Du Quoin state fair attendance rises
The Du Quoin State Fair set an attendance record for the second consecutive year in 2026, but the Illinois State Fair in Springfield saw a modest decline.
According to a statement from Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s office, the Du Quoin State Fair drew 287,058 visitors, up from 282,202 in 2025. The Illinois State Fair reported its third-highest attendance ever at 714,231, down from more than 723,000 last year.
This year’s Illinois State Fair was expected to generate about $100 million of economic impact after taxpayers invested nearly $190 million for infrastructure and programming.
The 2027 Illinois State Fair is scheduled from August 12 to August 22. Next year’s Du Quoin State Fair is set for August 27 through September 6.
Cook County to spend $8 million on storm debris removal
Cook County officials say they will invest $8 million in taxpayer funds to help communities remove debris left by storms that hit the area on August 11.
A statement from Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle’s office said the support would be focused on 12 south suburban municipalities.
Man sentenced for illegally possessing gun used in fatal shooting
A Chicago man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for illegally possessing a handgun and using it to fatally shoot a man on the city’s South Side. As a previously convicted felon, Levion Thomas, 31, was prohibited from possessing a firearm when he sold a handgun to an undercover law enforcement officer in March 2023. Prosecutors said Thomas used the same gun to fatally shoot Troy Pouncey two weeks earlier.
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