Illinois
August Hill Winery, Illinois Sparkling Co. of Peru win trophy, 12 medals at state contest
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/ODWK5WLPVJAZLMAYI6XAKRGQZA.jpg?ssl=1 "August Hill Winery, Illinois Sparkling Co. of Peru win trophy, 12 medals at state contest")
August Hill Winery and Illinois Sparkling Co. were winners at the 2024 Illinois State Fair Wine Competition, this past week in Springfield.
ISC Demi Sec Rosé won the Governor’s Cup Sparkling Wine trophy, Best of Class and a Double Gold medal. This wine is a traditional method sparkling wine, which means the bubbles come from a second fermentation within the bottle. The wine is made with Frontenac grapes from August Hill Winery’s vineyard in Peru and pairs well with a wide variety of foods including BBQ ribs, garlic chicken, and even s’mores.
August Hill Winery and ISC submitted 12 wines to the competition, and all 12 wines received medals.
August Hill Winery’s La Belle Rosé and Chambourcin Rosé wines both received Double Gold medals. Gold Medals were awarded to August Hill Chambourcin Reserve, ISC Brut Ombré Rosé and ISC Sec. Silver Medals were awarded to ISC Brut, ISC Blend 795, ISC Ruby Red and August Hill Apple Infusion; Bronze Medals were awarded to August Hill Chardonel and ISC Extra Brut.
Also, August Hill Winery released four new wines in 200 milliliter cans, perfect for your summer picnics and adventures: Berlyn, a semi-dry red wine; Blanc, a dry white wine; Mardi Gras, a sweet bubbly blush wine; and Mimosa, a OJ and white wine cocktail.
These winning wines, as well as the many other wines offered by August Hill & ISC, are available at two locations this summer. The Wine on the Hill location in Peru, is where the winery and vineyard are located; this location is open seasonally, every Saturday and Sunday afternoon through October. The Tasting Room is located at 106 Mill St., Utica, and is open daily, year-round.
August Hill Winery and Illinois Sparkling Co. are owned by Mark and Teri Wenzel. Mark Wenzel and Sarah Hall are the winemakers for August Hill and ISC. For more information, visit augusthillwinery.com and iscbubbly.com.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/OQVGFBQNMNFVDOWFWQAON7VEIQ.jpg?w=400&resize=400,240&ssl=1 "Illinois Valley Voter Guide for April 2025 local election")
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/OQVGFBQNMNFVDOWFWQAON7VEIQ.jpg?w=80&resize=80,80&ssl=1 "Illinois Valley Voter Guide for April 2025 local election")
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.
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 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.
March Madness 2026 full schedule for the men’s tournament
- March 19-20: First round
- March 21-22: Second round
- March 26-27: Sweet 16
- March 28-29: Elite 8
- April 4-5: Final Four
- April 6: National Championship
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Illinois
Champaign places temporary restrictions on alcohol sales as city gears up for Illini-Hawkeyes game
Saturday, March 28, 2026 1:30PM
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WLS) — As the Fighting Illini take on the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight, there will be new liquor laws in place in Champaign.
The mayor signed an executive order, citing concerns to public health.
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After 3 p.m. Saturday, bars and restaurants cannot serve alcohol in glass containers.
And retailers are banned from selling packaged alcohol or to-go cocktails after 6 p.m.
Alcohol deliveries are also being banned after 6 p.m.
The restrictions will remain in place until 2:30 a.m. Sunday.
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