2020 Top stories

• 2020

While 2020 was certainly not what anyone expected, Illinois still had much to celebrate. Throughout this tough year, neighbors came together to provide for their communities and exemplify what it means to be an Illinoisan. Here are some of our top stories of 2020:

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Krafted in Illinois

• Cheese Kraft
• Kraft
• Macaroni
• Swiss
• American
• Cheddar

Have you ever had a cheeseburger or grilled cheese sandwich? If you have, then chances are you’ve had Kraft cheese. But did you know that Kraft began selling cheese in 1903 and opened its first cheese plant in Stockton, Illinois in 1914?

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Happy Hanukkah!

• Hanukkah
• Holiday

Happy Hanukkah! This evening marks the beginning of the Jewish Festival of Lights. The holiday is celebrated with nightly menorah lighting, special prayers and other cultural traditions.

Hanukkah is a variation of the Hebrew word Chanukah, pronounced with a guttural “kh” sound, which means dedication. The holiday is thus named because it celebrates the rededication of the Holy Temple.

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Steady and diverse university enrollment in Illinois

• Higher Education
• Education
• Diversity
• Learning

In 2020, enrollment in Illinois’ public universities have seen an increase of 417 new students. That is a 0.2% increase from 2019, while most states saw decreases. The chair of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, John Atkinson, complimented the resilience of Illinois’s institutions of higher education and their leadership.

It was predicted that University enrollment would drop a whopping 25% nationwide in the summer and fall. Illinois beat those odds and managed to increase its university enrollment.

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