As someone who enjoys video games, Muhammad Iman wanted to connect with others who share this interest.
“There just wasn’t really an outlet like that here in Champaign-Urbana,” he said. “So I just figured that well, I might as well at least try to add something I wanted to have in this community. And if it works, great. If it doesn’t, well, yeah, I tried.”
Iman opened Hidden Level Cyber Café at 110 E University Ave., Urbana, in late April with the goal of creating “a social space for people to come and play games with each other.”
“You pay to enter and you can use the PCs. You can use the consoles, we have a PlayStation, Switch,” he explained. “We have 10 desktops and monitors and stuff. And you can do that anytime we’re open. I’ll be hosting events like tournaments or group gaming co-op sessions.”
Workshops on how to play Minecraft are also on the calendar.
Hidden Level does not currently serve food or drinks, though Iman said he’d like to add these eventually.
“Hopefully when I make more money, when it gets busier, I’ll be able to afford to have food and beverages and stuff,” he said.
Fencing school offers free beginner sessions
Tempered Mettle Historical Fencing, located at 1040 W. Bloomington Road in Champaign, is hosting free introductory longsword classes this week.
There will be a session for high schoolers from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday and a class for adults from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Friday.
More information is available at temperedmettlehistoricalfencing.com and on Tempered Mettle’s Facebook page.
Mental-health provider opens ‘triage’ facility
Rosecrance Behavioral Health has opened a new urgent care center at its 2302 Moreland Blvd. facility in Champaign. The space is outfitted to provide “rapid triage, comprehensive behavioral-health assessments, and crisis stabilization services,” Rosecrance officials said.
“Every person experiencing a mental-health or substance-use crisis deserves access to compassionate care close to home, and the Rosecrance Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center gives individuals and families in Champaign and surrounding communities a place to turn for immediate support and connection to ongoing care,” said Melissa Pappas, executive director of Rosecrance Central Illinois.
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., spoke at the urgent care center’s open house on May 29.
“When Rosecrance told me that they wanted to construct a new Behavioral Health Urgent Care Center to be readily accessible and provide emergency mental health care for those in crisis, I said, ‘sign me up,’” Durbin said in an official statement. “I secured a $1 million earmark to help bring this new triage center to life. It may be modest in size, but its impact will be felt by thousands of residents in the region.”
Bank names new assistant VP
Daniel Witherspoon has been named Assistant Vice President of Trust and Wealth Management at Hickory Point Bank & Trust, which has locations in Champaign, Decatur and Springfield.
“His dedication to building strong client relationships and providing thoughtful financial guidance aligns well with our commitment to the communities we serve,” said Charlie Osborne, senior vice president of trust and wealth management.
According to company officials, Witherspoon has worked in financial services for several years in specialties such as investment management, retirement planning and client-relationship management. He has a bachelor’s degree in finance from Illinois State University.
Witherspoon is based at Hickory Point’s location at 202 W. Park Ave. in Champaign.
