SPlog

Tonight on Smile Politely Radio we hear from the newest restaurant in downtown Urbana: Dancing Dog Juicery and Eatery, a vegan restaurant serving all three meals and tasty juices. Tune in to hear about what …

With serious regrets, we’ve learned that The Great Impasta will be shuttering its doors for good on December 31, 2014. From a Facebook post this evening:  It’s hard to fathom the idea that you won’t …

According to the Bunny’s Tavern Facebook page, there will be an Italian pop up dinner tonight (starting at 5:30 p.m.).  Thursday night starting at 5:30 Bunnys is hosting a pop up Italian dinner featuring Frank …

creamy oyster stew with potato and triple s farms bacon, served with a warm ham biscuit and fancy soda  12USD

Weiskamp Screen Printing is running our annual Sweatshirt/T-Shirt special, now through March 31st, 2015.   Buy a sweatshirt at regular price, and get a matching t-shirt for $2.99!  (Minimum of 5 sweatshirts)

Randall: A cool contraption used to add extra aromatic flavors to draft beer.  Grappa: A fragrant brandy made with grapes.  Papua New Guinnea coffee: Delicious.  Crane Alley Machine Espresso Porter: Also delicious.  Crane Alley and …

From a press release: The McKinley Foundation is accepting nominations of Champaign County residents and groups for its Sixth Annual Social Justice Awards. Awards will be presented in spring to a student, a student group, …

Red Herring is ending their Fall 2014 Wednesday night vegan dinner series this evening with a holiday-themed meal, and the menu looks pretty awesome: Tempeh Sausage and Apple Cornbread Stuffing Marinated, organic tempeh, organic apples, our …

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 9, 2014 Contact:  Ryan Schiele, Communication Director ryan@fosterclub.com, 503-717-1552 Illinois’s Dani Townsend Visits Washington DC and The White House to Spread Foster Care Awareness This week, FosterClub member Dani Townsend visited …

From the press release (photo from Papa Del’s Facebook page):   Papa Del’s Pizza Honored with “Enjoy Illinois: Delicious Destination” Award   Illinois Office of Tourism celebrates restaurants that are authentically Illinois, attracting visitors and locals …

The Miami game got a lot of talk about being a “test” for Illinois. While that language wasn’t unnecessary, tonight’s game is the real test of the nonconference schedule: Villanova. Villanova (8-0) is #7 in …

The year is rounding down, and it’s time to start thinking about those local year-end lists for 2014. We’re going to be putting together our list of Top 10 Albums, Best Live Shows, and Best Songs for 2014 …

From the press release:                               PILOT ERROR OPENS DECEMBER 8 AT SAVOY CHAMPAIGN–  Pilot Error, the up to the minute feature film …

Per a press release: The Champaign Public Library now offers access to lynda.com, an online source for video courses and tutorials that teach software, creative, and business skills. Lynda.com offers more than 3,500 courses and …

Illinois’s first road trip of the year ended 2-1 with a trophy from whatever that was in Las Vegas. Not bad, right? Against Indiana State turnovers were a problem and against Baylor rebounding plagued the …

Tonight on SP Radio we will be joined by Erin Lippitz, Executive Director of the Champaign Center Partnership, and Cynthia Chandler, Executive Director of the Urbana Business Association. They’ll have some advice for us about …

From the University of Illinois College of Engineering: Peter Thiel is a Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor, and author of the #1 New York Times bestselling book, Zero to One: Notes on Startups, Or How to …

Tom Kacich is reporting tonight that a local attorney has filed a formal objection to Don Gerard’s petition for Mayor after he apparently failed to file a necessary receipt showing that he correctly filed his …

Champaign County — 40 North | 88 West – Champaign County Arts Council – invites local artists to submit work to be considered for the official signature image of the 2015 Boneyard Arts Festival. All …

On December 14th from 6-8 p.m., Mike ‘N Molly’s is hosting a Harry Potter themed trivia night to support Courage Connection. Hosts Quizmaster Chris and Quizlad Matt are prepping seven rounds of Potter-themed trivia to challenge …

Last night, students took to the streets of campus and campustown protesting the Ferguson Grand Jury’s decision last week not to indict Darren Wilson. Holding signs that said “Black lives matter” and chanting “Hands up! …

This Saturday at 4 p.m., Cafeteria & Co. will host readings by creative writers from the University of Illinois’s MFA program as well as MFA candidates from Indiana University. Check out the event flyer for more …

Molly Bentsen has submitted an entry in the King Arthur Cookie Decorating Contest on behalf of Wesley pantry. All you have to do is vote for her adorable snowman cookie by December 17th here to help …

Following Champaign Urbana Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker this weekend, there will be another (and very different) performance to see. On Monday night, December 8th, at 8 p.m., The Art Theater Co-op will present a …

From a press release: Registration is now open for those who wish to participate in craft talks with emerging authors and chat with literary magazine editors during Lions in Winter, an annual literary festival held …

From the press release: CENTER CITY TROLLEY RIDES SATURDAYS IN DECEMBER The Champaign Center Partnership is excited to partner with the Champaign Park District to bring trolley rides to Center City! Catch the Park District …

Just in case you missed it, Tom Kacich reported today that Courtney Walker of Champaign filed an objection to Petry’s petition. It turns out that Joe Petry wrote the incorrect election date on his petition. …

Per the Facebook event:  It’s that time of year! Norden and Dear Home are excited to set up shop at Colab, 206 W Main St, in Downtown Urbana—just in time for the holidays! Featuring modern and vintage furnishings, decor, and …

Tomorrow will mark the 10th anniversary for Downtown Champaign diner Merry Ann’s, per their announcement on their Facebook page.   Post by Merry-Ann’s Diner Downtown.   Post by Merry-Ann’s Diner Downtown. (Coincidentally, another Downtown Champaign …

Business Insider published an article yesterday, “This School In Rural Illinois Has Produced Some Of The Most Amazing Visionaries In Tech”, which features some incredible University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign graduates. Marc Andressen (Netscape), Max Levchin (PayPal), Steve …

Per CUDO job board: The Champaign Urbana Theatre Company is looking to hire a website designer to create a simple but accessible website to support the company’s year round activities and interests. We are also …

Thrillist has named three local establishments on its list of 17 Best Burgers in Illinois: Ott’s Drive In, 400 North Century Blvd, Rantoul Farren’s Pub & Eatery, 308 North Randolph St, Champaign Black Dog Smoke …

Big Grove Tavern has updated its menu to reflect the changes in the season. Here are some new, fall/winter-themed items: Seared Scallops with butterball potatoes, Swiss chard, green olive tapenade and roasted shallot aioli.   …

Well, the Fighting Illini football team has pretty much done the unthinkable and became bowl eligable on Saturday afternoon, defeating Northwestern 47-25 in Evanston. That means that Tim Beckman will survive the season, and he’ll …

From the press release:  Spurlock Museum special event :30 Join the Spurlock Museum on December 6th at 2 p.m. for Fans and Dance: Cultural Traditions around the World. During this presentation by “fan fancier” Robin Goettel, attendees …

This is my last SPlog before Thanksgiving, a time usually considered a break from the grind and a celebration of family. Or at least it was before retail outlets started opening their doors and lowering …

Per their Facebook event, the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation will be partnering with Community Blood Services of Illinois for a holiday blood drive on December 9th. Check out the details from the event below: …

From the press release: iTV-3 Announces Construction of Gigabit Fiber-Optic Broadband in Urbana-Champaign URBANA, Illinois, November 26, 2014 – The first Urbana-Champaign residents will soon be connected to some of the fastest Internet speeds in the country. Local …

Thanksgiving is near, which means leftovers soon will abound. What to do with them? A few ideas: How about a REAL drinking game? Recreate a home version of “Will it Blend?” and bottoms up! Last …

Here’s a video of a 3D printer being showcased at Champaign’s Best Buy.

Check out what [co][lab] has in store for this Small Business Saturday:

On December 4th from 8-11 a.m., 5th grade students will get a chance to work with Weiskamp Screen Printing to print t-shirts for the 5th Grade Musical. The t-shirt was designed by the school’s art …

Where am I? 

As shoppers hit the stores to fill their holiday wish lists in Champaign County, Busey encourages consumers to shop local on Small Business Saturday, November 29th. In contrast to Black Friday, which drives shoppers to …

From a press release: Filmmakers are invited to submit entries for the 2015 Central Illinois Feminist Film Festival (CIFFF) to be held on the campus of Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill. March 23-25, 2015. …

The Champaign Center Partnership, in collaboration with Q96, is pleased to bring you Phone Calls with Santa on Wednesday, November 26th from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. on 96.1FM. Santa will be live in the …

From a release by the Virginia Theatre: Bill Cosby Appearance Cancelled  The Champaign Park District has announced the cancellation of two appearances by Bill Cosby originally scheduled at the Virginia Theatre for Saturday, April 11, 2015. …

Join us tonight on Smile Politely Radio as we talk to the one and only Chris Davies, SP’s sports writer extraordinaire. We’ll take a stroll down football season’s memory lane and look ahead to what …