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At least once a week, Ethan Wirth grabs his pest management book and traverses the 5-acre vineyard at DC Estate Winery in South Beloit. As he looks at the grapes, he’ll sometimes reference the book, which lists common insect and fungal issues.
“Scouting,” as the 33-year-old operations manager called it, is an important step in creating high-quality wine. It also might be the primary way grape growers ward off spotted lanternflies. The moth-size invasive pests eat vines, which can damage or kill the grapes.
The black spotted insects were identified for the first time in Illinois in September. Since then, there’s been at least seven more positive sightings, according to Scott Schirmer, the nursery and northern field office section manager at the Illinois Department of Agriculture. One of them was in DuPage County, while the rest were in southern Cook County, he said.
Read the full story from the Tribune’s Rebecca Johnson.
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President Joe Biden’s administration is moving to require utilities to replace every toxic lead pipe connecting homes to water mains during the next decade, though Chicago and several other cities likely will get more time to finish the job.
UAW will try to organize workers at all US nonunion factories after winning new contracts
Less than two weeks after ratifying new contracts with Detroit automakers, the United Auto Workers union announced plans to try to simultaneously organize workers at more than a dozen nonunion auto factories.
Protesters in Brighton Park speak out against migrant camp as construction begins
Winterized tent structures began to take shape Wednesday on the Southwest Side at Chicago’s first government-run tent encampment for migrants despite continued protests from neighbors and contradictory messages from local, city and state officials.
Groupon is downsizing once-massive Chicago headquarters to subleased floor of Leo Burnett building
Trading in 300,000 square feet at the former Montgomery Ward catalog warehouse for one floor in the Leo Burnett building is a reflection of both the challenging office market and the decline at Groupon, which has been losing money for years and issued a going concern warning in May, signaling the company could be headed for insolvency.
Powerful Chicago Ald. Edward Burke had just finished pitching his private law firm to the developers of the Old Post Office when he asked his assistant to bring in some pamphlets and business cards.
Unbeknownst to Burke, his colleague, then-Ald. Daniel Solis had a hidden video camera pointed right at him as Burke wrote something down on the back of the Klafter & Burke materials and handed it to Harry Skydell and his son, who had flown in from New York to meet with them face-to-face.
“Some reading,” Burke said on the recording, which was played for jurors Tuesday at Burke’s corruption trial. Skydell thanked Burke and remarked about his connections, saying, “I’d be surprised if you don’t know somebody here. If you don’t know somebody, he’s a nobody.”
Meta turns on the power for massive $1 billion DeKalb data center
Gov. J.B. Pritzker was among the politicos on hand to celebrate its opening and flip a ceremonial switch as the first phase of the five-building, 2.3 million-square-foot complex came online, boosting both the local economy and the capacity for content-sharing on social media.
Construction companies in fined connection with worker’s death at Lambeau Field
Federal labor inspectors have levied fines against two construction companies in connection with a worker’s death at Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, earlier this year.
Are White Sox all set up the middle? What can aid Andrew Vaughn’s growth?
Ahead of next week’s MLB winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn., here are three questions regarding the Sox infield.
Review: A pair of Scottish police dramas premiere with new episodes on BritBox
Two Scottish police procedurals premiere new seasons on BritBox, of the few streaming platforms (along with its rival, Acorn) to focus almost exclusively on TV series from the UK. Critic Nina Metz shares if they’re worth watching.
‘Candy Cane Lane’ review: My Christmas wish is for Eddie Murphy to find a better Christmas movie
Eddie Murphy is 62 and looks about 39. Whatever he’s doing, it’s working — but the same can’t be said for his most recent projects, writes critic Michael Phillips.
50 books that make great gifts
Christopher Borrelli has options for every person on your list, from those in need of a laugh to cultural tourists without money to travel.
