On this day in 1935, the famous American operatic baritone Sherrill Milnes was born in Downers Grove, Illinois. Milnes was born into a life of dairy farming, where he grew with extraordinary musical talent, learning to play the piano, violin, viola, double bass, clarinet, and tuba alongside his singing abilities. Sherrill was once found on a tractor practicing an operatic laugh and singing to the cows on his parents’ farm.
Sherrill continued his love of music by studying music education at Drake and Northwestern University, serving as a member of the Chicago Symphony Chorus during his time.
Milnes started his career in 1960 at the Opera Company of Boston and quickly became known for his talent, performing in Milan and at the Statue of Liberty in New York for the 100th anniversary. Sherrill Milnes performed for the last time at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, New York on March 22, 1997 concluding his 32 year career of singing in 653 different performances.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust has announced new plans for a visitor and education center to be built at the architect’s former home and studio. The home, located in Oak Park, has been open as a public museum since 1974.
An estimated 90,000 visitors come to see the property each year. When the property next to the home went up for sale, the trust saw an opportunity and decided to make the purchase.
“It has for a long time been apparent that having a visitor’s center would be an important next step,” said Celeste Adams, the president and chief executive of the trust.
The meat alternative trend has been on a steady increase, and it has the potential to substantially cut carbon emissions. Gaining momentum and popularity, meat alternatives, like the Impossible Burger, could shape a meatless future. A future where the human diet consists of less meat is potentially vital to the overall health and conservation of the environment.
According to the Sierra Club, 27.0 kilograms of CO2 are emitted for every one kilogram of beef consumed. Also, Beef cattle are responsible for a quarter of the emissions from American agriculture. The UN released a statement last August noting if humans universally ate less meat, worldwide emissions could potentially decrease as much as eight gigatons annually. Soy beans, one of the main ingredients of meatless meats, may be one of many answers to combat meat-related CO2 emissions.
For 11 consecutive years, Illinois has been ranked the best in the nation for its animal protection laws by the Animal Legal Defense Fund. The Animal Legal Defense Fund was founded in 1979 by a group of attorneys and is renowned for its defense of various species through the legal system, prosecuting innovative cases to end animal cruelty and broadening animal rights.
In the organization’s most recent rankings report, they rated Illinois as “top tier,” commending our state for its adequate term definitions and exceptional standards for basic care.
The U.S. Animal Protection Laws Rankings Report is considered the most dependable and longest running report of its kind. The fund assesses over 3,400 pages of statutes and ranks the states based on 19 different categories of animal protection.
What brought Illinois to number one? Policies such as: