Celebrating Beyond Hunger's new home, expanded opportunities

• Anti-hunger
• Oak Park

Illinois Senate President Don Harmon joined community leaders, partners and supporters to celebrate a major milestone for Beyond Hunger as the organization prepares to move into a larger space to expand its services.

“For nearly half a century, Beyond Hunger has been quietly, consistently and compassionately serving thousands of families across our region,” Harmon said. “This milestone isn’t just about a building — it’s about opportunities to reach more families, bring programs together under one roof and expand the ways we support people with dignity and care.”

Harmon thanked Chief Executive Officer Jennie Hull, along with the donors, volunteers, and partners who made the project possible, noting that efforts like this reflect a community committed to looking out for one another.

“When a community invests in something like this, it’s making a statement about its values — that every family deserves access to healthy food and that when challenges arise, we meet them together,” Harmon said.

He congratulated the Beyond Hunger team and expressed confidence that the new facility will allow the organization’s impact to grow for years to come.

Oak Park kindergarten teacher named finalist for Illinois Teacher of the Year

• Education
• Teachers

Congratulations to Elyse Smith of Oak Park, who has been recognized by the Illinois State Board of Education as a Cook County Co-Regional Teacher of the Year and finalist for 2026 Illinois Teacher of the Year.

A National Board Certified kindergarten teacher at Horace Mann Elementary School, Elyse has spent 20 years helping young students build strong foundations in literacy, learning and confidence. Her dedication extends beyond the classroom — including visiting every student’s home at the start of the school year to build meaningful partnerships with families.

Thank you, Elyse, for your extraordinary commitment to Oak Park students and for making such a lasting difference in our community.

Read more Elyse and other great teachers here: Those Who Excel & Teacher of the Year

ISU football visits the Capitol

• Football
• Illinois State University
• FCS Playoffs

The Illinois State Football team took fans, alumni and all of Illinois on a football adventure as they crisscrossed the country in the FCS playoffs on their way to the most exciting national championship game at any level. Honored to meet team members during their recent Capitol visit with Senator Dave Koehler.

Chicagoland ranked No. 1 again by business publication

The Chicago region has everything needed for success. Great resources, great people, great opportunities and great location.

You don’t have to take my word for it.

With more than 600 qualifying business projects across the region in 2025, Site Selection Magazine ranked Chicagoland as the top metro region in the nation. It’s the 13th year in a row the metro region has received the top designation from the industry publication.

https://siteselection.com/2025-top-metros-tier-1.../

Chicago scored higher than the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth metro areas.

“This momentum is not accidental. It is the result of a region with unmatched logistics power, a diversified and resilient economic base, and a nearly five-million–person workforce spanning advanced research to essential operations. Add to that over 150,000 students entering the regional economy each year, competitive utilities, abundant water, scalable industrial space and a deliberate focus on vibrancy as an economic driver — and you have a market built for sustained corporate growth.” -- Andrew Hayes, vice president of marketing communications for World Business Chicago