In response to a massive personal protective equipment (PPE) shortage both at the national and state level, a woman in downstate Illinois has been using her sewing skills to help fill the gap. Dusty Cox-Medina of McDonough County has sewn hundreds of masks in the past few weeks to help her local essential workers.

Cox-Medina worked as a registered nurse until a tragic back injury disabled her. Being able to help out in this midst of the pandemic helps her feel connected to her former work.

Due to the COVID-19 crisis, the country is facing a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE): life-saving masks, goggles, gloves and other supplies health care workers need to keep themselves and their patients safe. To ensure the best care for Illinoisans during this time, Gov. JB Pritzker has partnered with in-state manufacturing and biotech companies to ramp up production of these supplies.

For seven years in a row, Site Selection Magazine has honored Chicago by naming the city the top metro area for corporations looking to expand and invest in the community. Last year alone, corporate investments accounted for $5 billion, by tracking 416 business expansions and relocations in 2019. Site Selection tracks all investments in communities like Chicago, such as when Uber moved to Chicago’s Old Main Post Office and brought more than 2,000 jobs to the area.

Deputy Mayor Samir Mayekar said the announcement “highlights the power of inclusive growth in Chicago, which is a priority of Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “

Additionally, Mayekar said the Chicago downtown area continues to grow and contribute to the 77 differing neighborhoods around the city. Companies like Blue Cross Blue Shield are building customer service centers, and Evanston Technology Partners is setting up shop. Meanwhile, hundreds of jobs flow into the Chicago community every year and continue to show the evolution of the city.

“When you see the types of companies that are growing, you see a balance,” Mayekar said. The recognition to the city continues to influence the decisions made by all companies that move to Chicago and invest in the people of Illinois.

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Can you imagine life without a dishwasher? Fudge brownies? Your cell phone? Neither can we—that’s why we’re taking a moment this National Inventors’ Day to recognize a few Illinois inventors and their contributions to history.

In 1885, Josephine Cochrane developed the dishwasher in Shelbyville. As the story goes, Cochrane—a wealthy socialite who frequently hosted dinner parties—hated washing dishes so much that she invented and patented the world’s first mechanical dishwasher. She founded the Garis-Cochran Manufacturing Company in 1886, which became part of KitchenAid after her death in 1913.

Sweet-toothed Illinoisans, rejoice: Chefs at Chicago’s Palmer House Hotel invented the brownie in 1893. According to legend, the hotel owner’s wife requested a dessert that would hold up in boxed lunches for attendees of the World Colombian Exposition. The result? A nutty, apricot-glazed predecessor to the fudgy treats we know today.

As 2020 begins, businesses around Illinois are adjusting to the new year with changes and growth. In Decatur, Mueller Water Products is constructing a new brass foundry, bringing new jobs and prospects for the company and the town. Mueller Water Products was founded in Decatur in 1857 by German immigrant Hieronymus Mueller and is celebrating 162 years of business.