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March Madness: Chicago-area sports bars preparing for Illinois-UConn Final Four game

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March Madness: Chicago-area sports bars preparing for Illinois-UConn Final Four game


DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. (WLS) — The success of the University of Illinois Fighting Illini so far in the March Madness NCAA men’s basketball tournament has provided a lot of excitement for people in the Chicago area, but especially for sports bars owned by Illinois alumni, like the Orange and Brew in Downers Grove.

The party was on Saturday night as Illinois fans watched their team secure a spot in the Final Four.

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“Saturday was bedlam,” Orange and Brew owner Eric Schmidt said. “We were absolutely jam-packed two hours before the game.”

The watch party was hosted by Orange and Brew in Downers Grove, owned by Eric and Carrie Schmidt, Illinois alumni who met in school and are now married. In fact, they attended the last time the Illini were in the Final Four in 2005.

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They opened their bar eight years ago, catering to some of the more than 50,000 fellow Illini graduates in the Chicago area.

“Illinois has some thing that was very meaningful to my wife and me, and we wanted to make sure we created a space that was welcoming to other Illinois grads,” Schmidt said.

RELATED | Illini merch in demand at Chicago stores as fans prepare for Final Four match

The Chicago Illini Club Is hosting eight different watch parties in the Chicago area for the Final Four on Saturday, including half a dozen city locations as well as the suburbs.

Stefanie Boucher with the Chicago Illini Club graduated in 2007, and now has a daughter in the Marching Illini. She is hosting a watch party at Rep’s Place in Rolling Meadows.

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“It has brought in a lot of new business people who didn’t know of Rep’s before the watch parties,” Boucher said.

She says Rep’s was also packed with fans last weekend, and the Final Four party should be even bigger. They expect the same at Orange and Brew.

“Just kind of a slice of Champaign if you will,” Schmidt said. “Someplace Illinois grads and fans can be comfortable.”

At Orange and Brew, they specialize in selling locally crafted beer, but the number one selling beer these days is the I-L-L IPA.

READ MORE | March Madness: Illinois to face UConn in first Final Four in 21 years after teams beat Iowa, Duke

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Des Plaines Rises To No. 9 In Illinois On Latest ‘Best Places To Live’ List – Journal & Topics Media Group

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Des Plaines Rises To No. 9 In Illinois On Latest ‘Best Places To Live’ List – Journal & Topics Media Group


Downtown Des Plaines (Photo courtesy city of Des Plaines Media Services)

For the second straight year, Des Plaines has earned a spot on U.S. News & World Report’s annual “Best Places to Live” list. In the 2026 rankings, Des Plaines climbed to No. 9 in Illinois and No. 144 overall in the United States, continuing its rise among the country’s top communities.

The recognition reflects Des Plaines’ continued growth and momentum. U.S. News & World Report highlighted the community’s strong local job market, higher incomes, and affordable housing compared to national averages as key factors in this year’s rankings.

“For months, we’ve said Des Plaines is ‘On Its Way,’ and this recognition shows that it is more than just a slogan,” said Mayor Andrew Goczkowski. “People are taking notice of the progress happening throughout our city. From new investment and redevelopment to thriving neighborhoods and community events, Des Plaines continues to grow as a place where people want to live, work, and build their future.”

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Pritzker is hopeful lawmakers will pass bill that could keep Bears in Illinois as deadline nears

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Pritzker is hopeful lawmakers will pass bill that could keep Bears in Illinois as deadline nears


CHICAGO (WLS) — Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker indicated on Friday that he is optimistic that lawmakers will pass the so-called mega projects bill that could keep the Chicago Bears in Illinois.

But they are racing against a rapidly approaching deadline. The session ends on May 31, just nine days from Friday, and one Chicago lawmaker is casting doubt on whether there is enough support.

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The Illinois Senate has adjourned for the holiday weekend, and members will not return until Monday afternoon. At this point, the legislation that would give the Bears what they need to make a move to Arlington Heights is still in the works.

The Bears head into the home stretch of this legislative session without seeing a clear game plan from the Illinois Senate for how a mega projects bill will pass.

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Senators are still hashing out details of the bill that would give the Bears long-term property tax breaks for a stadium that the team would pay for in Arlington Heights. The only other option that the Bears are considering is a site near Wolf Lake in Hammond, Indiana. The team made clear again on Thursday that there is no viable option in Chicago.

“There really are only two choices: Do we want them in the state of Illinois, or do we want them to move to the state of Indiana? I don’t know about all of you. I would like them to stay in the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said.

But some members of the Chicago delegation still are not buying the Bears’ stance, believing that the industrial site in Hammond is not a serious option.

“But honestly, this looks like the bluff of the century to me, and the idea that the NFL is going to have two teams in Indiana and not one in Chicago… I think it’s an insult to folks’ intelligence,” said Illinois state Sen. Willie Preston, D-Chicago and southwest suburbs.

Preston, who chairs the Senate Black Caucus, says opposition to the mega projects bill is not just from Chicago lawmakers who do not want to see the Bears leave the lakefront. Many others have reservations, too.

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“They’re very concerned about the mega projects bill that would use resources to support a private business while so many people in the state of Illinois, property taxpayers, are struggling and hurt,” Preston said.

Pritzker remains optimistic that lawmakers will pass a bill that allows for the handoff to Arlington Heights, but so far, he has not started calling holdouts into his office for conversations.

“I don’t think any of the legislators are, you know, are unclear about what my position is. I want a business in the state of Illinois to stay in the state of Illinois and not move to another state,” Pritzker said.

The clock runs out on the legislative session on Sunday, May 31, and with many other big-ticket items still on the agenda, including the budget, lawmakers will need to move quickly while the Bears and the NFL wait on the sidelines.

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Behind The Lines: DBR Discusses Illinois’ November Visit To Cameron

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Behind The Lines: DBR Discusses Illinois’ November Visit To Cameron


When Isaac Ambrose from the Champaign Room, a SB Nation sister site dedicated to Illinois, asked us to help preview next season’s visit from Illinois, we knew just who to ask to help them out. Scott Rich is well-versed in the Big Ten and we knew that he would be the guy to talk to […]



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