Illinois recently lost a treasure when 84-year-old folk artist Adolphe George Colin passed away. George and his wife Winnie spent many days in their Salisbury gallery surrounded by dozens of his works and countless personal mementos. Born in California, George’s family moved to Springfield when he was 7 years old. A Lanphier High School graduate, George worked at Pillsbury Mills for almost 30 years before quitting his day job to devote all his time to art.

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Another positive economic sign for Illinois has been revealed this week: more people moved to Chicago than any other U.S. city at the highest rate since 2006, according to a study by United Van Lines moving company. Each fall, United releases a list of areas its clients are moving to and from. The Chicago area was the #1 area for move-ins, followed by Washington, Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, Dallas, Phoenix and New York.

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Illinois is a large state with big towns, small cities, many small towns and a huge city. The population and infrastructure where you live may determine your access to many of life’s resources.

One such resource important to most of us is an ability to use high-speed broadband for Internet access. With so many square miles of Illinois consisting of fields, farms and forests, you might think people who live in those areas are too rural or too remote to conduct personal and professional business easily online. In the early years of the Internet, that old, slow dial-up may have been your only option in rural areas.

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From museums and man-made marvels to the wonders of the natural world, Illinois has near-limitless opportunities for family fun. Check out this list for some of the top kid-friendly spots and activities in Illinois.

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