First federally funded e-vehicle charging station opens in Casey. Effingham, IL / Effingham Radio Jul 24, 2026 | 9:00 AM Casey, IL-(Effingham Radio)- Grants administered through IDOT creating EV network throughout state The Illinois Department of Transportation was joined by community leaders in Casey today to cut the ribbon on the first charging station built in the state through the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, with more to come soon. Additionally, IDOT announced it is awarding $23.5 million through the third round of funding in the program for 29 new projects as part of the effort to build a network of chargers along the interstate system. The new station and the latest round of grants will make travel by electric vehicle even more reliable and accessible while creating economic opportunity for communities, advancing Gov. JB Pritzker's continuing commitment to make the state an industry leader and fight climate change by putting a million EVs on Illinois roads by 2030. "These new chargers are an important step forward in making the governor's EV goals a reality, while creating economic opportunity by connecting Illinois communities to a national network of stations," said Illinois Transportation Secretary Gia Biagi. "Some of the strongest interest we're seeing for electric vehicle charging is coming from rural areas that see the benefit of having travelers stop in their towns to charge up and spend their dollars at local stores and businesses. We look forward to adding many more throughout the state in the weeks and months ahead." Administered by IDOT using federal funds through the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, the state's NEVI program aims to accelerate the adoption of EVs by providing the public access to past charging throughout the state, in communications and along interstates, scenic byways. The program is part of a series of comprehensive initiatives to achieve the state's goal of becoming a leader in manufacturing and deploying electric vehicles. In Casey, the first chargers through NEVI in Illinois were electrified last week at the Mach 1 station on Illinois 49 near Interstate 70. The project built four DC fast chargers, made possible through a $854,641 competitive grant to Phillips 66, in collaboration with Meyer Oil and Electrify America. Additional station locations will continue coming online this summer. The $23.5 million in the latest round of grants announced today represents Round 3 of NEVI funding in Illinois and will facilitate the construction of 140 new charging ports. Each of the 29 locations will have at least four DC fast charging ports to fully charge a typical EV from empty in less than 30 minutes. Among the charging stations to be built: Champaign County * $641,600 to Universal EV, AmericInn by Wyndham Urbana-Champaign University Area, 1908 N. Lincoln Ave., Urbana. Cook County * $1,152,068 to Heartland Charging Services, Arlington Heights Memorial Library, 500 N. Dunton Ave., Arlington Heights. * $1,360,605 to Heartland Charging Services, village of Oak Park, 130 N. Marion St., Oak Park. Kane County * $1,350,295 to Heartland Charging Services, city of Aurora, 62 N. Broadway, Aurora. LaSalle County * $654,600 to Universal EV, city of Ottawa, 301 W. Madison St., Ottawa. Lee County * $817,222 to EVgo Services LLC, Infinity Ventures Real Estate Group LLC, 1602 S. Galena Ave., Dixon. Sangamon County * $644,418 to Universal EV, Days Inn by Wyndham Springfield, 5970 S. Sixth St., Springfield. St. Clair County * $656,320 to Universal EV, Subway, 224 S. Madison St., Lebanon. Will County * $1,339,515 to Heartland Charging Services, 19818 La Grange Road, Mokena. The entire list can be viewed at Drive Electric Illinois or by visiting idot.click/drive-electric. All of the awards are contingent on the selected recipients entering into a grant agreement with IDOT. The application period for Round 4 of NEVI grants wrapped up this week, with a notice of funding opportunity for approximately $30 million. Selected locations will be announced by the end of August. Through the first three rounds of NEVI, IDOT has conditionally awarded $67.2 million for 91 stations, making possible 489 ports. More information on NEVI in Illinois, including a map of locations identified for chargers, can be found on the IDOT website at idot.click/NEVI. Download the free Effingham Radio app for music, news, contests and more! Weather. Top stories. 6.9K Views 4.7K Views

Biz Buzz: Ice cream shop near Dubuque's fourth Street Elevator reopens; Dubuque Phillips 66 adds partnership with U-Haul; Latin American grocery store opens in Dubuque. business tips sought Do you have a story idea or update to share about a local business? Ideas can be shared with reporter Thomas Gleason at [email protected] or 563-588-5647. Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from the tri-state area. This edition highlights businesses in Dubuque. The ice cream shop near the bottom of Dubuque's Fenelon Place Elevator reopened under new ownership on Saturday. Dubuque Ice Cream Shoppe, 454 W. Fourth St., offers ice cream, candy by the pound, popcorn, sodas and more. "Ice cream is very nostalgic," said Joie Booth, who owns the shop with her two sons, Carter and Graham Booth. "It's very romantic. It's very family." The Booths buy the ice cream from Ludington, Mich.-based Ashby's Sterling Ice Cream. "It is 14% butterfat, which makes it the most incredible flavor ever," Booth said. The shop offers cones and dishes of eight flavors and carries a range of soft drinks and sparkling water. "We do root beer floats and orange floats," Booth said. "We can make a float out of just about everything." Customers can also purchase a large Pepsi glass to use for their float and keep the glass. Eventually, the glasses will be uniquely shaped and engraved with the shop's name. The shop also sells bags of Cedar Creek Popcorn and souvenirs, including Dubuque-themed T-shirts, shot glasses and mugs. The Booths plan to add more ice cream flavors, souvenirs and candy to the store soon. They also hope to renovate the kitchen in the back of the shop. "I would like to make some of the things here - make the toffee, make the fudge, make some of the popcorn balls," Booth said. They hope to keep the shop open year-round. "We're hoping to come up with some creative ideas to have it going pretty strong through the fall and winter," Booth said. Joie Booth has always been self-employed and thought an ice cream shop would be a cool business to own, she said. In May, the opportunity to buy the business came about, and she jumped at it. She brought her two sons into the process, and they whipped the shop into shape quickly to avoid missing the entire summer season. The family members painted the shop with the "historical watercolors of Dubuque," and added their own flair with a new countertop near the front window, Booth said. "Midwest summers are so hot," she said. "We want this to feel like a place where a family can sit down and just enjoy some air conditioning for a few minutes." Dubuque Ice Cream Shoppe is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. For more information, visit its Facebook page at tinyurl.com/dbqicecreamshoppe. Dubuque Phillips 66 adds partnership with U-Haul. Phillips 66 on John F. Kennedy Road added U-Haul services this month. The gas station serves as a place to rent and return U-Haul trucks. "It's just to make it easier for customers that are moving or need to load something for convenience's sake," said Phillips 66 owner Charan Singh. The gas station keeps a 10-foot truck, 15-foot truck and 20-foot truck in-house, which means that the trucks must be returned to it after being rented. It carries other U-Haul trucks on a rotational basis, depending on reservations and where trucks are located. "If you need something in a few days, make a reservation with us right away," Singh said. U-Haul's traffic department can help secure the trucks needed for the reservation even if Phillips 66 does not have the truck when the reservation was made, he said. The gas station is not renting out trailers because it does not have the staff to accommodate the service. "We're trying to manage it with the staff we have," Singh said. "If it keeps growing, we'll hire someone to just work the U-Hauls." Singh approached U-Haul about partnering with the company because the gas station includes a large parking lot that was not being utilized. "One of the biggest things I was looking for was how to grow the business," Singh said. "Why not take advantage of the space and have a win-win situation?" Two other U-Haul locations in the city are in the Point and the North End. "This side of Dubuque didn't have one," Singh said. Phillips 66's U-Haul service is open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Customers can also utilize an app for after-hours drop-offs and pickups. For more information, visit uhaul.com. Latin American grocery store opens in Dubuque. A Latin American grocery store opened in Dubuque this month. El Mercadito Nicas Market, located at 233 Main St., offers a diverse range of products. "We have good service, and we have nostalgic products from our country and Colombia, Venezuela, Honduras, Mexico - things that you can't find here," said Patricia Báez, who owns the store with her husband, Denis Martínez. The store is filled with snacks, candy, drinks and fresh produce, including plantains, onions, tomatoes and avocados. "It's an opportunity for another different business on Main Street," Báez said. The husband and wife are natives of Nicaragua and moved to the United States about nine years ago. They started Nicas Market in Platteville, Wis., over three years ago. They secure their products directly from Latin American producers. One of Báez's favorite products is Avena Mosh en hojeulas, a cereal made from oats by Mexican company El Caracol. Báez and her family lived in front of the company's manufacturing plant in Nicaragua, and her uncle worked there. Other products she likes are Nicaragua-made Tiste corn meal, a drink served cold; Callejas Guava Jelly, a fruit spread; and Milca, a raspberry soda. People asked the couple to open a location in Dubuque because there is a lack of Latin stores in the city, Báez said. They took over the lease on the space about two months ago. The couple brought in two refrigerators for some of their drinks and produce, built shelves to install throughout the space and built the cashier space with a counter and shelves behind it. They plan to continue adding more products to the store in the future. El Mercadito Nicas Market is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day. For more information, visit its Facebook page at tinyurl.com/ elmercaditonm.