the fairgrounds. There will be food trucks from 5-8pm. Food vendors will be available.
Plaza construction to start in July
Jul. 1—CHAMPAIGN — City officials have rearranged the construction schedule for Phase 1 of the Neil Street Plaza project in hopes of addressing concerns from local businesses. The Champaign City Council will vote on two agreements related to Phase 1 of the project at their 7 p.m. meeting Tuesday: an approximately $3.26 million construction contract with A&R Mechanical Services and a $298,500 ...
Celebrate Independence Day beginning July 3 as Chambana lights up the sky
CHAMPAIGN, IL (Chambana Today) – If you missed the weekend fireworks in Villa Grove, Arthur, and Tolono, no worries! Get ready to delight in the night sky as fireworks take center stage on Independence Day Eve.
Urbana considering applying for $1.2M Hope Village grant, eyeing 2026 opening
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — At Monday night’s Committee of the Whole meeting in Urbana, the city will be getting ready to take a big step and potentially fill a funding gap to construct Hope Village. It will be a supportive housing community on South Federal Drive in Urbana. “The construction costs today stand at about […]
Urbana alderman decides against running for mayor
Jul. 3—URBANA — On second thought, James Quisenberry will not enter the 2025 race for Urbana mayor, leaving DeShawn Williams as the only candidate currently campaigning for the office being vacated by Diane Marlin next year. "I'm at a place where I could retire in the next couple of years, and I just realized I wasn't ready to sign up for a new full-time job and a four-year commitment," ...
City of Champaign announces appointment of new Public Works Director
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - Champaign City Manager Dorothy Ann David has appointed Terry Lusby, Jr. to serve as the city’s next Public Works Director. He was selected following a nationwide search and succeeds former Public Works Director Khalil Zaied who resigned in March 2024. Lusby starts August 12. He...
WILL Call: What’s Happening in Champaign-Urbana Jul. 04 – Jul. 07
Listen to Kimberly Schofield and Adelyn Mui talk about weekend events on IPM News AM 580 and FM 90.9 – Wednesdays at 6:45 and 8:45 a.m., and Thursdays at 5:44 p.m. Audiofeed Music Festival at Champaign County Fairgrounds in Urbana. Date & Time: Starts Thursday July 4th, runs through...
217 Today: A ‘silver tsunami’ is hitting rural America as small business owners retire without replacements
Champaign’s annual Fourth of July Parade will have a new addition this year. The Champaign County Regional Planning Commission was awarded $380,000 by the U.S. Department of Transportation to plan for the impacts of climate change on local transportation systems. The University of Illinois has helped secure a $51...
Champaign County plans next hazardous waste collection event
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The cities of Champaign and Urbana are coming together to plan a collection of household hazardous waste. The event will take place Saturday, August 17 in the southwest parking lot of the State Farm Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Some items accepted at the collection event include oil-based paints, […]
Senior fraud seminars to be held in Danville, Champaign
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The CRIS Healthy Aging Center of Vermilion and Champaign County is teaming up with State Senator Paul Faraci (D-Champaign) to teach seniors how to shield themselves from scam artists. The senior fraud seminars will be held on July 15 at both the Danville and Champaign CRIS Healthy Aging Centers. The Danville […]
Georgetown-Ridge Farm Band to March in Champaign County Freedom Celebration Parade
GEORGETOWN — When Paige Smith became the Georgetown-Ridge Farm school district’s band director a few years ago, her goals included increasing the marching band numbers and once again traveling to area parades and events. “We haven’t because we’ve been so small,” Smith said of the travel aspect....
4th of July events, parades marching on in Champaign County
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — Several Fourth of July parades are kicking off star-spangled celebrations in Champaign County. Wednesday evening’s “Happy Birthday USA” Parade in St. Joseph is set to give the community a head-start on their patriotic festivities. The parade will step off from St. Joseph Middle School at 6:30 p.m., and will end […]
Champaign community discusses restorative justice
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Restorative justice talks may look like conversations with people just sitting around. But some believe these discussions might just lead to changing the Champaign community for the better. “Conversations about what if they could imagine Champaign County as a place that was healing, equitable, where everybody had a place where they […]
Carle Health Celebrated In First-Ever U.S. News ‘Best Regional Hospital For Equitable Access’ List
Recognized as one of two awarded in the state and the only facility recognized in downstate Illinois. Urbana, Ill. — Carle Health’s commitment to offering access to high-quality health innovations for all the communities we serve is now recognized by U.S. News & World Reports. The Carle Foundation Hospital is one of just two hospitals in the state of Illinois named on the inaugural ‘Best Regional Hospital for Equitable Access’ list by the consumer insights rating publication. The list identifies the top organizations making a considerable impact in achieving exceptional health outcomes among underserved communities.
‘Mobile DMV’ coming to Champaign-Urbana Public Health District
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — A “mobile DMV” will soon be rolling up to the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District to assist with all your ID needs. The Illinois Secretary of State Mobile DMV will arrive on July 12. It will be at the location on 201 West Kenyon Road in Champaign from 10 a.m. to noon. […]
Urbana City Council to start work on alternative response task force this month
URBANA, Ill. (WCIA) — The city of Urbana is working on the Alternative Response Task Force. Consulting firm BerryDunn is leading the creation of the task force. They previously have made reports on recommendations for the Urbana Police Department. It will feature both community practitioners and city personnel as members. Local leaders hope they will […]
UPDATE: Sholem Aquatic Center to reopen July 4th
Update at 4:43 p.m. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The main pool at the Sholem Aquatic Center will officially reopen for Independence Day. Sholem staff made the announcement on Facebook on Wednesday afternoon. All amenities will once again become available starting Thursday. They thanked their operations staff for their quick work, and the community for their […]
Construction on Urbana's $25 million-plus sixth-grade center to start soon
Jul. 2—URBANA — Construction starts this month to transform the building that was once Wiley Elementary into a new Urbana Middle School Sixth Grade Center to be completed by the 2025-26 school year. Last week, the school board approved a bid from the English Brothers Company to complete the project for over $25 million. Board President Paul Poulosky voted in favor of creating the sixth-grade ...
Champaign City Council to vote on downtown plaza revamp details
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The Champaign City Council is keeping things moving with the downtown plaza project. In May, they approved the plan, and on Tuesday night, the city council will vote on the details of phase one for the project. By this time next year, downtown Champaign will look very different. A new downtown […]
Mahomet museum brings Central Illinois history to present day
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — The Museum of the Grand Prairie in Mahomet is filled with exhibits displaying our culture. It’s a place to learn about the timeline of Central Illinois prairies and the primitive tools in our past. You can also learn about the history of Abraham Lincoln. “He had a very strong presence here […]
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