Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 940 of The Daily Dirt.

1. There is arguably no better indicator of a cultural landscape than the first names that occupy it.

“(First) names have become more diverse and personalized over the years,” says Kushal Tantry — speaking of interesting first names — who is the CEO of ourpublicrecords.org.

Ourpublicrecords.org recently analyzed data involving 10,000 names given to U.S. babies, which Tantry said showed “fascinating insight in the attitudes of parents when it comes to naming babies,” plus how “traditional naming practices still hold significance for many families”.

The ourpublicrecords.org results revealed that Illinois’s most popular male name for a baby since 1992 is Noah, while Olivia is the most popular female name. The following are currently the most popular baby names in Illinois:

Boys                    

• 1. Noah                
• 2. Liam                 
• 3. Oliver               
•  4. Mateo              
• 5. Theodore          
• 6. Benjamin         
•  7. Henry               
•  8. James              
• 9. William              
• 10. Sebastian

  Girls

• 1. Olivia
• 2. Sophia
• 3. Emma
• 4. Charlotte
• 5. Amelia
• 6. Mia
• 7. Isabella
• 8.Ava
• 9. Camila
• 10. Sofia

Tantry says it is no accident there is an interesting mix of newer-type names and those with more of a traditional feel.

“Zendaya is a great example of a unique name (that is becoming more popular, though it did not make the top 10), thanks to cultural inspiration,” Tantry said. “Georgina is an older, more traditional name (that also did make the top 10) that has also greatly increased in popularity, showing how names never really go extinct and how most names will see fluctuations in popularity over time.”

For the record, ourpublicrecords.org said that on a national level the most popular male baby name right now is Liam, with Noah ranking second. On the distaff side, Olivia is also the most popular female name nationally.

2. Did you know (Part 7) …

That in 1980 David Bowie was performing in “The Elephant Man” on Broadway, and in the front row there were three empty seats. Two of those seats belonged to Yoko Ono and John Lennon. Lennon had been shot and killed on the streets of New York the night before. The third empty seat belonged to Mark David Chapman, the man who shot John Lennon. 

That former “American Idol” judge Randy Jackson played bass guitar on the Divinyls’ 1990 song “I Touch Myself”.

That the Monty Python movie “The Holy Grail” was funded by George Harrison, Led Zeppelin, Genesis and Pink Floyd.

3. More potential nicknames are surfacing for the NHL team that is relocating from Arizona to Utah. Here’s the latest:

Utah Latter-Day Skates: This one is gold, whether you may be Mormon or not.

Utah Jambalaya: Remember when Utah stole the New Orleans Jazz NBA team? Now it can steal something else from New Orleans for this nickname. Of course, neither nickname makes any sense in Utah, which is the beauty of it all.

Utah Jazz Hands: Jazz Hands! It’s been a while since this term has been mainstream. But it might just work, since the hockey team would be a partner to the Utah Jazz NBA club.

Utah Pyramids: OK, it seems Utah is the home to multi-level marketing firms (and pyramid schemes), so … maybe we don’t really need to celebrate that.

Steve Thought O’ The Day – It’s comforting to know that Chuck Norris can speak every language, including dolphin.

Steve Eighigner writes daily for Muddy River News. What about the Utah Johnnies?

The emergence of two broods of periodical cicadas in Illinois this spring will be an event that has not occurred since 1803 and will not happen again until 2245.

What does this rare event mean for Peoria-area farmers?

Cicadas 2024: What animals eat cicadas?

Do cicadas destroy crops?

The short answer is, not much.

“Periodical cicadas don’t pose a risk to any of the major crops in Illinois,” said Illinois State Entomologist Christopher Dietrich. “They are restricted to areas with mature natural forest, and they don’t move around much so we’ll see few, if any, in areas dominated by row crops.”

The Peoria area’s corn and soybeans are safe from a dual emergence of the Northern Illinois Brood and the Great Southern Brood. But the billions of insects whose song will begin to fill Illinois evenings later this month can still pose an agricultural threat statewide.

Do cicadas destroy trees?

University of Illinois Extension horticulture educator Ken Johnson wrote female cicadas will cut open tree branches, resulting in a scar that can be several inches long. While the damage will not kill mature, healthy trees; it can kill small trees and shrubs.

“Newly-planted small trees and shrubs may have trunk diameters small enough for female cicadas to lay their eggs in,” Johnson wrote. “If this happens, the trees can be killed. These smaller plants also have fewer branches on them, and egg-laying can cause significant damage to the trees.”

What do cicadas eat? Trillions of cicadas loom in the United States. What do cicadas eat above ground?

The female cicada’s affinity for trees means the primary risk is to commercial tree fruit growers. Richard Tanner, the father of Tanner’s Orchard owner Craig Tanner, still helps out at the Speer, Ill., farm, and said 3,000 new trees were planted there last spring. To make up losses from last year, Tanner’s also plans to replant trees this spring.

“Due to the warm and dry conditions of spring 2023, we lost about 15% of the trees and will be replanting them,” Tanner said.

How to protect young trees from cicadas

The Illinois Department of Agriculture said the best way to protect small trees from cicada damage is to surround the trunks with screening, which will curtail egg-laying. IDA said commercially available pesticides don’t work on cicadas and could negatively affect pets and wildlife that feed on them.

University of Illinois Extension assistant professor Kacie Athey wrote late in April that the best protection for vulnerable trees is protective fine-meshed netting. However, for growers with large numbers of fruit trees, there are insecticides available only to commercial fruit producers.

Athey provided a spraying guide for commercial growers, including a list of available insecticides and efficacy ratings for each. Of the eight products listed, five had ratings of “Unknown.” Asana XL and Danitol 2.4EC received scores of “Excellent,” and Athey gave Sevin XLR Plus a rating of “Good.”

The Illinois House of Representatives honored Lake County Sheriff’s Canine Dax and his handler this week after the canine’s retirement and sudden death last month.

State Representative Tom Weber (R-Lake Villa) and the Illinois House of Representatives honored Dax and his handler, Lake County Sheriff’s Deputy John Forlenza, on Wednesday.

Dax and Forlenza were honored with the adoption of House Resolution 703 commending the duo for their “honorable service and dedication to their community, the State as a whole, and the nation.”

Forlenza was present at the Illinois State Capitol for the adoption of the resolution.

“Dax is one of the most decorated police K9s in the history of our state,” Weber said. “It’s only fitting that we honor his service as we would any law enforcement officer who has done so much to save lives and protect our communities.”

“He was truly a special dog, but none of his accomplishments would have been possible without the dedication and determination of his handler. It is a testament to the time and constant training Deputy Forlenza put in over the years that Dax was able to achieve so much. It was my honor to recognize them both on the House floor today and thank Deputy Forlenza for his service and work with Dax,” Weber said.

Dax – a German Shepherd born in March 2014 in the Czech Republic – joined the sheriff’s office in the spring of 2015. He was 13 months old when he joined the team.

Following nearly 10 years of service, Dax’s retirement was announced on April 4 and a public retirement ceremony was held on April 10.

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office announced Dax’s death on April 12, just two days after the ceremony.

“While K9 Dax’s legacy will forever live on, this morning K9 Dax passed away,” Lake County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli said at the time.

Covelli told Lake and McHenry County Scanner that Dax’s recovery since his injury in March had been “up and down.”

“But over the last ten days, it’s been going downhill. The last 30 hours he was in a lot of pain,” Covelli said.

Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said Dax will “always hold a special place in our hearts, and we are incredibly saddened by his passing.”

“K9 Dax will be remembered for the lives he saved, violent offenders he apprehended, and drugs he kept from being distributed in our community. Please keep the Forlenza family in your thoughts and prayers,” Idleburg said.

Dozens of community members attended the retirement ceremony, some even bringing their own dogs.

Covelli said during the ceremony that Dax and his handler have located over 400 missing endangered people.

“There’s no doubt this equates to over 400 lives being saved by this canine, Canine Dax,” Covelli said.

Dax has located some of society’s most violent fleeing criminals, Covelli said just before Dax began barking. “He’s still got it in him,” Covelli joked as the crowd began laughing.

Covelli said the canine recovered hundreds of kilos of illegal drugs, assisted with the seizure of millions of dollars, recovered dozens of firearms discarded by offenders, assisted with dozens of seized vehicles and has participated in hundreds of community and school demonstrations.

“It’s hard to travel anywhere in the United States and meet somebody who hasn’t heard of Canine Dax from here in Lake County,” he said.

Dax received dozens of awards and recognition, including from elected officials and nationwide organizations.

During the canine’s career with the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA), he competed in several regional and national trials across the country.

Dax earned numerous top finishes in the areas of tracking, article searches, narcotics, suspect searches and protection.

He won six USPCA Regional Championships and earned two Tracking Exceptional Certifications.

Dax also appeared on numerous local and national news stations, including Fox Nation, NBC, A&E Network and ESPN.

Forlenza spoke during the retirement ceremony and reflected on Dax’s career, including Dax’s first apprehension of a felony domestic battery suspect who fled on foot in North Barrington in 2015.

“He found the offender hiding behind a tree. Dax started to bark aggressively — go figure. Something he has obviously excelled in,” Forlenza said as Dax barked during the ceremony.

“The offender gave up. I remember being so proud of him looking back and I could tell he was proud of himself also,” Forlenza said.

Dax’s handler said he never anticipated that his first find in the woods would be the start of a career where Dax would go on to locate hundreds of violent offenders, subjects in mental crisis, lost children and elderly subjects.

Forlenza thanked the community for all of the cards, letters, care packages and well-wishes as Dax worked to recover from his recent injury.

“I want you all to know the special role you have played in Dax’s career and his rehabilitation,” Forlenza said.

The canine was injured on March 3 while apprehending a person who had committed several felonies and was fleeing near Zion.

Dax injured his neck and spine, which resulted in temporary paralysis in his hindquarters.

He was later diagnosed with cervical and thoracolumbar Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD) and lumbosacral IVDD exasperated during the apprehension, Covelli said.

Dax went through intensive physical therapy following the injury, which allowed him to regain the ability to walk and use his hind legs.

Covelli said Dax’s team of veterinarians determined he would not be able to return to active duty for his physical well-being.