🌱 Patch AM: How to lock in your time for October’s electronics drop-off

Hi Champaign! We have the latest buzz right here. Let's keep you in the loop and get this morning started right! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

• How to lock in your time for October's electronics drop-off
• Have you seen this missing Champaign child and his mother?
• Will Illinois really crush UAB by nearly four touchdowns Thursday?

Also on today's calendar: Bluey's Big Play and 5 more events.

Today's riddle: What is the 1 way to guarantee winning a small fortune at the casino? 🤔 (Answer below!)

From our Partner
Today's Champaign Patch AM is brought to you in part by T-Mobile. After investing billions to light up their network from big cities to small towns, T-Mobile is America's Best Mobile Network in the US according to Ookla Speedtest®. Based on analysis by Ookla® of Speedtest Intelligence® data 1H 2026. We thank T-Mobile for their support in helping to keep communities like ours connected and for making today's Champaign Patch AM possible.
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Weather forecast:

• Tuesday: Sunny and toasty conditions, with a high of 95 and low of 69 degrees. 🌶 Hot!
• Wednesday: Blazing sunshine and very hot, temps: high: 96, low: 68.
• Thursday: Mostly sunny and hot, with a high of 94 and low of 68 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Registration Opens September 1st for October Champaign County Residential Electronics Collection (champaignil.gov) — Champaign-area residents can now register for the October 10 Champaign County Residential Electronics Collection at Parkland College, with required 15-minute time slots filling on a first-come basis. The City of Champaign and partners are co-sponsoring the event, which accepts a limited number of TVs and other electronics and requires using the Duncan Road entrance for drop-off.
   

2. Champaign Police seeking information on missing kid, mom (wcia.com) — Champaign Police are asking local residents to help locate 8-year-old Nazir Williams and his mother, Tanosha Williams, who were last seen together late Monday morning and are considered missing and endangered due to a reported behavioral health crisis. Officers released detailed physical descriptions and are urging anyone with information to call 217-351-4545 immediately.
   

3. Rare book library showcases Ian Fleming and James Bond archive (jg-tc.com) — Illinois kicks off its football season at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign this Thursday night, hosting UAB in a matchup oddsmakers expect the Illini to dominate. A new transfer quarterback leads Illinois, and the article predicts a lopsided home win and low-scoring game, offering point-spread and total recommendations for local fans who bet.
   

4. Champaign business owner, Mahomet resident charged with tax, wire fraud (wcia.com) — A Mahomet man who owns a Champaign-based financial firm is facing multiple federal counts for allegedly failing to remit more than $800,000 in employment taxes and misusing over $1.7 million in pandemic-era loans. The case, tied to YG Financial Group and a previous Hyatt hotel investment in Downtown Champaign, is headed toward a jury trial in late October.
   

5. Champaign County Weighs Data Center Concerns (foxillinois.com) — Champaign County is debating how strictly to regulate large data centers, with a task force drafting rules on water use, noise, farmland loss, and Mahomet Aquifer protections before the current moratorium expires in April. Residents, including those in and around Champaign, are pressing concerns from energy prices to wildlife impacts as the ordinance moves toward County Board consideration.
   

📸 Around Champaign

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Champaign

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Tuesday September 1
• Bluey's Big Play →
  State Farm Center, 1800 S 1st St, Champaign
  6:30 pm

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

Wednesday September 2
• Women Elevating Women Resource Group
  Champaign County Chamber of Commerce Large Conference Room, 303 W. Kirby Ave. Champaign, Il. 61820
  8:30 am
• Girls Tennis @ Mattoon
  Central High School Champaign, IL 61820
  4:00 pm
• Girls Golf @ Charleston
  Central High School Champaign, IL 61820
  4:00 pm
• Musical AUDITIONS
  Centennial High School Auditorium
  4:00 pm
• Knights BB-MS Boys - VS Mahomet -Seymour Junior High (Game) →
  Franklin Middle School HOME - Spalding Park Champaign IL
  4:30 pm
• Girls Swim and Dive Tri-Meet
  Central High School Champaign, IL 61820
  4:30 pm
• Bluey's Big Play →
  State Farm Center, 1800 S 1st St, Champaign
  4:30 pm

📣 Champaign 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

Tuesday September 1
• PICTURE DAY
  Kenwood Elem School Champaign, IL 61821
  8:00 am
• Musical Workshops
  Centennial High School Auditorium
  4:00 pm
• Girls Tennis vs. Bloomington
  Central High School Champaign, IL 61820
  4:00 pm
• XC @ Schlarman
  Jefferson Middle School Champaign, IL 61821
  4:15 pm

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

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• After contacting 3 other gutter companies, Mek's Construction is the only company that followed up with us.
  They repaired our gutter that required at 35 foot ladder to access a very tight spot on our roof. They engineered the repair expertly and… (Nextdoor Trails at Brittany)
• Looking for a reliable, flexible person to help with miscellaneous household tasks and projects on an as-needed basis, likely a handful of hours per month.
  There is no fixed schedule; help would be arranged as needs come up. Tasks may include: * General household organization and upkeep * Light… (Nextdoor Morrissey Park)

• Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. posted a job opening for Retail Associates in Champaign. Apply here.
• Pepsi Cola Champaign-Urbana Bottling Co. posted a job opening for Warehouse Opener in Champaign. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Champaign here.

Ok Champaign! 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: By starting with a large fortune. (Thank you Kourtney Z. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

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