Celebrate National Dog Day
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Aug. 26 is National Dog Day! Be sure to give your four-legged furry friend some extra love today.
Colleen Paige, a pet and family lifestyle advocate established National Dog Day in 2004. This day is recognized to celebrate dogs of all breeds around the world as well as to honor dogs that keep us safe and bring us comfort. Another important aspect of this day is to bring awareness of how many dogs are currently in shelters. With increasing numbers of pups present in shelters, it is essential for individuals to consider adopting to allow these animals a safe, loving home and to make room for dogs that need to be taken into rescue centers.
1908 Springfield Race Riot could soon receive greater national recognition
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In 1908, Springfield encountered its biggest racially motivated riot changing the landscape of the town forever. More than 100 years later, this historic event is gaining national recognition. The National Park Service is currently conducting a "special resource study" to determine whether the 1908 Springfield Race Riot site meets the criteria to be included in the national park system. Many are not aware that this particular Race Riot is what sparked the NAACP to be founded a year later in 1909, transcending African American heritage forever.
On Aug. 14, 1908, a group of white individuals marched to the Springfield police department with the intent on lynching two incarcerated Black men by the names of George Richardson and Joe James. Upon the mob discovering that the men were taken to another city for protection, chaos erupted leading to the lynching of Scott Burton and William Dunegon. Black-owned businesses and homes were robbed of over $150,000 in property during the riot, as the white mob invaded the African American neighborhoods in hopes of causing more destruction and chaos. Many homes were burned to the ground as a result of racial inequality and injustice. But now the city of Springfield could be remembered for memorializing an event that changed the course of history.
In February 2020, U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth and Dick Durbin introduced The 1908 Springfield Race Riot National Monument Act, calling for the Race Riot to be a national monument managed by the U.S. National Park Service. In 2022, this measure gained even more national attention. All of the efforts and contributions from the NAACP, government officials and local organizations are what led to NPS conducting the “special resource study.”
On Aug. 10, the NPS hosted a meeting at the Springfield NAACP office explaining the process of becoming nationally recognized, inviting the general public for commentary. Expressing their support to finally get the Race Riot national recognition, members of the community are excited to see forgotten Springfield history preserved and recognized at the highest level.
Public comments are being accepted online now through Sept. 3 to determine whether the Springfield Race Riot of 1908 site located at Madison & 10th Street will be preserved as a national park unit. To provide an online comment, click here.
These Illinois astronomers get coveted time with the new James Webb Space Telescope
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A Northwestern University professor will soon get a chance to monitor a part of the sky for a project studying ‘adolescent galaxies’ using the James Webb Space Telescope.
Allison Strom, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Northwestern University, will use the telescope – which originally launched on Dec. 25, 2021 – to harvest data for 40 hours before her team will begin analyzing the results.
They’re using the telescope’s pioneering abilities to study the chemistry of galaxies so distant, they haven’t been explored yet. Strom and her team are hopeful that the data will demystify the process of galaxy formation, especially in the context of the early universe.
While the Northwestern team eagerly awaits use of the Webb, another Illinois astronomer’s project is fully underway. Jacob Bean, professor of astronomy at the University of Chicago, is co-leading a team of more than 100 scientists whose project just finished using the new probe to collect exoplanet data. His team will review the data for information about the composition, temperature and potential habitability of exoplanets, which may provide new insights into solar systems beyond our own.
Improved I-74 Mississippi River Bridge wins national recognition
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Each year, state transportation projects are celebrated and recognized through America's Transportation Awards – and an Illinois bridge came home as a winner. The awards recognize America's best transportation projects – those that prioritize safety, maximize accessibility, utilize resources effectively and incorporate innovative elements such as green space, bike paths, technology and access to public transit.
Last month, judges for the 2022 Midwest Region awards announced that the Interstate 74 Corridor Project, which connects Iowa to Illinois via a multi-use bridge over the Mississippi River, won top honors in the Quality of Life and Community Development category.
For this project, the Illinois and Iowa Departments of Transportation teamed up to take on the task of upgrading the 86-year-old bridge, which was in need of repair. The project was completed and fully opened to traffic on Dec. 2, 2021, and now carries nearly half of all traffic in the Quad Cities region. It was the biggest construction project in the cities' history, with a budget of $981 million.
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