Across Illinois there are hundreds of Juneteenth celebrations, commemorating the emancipation of ensalved African Americans, which has been observed for 160 years. Come celebrate the importance of this day in your local community near you! If you would like to learn more about Illinois' history to Juneteenth click here.

Friday, June 16:
Juneteenth Illinois Scholarship Reception
-When: 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
-Where: 540 W. Madison St, Chicago
Registration: bit.ly/3ZZV9EB

Juneteenth Lake County & The African American Museum at The England Manor Juneteenth Celebration
-When: 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
-Where: 2400 Dowie Memorial Drive, Zion

Illinois State Museum Art Fair - Noir Art Fair
-When: 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.
-Where: 501 S Spring St, Springfield

City of Blue Island Juneteenth Resource and Health Fair
-When: 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
-Where: John D. Rita Recreation Center - 2805 141 St., Blue Island

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Between 1891 and1914, there were at least 22 racially motivated lynchings in Illinois. On June 3, 2023, exactly 130 years after his murder, the first Illinois State Historical Society marker recognizing the untold stories of racial terror lynchings was placed in the city of Decatur in memory of Samuel J. Bush.

Bush was accused of assaulting two white women on June 3, 1893. He was then charged and held in the Macon County Courthouse. Before he had a chance to defend himself in a court of law, a mob of 1,500 white people from Mt. Zion stormed the courthouse, and abducted him. The mob then dragged a naked Mr. Bush to the intersection of Water & Wood Street, and proceeded to hang him from a utility pole. There, according to newspaper accounts, he knelt and prayed for, “Jesus to come and take his soul and forgive the men who were murdering him.”

None of his perpetrators faced legal consequences for his murder.

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Some of the very best donut shops are located right here in Illinois! From glazed to Boston cream, the selections are endless.

National Donut Day is celebrated every first Friday of June of each year, succeeding the donut event created by The Salvation Army in Chicago in 1938 to honor their members who served donuts to soldiers during World War I. The day not only celebrates the sweet treat but often gives everyone a chance to indulge, with many bakeries and stores offering free donuts on this day.

Last year, Yelp compiled a list of the 100 best donut shops across the U.S., four of them being in Illinois! If you have the chance to sink your teeth into these delightful donuts, consider yourself lucky!

Four bakeries in Illinois were listed among the best spots to enjoy unique donuts, with two in Chicago, according to the list.
• No. 8 – Dip and Sip Donuts, located at 2256 W. Roscoe in the Roscoe Village neighborhood of Chicago, offers both premade donuts and customized creations. According to Yelp, Dip and Sip is known for cake donuts and gluten-free options.
• No. 25 – Country Donuts, located in suburban Crystal Lake at 181 W. Virginia St., specializes in handmade chocolate iced cake, honey dip, white long John, devil's food, powdered, old fashioned and red velvet donuts, among others flavors.
• No. 83 – Old Fashioned Donuts at 11248 S. Michigan Ave. in Roseland has received 4.5 stars on Yelp, with some calling the treats the "best donuts in Chicago."
• No. 87 – Gurnee Donuts has been serving specialty bites to the Chicago suburbs at 4949 Grand Ave. since 1994. This shop also has 4.5 stars on Yelp with over 200 reviews.

You can check the full list here. Happy National Donut Day — don’t forget to treat yourself!

This just in! According to a recent U.S. News & World Report, a few of the best places to live in the country, as well as the most affordable places to live and the best places to retire, are right here in Illinois.

The report analyzes the 150 most populous metro areas in the U.S. and named Rock Island, Peoria, Chicago and Rockford as some of the best places to live and to retire. Rock Island and Peoria were also named most affordable places to live.

Rankings were determined through an analysis of public data and user opinions. Additionally, they took into account the job market, the housing market, and other factors that relate to resident satisfaction like crime, the educational level of residents and air quality. Below are the four Illinois cities that made the list and their scores!

If you would like to learn about these cities, you can read the report here.

• 6.4/10 overall Moline-Rock Island, Illinois − Quad Cities ranked #54
• 6.3/10 overall Peoria, Illinois ranked #70
• 5.9/10 overall Chicago, Illinois ranked #123
• 5.7/10 overall Rockford, Illinois ranked #133