Illinois

12 sets of twins, one set of triplets graduate from Illinois high school

Published

12 months ago

May 28, 2023

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12 sets of twins, one set of triplets graduate from Illinois high school

It’s a twin takeover.

Twelve sets of twins and one family of triplets graduated from a high school in Illinois Thursday.

The multiples make up about 8% of the graduating class at Vernon Hills High School, a small school located roughly 40 miles north of Chicago.

“It’s kind of crazy. I didn’t realize we had this many twins,” Evan Moore, one of the dozen sets of twins, told WGN9.

This unique twist on the monumental occasion was made even more special after the incoming freshman found out their principal is a twin himself.

“I think the neat thing about twins, in general, is they can celebrate their uniqueness in one another while also having this special bond and special comradery,” John Guillaume said about his relationship with his sister Josie.

Heath (L) and his twin brother Hunter Field are one of the many sets of twins that graduated from Vernon High School on Thursday.

WGN News/YouTube

Guillaume told the outlet he understands why several of the sets of twins have decided to stick together in their college endeavors, while others are testing out the waters alone.

“I think they realize at some point there’s going to be this little divergence and oftentimes, the end of high school is when that is,” he said.

Evan and his identical brother Matthew are one set of twins that have decided to use their time at college to find their individual identities — especially after years of being confused for one another.

“Sometimes our parents and family members get it wrong, so it’s something you get used to after a while,” Evan said.

Brothers Health and Hunter Field have made the opposite decision and have decided to room together while studying at Illinois Wesleyan University next year.

“I think having a twin your first year, knowing someone on your first day of school and living with them for the first year, kind of gives you that safety net and confidence to make new friends and kind of enjoy this new chapter of life,” Heath said.

This unique twist on the monumental occasion was made even more special after the incoming freshman found out their principal is a twin himself. — It was also revealed that the school’s principal is a twin himself.

The only set of triplets — two sisters and a brother — are all attending different colleges next year after each discovered the best school for their tastes but said they didn’t make a conscious decision to separate.

After spending 18 years together, however, the Irvin triplets are excited to use the opportunity to branch out.

“I think the only difference is next year there will be a lot more Facetime calls instead of text messages throughout the day to one another,” Olivia Irvin said.

Though the 13 sets of siblings to graduate in one class is a tremendous feat, it is far from record-breaking.

Fourty-four sets of twins graduated from nearby New Trier High School, in Winnetka, Illinois in 2017, earning them a Guinness World Record.

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Illinois

Illinois man extorted and cyberstalked gay men using dating app

Published

5 hours ago

May 26, 2024

Press Room

Illinois man extorted and cyberstalked gay men using dating app

An Illinois man admitted in federal court to sexually exploiting gay men online in a multi-state scheme.

Omoruyi Uwadiae, 28, entered guilty pleas Wednesday to 22 criminal charges, including cyberstalking, in U.S. District Court in Ohio. He will be sentenced at a later date.

As part of a plea agreement, the Chicago man admitted to eight counts of cyberstalking, seven counts of interstate communications with the intent to extort and seven counts of unlawfully using a means of identification.

Each cyberstalking count carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, as do the unlawful use of identification charges. The extortion charges carry a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment each.

According to court records, Uwadiae communicated with at least eight victims online in 2019. In each instance, Uwadiae would connect with the young men on social media or a dating application like Grindr that targeted gay men and begin communicating with the victim.

Court records said the victims would communicate consensually with Uwadiae and send him sexually explicit photos or videos.

After receiving the images or videos, Uwadiae would then threaten the victims, some of whom had not disclosed their sexual orientations to their families or publicly. Uwadiae would tell them that he would send the photos or videos to friends, family members or employers and followed through at least once on those threats, according to court records, sending pictures to a victim’s mother and siblings.

In other instances, court records say, Uwadiae demanded money while threatening to release images or videos of his victims.

If the victim refused to pay, Uwadiae demanded they meet up with him for a sexual encounter or force them to make incriminating statements, such as admitting to being racist, for further virtual ammunition to keep them under control.

More: Coroner identifies woman found dead in Illinois River

Court records say Uwadiae targeted at least one Ohio State University student, whom he met through Grindr. Uwadiae demanded $200 or sex. When the student didn’t comply, Uwadiae made fake social media accounts using the victim’s name and actual photos of the victim, outing him as bisexual to his family.

Uwadiae created fake social media accounts for other victims as well, according to court records. In some instances, Uwadiae posted photographs of the victims on “Male General,” a blog targeting young gay men, court records say.

Victims are spread across multiple states, including Ohio, Colorado and Washington, court records say.

bbruner@gannett.com

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Illinois

Will Illinois make the NCAA Baseball Tournament? Everything to know

Published

12 hours ago

May 26, 2024

Press Room

Will Illinois make the NCAA Baseball Tournament? Everything to know

How to Watch the NCAA Baseball Tournament Selection Show

Game Time: 11 a.m. Monday

TV Channel: ESPN2

Online Streaming: NCAA.com

Illinois’ Resume (34-19, 18-6 Big Ten)

Head Coach: Dan Hartleb (19th season)

Best Batting Average: Camden Janik (.368 BA, 7 HR, 49 RBI)

Ace Pitcher: Jack Crowder (6-2, 82.1 IP, 5.25 ERA, 75 K)

Last Game: 4-2 loss to Michigan in Big Ten Tournament Losers’ Bracket

RPI: 47 overall

Selection Show Day Reading:

How does the tournament work? (from NCAA.com)

The 64 teams will be placed in 16 different four-team regions, with teams seeded one through four to compete in a double-elimination format.

Games start with regionals and continue on to super regionals before the Men’s College World Series begins Friday, June 14, at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha. Click or tap here for this year’s MCWS schedule. LSU won the 2023 title, beating Florida in the Finals.

So will Illinois make it?

Is water wet? Is a hot dog a sandwich? Is a Big Ten regular season title enough to earn a bid into the NCAA Tournament? All tough questions, but the latter shouldn’t be too hard. Illinois head coach Dan Hartleb and his squad will wait to hear their name called on Selection Monday with the belief that they’ve done enough through 34 wins to earn the respect of the committee.

The Big Ten hasn’t sent four teams to the Big Dance since 2019, when five teams made the field of 64.

Arizona, the last at-large team to make last year’s tournament, was ranked 52nd in the RPI when they made the field of 64. As of Sunday, Illinois sits at 47.

D1Baseball’s most recent bracketology Sunday morning has the Illini as the third seed in the Terra Haute Regional, hosted by No. 15 Indiana State.

The Illini split a pair of weekday games with the Sycamores this season, including a 21-11 win on April 30.

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