Steve Shannon

5 days ago | 97zokonline.com | Steve Shannon

Where is the most beautiful picnic spot in Illinois? There is something magical about the right picnic spot. The kind of place where it feels like you're inside a painting, lush lawns, shaded trees, and a skyline that says, "This isn't lunch, it's an experience. Summer is here, which means pretending eating outside is "fun" until it hits 95 degrees and you're sweating through your fruit salad.

5 days ago | 97zokonline.com | Steve Shannon

You know that sweet little bottle of honey cough syrup you grab every time your kid starts sounding like a tiny chain smoker? Yeah... that might need to go straight in the trash. Medtech Products just issued a nationwide recall of Little Remedies Honey Cough Syrup due to bacterial contamination. The culprit? Bacillus cereus, a bacterium that can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and in high doses... yes, even death.

1 week ago | 97zokonline.com | Steve Shannon

Summer isn't easing in this year, it's cannonballing into Illinois with a brutal heat dome that's turning the Midwest into a sweaty mess. If you thought humidity couldn't get worse, wait until the Rock River starts steaming like your uncle's backyard grill. If you're anywhere in Illinois (especially near the steam bath formerly known as the Rock River), brace yourself. This weekend and beyond, temps will flirt with triple digits, and thanks to the humidity, it could feel more like 110.

1 week ago | 97zokonline.com | Steve Shannon

If I wanted to voluntarily have a panic attack in public, I'd just climb a tall ladder while holding a snake. But since I'm not completely unhinged, I'll be outside the Field Museum this summer while my kids brave Chicago's newest exhibit: Reptiles Alive. This summer, the Field Museum in Chicago has chosen violence, scaly, slithery violence. Their new exhibit, Reptiles Alive, opens June 20 and features twenty live reptiles from around the world.

1 week ago | 97zokonline.com | Steve Shannon

In Wisconsin, picking the best cheese is like picking your favorite kid: impossible, a little unfair, and guaranteed to start a fight at the supper club. But that didn't stop Food Network from declaring one cheese the best in the entire state... and let's just say, as a Wisconsin native, I have thoughts. Cheese isn’t just food in Wisconsin—it's culture. It's identity. It’s something you buy by the block at Kwik Trip and serve at weddings, funerals, and everything in between.