In April 2020, a handful of weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, we published an article thinking about what life could be like after the emergent nature of the pandemic subsided. We asked two questions: …
Posts by Editorial Board:
A renewed focus on rebuilding through small venues
In 2018, we wrote about the death of active music venues in Champaign, a few years after the beloved Mike N Molly’s shuttered. When MNM’s closed, many were devastated by the loss, which was just …
The state of LGBTQ+ rights in our community
You may have seen this graphic circulating in your social media feeds recently. It was created by journalist Erin Reed, a trans woman, for the Los Angeles Blade. It depicts the level of anti-trans legislation …
Six years later, we still need a queer performance space in C-U
Three years ago, we published an article lamenting how three years after the 2017 closure of the iconic Chester Street Bar (C Street), Champaign-Urbana still lacks a dedicated queer performance space. So now six years …
Join our Editorial Board
Smile Politely is committed to providing passionate, trustworthy, and informed points of view on a variety of topics that are important to our community. We rely on contributions from community members to write about how …
Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month all year
May is Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. In Champaign-Urbana, we have many ways to celebrate and honor Asian and AAPI communities. Asian Americans make up about 6% of the state’s population, and …
On Danville’s push to restrict abortion access
This Editorial Board has spoken at length about the importance of showing up to vote in local elections. It’s a thread that ran through our recent editorial with our thoughts on the consolidated election in …
Outdoor cats are cute, but at what cost?
Every now and again, we love to poke the cat, er, bear, and address a topic that seems like it should be straightforward, but that we know may get some backlash. However, we do pride …
Some thoughts on the 2023 consolidated election
The official 2023 consolidated election results are in. Most of the high-profile races were in Champaign. We took a look at the results and made some observations. More people voted in this general election than …
Some takeaways from Examine Urbana
Last week, the City of Urbana announced the next phase in the process of developing a new comprehensive plan. The last comprehensive plan was put out in 2005, so an update is due. Examine Urbana …