Chanute Air Museum’s Financial Picture Improving

Things are looking up for the Chanute Air Museum in Rantoul.

After it looked like a bleak financial picture might cause the museum to close, the last year has seen an improved bottom line.

Nancy Kobel is president of the museum's board of directors. Kobel tells The (Champaign) News-Gazette that the museum has enough money to cover payroll until the end of January.

She said that's a lot better than in August 2010 when the museum had only enough money to cover about two weeks of payroll.

Kobel said the board's efforts to promote the museum on the former Air Force base have been effective enough to allow them to stay open on Sundays, something they couldn't afford to do last winter.