Illinois
Please Not Illinois: An Open Letter To Penn State Athletics
![Please Not Illinois: An Open Letter To Penn State Athletics](https://images.onwardstate.com/uploads/2023/09/DSC5211-1740x1158.jpg)
The Penn State White Out, as this is published, should be 150 days away.
That’s when Ohio State comes to town to take on the Nittany Lions on Saturday, November 2, at Beaver Stadium.
Alternatively, the White Out could come in 123 days, when UCLA comes to Happy Valley on Saturday, October 5. It could happen in 157 days, when the final Pac-12 champion, Washington, comes to Penn State.
The White Out shouldn’t come in 116 days when Illinois makes a routine pilgrimage to one of college football’s greatest cathedrals.
However, Illinois is starting to seem like a possible outcome for Penn State’s White Out opponent. With the news that NBC wants to put the Illinois game at 7:30 p.m. and no guarantee that any other home game will get the same blessing from a network, the Fighting Illini may appear in their second-ever White Out game.
That’s not what the White Out should be. For the past few years, it’s seemed Penn State has forgotten that.
The 2023 matchup against Iowa was, well, OK. There wasn’t really any concern Penn State could drop that game, but Iowa was a good enough opponent to justify giving it Penn State’s biggest game of the year. West Virginia (maybe) or Michigan (definitely) would have been better options, but West Virginia came early in the season and Michigan was always going to be a noon kickoff. Blame FOX.
The 2022 White Out against Minnesota was a waste of time. It was Minnesota, for goodness’ sakes.
When Penn State designated Minnesota as its White Out opponent, James Franklin said a survey of Penn State fans showed they cared more about the White Out being a night game than being against a high-level opponent. That’s why Ohio State wasn’t the the White Out opponent in 2022 and why Michigan got the Stripe Out in 2023.
It was a mistake for Penn State to avoid a high-quality opponent in both those scenarios. It can only get worse in 2024 if the Nittany Lions settle for Illinois.
Penn State Athletics, it really doesn’t matter who the White Out opponent is this year. Just don’t make it Illinois.
Illinois is such a boring team that after last year’s game, everyone wrote about Penn State’s kicker because there wasn’t nothing better to write about. Put those poor Illini, who couldn’t fit a capacity crowd into their 60,000 seat stadium, into a White Out, and it’s a snooze fest.
The 2024 season presents plenty of opportunity for Penn State to find creative White Out opponents. Washington and UCLA might not have the best teams next year, but they’re both new to the Big Ten and getting their first taste of that style of football. Ohio State is, well, Ohio State. Always a good White Out opponent.
Sure, all three of those games could fall victim to the noon kickoffs that plague college football. However, any of those games at noon is better than Illinois in prime time.
Sometimes, Penn State, you just have to bite the bullet. You can still make prime time against Illinois fun — give it the Helmet Stripe game or the Stripe Out. Just don’t fall victim to giving Penn Staters their third boring White Out in as many years.
Please, Penn State. Anyone but the Illini.
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Illinois
Only one Boston Market left in all of Illinois
![Only one Boston Market left in all of Illinois](https://www.wcia.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/44/2024/06/Boston_Market_IL.jpg?w=1280)
(WGN) — Boston Market restaurants have been quietly closing over the past few months, leaving just one store in operation across Illinois.
Workers at a west suburban Boston Market confirm they are not closed, telling WGN News: “We’re the last one, but we’re not closing.”
The location is just outside Chicago at 830 W. North Ave. in Melrose Park.
Once known as “Boston Chicken,” the restaurant pioneered healthier fast-food takeout with its popular rotisserie chicken.
The Washington Post reported on the company’s extensive legal problems earlier this year, “with landlords claiming unpaid rent and a fresh barrage of lawsuits and investigations over overdue bills and wages.”
According to a March Restaurant Business Magazine report, the chain, which once had more than a thousand locations nationwide, was down to a few dozen.
Illinois
This Illinois Caterpillar Will Ruin Your Day If You Touch It
![This Illinois Caterpillar Will Ruin Your Day If You Touch It](https://townsquare.media/site/671/files/2024/06/attachment-gettyimages-595751622-170667a.jpg?w=1200&q=75&format=natural)
Here’s a little warning from someone (me) who saw a family member (my son) find out the hard way about these little guys, and who’s kept an eye out for them ever since then.
It’s a Tussock Moth Caterpillar, and it’s venomous. Not the “well, it’s been nice knowing you” type of venomous, but as my son recently found out, it’s a pretty unpleasant experience.
He got an up-close-and-personal visit from one, and I think it’s safe to say he’s hoping that it never happens again, and we’d really hate to see it happen to you.
Tussock Moth Caterpillar crawling on arm.
Better here than on your leg. (Getty Images)
These Little Creatures May Look Fuzzy And Friendly, But Only The “Fuzzy” Part Is Accurate
Fuzzy, yes. Harmless, not so much. This whole experience began with my son Spencer and I sitting on the patio at home, about to go in and have lunch.
As he stood up, his hand went to the back right-side of his neck and he swept something away that had been crawling on him. When I looked down to see what he’d knocked to the ground, I saw an unusual looking caterpillar.
Here’s the culprit (right before being terminated with extreme prejudice by an angry mom protecting her grown son):
All It Takes Is Just A Single Touch To Make You Totally Regret Meeting One
It was a White-Marked Tussock Moth Caterpillar. I knew that because I’d recently read a piece online about venomous caterpillars. I read that piece because we’d seen another one crawling on some backyard flowers about a week before.
The caterpillar has a built-in defense mechanism located in those tufts of hair. The venom contained in those hairs is released when the hairs become embedded in your skin upon contact. That venom can cause anything from a minor irritation to a very nasty (but not life-threatening) allergic reaction.
I assumed that because there were two touches involved (where the caterpillar was crawling on his neck, and on his hand when he swept it away) my son would have two areas that would need quick attention. I went straight to Google to see what we needed to do to mitigate the consequences of it being on his skin.
Strangely enough, the caterpillar only nailed him on one of those spots. His neck:
We also found it odd that initially, he showed no signs whatsoever of having been exposed to the venom. However, when it did announce itself, it brought some serious itching, burning, and overall discomfort.
What you see above didn’t show up for several hours, and by the time we photographed his neck it was looking a lot better than it did at first. We treated it with ice and calamine lotion, and he seems to be healing up quickly.
By the way, the Tussock Moth Caterpillar is not the only Illinois caterpillar that can cause you pain and discomfort if you touch one. Make sure you don’t touch these guys, either:
The Io Moth Caterpillar. (Getty Images)
The Io Moth Caterpillar has stinging hair and barbs that can cause pain and rashes if touched.
The Imperial Moth Caterpillar. (Getty Images)
The Imperial Moth Caterpillar is covered with irritating hairs that can cause severe itch and rashes.
saddleback caterpillar (Acharia Hyperoche), shot in Costa Rica.
A poisonous caterpillar being handled
The Saddleback Caterpillar features stinging spines and hairs that can cause extreme skin irritation.
LOOK: 20 of the biggest insects in the world
Gallery Credit: Andrea Vale
Illinois
Illinois Valley Democrats to meet June 27 in La Salle
![Illinois Valley Democrats to meet June 27 in La Salle](https://www.shawlocal.com/resizer/yVoT3aGxn4S8vGOhSVgGVZwcQvk=/1200x630/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/VDSLEEIKVZQ5YDMTBV6HIR7DWE.jpg)
The Illinois Valley Democrats (La Salle, Bureau, Putnam counties) will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, June 27, at the La Salle VFW, 2325 Donahue St.
The DePue Boat Races in July will be discussed and raffle tickets will be distributed to members. All Democrats are invited and encouraged to attend. Food can be purchased through the VFW.
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