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Pick up an Illinois passport for America's 250th

A new Illinois passport guides visitors to 60 historic sites, from Cahokia Mounds to Pullman.

History

Illinois is putting its own stamp on the country&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="250th birthday." data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/07/black-history-250-who-decides" data-vars-content-id="7bb4c31b-b800-458a-b75b-ce75bbca4afe" data-vars-headline="Pick up an Illinois passport for America&#x27;s 250th" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/02/07/black-history-250-who-decides" target="_self">250th birthday.</a>

Can you identify these iconic Chicago dive bars? Take the quiz

How well do you know the city's favorite watering holes?

This week, I had the distinct pleasure of hosting Axios colleagues who were in town for a conference. Of course, I took them to some of the legendary watering holes in the city.

Illinois pushes back on latest Trump voting order

The Illinois ACLU says it would disenfranchise millions of voters.

Election

Illinois advocates are challenging President Trump&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="latest effort to change voting laws" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/25/trump-elections-executive-order-citizenship-proof" data-vars-content-id="1c207705-be16-4233-a92b-7e6f3a70c53f" data-vars-headline="Illinois pushes back on latest Trump voting order" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2025/03/25/trump-elections-executive-order-citizenship-proof" target="_self">latest effort to change voting laws</a>, which would create voter lists that the Postal Service would use to identify who gets a mail-in ballot.Why it matters: The U.S. Constitution <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="places the job of election administration" data-vars-click-url="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S4-C1-2/ALDE_00013577/" data-vars-content-id="1c207705-be16-4233-a92b-7e6f3a70c53f" data-vars-headline="Illinois pushes back on latest Trump voting order" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://constitution.congress.gov/browse/essay/artI-S4-C1-2/ALDE_00013577/" target="_blank">places the job of election administration</a> in the hands of the states and Congress.

Kitty's Cosmopolitan Club delivers elevated cocktails

Drinks aren't cheap, but the balance, strength and service make Kitty's a standout.

Food and Drink

I love wine, but as my friend and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Twin Cities" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities" data-vars-content-id="07409809-4619-4a00-8740-850296b2747f" data-vars-headline="Kitty&#x27;s Cosmopolitan Club delivers elevated cocktails" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities" target="_self">Twin Cities</a> colleague Torey says, &quot;It doesn&#x27;t always love me back.&quot;The big picture: I&#x27;ve been ordering cocktails when I go out, and a tasty, balanced, strong drink isn&#x27;t always easy to find.

Netflix's "Love is Blind" not great for Chicago contestants

No Chicago contestants on the Netflix show are currently married.

Culture

Contestants on the Chicago-based season of Netflix&#x27;s hit &quot;Love Is Blind&quot; were the least successful in finding lasting love on the show. The big picture: As the 7th season of the the six-time Emmy-nominated dating show <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="returns" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/09/05/love-is-blind-dc-season-premiere" data-vars-content-id="f2aa6fdf-802e-4387-901a-8f88c1d10bae" data-vars-headline="Netflix&#x27;s &quot;Love is Blind&quot; not great for Chicago contestants" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2024/09/05/love-is-blind-dc-season-premiere" target="_self">returns</a> Wednesday with a Washington, D.C.-based cast, we wanted to look back at how the experiment has fared so far.

A chart showing Love is Blind outcomes by city. Each participant is shown as one heart, styled by whether that participant got married, engaged, or divorced. The city with the most participants who are still married as of Sept. 12, 2024 is Seattle, at six. Chicago has the fewest at zero: both of its married couples divorced shortly after their first anniversary.

Axios Visuals: 2024-09-13-love-is-blind

Data: Wikipedia, Axios research; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

Love is Blind

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