Oct 5, 2016 · Chris sits down with James Kilgore, locally-based author and scholar, about mass incarceration, especially in Champaign County. Opinion

Smile Politely is Champaign-Urbana’s culture magazine. Established in 2007 as a community contributor-driven publication, Smile Politely has evolved to include a full editorial staff and an Editorial Board, publishing more than 40,000 articles in …

Oct 9, 2024 · Early voting officially began on September 26th, which is also the day that vote by mail ballots were sent out. It’s no secret that we at Smile Politely share progressive liberal values and in this two-party system tend to vote for Democratic candidates, so we’re not going to focus much on the presidential and other contested races on the ballot. To learn more about the candidates on your ...

Nov 27, 2024 · Hello Smile Politely readers, this is your once-upon-a-time Culture Editor tapping back in to bring you our annual guide to offer some holiday shopping inspiration. Everything feels awful and overwhelming right now, and maybe your ...

Jan 17, 2025 · After the insanely cold weather earlier in the week, these 20 degree days feel like a heat wave and had me thirsty for something cold. This Thursday, go for the cold fudge snowstorm at Jarling’s Custard Cup. Yesterday afternoon, I ordered a chocolate snowstorm with cold fudge mix-in ($7.05), and it tasted totally delicious. This drink was a double dose of chocolate with gobs of cold fudge ...

Dec 4, 2024 · We can count on Urbana’s Market at the Square, maybe another series of night markets, the Champaign-Urbana indoor farmers market, and arts programming from the Urbana Arts & Culture Program to continue to add to the rich tapestry of social and cultural life in Urbana. What do you want to see in Urbana next year? Unit 4 and Unit 116 getting it together The dramas are farcical, and only hurt ...

Nov 4, 2024 · To me, November feels like real fall. October was just playing around, but now that it’s November, it’s definitely autumn. Fall leaves are falling, and it’s cooler already — I need to find my gloves. ...

Dec 11, 2024 · Carl Busch WORST three-peat: Sweet Basil Café’s failed health inspections October 24, 2024: “Three mortar mixers, one of which had flaking paint and was soiled with food residue, were used with power drills to mix up batter and beat eggs, not approved. The mixers were condemned and marked with stickers, and the PIC was directed to purchase an immersion blender.Orange Home Depot 5-gallon ...

3 days ago · We refer to ourselves as Champaign-Urbana’s culture magazine, and our Culture section occupies a specific space within that. It attempts to capture the essence of this community that we call home. We write about the people, places, and events that make Champaign-Urbana a pretty awesome place to ...

Dec 12, 2024 · It’s that time again, when we reflect upon the last year. It’s sometimes hard to remember what happened in May or June, never mind January and February. But it’s important that we make a point of considering the things that brought us joy, or a chuckle, or excitement and delight. Here, in this BEST column, you’ll find a collection of some of the things Smile Politely editors enjoyed ...