Electric air taxi route coming to Chicago

• Chicago
• O'Hare Airport
• Transportation

Continuing its commitment to technological innovation, the city of Chicago plans to offer its first air taxi route between O’Hare International Airport and Vertiport Chicago in 2025. The announcement from Archer Aviation Inc. and United Airlines calls the method of transportation a “safe, sustainable, low noise and cost-competitive alternative to ground transportation.”

Vertiport Chicago, which is North America’s largest vertical aircraft takeoff and landing facility, is located near the Chicago Loop and was selected for its convenient and accessible location. From there, passengers will be able to travel via aircraft to and from O’Hare in about 10 minutes — saving a significant amount of time that is often spent stuck in the city’s rush hour traffic.

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Illinois named 5th in the world for data centers

Data centers are grand physical locations with hundreds of computers, machines and other hardware that store the data we use every day. Data centers have been expanding around the world as we become more dependent on cloud and data storage. 

As a result of a 2019 data center investment program, Illinois has served as one of the best data center markets in the nation and now ranks fifth in the world for data centers. These centers have rejuvenated the Chicago-area cloud system and attracted more than $4.2 billion in new investments to the state.

The 2019 program was a tax incentive plan designed to jump-start data center development in Illinois. The centers would receive exemptions from state and local sales taxes on data center equipment for 10 years if they invested a minimum of $250 million in the facility and created at least 20 high-paying full-time jobs. A study by Mangum Economics shows that the program drew 13 data center projects to the state, creating more than 8,000 jobs.

With the success of this program, Illinois is now the fifth best place in the world for data centers, cementing our place as one of the forerunners in cloud storage and the technology of the future.

Illinois ranked #2 state in the nation for corporate invesment

Earlier this month, Illinois was ranked the second state in the nation for corporate investment and projects. Site Selection Magazine, an international business publication, announced there were 487 projects in Illinois in 2022. Illinois was in the number three spot the year before. The publication also named Chicago as the Top Metro area for the 10^th year in a row.

This comes after the state announced $40 million in grants toward the development of mega sites, distribution centers and industrial centers. The state has also invested record-breaking funding in training programs and workforce facilities.

These investments have also earned Illinois the title as the top state in the Midwest for workforce development by Site Selection. These yearly analyses are considered the “industry scoreboard” by real estate analysts.

For projects to qualify for the yearly analyses, they must meet at least one of the following criteria: an investment of at least $1 million, or the creation of at least 20 new jobs or 20,000 square feet of new space.

Illinois’ First Harm Reduction Vending Machine available in Springfield

A new vending machine found in Springfield’s Phoenix Center is a little different from the food and drink machines you are used to. This vending machine is the first of its kind in Illinois and provides harm reduction materials like needles, fentanyl strips and narcan at no cost.

The machine is the newest service available as part of the Springfield Harm Reduction Initiative. The Phoenix Center, which has provided harm reduction services in the Springfield area for 12 years, hopes to decrease the number of HIV and hepatitis cases by providing safe materials for those struggling with drug addiction. Anyone can utilize this machine at any time to help keep themselves safe or someone they know who is struggling.

The vending machine also provides free feminine hygiene products, food and other supplies to those who need them.

The Phoenix Center hopes to expand similar harm reduction programs into the rural counties of Illinois as well, citing the importance of safe, clean supplies in reducing disease and fatal overdoses.