Tue Sep 10 14:58:00 UTC 2024: ## Illinois Invests in Electric Vehicle Infrastructure, State Fair Sells Out Concerts, and Big Boy Locomotive Rolls Through
**Springfield, IL** – The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced a $25 million investment in electric vehicle charging stations across the state. The funding will support the construction of 182 new charging stations along Illinois interstate highways. Each location will feature at least four fast-charging ports, capable of fully charging a vehicle in under 30 minutes. The first round of funding has already selected 37 projects throughout the state.
Meanwhile, the recent Illinois State Fair saw a successful summer of concerts, with over 66,000 tickets sold. Lil Wayne’s performance drew a record-breaking crowd of over 15,000, followed closely by the Jonas Brothers with nearly 10,000 attendees. Country stars Keith Urban and Miranda Lambert each sold over 8,000 tickets.
In other news, the world’s largest steam locomotive, Union Pacific’s iconic Big Boy, is making its way through Illinois as part of its “Heartland of America” tour. The locomotive stopped in three communities, causing extensive traffic delays in Rochelle ahead of its Sunday stop. The train is scheduled to make its final Illinois stop in Nokomis on Tuesday at 3 p.m. before continuing its journey to Colorado through Missouri.
First Piper 