Illinois ranks No. 13 on the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation’s 2020 State New Economy Index, jumping three spots from the last Index in 2017 and achieving its highest ranking yet.
ITIF has released state rankings about every three years since 1999. The rankings are based on 25 indicators that are divided into five categories: knowledge jobs, globalization, economic dynamism, the digital economy and innovation capacity. The survey ranks states on multiple factors—from “knowledge” jobs and exports to venture capital and broadband access—with an eye toward the structure of the economy related to innovation and technology.
The Illinois Board of Higher Education is awarding $3 million in grants to nine colleges and universities in the state to help achieve equity in recruitment and retention.
The funding comes from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund for use over the next year. Universities and colleges receiving these grants will utilize the funds to recruit and retain first-generation, low-income, underrepresented and rural students.
Joliet’s own Mark Carlson will be umpiring the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays! Carlson, a graduate from Joliet West High School, is making his second World Series appearance.
“It’s an exciting feeling to be chosen to work a World Series event,” Carlson said. “It’s a great feeling.”
A typical haunted house features actors in creepy masks and spooky costumes, jumping out to startle guests—but there are places in Illinois where the scares aren’t just entertainment. You’re in for a real fright at these haunted homes.
This unassuming cottage is purported to have served as a home for terminally ill children. Some people claim they hear humming, as well as the voices of the children once housed there. But that’s not all: The spirits of the whole Tinker family are said to linger around the cottage, too.