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Urbana Sweetcorn Festival To Emphasize Local Bands, Vendors

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on July 31, 2017 - 9:11am
Date: 
August 26, 2017 - 11:00pm

sweetcorn logoThe Urbana Sweetcorn Festival is going back to its local roots.

Paris Baldarotta says she’s been thinking about ways to make the event more local for years, even before she was hired as executive director by Urbana Business Association in October 2015. The UBA organizes the festival.

“It occurred to me before I ever started at UBA,” she said. “When I attended, I wondered ‘Where are the local businesses and vendors?’ There were a lot of carnival vendors.”

This year, the local emphasis is front and center for the Aug. 25-26 festival. 

Instead of tired headline bands that had a hit song or two in the 1980s, the Sweetcorn Festival this year will feature popular local bands as headliners, including the Boat Drunks from 9:30 to 11 p.m. on Friday night (Aug. 25) and Candy Foster and the Shades of Blue from 10:15 to 11:15 p.m. on Saturday night (Aug. 26).

Local Officials Urge the Public to Take Extra Precautions to Stay Safe in the Heat

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on July 21, 2017 - 1:28pm

Champaign-Urbana Public Health District and Champaign County Emergency Management Agency Urge the Public to Take Extra Precautions to Stay Safe in the Heat

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District (CUPHD) and the Champaign County Emergency Management Agency (CCEMA) urge everyone to watch for the symptoms of heat-related illness, and to take precautions to keep their families and communities safe.

Heat-related illness can take many forms ranging from a mild case of heat exhaustion to a more serious and life-threatening case of heat stroke. Heat-related illnesses occur when the body becomes unable to control its temperature. The body’s temperature rises rapidly and the body looses its ability to perspire and cool down. Rising to temperatures of 106 degrees or higher within 10 to 15 minutes can result in death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not provided.

Phone Service Restored at Urbana City Building; Other Outages Remain As AT&T Works To Restore Service

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on July 14, 2017 - 3:47pm
Date: 
July 17, 2017 - 8:00pm to July 21, 2017 - 5:00pm

Phone CablesTelephone service to the Urbana City Building was fully restored about 9:45 a.m. today (July 18), as AT&T crews worked around the clock to splice together thousands of copper lines that were accidentally severed Friday afternoon by a city contractor.

The accident has left a significant number of land-line customers in Urbana without service and full restoration of service might take as long as Friday. AT&T has had crews of eight working on splicing together the copper lines, working 24 hours a day, since this weekend.

Five cables, each containing 2,400 pairs of lines, were damaged in the accident, two of them completely severed.

The incident occurred early Friday afternoon, when a city contractor was installing a new street light and damaged a large AT&T phone duct that had multiple cables in it, according to John Collins, Public Works operation manager.

City Hires New Public Arts Coordinator

Submitted by Visitor (not verified) on June 28, 2017 - 4:47pm

Rachel StormThe City of Urbana will soon add a new team member to the Community Development Department.

Rachel Storm will begin work as the City’s Public Arts Coordinator on August 7th. For the past eight years Rachel has worked at the Women’s Resources Center in the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, currently serving as Assistant Director. Rachel has also managed her own local arts programs for the last six years including Outta the Mouths of Babes and Girl Radio, Inc.!.

Rachel holds a Master’s degree in Educational Policy, Organization, and Leadership from UIUC and is currently working to complete her Ph.D. in the same field.

In her new role, Rachel will oversee the marketing and administration of Urbana’s public arts programming, collaborate with the Public Arts Commission, and work to recognize Urbana as a city where artists thrive and are valued.

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