As January comes to an end, let’s celebrate those who were born in Illinois in the month of January! Many birthdays of note from people born in Illinois occurred in January. From actors and actresses to the famous, historic, or otherwise distinguished figures who can track their birthplaces back to Illinois in January are as follows:

- Betty White: American actress and comedian, born on Jan. 17, 1922 in Oak Park

- Michelle Obama: Former First Lady of the United States (2009-2017), lawyer, and writer born on Jan. 17, 1964 in Chicago

- John Belushi: Comedian best known for his role on Saturday Night Live, actor and musician born on Jan. 24, 1949 in Chicago

- Michael Peña: American actor known for his roles in Ant-Man and Crash, born on Jan. 12, 1976 in Chicago

- Carl Rogers: Psychologist whom is one of the founders of humanistic psychology and pioneered the field of clinical psychological research, born on Jan. 8, 1902 in Oak Park

The verdict is in, and it is a win for women all across Illinois. For the first time in its history, the state’s highest court is made up of a majority of female judges. Not only that, but it is a super-majority with a five to two margin. The majority was made when Justices Elizabeth Rochford and Mary Kay O’Brien were sworn in on Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. The two women were both elected to the Supreme Court in November. Justice Joy V. Cunningham, who was appointed to replace retiring Chief Justice Anne M. Burke, also joins the female justices.

The three new female justices join two other women on the Supreme Court, Justice Lisa Holder White and Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis. Lisa Holder White was the first Black woman on the Illinois Supreme Court and Cunningham will become the second. Cunningham’s appointment will bring the Supreme Court to three Black Justices total. This group of historic women are making leaps and bounds at breaking glass ceilings not only for women, but for the Black community as well.

Chief Justice Theis was quoted saying, “To say I was the only woman in the room is absolutely true for a very long time in my career, even when I went on the bench. There were very, very few women. But there were some. And as we moved along, there were many more behind me.”

More women are sure to follow in their footsteps, and Illinois’ history will be all the better for it.   

October has drawn to a close, and November is well on its way. However, before you start throwing out your candy corn for candy canes, let’s take a moment to celebrate the month of October and Illinois. Many birthdays of note from those born in Illinois occurred in October. History starts the moment we are born. The famous, historic, or otherwise distinguished figures who can track their birthplaces back to Illinois in October are as follows:

• Hillary Clinton: Former First Lady and Secretary of State, born on Oct. 26, 1947 in Park Ridge

• Derrick Rose: American basketball player, born on Oct. 4, 1988 in Chicago

• Robert Reed: American director, born on Oct. 19, 1932 in Highland Park

• CM Punk: American professional wrestler, born on Oct. 26, 1978 in Chicago

• Craig Robinson: Actor from The Office, born on Oct. 25, 1971 in Chicago

• Grace Slick: American musician, born on Oct. 30, 1939 in Highland Park

• Pat Sajak: Host of Wheel of Fortune, born on Oct. 26, 1946 in Chicago

• Michael Crichton: Author of Jurassic Park, born on Oct. 23 1942 in Chicago

• Dan Castellaneta: Voice of Homer Simpson on The Simpsons, born on Oct. 29, 1957 in Oak Park

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a witch? It’s a ghost? It’s Superman? No, it’s a bird! Residents in Eureka were convinced they saw the wicked witch flying around on her broomstick in their neighborhood. It made sense, Halloween was a couple weeks away, why wouldn’t the witches come out to play? As it turned out, the so-called witch was actually an owl flying around with a child’s toy it had stolen earlier that day. The image circulating was caught by Eric Lind outside of his parents’ house. Too see the video Lind captured of the owl, visit here.

The toy was a stick horse, and the bird was a great horned owl. Great horned owls are known for their long, earlike tufts, intimidating yellow-eyes stare, and deep hooting voice. They are the inspiration for the quintessential owls found in storybooks, so it is only fitting one was mistaken for a storybook witch. The owl thief snuck into someone’s home and stole the toy of their child. Why the owl seemed to make friends with the horse is unclear. Some have suggested its similarity in size to mice drew the owl in, others reference how juvenile red-tailed hawks have been reported to play with inanimate objects, so the owl could be doing the same. Either way it was drawn to the toy and the owl’s silhouette made a convincing witch. Luckily for those in Eureka, this was merely a cute owl playing with its new friend.

Then again, one of the powers of a witch can include turning into an animal, and an owl is a known companion to some storybook villains. So who knows? Maybe witches really do roam among us and this one turned back into an owl just in the knack of time. Either way, they arrived in Eureka just in time for spooky season.    

Fans of the Kane Country Cougars, an American Association of Professional baseball team in Geneva, will be happy to hear their mascot is coming back to the state. Cougars, also known as pumas or mountain lions, have had an increase in sightings in Illinois over recent years.

Mountain lions were all but extinct in Illinois, having been eradicated from the state prior to the 1870s due to habitat loss and overharvesting, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. IDNR has reported only eight mountain lions have been found in Illinois in the last 20 years – two of the eight being in recent years. One was hit and killed on a highway in DeKalb County. The mountain lion’s body has been sent to the University of Illinois to be studied. It is believed this mountain lion migrated somewhere from the west. IDNR is currently tracking the second mountain lion in Illinois. This cougar is from Nebraska and has a GPS monitor. Sightings of these animals are becoming more frequent after having been absent from the state for so long. However, while mountain lions might sound intimidating, IDNR urges residents not to worry.

Mountain lions are unlikely to make contact with or harm humans. If someone comes across one of these cats, it is suggested to stand tall, look large, keep your eye on the animal, and slowly back away. It is not advised to run or try to intimidate them, they will generally ignore people if people ignore them. IDNR officials are also reminding the public that it is illegal to hunt, kill or harass mountain lions unless they pose an imminent threat. Cougars have been protected in Illinois since 2015.

If you want more information about the second mountain lion in Illinois, who originated from Nebraska, or if you want to report a sighting of another possible cat, you can do so here.