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New $30M ad campaign showcases Illinois as the 'Middle of Everything'

Illinois launches 'middle of everything' tourism campaign.

Pritzker and other state officials rolled out a new $30 million ad campaign Monday highlighting Illinois' role as a cultural touchstone with a new slogan, "Middle of Everything."

CHICAGO - Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants tourists back in the Land of Lincoln. Pritzker and other state officials rolled out a new $30 million ad campaign Monday highlighting Illinois' role as a cultural touchstone with a new slogan, "Middle of Everything."

The campaign will spotlight the state as the center of culture, food and more to help attract visitors.

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It has been a brutal couple of years for the tourism industry, but with pandemic restrictions easing and people looking to spend money, Illinois is hoping a new ad campaign will put tourists back on the road.

"This campaign is a significant next step to aid our state’s tourism recovery and positions Illinois for future growth and success that our entire state can rally around – helping our economy, boosting tax revenues, and putting people back to work," Pritzker said in a statement. "As tourists gear up for a busy summer travel season, we welcome visitors near and far to find themselves in the middle of everything that Illinois has to offer."

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announces the rollout of new Illinois tourism campaign

Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other state officials rolled out a new $30 million ad campaign Monday highlighting Illinois as the "Middle of Everything."

Directed by Illinois-native actress and comedian Jane Lynch, the ads will air in 20 markets across Illinois and seven nearby states starting this week. The ads will also be on cable TV nationwide starting Apr. 25.

In addition to airing commercials, the campaign will also be featured on highway billboards, bus signage as well as digital and print media ads.

It's part of a $30 million campaign designed to promote the entire state as a tourism destination.

The governor's office said tourism fell by 49% after the pandemic hit costing thousands of jobs.

The head of the state's hotel association said Monday they desperately need money from tourism because business travel has still not recovered.

"And why it's so important to us is business travel is still lagging. Companies have still been delayed in putting their employees back on the road," said Michael Jacobson, president of the Illinois Hotel and Lodging Association. "So this summer, leisure is king. Just like last year, it's really going to be those leisure travelers which speaks to the importance of going out with a campaign like this."

"The Middle of Everything campaign highlights what Illinois is really all about. We're the heart of America. One of the largest and most diverse states in the country," Pritzker said.

The campaign is heavily-centered on Chicago attractions including Cloud Gate and the Shedd Aquarium, but also highlights downstate draws like the Abraham Lincoln Museum, Historic Route 66 and the Shawnee National Forest.

The state's tourism and hospitality industry employs upwards of 600,000 people.

• Reel Ad of the Week

Jane Lynch directs Illinois Tourism campaign through STORY

• By Reel Chicago
• April 19, 2022

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Actress, producer and writer, Jane Lynch , can add “Director” to her impressive list of titles. She recently directed a series of commercials for the Illinois Tourism Middle of Everything campaign and was the primary actor.

Produced for the Illinois Department of Tourism via OKRP ad agency, the comedic vignettes are part of the Middle of Everything campaign that promotes Illinois as the state that’s in the middle of everything. The spots were shot under strict COVID protocols. Cliff Grant was the Executive Producer for the production company, STORY , and Marsie Wallach was the line producer.

Governor Pritzker introduced the campaign on April 18th at a press conference at The Shedd Aquarium. The spots will air throughout the year.

The project was for familiar territory for Lynch. She was born in Illinois and still has family in the Chicago area. Her acting credits include over 80 movies including Best of Show and Julia & Julia and more than 100 TV shows including The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Glee . In the beginning of her career, she acted in many TV commercials.

Lynch was introduced to STORY by her good friend, Andy Richter , another comedic actor who directs commercials through STORY. For several years Lynch was the emcee for the DGA awards and is now a DGA member.

“I started my career working in commercials” Lynch explained , “and I’ve worked with directors in every type of media. I have wanted to be a commercial director for some time, and this was the ideal beginning. I am a big fan of Illinois and wanted to help promote it. Cliff Grant and the people at STORY made the transition from in front of the camera to behind the camera very easy for me.”

“The only snag,” she added, “was the actress I had to direct. She was always late and temperamental. I will never work with her again,” quipped Lynch with a smile.

ILLINOIS OFFICE OF TOURISM Karla Flannery Deputy Director, IOT Lisa Link Marketing and Advertising Manager, IOT

Agency OKRP Angela Coster Creative Director / Art Director Marisa Rhines Creative Director / Copywriter Nathen Gigsby Sr Producer Brenda Donahue Chief Operations Officer Ashley Saluga CMC, Production Manager Co Producer CMC/Forecast Ashley Saluga On Set Representative

Production Company STORY Jane Lynch Director Mark Androw Executive Producer Cliff Grant Executive Producer Marsie Wallach Line Producer Mary Langenfeld Production Supervisor

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13 Commercials and Jingles Only Chicagoans Know

There are commercials, and then there are old Chicago commercials. These are some of the most recognizable commercials, and the accompanying jingles, from the last 30 years in the Chicagoland area. Sorry in advance for getting these stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

If you don’t know the “588-2300 Empire” jingle at the end of every carpet commercial, are you really a Chicagoan? Probably not.

The window company is known for their strange commercials in Chicago that turn milestones in a parody of buying windows. While their latest commercial of a pregnant woman and her husband is funny and a bit awkward, nothing is as cringe-worthy as the commercials they produced in the ’80s and ’90s.

La Preferida

Cubs fans everywhere were probably running to grocery stores to pick up La Preferida’s authentic Mexican fare after seeing their commercial with Harry Caray awkwardly opening a cabinet full of their product.

Webb Hyundai

The Webb family was known across Chicago and northwest Indiana for their unique commercials. How much more memorable can a singing, car-selling family be?

Moo & Oink

The dancing cow and pig in a supermarket selling their own kind is both comical and disturbing at the same time, but the tune will get stuck in your head forever.

Chicago Bears Super Bowl Coke Commercial

While this old commercial wasn’t only for Chicagoans, we can’t help but feel a little pride for the team of ’85 drinking Coke in a diner. Jim McMahon and “Refrigerator” Perry made Coca-Cola “America’s real choice.”

Your Singing Ford Dealer

When you heard this voice, you knew Harry Schmerler was here to sell you a Ford.

A ’90s Chicago classic with unforgettable hair and a creepy talking eagle.

Cub Fan Bud Man

Rounding out the list is another Harry Caray-centered commercial. No good Chicagoan can forget him dancing to “Cub Fan, Bud Man” set to the tune of Soul Man.

United Auto Insurance

Easily one of the most recognizable jingles in Chicagoland, this auto insurance company often gets local radio hosts Eddie and Jobo to have Chicagoans recite the catchy tune.

C’mon, you all know how this one goes. Seven, seven, three… two, oh, two… (beep-beep-beep-beep) Lunaaaaaaaaaaaa .

Peter Francis Geraci

Whether you remember that uncomfortably blank stare or the sheer monotony of his voice, attorney Peter Francis Geraci is a household name for his trademark Chicago commercial – and not to mention, his unbelievably cringe-worthy Chicago accent.

Glen Lerner

This guy’s a real character. In a wreck? Need a check? You know when you hear that two, two, two, twenty-two, twenty-two  in these conspicuously kitschy commercials, injury attorney Glen Lerner is there to save your ass.

What are your favorite jingles and commercials that only Chicagoans know? Let us know if we missed any in the comments.

About Author

Halle Olson

As an introvert, Halle spends most of her time buried in books or editing but she's happy to be joining the UrbanMatter team. When she's not writing/editing an article, Halle is most likely re-watching "House" or "How I Met Your Mother" for the millionth time.

Illinois launches new tourism campaign starring Jane Lynch

Governor, tourism committee launches summer campaign across the midwest..

CHICAGO, Ill. (WIFR) - Jane Lynch, the actress best known for her role in the hit TV show “Glee,” is part of a new tourism campaign for the state of Illinois.

Governor JB Pritzker officially kicked off the tourism campaign with the Illinois native appearing via Zoom to preview the new commercials. The campaign is called “Middle of Everything,” and highlights a list of attractions both downtown Chicago and across the state.

“We are thrilled to partner with Illinois’ own Jane Lynch, the perfect ambassador to promote our state, in this new tourism campaign,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This campaign is a significant next step to aid our state’s tourism recovery and positions Illinois for future growth and success that our entire state can rally around – helping our economy, boosting tax revenues, and putting people back to work. As tourists gear up for a busy summer travel season, we welcome visitors near and far to find themselves in the middle of everything that Illinois has to offer.”

Starting this week, the new ads will run in eight states , targeting travelers in Midwestern markets on broadcast and connected TV in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Kentucky. The ads will also appear nationally on cable TV starting April 25.

In the “Middle of Everything,” Lynch stars as Illinois’ official tour guide showcasing iconic attractions in Chicago, Springfield, Historic Route 66, and the Garden of the Gods in Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois.

After almost two and a half years of mitigations due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Senate Tourism Committee is rolling out the red carpet with the new campaign that features Lynch as both director and star, for an expected 750,000 individual trips to the Prairie State.

The state’s last campaign brought nearly $212 million in revenue.

“I loved every minute of working on this project promoting tourism in my home state and I’m so proud to finally see it come to life,” said Lynch. “I am grateful for Gov. Pritzker’s enthusiasm and support for this new Illinois Tourism marketing campaign. We share the same passion for Illinois, its people, its culture, and the wonderful attractions across the state.

The $30.3 million campaign is the latest in state efforts to accelerate the recovery of Illinois’ tourism and hospitality industry employing more than 600,000 people statewide prior to the pandemic.

Copyright 2022 WIFR. All rights reserved.

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Get outdoors and explore! Whether you're looking for ziplining, golfing, hiking, biking, rock climbing, horseback riding or kayaking, you can find it here in Southern Illinois. Relax at wineries and enjoy the breathtaking scenery and vistas of Shawnee National Forest.

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Chicago firefighters return to scene of massive West Town blaze that left 2 injured

Photos and video from the scene early wednesday showed fire trucks and police cars outside the industrial building, with small plumes of smoke continuing to billow out, by nbc chicago staff • published june 19, 2024 • updated on june 19, 2024 at 6:57 am.

Chicago firefighters early Wednesday returned to the scene of a massive West Town blaze that hours earlier left two firefighters hospitalized and snarled local traffic and public transportation .

Photos and video from the scene early Wednesday showed fire trucks and police cars outside the industrial building, with small plumes of smoke continuing to billow out. By around 6 a.m., crews appeared to leave the scene.

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The fire broke out during the Tuesday afternoon commute at Commercial Pallet in the city's West Town neighborhood, according to the Chicago Fire Department, with big flames and giant plumes of black smoke visible for miles.

The intense smoke could even be seen during Tuesday night's Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field .

According to officials, no employees were at the pallet company at the time of the fire. Two firefighters were injured during the blaze and transported to a nearby hospital in good condition, CFD said Wednesday.

According to authorities, the building was a deemed a total loss.

Details on how the fire started weren't immediately provided.

Nighttime storms bring intense winds, downpours and flooding to the Chicago area

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This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

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Illinois Recruit Jeremiah Fears Puts On Ridiculous Shooting Display During Workout

Shandel richardson | jun 15, 2024.

• Illinois Fighting Illini

No one has ever questioned Illinois Fighting Illini recruit Jeremiah Fears' shooting ability.

But just in case, Fears figured he'd show it off with a Friday night post on social media. The video appeared on X, formerly Twitter, showcasing his long-range skills.

It shows Fears making 10 straight 3-pointers from the wing. It can be watched here .

Fears is one of the top players in the Illini 2025 recruiting class. He recently completed helping U19 Team USA win FIBA AmeriCup in Argentina. Fellow Illini recruit Morez Johnson, who will enroll this fall, was also on the team.

Fears, who is a rising senior at AZ Compass, was a major reason for the team's 20-5 record this season. The 6-foot-3 guard averaged 14.2 points and 2.5 steals in 13 games. Here's a scouting report on Fears from Brandon Jenkins of 247Sports.

"Fears is the younger brother of Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears but plays an entirely different brand of basketball. He is a smooth and confident scorer who has no problem finding his own offense within the flow of a game,"  Jenkins wrote.  "A combination guard with a score-first mindset, Fears is at his best in a secondary ball-handling role where he can primarily focus on making shots and creating for himself off the bounce. He is talented with the ball in his hands and has a creative enough handle to break defenders down to get to his pull-up game."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Illini Now. He can be reached at [email protected]. Anthony Pasciolla contributed to this report.

SHANDEL RICHARDSON

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Learn the technical and interpersonal skills necessary to master project management theory and best practices.

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The Strategy Essentials of Project Management Certificate introduces students to the technical and interpersonal skills necessary to master the theory and practice of project management. Students will gain direct experience using appropriate tools and techniques to enhance their understanding of the strategic, leadership, human resources, and operational aspects of project management to successfully execute a project from initiation through completion.

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Designed for project managers who need to rethink internal processes to drive more successful project outcomes or professionals interested in gaining the skills needed to lead within their industries.

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In addition to rigorous training in the techniques, tools, and practical concerns inherent to the successful execution of projects, students in the project management certificate will learn the interpersonal skills often overlooked in foundational project management programs. Successfully conducted project management requires tactical communication, collaboration, and conflict resolution. Our online Project Management courses train students to meet and embrace challenging team dynamics to guide a project smoothly to conclusion.

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I was amazed at the program's ability to cater to a breadth of project management professionals. The instructors find ways to challenge everyone—and I learned just as much from my classmates, fellow project managers from unique industries and backgrounds. I was promoted to Manager of Project Management at my firm only a few months after receiving my certificate. Kurtis Hardy, Project Management Strategy Certificate Recipient

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Sex dungeon on Near West Side has gotten property tax breaks for decades

The chicago illusions building gets a tax break because it has two apartments — even though it appears those units are used as part of the business..

A room inside the Chicago Illusions sex dungeon; the building exterior (inset).

Appraisal photo; Anthony Vazquez/Chicago Sun-Times

Behind the blacked-out windows of a Near West Side storefront building, 10 dominatrixes offer clients a variety of services at what’s billed as “Chicago’s premier dungeon,” catering to people with sexual fetishes.

For 32 years, Chicago Illusions has been in business there.

For the past two decades, the property owner has taken advantage of a Cook County program to give tax breaks to owners of small storefront buildings that also have apartments. He’s used that program to cut his real estate taxes by 60% a year — for a tax savings totaling nearly $300,000.

That’s $300,000 in property taxes that had to be covered by all other Cook County taxpayers.

It’s all because the building has a pair of four-room apartments upstairs. Those apartments allow the whole building to be taxed as residential property rather than commercial — at a sharply lower tax rate than businesses have to pay.

It’s unclear, though, from government records whether anyone really lives in either apartment. No one, for instance, has been registered to vote from there for the past 10 years.

The apartments are leased by the operator of Chicago Illusions, according to records the property owner filed with Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi. The sex dungeon advertises “BDSM” services: bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism.

A room inside the Chicago Illusions sex dungeon business on the Near West Side.

Appraisal photo

Anthony Vaughan, the dungeon’s operator, says he doesn’t use the apartments for his sex business, which he says is limited to the 1,450-square-foot ground floor retail space at 1210 W. Grand Ave.

“The apartments have nothing to do with the business on the first floor,” says Vaughan, who says he uses them occasionally, sleeping there at times rather than driving home to Itasca.

If the apartments were deemed to be part of the business, Cook County officials could end the lucrative tax breaks for the building owner, Frank P. Cangelosi, who paid $15,274 in real taxes last year. Without the tax break, the tax bill would have been $40,075.

Cangelosi didn’t return messages.

Vaughan told a Chicago Sun-Times reporter who asked to tour the building that he’d have to check first with “the owner,” then didn’t respond after that.

According to a promotional video the business posted on YouTube in 2017, Chicago Illusions occupies 5,000 square feet. According to a property appraisal Cangelosi filed with the assessor’s office, the Grand Avenue building has contains a total 4,406 square feet, not including the basement.

‘Any fantasy you could possibly imagine’

“We’ve been in the same location for 25 years, a luxurious 5,000 square foot complex with over a dozen different themed rooms that are fully equipped to make any fantasy you could possibly imagine become a reality,” according to the video. “No amateurs. No judgment. No extortion.”

In a failed effort in 2022 to get the taxes cut further, Cangelosi’s attorney James P. Boyle submitted a 101-page property appraisal to Kaegi. The appraisal included photographs of the apartments, which were shown to be equipped with various chains, whips and a St. Andrew’s cross — a large, X-shaped piece of equipment that’s commonly used in BDSM dungeons.

Some of the rooms in those photos also are featured on the Chicago Illusions website, which shows dominatrixes posing in the bedrooms with chains, whips and the cross — used to restrain clients.

A room inside the Chicago Illusions sex dungeon.

Chicago Illusions promotional photo

Asked by a Sun-Times reporter about the property, Kaegi says he has decided to investigate whether Cangelosi’s building is entitled to the residential tax break that the Cook County Board established in 2000 at the urging of then-Assessor James Houlihan.

“After we received information that this property may be used and operated solely for commercial purposes, we requested evidence to confirm the property is also in fact being used for residential purposes to warrant its current 2-12 mixed-use classification,” Kaegi spokesman Christian Belanger says. “We will review any documentation provided to determine whether a classification change is appropriate.”

A Sun-Times investigation in 2017 reported that many businesses, including bars and rooftop viewing operations near Wrigley Field, were taking advantage of the tax break. Some carved out a tiny upstairs apartment so the property owner could pay the cheaper residential property taxes on an entire, otherwise-commercial building.

• Chicago bars, rooftops get home-run breaks on property taxes

Chicago Illusions opened in the Grand Avenue building in August 1992, according to Vaughan, shortly after he finished serving probation for a conviction of using violence to collect debts owed to a Fulton Market meat distributor. According to a court filing that described him as tall and burly, Vaughan would hand out business cards bearing a drawing of a funeral wreath and the words: “We guarantee results.”

On its website, Chicago Illusions says its clients can call to make reservations for services that include bondage and spanking — but no sex. “Do not request any escort, massage or prostitution services from your mistress,” the website says. “We are a House of BDSM and Fetish and do not provide these services.”

The building used to be owned by the estate of the late Louis Panozzo, whose widow sold it for $120,000 to Bill Zada in August 1993, according to deeds filed with the Cook County clerk’s office. A year later, Zada sold the property to a trust for $135,000.

By 2004, the Cook County treasurer’s office had been sending the property tax bills to Cangelosi’s Northwest Side home, records show. His company, Design Contractors LLC, took ownership of 1210 W. Grand Ave. in August 2005.

Tax breaks at sex dungeon building since 2003

County records show the property has been getting tax breaks since at least 2003. That’s when Houlihan classified it as a residential building with six or fewer apartments, though the dungeon also was operating there as a business. Had the building been classified as commercial property, Cangelosi’s tax bill would have been $10,845. The residential classification meant he had to pay $4,133.

In 2004, Houlihan reclassified the property to “mixed-use commercial/residential building” with no more than six units and no more than 20,000 square feet of space.

It’s been classified by the assessor’s office for tax purposes that way ever since.

As a result, Cangelosi gets a 60% tax break every year as long as the building contains residential space.

Cangelosi’s tax appeal doesn’t say anything about Chicago Illusions or its sex dungeon operation, only that the monthly rent for the ground floor commercial space is $2,480. He says he gets $1,910 for the second-floor apartment and $2,010 for the third-floor apartment.

Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi

Max Herman/For the Sun-Times

While Kaegi’s office investigates whether it should continue to classify the property in a way that allows it to pay taxes at the lower residential rate, Cangelosi’s property tax lawyer, from the law firm Crane & Norcross, is trying to cut its tax bill further. He’s once again appealing the assessor’s estimate of the property’s value in hopes of cutting the real estate taxes that are due later this year.

The property appraisal that Cangelosi submitted in that 2022 appeal to lower his assessment was prepared by an appraisal firm owned by Leslie Kruse, whose father, Robert Kruse, was chief deputy assessor under former Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios, Kaegi’s immediate predecessor.

The elder Kruse then went to work for an appraisal firm where one of his sons had worked for nearly 20 years. The firm was founded and run by Christopher M. Crowley, a nephew of attorney Michael Crane, whose firm Crane & Norcross has been handling tax appeals for the dungeon for the last 20 years.

Berrios replaced Kruse by hiring Crowley as his chief deputy assessor, the Sun-Times reported in 2015. Kruse and Crowley also were business partners in running another company.

• Pay up, Cook County orders homeowners after Sun-Times exposed wrongful property tax breaks