Where can you see some of the most beautiful birds in the world? In central Illinois! Right now!

The Anita Purves Nature Center is the latest building in Champaign-Urbana to go solar. Solar panels are being installed this week on the nature center, located on the north end of Urbana’s Crystal Lake Park.

Urbana was one of 23 communities honored in Springfield Thursday with a Governor’s Hometown Award. The awards are given by the governor’s Serve Illinois Commission, for projects sponsored by local governments that had strong volunteer support, met a need and made an impact on the community.

​The job pays nothing, it probably won’t make you famous, and only registered voters living in Urbana need apply. But if you’re OK with all that, you might want to consider applying for a vacant seat on the Urbana Park Board.

Urbana Mayor Laurel Prussing says the proposed fiscal 2017 budget released Monday holds the line on the city's property tax rate, and has no new hires.  But she says the $49.5 million spending plan also includes investments like road repairs, including the partially grant-funded MCORE project, reconstructing a section of Green Street.