SPlog

August 26 through December 30, 2010 SPECIAL EVENT TODAY5:00–7:00 p.m.: Public Opening Reception Curated by Hank Kaczmarski, Director of the Beckman Institute’s Integrated Systems Laboratory, this exhibition explores the history of imaging the universe, and …

Mixtured is a new website featuring mixes curated by SP contributor Doug Hoepker, who chooses participants to “riff” on a particular theme. In the first edition, the topic is power pop and several local people―including …

Time: Saturday, Aug. 28, 1:00–3:00 p.m.Location: Jane Addams Book Shop Jane Addams is very excited to be hosting J.C. Hallman and his new book In Utopia: Six Kinds of Eden and the Search for a …

From WICD’s crack production staff: The students at Kenwood Elementary School earn the right to read to the dog.  Whatever it takes to make AYP, people.  Whatever it takes.

From the wire: Frazier Joins Illini Staff CHAMPAIGN, ILL.-University of Illinois head coach Bruce Weber announced Tuesday that former Fighting Illini standout Chester Frazier has joined the UI staff. Frazier, an Illini point guard from …

Little Blue Stem Natural Play Group is a new initiative in Waldorf-inspired childcare. Mornings are filled with bread baking, circle time, natural crafts, puppetry, outdoor play and seasonal celebrations. In a cozy Urbana home filled …

WPGU have recently given the axe to long-running local music show Inner Limits, which had aired on Sunday nights. Local music coverage will apparently be accomplished via more locals getting slots in the regular station …

Unit 4 refuses to release an employee complaint filed against Superintendent Culver. There seems to be something rotten in the state of Denmark.

Uh oh, the secret’s out. Our local raison d’être “hanging out joblessly in Champaign, Ill., deciding whether to finish that Ph.D. or not” has been leaked to the mainstream media.

Today marks Day 2 of the Mahomet-Seymour Education Association strike. Neil Parthun wrote a story for the U-C IMC that posted last night. An excerpt: The first day of school for Mahomet Seymour students did …

…as part of the Campus Consciousness Tour. Check the ticketing info here.

As an update to Rob’s query from a couple of weeks ago, here’s an excerpt from an ACLU press release, issued today: Responding to a series of incidents in which individuals in four counties in …

Directed by Chicago-based Fly Kite Media and replete with strobes and psychedelic video effects, here it is: Blink, Jay Moses & The Boy Illinois “Light Show” from FLY KITE on Vimeo.

Doug Quick posted a clip featuring Channel 3’s Precambrian weathercaster “Mr. Roberts.” Everything is now, officially, on youTube.    

Now we have as many Merry Anne’s Diners than we do Starbucks.  Located in the old Blue’s Barbeque building at 103 West Oregon Street (just across the street from Krannert), the newest member of the …

Worth a look for sure…

Power is expected to return around 1 am, Monday, August 16. According to Ameren Illinois outage map, over 1,300 customers are without power tonight:  Aug 15 07:50 PM Total Outages: 1383 # of Customers ZIP …

Check out their Facebook page.

Smile Politely and The Dirty Feathers want you (and a friend) to attend the Dirty Feathers/Santah show Friday for free! We are giving away two tickets to the concert — which will be followed by …

Continuing the forced relocation of all Smile Politely staffers to the D.C. labor camp, Webmaster extraordinaire Josh King will be moving soon. Josh has done a tremendous job in the year-plus that he’s been on …

This Time story makes me wonder if we shouldn’t demand right now that both city councils declare the legality, propriety and perhaps even the advisability of videographing every and any encounter we have with law enforcement. …

Libertarian/conservative Watseka native Vaughn Walker, Chief Judge of the Northern District of California, yesterday declared California’s Prop 8 unconstitutional. Walker was appointed to the bench by George H. W. Bush in 1989 and is gay. …

Date: August 7thTime: 1:00–3:00 p.m.Location: Jane Addams Book Shop On Saturday, August 7th Jane Addams welcomes Brian H. Porter and his book Harvey’s Life—Now What? Out of work, and running out of hope, Porter wrote …

Bummer. That was our primary grocery store. From the N-G: CHAMPAIGN – The Jerry’s IGA grocery chain will close one of its last two stores in Champaign-Urbana and sell the other, along with its store …

Champaign-Urbana, July 30, 2010 — Multi-instrumentalist and composer Jacob Barton is happy to present his first full-length concert featuring the “udderbot”, a unique slide woodwind instrument invented in 2005. A joint project of OddMusic-UC and …

Time: Saturday, July 31, 8:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.Location: 511 W. Columbia Ave.Champaign, IL Multi-family moving sale this Saturday only! Toys and kids’ bikes, brand new HP printer (in box), furniture, vinyl records, dishes and kitchen appliances, …

Illinois grad, adjunct professor and all-around cool guy James Holderman—Chief Judge of the Federal District in Chicago—was removed from a case this week. The problem? He told Patrick Fitzgerald’s assistant U.S. Attorneys that they are …

Interested in being a part of CU’s burlesque troupe? On-stage and behind-the-scenes positions are now open for audition! Link

No word on what a “Triple Withnail” is, but check the details here. Can’t go wrong with the Brass Rail.

The University has rehired Dr. Kenneth Howell (anti-gay rhetoric spewing Catholicism teacher). http://www.news-gazette.com/news/religion/2010-07-29/ui-rehires-catholicism-prof-ends-funding-newman-center.html

We’re just $60 short of the goal with one day to go on our first attempt at crowd-funding investigative journalism. Click here to go to the pitch page on Spot.us. You can donate money, or …

From the News Gazette’s blog. Whoduve thunk?

We’ve received terrible news that Daniel Schreiber of Flatlander Chocolate has passed away suddenly late last night a few miles north of Urbana. UPDATE as of 6:38 pm: According to a friend of Dan’s on …

Local mainstay Angie Heaton has quietly released a new EP called Time Takes Time. It seems to have flown a little under the radar, but you can (SHOULD!) listen and/or pick it up right now …

…by which I mean, once, because of a city funded streetfest, and on a day that nobody had to pay. From the city’s website: On Saturday, July 10, during the Champaign Music Festival and celebration …

Date: Saturday, July 24, 2010Time: 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.Location: Jane Addams Book Shop Jane Addams is excited to host Helen Stewart Rademacher on July 24th, where she will be doing a reading and signing of her …

In case you missed it, a whole bunch of great shows have been announced in the past few days 8/7 – The Constellations, Santah at Highdive 8/10 – Elsinore CD release instore at Parasol Records …

house show as mentioned in comments of the overture. god bless us old boys. god save us. god help us. it all moves so slow, at the pace of a glacier.

From the SID: CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Single-game tickets for the 2010 Illinois football season go on sale this Thursday, July 22, at 9 a.m. CDT through the University of Illinois Athletic Ticket Office. Make sure …

From the News Gazette: Arrest made in fatal shooting at Tolono store Very sad. Condolences to the family.

Exciting news for lovers of summertime fun. Here’s the email from Rianna at 88.7 The Wave: I was just sending you guys an email to let you know about our event this Saturday! It’s going …

Aided by the most recent in video effect technology and one of the hippest soundtracks this side of Philo, the Newstalk 1400 crew is promoting its newly formatted morning news show with the help of …

It’s been many many months since The Fantastic Plastics have released anything new and this one is a HUMDINGER! The song is “Overtime!” and it’s for all of you paper pushing slaves working in your …

Date: July 17, 2010Time: 1:00–3:00 p.m.Location: Jane Addams Book Shop Jane Addams is excited to host Katherine “Kit” Inman and her book Rose Haven Farm. This is a book filled with local interest. Please join …

…the Planet Money blog thinks we might be in a “Cupcake Bubble”: “If I were playing the dessert market, I’d have shorted cupcakes and gone long brownies the minute “Sex and the City” went off …

Here’s a new set of artists confirmed for the C-U Folk and Roots Festival (according to the festival’s Facebook page): Hot Club of Cowtown, Candy Foster & Shades of Blue, Henhouse Prowlers, AKGI Guitar Duo, …

In the afternoon of Tuesday, July 6 2010, our dear Ashley passed on. She was in no pain, and her family and friends were with her. She was so brave and fought very hard for …