We are horrified by the bombings at yesterday's Boston Marathon. Rather than focus on the evil, we have chosen to share these eloquent words by King of Queens actor, Patton Oswalt.

I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, "Well, I've had it with humanity."

Champaign received 4.2 inches of snow during winter's latest visit to the area. As a result, the Public Works Director activated the Sidewalk Snow Removal Ordinance for the Downtown and Campustown areas effective at 10:00 am Wednesday, March 6, 2013. Sidewalks in this area need to be cleared by 10:00 am Friday, March 8, 2013.

Unofficial St. Patrick's Day is Friday March 1. On February 20th, the  police, Champaign Community Coalition and the U of I distributed alcohol safety information to students as part of "Walk as One." That information is attached. If you are a campus property owner, would you please help your tenants and the police departments by doing the following:

Following Champaign's successful event, Urbana is hosting its first ever Restaurant Week March 4-10.  Local restaurants will offer price fixed menus of $10, $20 and $30. Participating restaurants currently include:

It's back! Champaign's popular Restaurant Week begins Friday, January 25. Fifteen restaurants in Downtown, Midtown and Campustown have created special prix fixe menus featuring appetizers, entrees and desserts.

You hear it everywhere - Shop Local - but do you really internalize the message?

Who?

Who is local and who isn’t? Local/Non-Local is pided into three categories: Locally Owned, Big Box and Internet.

Locally Owned: Commonly called mom and pop shops. This could include high end retail as well as local grocers. Some local examples include: 

The last Presidential election has been touted as historic in terms of voter turnout (57.37%). However, that means that more than 42% of the voters stayed home. 

Enjoy all things Fall at the beautiful Boneyard Basin. The Midtown Fall Festival on Saturday, October 6 from Noon - 7 PM promises to be a fun day for the entire family - including Fido!