Tom Heflin of Rockford is our June Artist of The Month. Hieflin began his career as an artist in the spring of 1970. He often opens his home to visitors who can come and view his latest work.

What does being able to live and work in Illinois mean to you?

Many years ago the owner of Troys Gallery in Arizona who handled my paintings told me if I would move to Scottsdale he would make me a rich man. At that time I had a wife and five children, a comfortable home with an attached studio on five acres of wooded land in Rockford, Illinois.

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Community Colleges across the state have and continue to create opportunities for Illinoisans of all ages at an affordable price. These schools, including online programs can play a vital role in preparing students to take to next step in their lives and education.

 A list released by SR Education Group names the top ranked online community colleges available in Illinois. Students across the state can earn an associate degree or certificate completely online from any of the 19 community colleges. According to SR Education Group and Guide to Online Schools, the community colleges listed below are the best online programs available in 2019.

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One hundred years ago this week, Illinois became the first state in the nation to ratify the 19^th Amendment, and one Illinois woman played a key role in its success.

Although the amendment was named after Susan B. Anthony, Frances Willard, an activist from Evanston, provided major contributions in the fight for women’s suffrage by linking women’s political empowerment to the temperance movement.  

Born in upstate New York, Willard moved to the Midwest with her family and settled in Evanston where she attended North Western Female College and began studying to become a teacher.

In 1871, she became the first president of Evanston College for Women, which later merged with Northwestern University where she became the dean of women.

After working at Northwestern, Willard co-founded and led the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, which is still headquartered in Evanston to this day. There, she advocated for giving women access to the ballot to stop their husbands from wasting money from the weekly pay check to drink.

Her argument was convincing for many women who decided to join the movement and the two causes gained steam simultaneously as anti-alcohol legislators realized that by allowing women the right to vote, they could more easily achieve their goal of prohibition.

Willard did not live to see her goals of temperance and women’s suffrage become a reality, but her work was critical to the success of both causes and was instrumental to the ratification of two amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Each state is entitled to the placement of two statues in the U.S. Capitol, and in 1905, Illinois honored Willard by commissioning a statue of her to be placed there.

­Illinois is one of the most fun states in the nation according to new rankings released by the consumer finance site WalletHub.

Illinois checked in at number 11 on the site’s Most Fun States in America list, which ranks states according to more than two dozen metrics of fun.

“There are certain states where fun is not just an option but also a way of life,” the site said. “These states offer such a variety of activities that everyone will be able to find something that excites them.”

Beyond ranking 11^th overall, the Land of Lincoln was rated 12^th in recreation and entertainment and 3^rd when it comes to nightlife.

It also ranked 5^th among states with the most restaurants per capita, 3^rd for most performing arts theaters per capita and 5^th in terms of state and local spending on parks and recreation per capita.

Among Midwest states, Illinois ranked second behind only Minnesota.

For full rankings and more information on the methodology by which the states were rated click here.