Illinois is 2025’s seventh best state to raise a family

According to a recent study from the personal finance outlet WalletHub.com, Illinois is 2025’s seventh best state to raise a family. The ideal state is one that’s affordable to live in, offers a high degree of safety and good job prospects, and demonstrates quality in education, health care and entertainment.

In this study, WalletHub compared the 50 states across 50 key indicators of family-friendliness. The data set includes factors like the median annual family income, housing affordability, health care quality, crime rate and school quality.

Illinois is ranked second for family fun, third for the highest median family income and seventh for the overall score.

For more information on this study, visit WalletHub.com.

Batman to baseball: Films shot in Illinois

Long before motion pictures had sound and color, and even before Hollywood became the “film capital of the world,” Illinois has stood as a central hub for motion picture production. Throughout Illinois’ long film history, there have been a wide variety of motion pictures filmed throughout the entire state.

Charlie Chaplin, one of the most famous filmmakers in the history of cinema, produced and starred in films all across the globe. This includes a quick stop in Chicago to star in a short silent film called “His New Job,” filmed in 1915.

Fast forwarding to the 1950s, the American folk hero Davy Crockett had a successful run of film and television series releases. This included “Davy Crockett and the River Pirates,” a classic western shot at the Cave-in-Rock State Park just along the Ohio River.

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Southern Illinois Reptile and Exotics Show

Are you looking for a fun, cheap and family-friendly event this weekend? This Sunday, Feb. 23, check out the Southern Illinois Reptile Show in Marion, IL!

The show will include thousands of scaly animals for guests to observe, touch or even adopt! There will be reptiles, amphibians, mammals (including kangaroos) and more. Feeders and pet supplies will be available for those looking to treat their pets at home.

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Did you know SIU-Carbondale is now a top research school in the U.S.?

• Higher Education
• Education

Southern Illinois University-Carbondale has been designated a Research 1, or R1, in the Carnegie Classifications of Institutions of Higher Education. This is a prestigious accomplishment that only 187 schools have met. This represents less than 5% of the almost 4,000 classified educational institutions.

Research 1 Institutions are those that have allocated at least $50 million to research expenditures and grant at least 70 research doctorates. SIU-Carbondale cleared those requirements in 2023. SIU-Carbondale is just one of three public R1 universities in Illinois and the only one located in a rural area.

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