Illinois

Missouri, Illinois saw surge in economic activity for solar eclipse

Published

2 weeks ago

April 17, 2024

Missouri, Illinois saw surge in economic activity for solar eclipse

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – Newly released credit card data shows how viewing for the April 8 solar eclipse affected the economies of Missouri and Illinois.

Towns both big and small with inundated with visitors seeking to set up camp and experience totality. Many businesses told First Alert 4 they got more visitors than they expected.

Credit card data released by Master Card, that goes from April 4 through April 8, shows Missouri saw a 17 percent increase in gas sales, the third highest in the nation. The state also saw a 47 percent jump in credit card use at restaurants, the fifth highest in the country.

Illinois saw a 12 percent jump in fuel sales, a 316 percent increase in hotel reservations, which is the second most in the country behind Vermont and a 67 percent increase in dining sales.

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Illinois

New report lists 5 Illinois cities among worst to get high in across the US

Published

5 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Press Room

New report lists 5 Illinois cities among worst to get high in across the US

Illinois is dominating a new report about the best places to blaze it up across the country – but not how you might think.

Recreational cannabis was legalized for adult use in different states in 2023 and to catalog the growth of cannabis tourism, LawnStarter’s latest report ranks the Best Cities to Get Stoned in 2024.

They also prepared a list for the worst cities to get stoned in the U.S., where Illinois captured half the spots.

The online platform that allows to reserve lawn care and mowing services through its website doubles online as a dataset collector, compiling data collected by the company to create studies covering anything from vacation rentals to hiking cities.

Here’s a breakdown of the report.

How did Illinois do?

According to the report, five cities out of ten are from Illinois for the worst cities to get high in, with Cicero the third worst city in the country.

The other Illinois cities that cracked the list include Elgin (5th worst), Bloomington (7th worst), Springfield (9th worst) and Rockford (10th worst).

Chicago was the highest ranked city in Illinois to get high in, according to the report, at No. 38.

More: New report finds air quality in Springfield, surrounding areas is getting worse

Methodology used

According to LawnStarter, the metrics to rank each city were first determined as six categories: access, consumer satisfaction, convenience, lounging, entertainment and munchie relief.

After the six categories were chosen, each was assigned a weight based on importance for the stoned experience. Access to dispensaries was weighted highest on the list, with munchies relief weighing the least.

Data was collected from 292 cities across the country before final calculations scored each city out of 100 points to determine its rank in each factor and overall. The score is the average of the city’s scores combined.

Best places to get high?

Here’s a look at the best places, according to the report:

Los Angeles, California
San Francisco, California
Las Vegas, Nevada
Denver, Colorado
New York, New York

Claire Grant writes about business, growth and development and other news topics for the State Journal-Register. She can be reached at CLGrant@gannett.com; and on X (Formerly known as Twitter): @Claire_Granted

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Illinois

Sweet Basil Cafe opens seventh Illinois location in Hanover Park

Published

12 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Press Room

Sweet Basil Cafe opens seventh Illinois location in Hanover Park

Lily Parra serves customers their food at Sweet Basil Cafe, which opened Monday in Hanover Park’s Westview Center on Barrington Road.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com

Illinois’ seventh Sweet Basil Cafe opened Monday in Hanover Park’s Westview Center on Barrington Road.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com

Sweet Basil Cafe in Hanover Park has a pet-friendly patio.
Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com

Sweet Basil Cafe opened its seventh Illinois location Monday at the former site of Tap House Grill in the Westview Center in Hanover Park.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony with local officials is expected shortly after exterior signs are delivered and installed at the breakfast, lunch and dinner restaurant at 7600 Barrington Road, Hanover Park Mayor Rod Craig said.

“It definitely fills a niche,” he added. “It’ll be a value to the center. I’m excited about it.”

Craig said he hopes the presence of the new business will encourage the return of the Cruise Nights that previously used the parking lot near Tony’s Fresh Market.

The family-owned and operated restaurant will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. It features a coffee bar with a variety of specialty coffee drinks, flights, smoothies and shakes.

A new addition for Sweet Basil Cafe is a pizza menu for either dine-in or carryout.

Refurbishments to the building include a pet-friendly patio where dogs are entitled to a free puppy cup.

Sweet Basil Cafe’s other Illinois locations are in Algonquin, Skokie, Rockford, Peoria, Champaign and Springfield.

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Illinois

When are the Illinois cicadas coming?

Published

19 hours ago

April 29, 2024

Press Room

Cicadas are coming to Chicago area, and experts advise protecting trees

02:48

When are the Illinois cicadas coming?

Soon, but not quite yet.

CBS News associate producer Maddy Wierus went on a baby cicada hunt last week in Champaign, Ill., with the University of Illinois entomologist Dr. Katie Dana.

Baby cicadas found in Champaign

After a bit of digging, Dana found three or four nymphs several inches underground.

“Oh, wait, I see that guy!” Dana said. “He’s down in the hole! Oh my gosh. I’m pretty sure unless that’s a beetle.”

When are the Illinois cicadas coming?

02:20

After a closer inspection, it wasn’t a beetle. It was actually a cicada, not quite ready to emerge.

“It’s butt sticking out of the hole there,” Dana said. “So you can see there’s at least three or four there.”

Dana said the soil is warming a bit faster than she would like.

When will cicadas emerge in Illinois?

However, based on the bug’s color, these little guys still have some time to spend in the soil before their big reveal, Dana said.

There are two groups of periodical cicadas — those that emerge every 13 years and those that emerge every 17 years. For most of their lives, cicadas live underground and emerge once the soil reaches 64 degrees.

Because they are temperature-dependent, cicada emergences may vary depending on the location. In 2024, they are expected sometime in May or early June, according to Ken Johnson, a horticulture educator at the University of Illinois.

John Dodge

John Dodge is a veteran Chicago journalist with experience in print, television, and online platforms.

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