Major Road and Bridge Investments Coming to the 44th District
The 44th Senate District will see significant transportation investments in 2026, thanks to projects included in the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) Multi-Year Program.
In 2026, more than $137 million in funding has been set aside for projects in the 44th District. These improvements will make travel safer, strengthen local infrastructure, and support our communities for years to come.
State Senator Sally Turner says that these investments are an important win for families, farmers, and businesses that depend on reliable and safe roads.
The 2026 infrastructure investments are part of a larger six-year plan that will bring nearly $797 million in total projects across the 51st Senate District. You can view a full list of projects included in IDOT’s six-year Highway Improvement Program for the 44th District by clicking here.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time dedicated to promoting screening, education, and prevention around the second most common cancer among American women.
On average, every two minutes, a woman in the United States is diagnosed with breast cancer. The National Breast Cancer Foundation reports that one in eight women will face a breast cancer diagnosis at some point in their lifetime. The Foundation also reports that in 2025, an estimated 316,950 women and 2,800 men in the U.S. are expected to be diagnosed with invasive breast cancer.
However, when detected early, breast cancer carries a five-year survival rate of 99 percent. Today, more than four million breast cancer survivors are living in this country.
Breast Cancer Awareness Month is not only about acknowledging the impact of the disease but also about empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their health. For more information on breast cancer, visit the National Breast Cancer Foundation’s website.
Illinois Archery Deer Season 2025–2026
The Illinois Archery Deer Season began on October 1. For counties that do not have a firearm season, including Cook, DuPage, Lake, and Kane County east of Illinois Route 47, the archery season will run continuously from October 1 through January 18. In counties with firearm deer season and west of Illinois Route 47 in Kane County, the archery season will be divided into three periods: from October 1 to November 20, November 24 to December 3, and December 8 through January 18.
The harvest limits allow one deer per archer and a maximum of two antlered deer per year across all seasons (youth, archery, muzzleloader, and firearm), except during the special Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) season. Deer seasons are counted within the same 12-month period starting from July 1. Hunters should check Hunt Illinois for site-specific regulations, as some public sites may have rules that are more restrictive than state or county regulations.
In Illinois, tree stands are the leading cause of hunting-related accidents, so the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) strongly recommends that hunters review safe tree stand practices before heading out. For additional guidance, hunters can consult the 2025–2026 Illinois Digest of Hunting and Trapping Regulations and view the annual deer harvest report.
For more information about the archery deer season, contact the Illinois Department of Natural Resources at 217-782-6302 or email dnr.hunting@illinois.gov.
Fall in Illinois Means Pumpkins
If you’re planning to carve a jack-o’-lantern for Halloween, sip a pumpkin spice latte, or bake a pie for your Thanksgiving table, chances are your pumpkin had its start right here in Illinois.
Illinois continues to lead the nation in pumpkin production, and according to the USDA, farmers harvested a little over 485 million pounds of pumpkins in 2024. The Illinois Farm Bureau notes that the state grows more pumpkins than anywhere else in the world, with 90 to 95 percent of pumpkins used for processing grown here.
Much of that work happens here in the 44th District in Morton, Illinois, known as the Pumpkin Capital of the World, where over 85 percent of the world’s canned pumpkin is processed.
This year’s harvest began at the end of August and will continue through early November, filling farms, fields, and patches with pumpkins to be picked and enjoyed.
Be sure to stop by your local pumpkin patch and grab a pumpkin or two to celebrate the spooky season. To find a local pumpkin patch near you, check out Enjoy Illinois’ guide to the state’s best pumpkin patches.