The State Fair kicks off in Springfield on Thursday, August 8. Special days include Ag Day (August 9), Kids Day (August 10), Veterans Day (August 11), and Senior Day (August 12). During special days, designated State Fair visitors can get discounted or free admission to the Fair. Special group-oriented events are also offered on each day of the Fair, which will continue until Family Day on Sunday, August 18. The daily State Fair schedule is available here.
The Illinois State Fair will have a full schedule of agricultural showings, concerts, races, thrill rides, fair food, and novelty events throughout the week-and-a-half Fair experience. Nationally known singers and musical groups will perform at the historic Grandstand. First operated in 1853 and hosted by Springfield continuously since 1894, the Illinois State Fair is an opportunity for Illinoisans of all backgrounds to come together to celebrate all things Illinois.
BUDGET
Healthy State revenues in July 2024, but the trend may not continue. One-time factors were significant in the topline year-over-year increase of $360 million in moneys paid to Illinois by personal income taxpayers in July 2024. After slices of this money are deduced for income tax refunds and for payment as State aid to local governments, the net new money to the State from this source in July 2025 was $306 million. This increase created more than three-quarters of the net $387 million in new money enjoyed by the Illinois Comptroller in July 2024. The Comptroller’s office uses cash flow to pay Illinois’ bills, cover Illinois workers’ paychecks, and make grants and payments – such as school aid payments for the approaching 2024-2025 school year – to designated beneficiaries.
While these July 2025 numbers reflected a staunch cash flow to the State of Illinois, big spenders in Springfield were urged not to get excited about them. Healthy consumer spending numbers can change with great speed if Illinoisans’ personal budgets are pinched by factors such as high motor fuel prices or housing costs. In addition, the July 2024 numbers reflected two additional work-week days of economic activity in comparison with July 2023. These one-time factors affect the overall calculations of money coming in and assigned to a particular cash flow period.
CORRECTIONS
Have All Voted Who Wish: Saving Lincoln, Illinois. Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) announced in March the state intended to tear down and rebuild two prisons in poor conditions: Stateville Correctional Center for men in Crest Hill outside of Joliet, and the Logan Correctional Center (LLC) for women outside of Lincoln.
The initial announcement did not immediately indicate what would become of LCC, stating only that Stateville would be rebuilt where it was and that plans for LCC were still being determined.
In April, a new IDOC report said the state's preference is to move the women's prison from outside of Lincoln to Crest Hill, effectively turning the Stateville prison into a multifunctional campus.
Now, close to 500 workers at Logan Correctional Center fear losing their jobs and a city of 13,000, already facing economic headwinds with both Lincoln Christian University and Lincoln College shutting down in the last two years, is looking at losing another major employer which would devastate the community,
On the “Have All Voted Who Wish” podcast, we talk with State Representative Bill Hauter of Morton, who represents the Lincoln area, and State Representative CD Davidsmeyer of Murrayville, co-chair of the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, about the possibilities and the profound effect such a move will have on the community.
ENERGY
Motor fuel prices spike yet again in northeastern Illinois. The most recent price hikes were attributed to temporary shutdown activity at Exxon-Mobil’s 250,000 barrels/day Channahon, Illinois refinery adjacent to Interstate 55. The facility, which converts crude oil and syncrude into motor fuels, was forced to alter its operations after a widespread outbreak of Illinois tornadoes on the night of July 15-16, 2024.
The reduction of Illinois motor fuel production has led to sharp increases in the price of gasohol, diesel, and other fuels throughout northeastern Illinois. The federal government has taken emergency action to encourage the importation of fuel from other parts of the U.S. to Illinois and other Midwestern states.
JOBS
Unemployment rose in Illinois in June. The 0.1 percent increase marked a rise in the jobless level from 4.9% in May to 5.0% in June 2024. While relatively minor, the increase appeared to mark an end to Illinois’ unemployment-level recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2022. Unemployment levels lower than 5.0% traditionally suggests economic recoveries and movements toward “full employment.”
Illinois payrolls rose with the creation of 10,400 net new jobs in June 2024, spurred by hiring in health services and government. Job losses continued in the key sectors of professional and business services and in information technology. Tech changes are affecting demand for traditional areas of Illinois strength, such as retail bookkeeping and print journalism. Although Illinois created net new jobs in June 2024, unemployment increased because the size of the Illinois labor force – defined as persons of job age who are actively seeking employment – rose faster than the number of new jobs created.
Neighboring states continue to have significantly lower jobless rates than Illinois (Indiana – 3.8%; Iowa – 2.8%; Missouri – 3.7%; Wisconsin – 2.9%.). The June figures are seasonally adjusted and are subject to future adjustments based on refined job reporting data.
Lion Electric announces massive Joliet layoff. The maker of electric-powered school buses and transportation systems has found slow demand for its electric vehicles. This week, the Canadian-based firm issued an Illinois WARN notice to workers at its Joliet assembly plant, informing them that 300 workers would be placed on indefinite layoff. No date was set for the recall of the laid-off workforce.
Electric-powered vehicles of all sizes face a lack of operational flexibility when separated from the charging stations that these rolling vehicles need to use with great frequency. In addition, the uncertain prospects for certain brands of electric-powered cars, trucks, and other large vehicles have stifled potential demand. Should a brand go out of business, the owners of vehicles made under that brand name cannot rely upon aftermarket support for that brand. Lion Electric Co. shares, which traded as high as $33½ in 2021, sank this week towards half a dollar a share. The layoff notice was issued on Wednesday, July 31.
SWEET CORN
Amazing supersweet corn rooted in Illinois. In Urbana on the University of Illinois campus sits a historical marker that reads: "In 1953, John R. Laughnan discovered that kernels of mutant corn were "unusually sweet." Within eight years, Laughnan had developed the "Illini Supersweet" hybrid that revolutionized the sweet corn industry. Supersweet, now a dominant variety internationally, is higher in protein and lower in calories than conventional sweet corn."
Corn has had a long history in the United States. The Illinois Museum described corn as one of the greatest feats of genetic engineering in human history. The cultivation of corn marked a turning point in the development of agriculture and human society in the early Americas. Here was a crop that could now be stored and used during the lean winter months.
Laughnan, a professor of plant biology and head of the Botany Department at University of Illinois, was a corn geneticist. In the early 1950s, he discovered the shrunken-2 (sh2) gene led to corn that produced kernels with less starch and four times more sugar than other sweet corn at the time. When Laughnan started marketing his varieties of sweet corn with the sh2 gene, he developed the “Illini Supersweet” hybrid. Today “supersweet” is often used synonymously with sh2.
Although it didn’t catch on right away, supersweet corn has surged in popularity over the decades. Whether you like it sweet or supersweet, sweet corn is a staple on the tables of Illinois families and is deserving of a its own special day of recognition.
In 2022, House Republican Leader Tony McCombie, a passionate connoisseur of sweet corn, passed legislation recognizing August 1 as Sweet Corn Appreciation Day in Illinois, a day to commemorate all sweet corn growers and farmers across the state
“Sweet corn was always a favorite of mine. Like millions of others in Illinois, sweet corn reminds us of summer and fun family memories," said McCombie. "Whether you purchase it from your grocer or a local farmers market, it would not be possible for us to enjoy it without those who grow it."
McCombie walks the talk, hosting an annual Sweet Corn Celebration each August for the families in her community. She encourages everyone to savor the days of summer with delicious golden kernels of sweet corn.