Good morning Champaign! We're back again in your inbox, keeping you updated with what's happening in and around town. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
Also on today's calendar: Happy Hour - Drink Specials & Catnip! and 9 more events.
Today's riddle: How do billboards talk? 🤔 (Answer below!)
1. How 3D technology brings crime scenes to life (newschannel20.com) — Champaign residents should know the City Council has approved more than $76,000 in federal funds so police can upgrade 3D crime-scene scanning and add portable fingerprint tools, aiming to strengthen investigations and courtroom evidence. Officials say the technology, already used in a 2025 shooting case, helps jurors visualize scenes more clearly while allowing officers to process crime scenes faster and return to patrol sooner.
2. Champaign Apprenticeship Readiness Program Celebration (champaignil.gov) — Champaign residents now have expanded support to enter building trades, with scholarships, stipends, and barrier-reduction funds helping low-income adults overcome transportation and housing challenges while training. City leaders packed a standing-room-only graduation where 13 participants, including nine Blueprint-sponsored students, celebrated completing the pre-apprenticeship readiness program aimed at improving economic opportunity and reducing gun violence.
3. Blueprint Partners Gather for Quarterly Collaborative Meeting (champaignil.gov) — Champaign's Community Safety and Justice Division recently brought Blueprint partners together for a five-hour strategy session on reducing gun violence and better serving local residents. Attendees shared program updates, coordinated upcoming events, and reviewed funding guidelines so groups can collaborate more effectively on safety initiatives that directly impact neighborhoods across the city.
4. Shay Tolliver, Current Conduct make waves in CU music scene (dailyillini.com) — A Champaign-Urbana hip-hop band, Current Conduct, is helping reshape the local music scene, with senior Shay Tolliver emerging from bedroom songwriting to packed DIY shows in Champaign. Bandmates and producers praise her talent and stage presence as she pushes for more Black representation in CU's house-show circuit and prepares a new EP, aiming to bring hip-hop further into local spaces.
5. Podcast: Enhancing Customer Service in Development Services with Jeff Marino, Champaign, IL (elgl.org) — Champaign residents curious about building permits and development reviews can hear Planning Manager Jeff Marino explain how the city has revamped customer service, coordinated reviews, and adopted new software. Recorded at a statewide planning conference, the podcast highlights an award-winning audit that's reshaping how local projects move through City Hall and what applicants can expect going forward.
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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: "How do billboards talk?" — Sign language (Thank you Ellen S. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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