GOP taps Davis, other May 21 local headlines

Posted in SPLOG to Word by Joel Gillespie on Monday, May 21, 2012 at 6:00 am

If being Miss America can’t get you on a congressional ballot, what hope is there for democracy?

·         “Republican Party Leaders Name Davis as GOP Nominee” (WCIA)

·         “GOP county chairs pick Davis for 13th District” (N-G)

·         “Rodney Davis Chosen as GOP 13th District Nominee” (WILL)

·         “Rodney Davis Chosen as Republican Nominee” (WICD)

·         “Democrat Gill Reacts to Davis 13th District Nomination” (WILL)

Ooh, check out the progression here:

·         “Police Search for Victims of Attempted Child Abduction” (WAND)

·         “Police looking for children man may have contacted” (N-G)

·         “Man Arrested In Attempted Abduction” (WCIA)

And other news:

·         “UPDATED: Man fatally shot at Champaign apartment complex” (N-G)

·         “City to take another look at food trucks” (N-G)

·         “Student Sustainable Farm teams with architecture class to improve logistics” (DI)

·         “Getting Personal: Mike Sola” (N-G)

·         “Champaign to pick up mail processing; timing uncertain” (N-G)

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Cyclist in critical condition, Johnson taps Harold, other 5/19 headlines

Posted in SPLOG to Word by Joel Gillespie on Saturday, May 19, 2012 at 6:00 am

A cyclist is in critical condition after being hit by a car on Coler Thursday, and the driver was charged with aggravated DUI:

• “Bond at $500,000 in Urbana car-bicycle crash” (N-G)

• “Driver Charged After Hitting Biker” (WICD)

Submitted without comment:

• “Johnson Supports Former Miss America as Replacement” (WCIA)

• “Johnson calls Erika Harold 'terrific choice'” (N-G)

• “13th Congressional Candidates Face Off in Forum” (WILL)

Help C-U At Home if you can:

• “Homeless agency sets fundraiser for 'desperate' need” (N-G)

And this is just a small sampling of the stories regarding the tragic shooting of Mekhi Woods:

• “17-Year Old Also Arrested in Shooting of Toddler” (WCIA)

• “Police Chief Says Shooting Death of Toddler Points Out Rules For Gun Safety” (WILL)

• “Vigil held for toddler” (N-G)

Water quality and nuclear waste:

• “Experts Weigh in on Landfill Plan at Town Hall Meeting” (WILL)

And a couple of odds-and-ends:

• “Mahomet Man’s Racing Team Seeks Indy 500 Slot” (WILL)

• “Local Businesses Attract Customers Using Pinterest” (WAND)

• "UI Police Training Institute could face June 30 closing” (N-G)

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More BEST at Mike ‘N Molly’s with Champaign Mayor Don Gerard

Posted in SPLOG to Word by John Steinbacher on Friday, May 18, 2012 at 4:20 pm

If you thoroughly enjoyed (or just loved to hate) all of our choices for BEST week, have no fear because we're not done yet. In two weeks, you will have the chance to see many SP Editors defend their choices in person. That's because on Friday, June 1 we will debut Happy Hour in the Garden: Smile Politely Radio Live with a focus on the BEST of C-U. This is the first of what we hope will be regular monthly live shows in Mike 'N Molly's Beer Garden.

And we won't be alone. For the first live show, we are very excited that Champaign Mayor Don Gerard has agreed to join us to discuss SP's Best 2012 series and talk about some of his favorite spots to eat, drink, and be merry around C-U. Plus, anyone who shows up will have the chance to talk about their own favorites.

There will be some prize giveaways and possible guest appearances. So come have a beer, enjoy the sun and berate an SP Editor. Of course, if you can't make it in person, you can listen live on WEFT - 90.1 FM at 5:30 p.m.


 

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David Gans performing at WEFT Benefit at Iron Post on May 25

Posted in SPLOG to Word by John Steinbacher on Friday, May 18, 2012 at 11:59 am

From WEFT press release: Fans of WEFT, Americana, and The Grateful Dead will be in for a special evening hosted by WEFT 90.1FM Friday, May 25th at 8 PM, at The Iron Post. The benefit concert for WEFT features Grateful Dead Hour producer, songwriter, music journalist, and author, David Gans. He will perform alongside the increasingly popular Champaign-Urbana Americana group (folk, swing, jazz and blues), The Curses with Benjamin Spoden (vocals, slide guitar), Chris Strand (vocals, upright bass), David Garcia (drums, percussion), David Tcheng (vocals, sax, flute, trumpet, melodica, double bell euphonium), and Claire Canon, vocals and violin.  

Based in Oakland, CA., Mr. Gans is on tour and will stop off for the WEFT benefit at The Iron Post in Urbana, before heading out the next morning to Chillicothe, IL. for a 12-1 PM Saturday, May 26th performance at the Summer Camp Festival.

Tuesday, May  22, listeners can tune in for an interview with David Gans and his music on  WEFT's "From The Joshua Tree Inn" program, with guest host David Witzany. The station broadcasts Mr. Gans' nationally syndicated program, The Grateful Dead Hour, Saturdays, 8-9 PM.

• YouTube Videos of David Gans
• Discography of David Gans
• Books by David Gans
• Other Writings by David Gans
• Photography of David Gans
• Music and Videos of The Curses
• The Curses on facebook

David Gans started out as a musician in 1970, playing guitar, writing songs and performing both as a soloist and as a member of various bands around the San Fracncisco Bay Area.  He became a music journalist, working for BAM, a free San Francisco-based magazine, worked for Rolling Stones founder and publisher, Jann Wenner’s Record, a music magazine, from its beginning to its end, and was music editor of Mix Magazine for a while. As he says, “Writing for music magazines gave me access to musicians and producers and record company publicists. I got a million-dollar education from interviewing Leo Fender, Randy Newman, Fleetwood Mac, Steve Goodman, T Bone Burnett, Warren Zevon, Ted Templeman, and people like that. I spent time in recording studios, learned how the music business operates, rode in limos with the Doobie Brothers, got lots of records for free, and got paid for all of it.”

Magazine work gave way to book work.  In 1985, his first book, Playing in the Band: an Oral and Visual Portrait of the Grateful Dead (co-authored with Peter Simon) about his long-time favorites, the Grateful Dead was published to critical acclaim. While he was working on his second book, Talking Heads: The Band and Their Music, he merged his talents and interests with the emergence of his first “Grateful Dead Radio Hour” on a local station, and found that he enjoyed the work. The program was syndicated on dozens of stations across the United States. Today he hosts the nationally syndicated radio show, “The Grateful Dead Hour“; “Tales from the Golden Road” on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio with co-host Gary Lambert, editor of “The Grateful Dead Almanac”; and the local weekly show, “Dead To The World,” on Berkeley’s KPFA.  WEFT broadcasts The Grateful Dead Hour Saturday evenings at 8PM.

In the mid-1990's, he resumed performing and writing songs. With the radio show paying his living, he the put out a duet album with Eric Rawlins, and released a topical single in 1997, “Monica Lewinsky,” that got a lot of airplay and publicity. All this enabled him to expand his touring base  After more than twenty years of performing in the San Francisco Bay Area as a solo singer-songwriter and with various bands, Gans began touring nationally, which he continues to do today, including many festivals across the country. He has performed onstage with members of the Grateful Dead, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, Donna the Buffalo, Peter Rowan, Ollabelle, The Waybacks, Blueground Undergrass, Dark Star Orchestra, Keller Williams, moe., Hot Buttered Rum, the Rowan Brothers, and Henry Kaiser.

(Above taken from WEFT press release)
 

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Today on SP Radio: C-U Flea Begins

Posted in SPLOG to Audio by John Steinbacher on Friday, May 18, 2012 at 7:55 am

On today's episode of Smile Politely Radio, we'll be talking to the organizers of next Saturday's C-U Flea. Taking place at the old location for Parasol Mail Order, the C-U Flea is a brand new bi-monthly community flea market that will feature clothes, original artwork, collectibles, houseware, etc. Plus, there will be food, DJ's and bands. We'll discuss how this all got started and what to look for in a good flea market.

Listen to SP Radio live each Friday on WEFT 90.1 FM, or check back here for the podcast every Tuesday.

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Water pollution outrage and other local headlines for 5/18

Posted in SPLOG to Word by Joel Gillespie on Friday, May 18, 2012 at 6:00 am

• “Residents Furious About Water Supply Pollution” (WAND)

• “Brewery to Open Next Door” (WCIA)

• “Vigil for Fatally Shot Urbana Boy” (WICD)

• “City Leaders To Take Closer Look At Food Truck Rules” (WCIA)

• “THQ touts Volition's 'Saints Row'” (N-G)

• “METCAD to raise fees to governments” (N-G)

• “Police Crack Down On Underage Drinking Near U of I Campus” (WAND)

• “Cyclists Remind Drivers To Share The Road” (WAND)

• “Champaign Schools To Host Free Lunch Program This Summer” (WAND)

• “Mail Distribution Center Consolidated to Champaign, Peoria” (WILL)

• “Urbana Parks Vandalized” (WICD)

• “BREAKING NEWS: Car Hits Biker” (WICD)

• “Longtime Local Judge Honors Fallen Officers” (WILL)

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Jensen Beach releases his first book this Saturday at Quality

Posted in SPLOG to Word by Caleb Curtiss on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 7:58 pm

Jensen Beach's Book Release | Quality | 7 p.m. | FREE

Local author, Stories & Beer collaborator, total badass Jensen Beach just got a shitload of books with his name on them in the mail and he'd like to celebrate this fact with you at Quality on Saturday night alongside three of his bestest friends: Ted Sanders, Chad Simpson, and Eugene Cross.

Each of these guys are COMPLETE MOTHER FUCKING BADASSES who are each making significant marks as emerging fiction writers. It won't be long until you start hearing their names in polite circles, so unless you have some really good goddamn excuse, get your shit together and come on out to Quality. Oh, and don't forget to buy a book, either.

 

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Savoy approves Triptych’s permit

Posted in SPLOG to Link by Jeremiah Stanley on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 7:42 pm

Last night, The Village of Savoy Board of Trustees voted 5-1 in favor of approving Triptych Brewing's special use permit. This comes after much speculation and concern from local business owner(s) and neighborhood residents about noise, saftey, and other issues.

http://www.wdws.com/audio/2012-05-17/savoy-approves-microbrewery.html

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Illinois Safe Schools Alliance created a beautiful video

Posted in SPLOG to Video by Tracy Nectoux on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 10:24 am

And one of our own — a member of eCISSA — participated. Listening to these kids use so few words to say so much about their day-to-day experiences is enormously meaningful.

This video was inspired by one that most of us have probably seen, made for the David Cornfield Melanoma Fund.

For more information about Illinois Safe Schools Alliance

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Local news headlines for Thursday, May 17

Posted in SPLOG to Word by Joel Gillespie on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 6:00 am

Not the finest day for local news, but hey, we don't choose these things.

The man who allegedly slashed the throat of a U of I law professor in the Illinois Terminal has been ruled mentally competent to be tried for the crime:

·         “Man fit to stand trial for attempted murder” (N-G)

Your daily update on Tim Johnson’s house seat, and the Republicans who want it:

·         “Habeeb: Wassink doesn't have necessary support” (N-G)

·         “Johnson sets 2 town-hall meetings” (N-G)

Nuclear waste, and where to stash it:

·         “Forum to cover Clinton landfill permit request” (N-G)

A three-year old was accidentally shot by his 14-year-old uncle in Urbana. Horrible:

• Three-year-old boy dies from apparent accidental shooting  (N-G)

And some other stuff:

·         “Hot rods coming to Champaign” (N-G)

·         “Police memorial events scheduled Thursday” (N-G)

·         “Ride of Silence is scheduled” (N-G)

·         “Touch a Truck 2012” (WCIA)

·         “Woman Falls for Rental Scam” (WCIA)

·         “Crime Expected To Increase During Summer” (WAND)

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