Community Corner

🌱 How upcoming library closures and new hours will affect your visits

And check out Open interviews on the Urbana Patch calendar

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Thursday December 18th Patch AM
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Hey there, Urbana! Let's get started with what's happening in and around town. Read on and stay in the loop. ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • How upcoming library closures and new hours will affect your visits
  • How barbershops could help boost reading for Urbana kids
  • How two I-74 crashes affected drivers near Urbana Wednesday afternoon

Today's riddle: My brother swallowed a box of firecrackers. - Is he all right now? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Find out what's happening in Urbanafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Weather forecast:

  • Thursday: Windy with periods of rain, with a high of 52 and low of 15 degrees. ⛄️ Brr!
  • Friday: Breezy and much colder, temps: high: 28, low: 25.
  • Saturday: Partly sunny and breezy, with a high of 46 and low of 22 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Urbana Free Library announces temporary closure, new hours (wcia.com) — Urbana Free Library will close next Monday and Tuesday as it finishes first-floor renovations, then reopen with new hours starting Jan. 2. Patrons can look forward to a refreshed welcome area, updated children’s play space, and an open house on Jan. 24 featuring tours, crafts, and light refreshments.
   

Find out what's happening in Urbanafor free with the latest updates from Patch.

2. New literacy program in Champaign County being promoted through area barbershops (wandtv.com) — A new United Way literacy effort, Books with Barbers, is bringing free, culturally relevant books into Champaign County barbershops to encourage kids to read in trusted spaces. The program highlights especially low reading proficiency rates for Black students, including just 1.7% meeting standards in Urbana School District 116, and aims to get more books directly into local children’s hands.
   

3. One hospitalized, lane briefly closed on I-74 in Champaign after crash (wcia.com) — Drivers heading through our area on I-74 should know that a two-vehicle crash near Prospect Avenue in Champaign sent one person to the hospital Wednesday afternoon, briefly closing a lane. About ten minutes earlier, troopers also handled a separate slide-off on the Cunningham Avenue exit ramp in Urbana, where no one was hurt and traffic kept moving.
   

4. Illinois Study Shows Public Seed Banks Can Fast-Track Corn Quality Research (newswise.com) — Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Urbana are using public seed banks and advanced data tools to speed up breeding of higher-quality, more resilient corn. By analyzing nearly 1,000 maize lines with limited seed quantities, they successfully identified both known and new genetic regions tied to kernel composition. Their approach could make future crop improvement faster and more efficient worldwide.
   

5. Woman sentenced 11 years for role in Ford Co. drug distribution ring (wcia.com) — An alleged member of a regional meth ring with listed addresses in both Loda and Urbana is awaiting a January jury trial, while another defendant has just received an 11‑year prison sentence. Ford County authorities say the joint investigation across several small towns underscores how meth trafficking affects communities throughout central Illinois.
   

📸 Around Urbana

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Urbana

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

    Monday December 22
  • Open interviews
    Champaign County Chamber of Commerce , 303 W Kirby Ave , Champaign
    9:00 am

📣 Urbana Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Recently had my truck towed to the shop.
    Called Reynolds towing, $289 to go 2-3 miles. Was told if I called and talked to a different dispatcher, price could go up or down. Hell of a way to… (Nextdoor Middle Urbana)
  • Today's Reflection
    https://spiritual-reflections.info/to-believe-a-lie/ #DailyReflection #WalkWithChrist #FaithJourney #ScriptureStudy #GodIsFaithful (Nextdoor Stone Creek)
  • United Natural Foods, Inc. posted a job opening for Warehouse Maintenance Associate (Day Shift) in Urbana. Apply here.
  • Merry Maids posted a job opening for Daytime Housekeeping in Urbana. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Urbana here.

Ok Urbana! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I don’t know. I haven’t heard the last report.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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