Illinois

$1M Winning Ticket 'Huge News' In Tiny Illinois Town Of 1K

Published

2 years ago

January 18, 2024

M Winning Ticket 'Huge News' In Tiny Illinois Town Of 1K

MITCHELL, IL – A lucky resident of a small town just outside of St. Louis may be the state’s newest millionaire after Illinois Lottery officials said that a $1 million winning ticket had been sold at a local convenience store there.

The winning Mega Millions ticket was sold on Tuesday at 508 Variety Shop, which is located on Chain of Rocks Road in Mitchell, which has a population of just about 1,000 people, lottery officials announced on Thursday.

Amber Ronk, who owns and operates the variety shop, suspects the winner is a local resident of Mitchell given the fact that about 90 percent of the store’s customers reside in the tiny Illinois border town.

But as small as the town may be, news of a new millionaire is anything but that.

“This really is huge news for our town,” Ronk said in a news release issued by the Illinois Lottery. “Mitchell is a very small town —blink and you might miss it. I am so excited for the winner.”

She added: “I hope I find out who won so we can bask in the joy with them.”

Ronk said not only is the winning ticket a big deal in town, but it’s also big news for the store, where she began working as a cashier 14 years ago. She said that she was hired by the former owner, who introduced her to his son whom she then married and later became the owner.

For selling the winning ticket, the store will earn a bonus of 1 percent of the winnings — or $10,000.

“Owning a business can be stressful and every day has its challenges,” Ronk said.”I am hoping to spend some of the bonus on a vacation with my family, so I can enjoy some quality time with my husband and kids.”

She added: “(Owning the store has) been a learning process, and it’s been a wonderful experience. Life really is all about the journey.”

The lucky player purchased the winning ticket matching all five numbers in the January 16 Mega Millions drawing to score the $1,000,000 prize. The winning numbers were: 2-10-42-49-54 with a Megaplier number of 13.

Two other players also won prizes of $1,000,000 in Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing, with winners in Michigan and South Carolina. More than 21,000 winning tickets were purchased by Illinois Lottery players for the drawing.

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Illinois

Decorated Illinois guard Josh Gesky met with Saints ahead of draft

Published

11 hours ago

March 29, 2026

Press Room

Decorated Illinois guard Josh Gesky met with Saints ahead of draft

Once again, the NFL pre-draft circuit is in full effect, as teams spread out their staff all over the country to try and ensure they view as many pro days as physically possible. With some of the most substantial schools being next up on the schedule, it is going to draw national attention from the media, especially with results from the top prospects and potentially some passing drills from the quarterbacks.

Among the plentiful news coming out of these events is some intriguing meetings from the New Orleans Saints, with one of the most recent being Illinois guard Josh Gesky, who they met with at the school.

Gesky had an extremely impressive 2025 season when it comes to the metrics, allowing only 1 sack and 12 pressures, while only having 1 penalty tied to his name. While his run blocking left a bit to be desired, he has shown promise there in previous years, and it is something he has been solid at in various years.

At 6-foot-5 and 335 pounds, he has great size and has quite a few distinctions during his time at Illinois. He was listed as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2023, an Academic All-Big Ten from 2022 to 2025, and was an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention from 2023 to 2025. These types of things certainly factor into potential draft selections, and with the Saints needing another guard, Gesky could be an option for them in 2026.

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Illinois

How to buy Illinois Final Four gear, hats, shirts, hoodies, more

Published

23 hours ago

March 28, 2026

Press Room

How to buy Illinois Final Four gear, hats, shirts, hoodies, more

No. 3 Illinois knocked off No. 9 Iowa on Saturday night in Houston, now they’re advancing to the Final Four in the men’s NCAA Tournament.

The Fighting Illini pulled away late and ended their the Hawkeye’s Cinderella run in the Elite Eight with a 71-59 victory.

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Illinois fans know this is special, it’s the team’s first Final Four appearance since 2005, so now it’s time to celebrate.

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Illinois Final Four game location

Illinois will play its Final Four game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Get your Illinois Final Four NCAA Tournament tickets now.

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Illinois Final Four appearances

The last time the Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team made the Final Four was in 2005. They also made it in 1989, 1952, 1951 and 1949.

When is the Final Four?

The 2026 NCAA Tournament concludes with the Final Four on Saturday, April 4 and the National Championship game on Monday, April 6. Saturday’s games are scheduled for 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET respectively, while the National Championship game is set to tip at 8:30 p.m. ET on Monday, April 6.