Greetings Champaign! Your go-to source for what's happening in town is here. Stay in the loop and read on. ☕️️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: nuEra Champaign Now Serving Medical Patients! and 10 more events.
Today's riddle: What has a cap but no head? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. CU Flower House to open new location Monday (news-gazette.com) — Two well-loved Champaign businesses, CU Flower House and Pekara Bakery, are shifting locations near downtown, changing where many locals shop for flowers, coffee, and pastries. CU Flower House is moving along Neil Street with a mural and artist-in-residence plans, while Pekara prepares to reopen on Walnut Street near Martinelli's, aiming to keep loyal Champaign customers following them downtown.
2. Kathy's #Mailbag, Oct. 2, 2026 (news-gazette.com) — Champaign-area readers get updates on everything from the Unit 4 middle-school bond timeline and Jefferson Middle School renovations to the city's new offices in the former Chase Bank building. The column also explains where to use Watson's gift cards after the downtown closure and explores whether open-water swimming could ever come to Champaign County's River Bend Forest Preserve.
3. Illinois farmers face higher diesel prices this harvest season (dailyillini.com) — Farmers across Champaign County are heading into harvest while paying sharply higher diesel prices, a spike tied to February's closure of the Strait of Hormuz and global oil disruptions. Local ag experts warn the added fuel costs are squeezing farm profits, may delay crop sales, and could eventually push grocery prices higher for Illinois families.
4. Woman reported missing in Urbana (newschannel20.com) — Authorities are asking Champaign County residents to help find 26-year-old Dynasty Brandon, last seen in Urbana on Sept. 9 and known to frequent the Philo Road area near Salt and Light Ministry. The Sheriff's Office urges anyone who's seen her or knows her whereabouts to call their office, METCAD 911's non-emergency line, or 911 for immediate sightings.
5. David Mirkovic injury update from Illinois head coach Brad Underwood (thetelegraph.com) — Illinois basketball forward David Mirkovic is slowly working back from summer foot surgery, with coaches limiting him to short, light individual workouts for now. Head coach Brad Underwood says there's no rush to return, as the Illini prepare for a long season that opens with a home game in Champaign against Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 2.
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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: "What has a cap but no head?" — A bottle (Thank you Glo M. for sending it in!)
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