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Updated: January 10, 2025 @ 3:02 pm
A 68-seat GlobalX A320 plane
Drop in a question of your very own BY CLICKING HERE or by emailing Kathy Reiser at mailbag@news-gazette.com.
This week’s Mailbag “whether report” includes reader questions on whether a local ambulance company might be for sale … whether local schools still teach cursive writing … whether EVs must display front license plates … and whether Illinois offers any exemptions to the indoor smoking ban.
“For some time, crews have been working between the west- and eastbound lanes of I-72 near Champaign. There are stretches of pavement criss-crossing between the lanes. What’s that all about?”
The reader went on to say light poles have been installed near the work sites, both west of the I-57 interchange and between Mattis Avenue and I-57.
Illinois Department of Transportation engineer Kensil Garnett tells us the crossovers relate to the removal and replacement of the two structures carrying Interstate 72 over Interstate 57.
“Median crossovers were constructed, which included streetlights to improve visibility and safety, and the eastbound structure had minor repairs made to handle the extra traffic for 2025. Beginning in the spring of 2025, traffic will be placed head-to-head, with (a) barrier wall erected in the eastbound lanes, and work will begin removing and replacing the westbound structure.
“When complete, traffic will be placed in the westbound lanes to reconstruct the eastbound structure. Work is scheduled to be completed over the next two construction seasons,” Garnett said.
Two Mailbag questions this week about businesses owned by Carle Health:
“Is it true that Carle is selling Arrow Ambulance service like they recently have sold The Windsor of Savoy and Carle Medical Supply?”
News-Gazette reporter Jana Wiersema first wrote about a prospective buyer for The Windsor of Savoy in early September. The sale of the senior-living campus, to the not-for-profit Greencroft Communities based in Goshen, Ind., was finalized in December. Carle Medical Supply also was sold last month, to Cleveland-based Medical Service Company.
So is Carle Arrow Ambulance also for sale? Carle Health spokesperson Brittany Simon said “Arrow Ambulance provides reliable and high-quality EMT services to the community and is a key component to Carle Health’s core mission in the communities we serve. We remain committed to providing access to this care delivery into the future.”
A somewhat-related question: “if some Carle entities have been sold because they’re not core to Carle’s mission, why has Carle Health gotten into the real-estate business? How ‘core’ is that?”
Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed a few “Now Leasing (by) Carle Health Real Estate” signs on empty storefronts, most notably in Carleville, er, the Carle at the Fields development in southwest Champaign.
Simon said the leasing of Carle-owned commercial real estate may not be as far from “core” as one might think.
“With our continued focus on improving patient health outcomes, there is an ongoing need to manage our care campuses to maintain a high experience and meet the expectations of the community. Our aim is to facilitate these properties internally, helping to streamline operations and improve our ability to support patients.”
“When The Last Call in Penfield closed in September, it was claimed to be the oldest liquor licensee in Champaign County. Which bar or restaurant currently holds that title? My money’s on The Brass Rail.”
Well, now, you might think this would be an easy question to answer definitively — especially if we’re looking for the licensee with the longest continuously held license. Turns out it’s … complicated.
Champaign
Prohibition began in 1920 and ended in December 1933 … so there would not have been any (legal) taverns, bars or liquor retailers during those in-between years. Prior to that, according to a 2018 Tom’s Mailbag column, C-U had been voted “dry” in repeated referenda since 1907.
Within the City of Champaign, the Brass Rail, Huber’s and Kams would seem to be contenders for having the oldest continuously held license. But Interim Deputy Liquor Commissioner Jeff Hamilton says the city issues liquor licenses upon the approval of an application from a new business. Licenses are then renewed on an annual basis. A new liquor license is issued when the ownership of the business changes, as that typically results in changes to the corporate-entity name or structure.
“For example, Kams may have been licensed to serve alcohol in Champaign for decades, but the current business entity (Kams Champaign LLC) was first issued a liquor license in 2020.
“Another example your reader asked about is The Brass Rail. As many people may recall, the longtime owner of The Brass Rail, Fote Backey, passed away in 2022. Following his death, the new owners of The Brass Rail (Brass Rail, LLC) were issued a new liquor license in 2023,” Hamilton said.
What about Huber’s neighborhood tavern on West Church Street? According to huberswestendstore.com, Huber’s has been in business, in one form or another, since 1918. But during Prohibition, it became a grocery store to stay in business. That’s when they started selling penny candy to neighborhood kids through the side window, a tradition that continues today.
“A quick search of city records shows that Huber’s West End Store, now owned by TAVCO, Inc., is among the oldest active licensees. Its liquor license has been renewed annually since at least 1994,” Hamilton said.
Urbana
Deputy Local Liquor Commissioner Kate Brickman said Bunny’s Tavern “holds the distinction of having Urbana’s longest-running liquor license. The tavern was established in 1936 and remains in operation today.”
Unlike Champaign, Urbana was a “wet” community long before Prohibition, she said. “The earliest mention of liquor licensure in Urbana appears in the April 28, 1873, city council minutes. At that meeting, the city attorney and a designated alderman were tasked with drafting an ordinance regarding liquor licensure and fees for consideration at the next meeting. On May 5, 1873, the Urbana City Council adopted the Liquor License Ordinance.
“According to the minutes from June 5, 1873, the first liquor license was issued to Charles Goesbeck (or possibly Groesbeck) for an establishment located on Main Street between Market Street (today’s Broadway Avenue) and Walnut Street. This site is now part of the County Plaza/Bennett Plaza lot. No business name was recorded in the minutes.”
A 1972 article in the Urbana Courier says Urbana “returned to the ranks of the ‘wet’ cities on May 16, 1933. The council then permitted the sale of beer and wine.” Which … technically, was before the repeal of Prohibition. Hmm. Maybe they just wanted to give local businesses a head start for when the 21st Amendment was (seemingly inevitably) ratified.
The rest of the county
The Champaign County Clerk and Recorder’s office issues liquor licenses for restaurants and bars in unincorporated areas of the county. We reached out to the office multiple times to see if they could tell us which restaurant or bar has the oldest county-issued license, and we have not received a response.
Readers: If you can provide documentation for who or what you believe is the oldest (continuous) liquor license-holder in Champaign County – whether within a municipality or an unincorporated area – please let us know at kreiser@news-gazette.com. We’d love to be able to provide a definitive answer to the reader’s question!
“Are electric vehicles required to display front license plates if they’re licensed in Illinois? The EVs I’ve seen around town don’t come with a frame or pre-drilled mounting holes, and I understand dealers don’t want to mess with them.”
The Illinois Vehicle Code (625 ILCS 5/3-413) requires all vehicles registered in Illinois to display both a front and rear plate, said Max Walczyk, communications manager with the Illinois Secretary of State’s office. There is no exemption for electric vehicles.
“This requirement helps ensure that vehicles are easy to identify in emergency situations, and to assist law enforcement and victims involving crimes or traffic accidents.”
Walczyk said some vehicles are manufactured without a front plate holder, “but most dealerships and repair shops will install a front plate holder” if asked. “Failing to display a front and rear plate — including placing a plate on the interior dashboard or affixing one on the rear window — is illegal and carries a $164 fine.”
“What will become of the current sheriff’s office/old jail building once the Champaign County Sheriff’s office moves into the new Bennett Administrative Center?”
County Executive Steve Summers said the jail portion of the building has been closed for some time, and the sheriff’s office is still operational until the staff move across the street within the next few months. “Future provisional use of the building or site has not yet been determined,” he said.
“I happened into a bar in Brownsburg, Ind., that allows smoking, and was told the owner pays for a permit to do so. Is that an option in any part of our area?”
The State of Indiana does allow smoking in bars that meet certain requirements, according to documents published by the state’s Alcohol and Tobacco Commission.
Illinois Department of Public Health spokesperson Mike Claffey said the Smoke-Free Illinois Act “is considered a comprehensive statewide smoke-free law by national standards and does not allow smoking in public places, workplaces, restaurants, bars, casinos and other gaming facilities.”
He said Illinois’ SFIA has an exemption that allows smoking in tobacco retail stores, “which can include cigar stores and hookah lounges, with no liquor or food license. Some vape stores also received this exemption starting Jan. 1, 2024. These businesses must be located in a freestanding building, receive 80% of their sales from tobacco and tobacco-related products or e-cigarettes for vape stores, and cannot have a liquor, food or restaurant license.”
Claffey noted that many vape stores are located in strip malls and other non-freestanding structures. The freestanding requirement for vape stores began on Jan. 1, 2024, with businesses operating before that date grandfathered-in under the law.
Since Jan. 1, 2008, a retail tobacco store or vape store must be in a freestanding building in order to qualify for an exemption to allow smoking or vaping in the store.
“Do local schools still teach cursive writing? I would think the ability to read cursive would be required of people who work in certain jobs.”
I’m not sure “still” is the right word in all cases; in some school districts, it may be more accurate to say they again teach cursive.
Under Illinois State Statute (105 ILCS 5/27-20, Sec. 27-20.7), “beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, public elementary schools shall offer at least one unit of instruction in cursive writing. School districts shall, by policy, determine at what grade level or levels students are to be offered cursive writing, provided that such instruction must be offered before students complete grade 5.”
Prior to the ’18-19 academic year, the decision seems to have been left up to the school districts. Some offered cursive instruction, and others didn’t. Among those that did teach pupils to write in cursive, some put more emphasis than others on having students continue using the skill in subsequent grade levels.
The parent of one former Unit 4 student who was taught cursive in second and third grade, around 2009-11, said students were not required to use it in middle school or high school, as assignments were to be typed and submitted electronically via Google Classroom.
Cursive writing is one of nearly 40 subjects/topics/skills on the Illinois State Board of Education’s list of what must be taught in the state’s public K-12 schools.
Core subjects such as language arts, mathematics, science and history are on the list in addition to many topics that likely were not taught when the reader who posed the question went to school: character education, teen dating violence, internet safety, Holocaust genocide, computer literacy, disabilities, Black history, abduction education and several others including cursive writing.
Many of these topics are not taught extensively or at every grade level, but the list does offer some insights into how jam-packed the public schools’ K-12 curricula have become. And even though research shows that learning cursive can benefit young brains and strengthen fine motor skills, reading and writing in cursive is not as necessary a skill as it used to be.
For what it’s worth: the office of Jim Rossow, our VP of News, is lined with posterboards signed by hundreds of high-school athletes who have come to the newsroom in recent years for our Faces of the Fall/Winter/Spring events. The vast majority of those autographs are written in block letters; very few of the students seem to write their names in cursive anymore, even if they know how to do so.
And when it comes to reading cursive as a job skill…? I checked with U.S. Postal Service spokesperson Tim Norman, and he told me there is no cursive-reading requirement for new USPS hires. It seems the post office still has enough staff members who can read cursive … and by the time they all retire, AI (artificial intelligence) apps may have evolved to the point where they can accurately decipher nearly any handwriting.
“I hear there’s been a significant rise in wild bird deaths, especially among waterfowl, due to avian influenza. Are my four-legged pets at risk if they come into contact with an affected bird?”
Yes, cats and dogs are at risk for infection if they come across a bird that’s sick or dead from avian influenza, according to Dr. Stephany Lewis, director of the UI Wildlife Medical Clinic, part of the College of Veterinary Medicine.
The Wildlife Medical Clinic is urging the public to avoid contact with sick or dead waterfowl. “There have been recent reports in Illinois of large waterbird die-offs, and a number of waterfowl at wildlife rehabilitation centers have tested positive for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). This disease is known to cause potentially severe illness in humans and domestic animals,” she said.
Pets may become infected if they eat dead infected birds, eat raw meat from infected birds, or drink unpasteurized milk from infected cows. Other routes of transmission, such as inhalation of aerosolized secretions from infected birds, are also possible.
Lewis said cats appear particularly sensitive to severe illness and death from avian influenza. She recommends keeping all pets indoors, including outdoor cats. “When pets are outdoors, they should be leashed and kept away from wild birds, poultry and cattle. We do not recommend ever feeding pets any raw meat or unpasteurized dairy products, as these have both been documented to cause death in cats due to avian influenza.”
The American Veterinary Medical Association has issued recommendations for keeping pets and backyard flocks safe from HPAI, including:
Bring pet birds indoors or ensure areas where backyard birds are kept are fully enclosed, away from wild birds and their droppings.
Wash or sanitize your hands before and after handling birds, and when moving birds between coops.
Keep feed, drinking water, equipment and other supplies secure, out of reach of wild birds or rodents.
The Wildlife Medical Clinic currently is not accepting waterfowl (ducks and geese) as patients. “Waterfowl can be carriers for HPAI even if they do not show signs of illness. The clinic is accepting other injured birds and wildlife as usual, while taking extra precautions to help protect our patients and our staff from HPAI.”
In addition to waterfowl, crows and raptors are commonly affected by HPAI. When infected, these birds typically exhibit neurological signs such as incoordination, weakness, seizures, tremors or torticollis (twisted head and neck). Members of the public are encouraged to avoid contact with animals displaying these signs, Lewis said.
The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is asking the public to report bird mortality events – defined as the death of five or more birds – to IDNR. Reports also may be made to USDA Wildlife Services at 1-866-487-3297.
A 68-seat GlobalX A320 plane
“What type of plane was used for the Illinois men’s basketball team to fly to the west coast? Is it leased?”
The team and its traveling party flew to and from the Pacific Northwest on an Airbus A320 with 68 seats, according to Division of Intercollegiate Athletics spokesperson Derrick Burson. It was operated by GlobalX Airlines and scheduled through Top Flight Air Charters. DIA works with Anthony Travel to contract the charters for the season.
“We have two providers covering the men’s basketball trips; the type of plane will vary depending on length of trip, how many people are going, etc.,” he said.
The team flew from Willard Airport in Savoy to Eugene, Ore., on Dec. 31; from Eugene to Seattle on Jan. 3; and from Seattle back to Savoy on Sunday.
“What are some of the most unusual discards local road crews have picked up from the side of the road? And how much do they spend on roadside cleanups?”
I polled several road/highway engineers from around the area, and they said most of the “stuff” crew members pick up is pretty … well, ordinary.
Kris Koester with Champaign Public Works said “we don’t keep track of any items, but they have ranged from furniture to clothes to regular bags of trash.”
He said public works staff in Champaign routinely pick up illegally dumped materials, litter and dead animals, and dispose of them via landfill. “We currently have a contracted disposal rate amount of $88/ton. In the past three years we have spent as low as $68,000 and as much as $128,000 in the disposal of street debris.”
According to Illinois Department of Transportation engineer Kensil Garnett, IDOT spends “well over $25 million a year in litter pickup and removal along state highways. For roadkill in rural areas when not near residences, we will usually just move it to the bottom of the ditch,” and let nature take its course.
“Near residential areas, we will pick up the roadkill and haul it to a location where we can bury it, either in the ground or beneath wood chips/mulch.
“Now individuals have to pay big dollars to dispose of any electronics, appliances with refrigerant in it, and shingle tear-offs. Individuals will pull into field entrances at night and dump piles of stuff” illegally, Garnett said.
Champaign County Highway Commissioner Keith Padgett did have one story to share about some memorable roadside cast-offs:
As he was checking some of the township’s roads on a Saturday, he came upon two large black bags and two smaller white bags along the side of the road. He called the sheriff’s department and said a township road crew would pick up the bags on Monday morning — and suggested that if an officer were available, they might want to see what was inside.
A deputy called him back in about a half-hour, saying he found information about who the dumpers might have been, and asked if Padgett wanted to prosecute. “He told me that a mom and dad had been away and the children had a party — fouling some of the household items with an address on it. So (the kids) decided to dump it outside of town instead of placing it in the trash at the curb.” And, the officer told him, “mom wants the bags back!”
Padgett declined the offer to prosecute the young offenders. “I said, I believe the best thing would be to let mom take care of it.”
“There’s a home in the 500 block of Bradley Avenue in Champaign with a yard that’s beyond-full of junk. Why doesn’t the city do something about that?”
City of Champaign Code-compliance Officer Tim Spear said “I understand why this property would raise some concerns. This property has been an ongoing issue for us for several years.
“Our normal process is to issue a violation notice to the owner and follow up to ensure that the violations are corrected. The owner (did) the bare minimum to comply with the notice of violation. Then after the case has been closed, they have quickly fallen out of compliance” again.
“It has become clear that our normal process of dealing with issues like this has not been effective. We have forwarded the case to our Legal Department. It is our intent to get an order from the court requiring that the owner keep the property in compliance with the City’s Municipal Code.”
Longtime multimedia reporter Kathy Reiser is the author of Kathy’s Mailbag, which runs in full every Friday on news-gazette.com and in part in Saturday’s News-Gazette. Submit your questions here.
Why it’s taking so long to clean up an abandoned mobile home park … why you may be getting sooo many spam calls … details on Restaurant Week … the growth of high school and college esports … and what the future holds for Champaign’s Pizza Hut.
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