Opinion

When I was growing up in Urbana in the 90s and aughts, Lincoln Square was considered a place where businesses go to die. It had its mainstays, of course, but for the most part it …

We have written many, many, many, many times about the issues and dramas in both Champaign Unit 4 and Urbana District 116 schools. We’re writing again this week about Unit 4, not to break down …

A big congratulations to Old Orchard’s thin-crust pizza for being crowned the champion and last food standing in Smile Politely’s 2024 Food & Drink Tournament. Determined by reader vote, last night’s intense matchup of Old …

We’ve reached the Championship matchup of our Food + Drink Tournament, and if you’re just now joining us, here’s how you can catch up: Revisit the Round of 32, Sweet 16, Elite Eight, and Final …

You showed up and voted in the Elite Eight, for which voting closed yesterday evening. We’re moving on to the Final Four. The participation for this year’s tourney has been great to see, and there’s …

Smile Politely is and always has been a community magazine, and the articles that you read week to week are written by community members just like you. Some of them have a writing background, many …

A couple weeks ago, we did a poll about what cuisines we were missing in Champaign-Urbana. There was a lot of great feedback, so we decided to poll you again to ask what else C-U …

If you’re anything like us, you tuned into the game on Saturday to root on the Illini, and obviously, it was good because we’re headed to our first Sweet 16 in nearly two decades. It …

That was a lot to take in for the first round of our Food + Drink Tournament, which kicked off on Monday with our Round of 32 matchups. Our Food + Drink Editor Alyssa Buckley …