Illinois ranked #2 state in the nation for corporate invesment
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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 10th 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
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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.
Man who discovered Pluto was Streator stargazer
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Is Pluto a planet? While this question garners much debate, there’s one fact people agree on: The solar system’s most famous dwarf planet was discovered by Illinois’ own Clyde Tombaugh of Streator.
Tombaugh was born Feb. 4, 1906 on his grandparents’ farmhouse on the northwest side of Streator and attended Heenanville Grade School and Streator High School. After schoolwork and helping his father on the farm, Tombaugh spent the evenings with his eyes to the sky. His uncle’s small handmade telescope helped launch his interest in outer space.
In 1922, Tombaugh’s family moved from Streator to Kansas. Around the age of 20, he began to build his own homemade telescopes using old farm equipment. One such telescope — measuring 24 feet long by 8 feet wide — allowed Tombaugh to make detailed drawings of Mars and Jupiter. He sent these drawings to Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, which hired him in 1929.
Bishop Hill: the Swedish utopia on the prairie
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In the heart of the Illinois prairie lies a Swedish settlement that has been preserved as a historic village. Bishop Hill, formed 177 years ago, is still a living, fully functional village with a mayor and fire department. With a population of around 130 people, it remains one of the smallest towns in Henry County. It is the home of the Bishop Hill State Historic Site, a park operated by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
The Bishop Hill area became a hub for thousands of Swedish immigrants who eventually settled much of the Midwest. The area was founded by Eric Janson, who was known as the Wheat Flour Messiah. Janson, after being jailed for his beliefs, fled Sweden with more than 1,000 followers in 1846 in hopes of avoiding religious prosecution.
Many of the colony buildings were dilapidated at the turn of the 20th century. The Old Settlers, the Bishop Hill Heritage Association and the State of Illinois decided to help save the buildings that were still standing from the original colony. Throughout the 1970s, restoration and preservation began with aid from the Swedish Royal family. Many of the descendants of the original settlers and thousands of volunteers began the hard work to restore the site, and eventually Bishop Hill became a thriving community once more.
Currently there are a number of businesses including a bakery, restaurants, pottery stores and a few gift shops. At the center of the town remains Bishop Hill State Historic Site, the original church built by Janson and his followers, where volunteers hold guided tours throughout the village. There are currently four buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. With tens of thousands of visitors every year from all 50 states, Sweden and other Scandinavian countries, Bishop Hill remains a site to see in Illinois.
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