Illinois

Bella Vista winery wins Governor’s Cup Award

Published

2 years ago

November 6, 2022

Bella Vista winery wins Governor’s Cup Award

Lisa Ellis, second from proper, presents the Governor’s Cup Award to vintner Cory Kunkle Friday. That is the primary time Bella Vista Wineries has earned this honor, certainly one of solely 5 awarded this yr. With them are, from left, Steve Gorazd, his spouse, Angela and their son, Matthew.

Charles Bolinger/Intelligencer

For the primary time in its three years of existence, Hidden Lake and Bella Vista Wineries acquired its first Illinois Governor’s Cup Award on Friday from the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Alliance (IGGVA).

Lisa Ellis, govt director of the group, introduced the crystal plaque and silver-plated cup to a ceremony at Bella Vista. She honored the vineyard homeowners, the Gorazds (the ‘d’ is silent), Steve, Angela and Matthew, together with vintner Cory Kunkle.

In totality, Bella Vista Wineries earned 13 medals this yr – one bronze, 5 silvers, one gold and 6 double-golds with the sixth being a double-gold and a governor’s cup winner, which was solely certainly one of 5 wines in Illinois to earn this accolade.

“All of those award-winning wines have been produced with Illinois-grown grapes, which is required for a wine to be thought-about for a Governor’s Cup Award,” Ellis informed the viewers. She mentioned three of the wines acquired best-in-class designations.

“It’s crucial,” Steve Gorazds mentioned of the win. “We’ve owned Hidden Lake Vineyard for five.5 years and this one for 3 years. Yearly, we enter wines within the Illinois contest.”

He mentioned that is the primary time Bella Vista received the Governor’s Cup honor. Bella Vista Vineyard is positioned in Maryville; Hidden Lake is positioned southwest of Aviston.

Ellis mentioned 357 wines entered within the competitors, 297 of which have been within the business class. There are 4 wine-growing areas in Illinois.

“This [year] was the state’s largest business competitors since 2009!” Ellis mentioned. “At the moment, solely 10.58% of the business entries acquired gold or double gold medals. This yr, that proportion was 30 and displays the numerous enhancements made within the Illinois wine grape business over time.”

She mentioned that is the consequence when you may have the right instruments, coaching and schooling. Ellis capped her remarks by presenting the highest award (that are for wines produced from any appellation) for non-grape wines for 12 Paws.

“The fruit for this wine simply occurs to be grown in Illinois by Schwartz Orchard,” she mentioned.

Ellis additionally offered the Governor’s Cup Award for a blush/rosé hybrid/vinifera for Off-Responsibility.

“Governor’s Cup Award wines should be produced with Illinois fruit and this wine had two growers: Beaver Creek Winery and Zucherbach,” Ellis mentioned.

The IGGVA fashioned in 1992 and is an agricultural non-profit group devoted to creating the viticulture and enology pursuits in Illinois.
For wine-lovers who take pleasure in a great Illinois classic of vino, Ellis mentioned there’s a new smartphone app out there at www.illinoiswine.com/app. It permits customers to find wineries statewide, Illinois wine trails, VIP Wineries, gold medal winners and signature sequence rosé.

Source link

Illinois

Police shooting leaves man dead in North Riverside, Illinois

Published

10 hours ago

January 13, 2025

Press Room

Police shooting leaves man dead in North Riverside, Illinois – CBS Chicago

Watch CBS News

Police said an officer shot a man wielding two knives to protect another person in an incident on Cermak Road.

Source link

Illinois

Some Illinois taxpayers will be able to file 2024 taxes for free with IRS program

Published

22 hours ago

January 12, 2025

Press Room

Some Illinois taxpayers will be able to file 2024 taxes for free with IRS program

Nearly 2 million eligible Illinois residents will be able to file their 2024 federal tax returns for free using a new IRS program.

State officials announced that Illinois will participate in the IRS Direct File service which begins on Jan. 27.

Direct File was first launched as a test program last year. This year, the program will become a permanent option with participation in 25 states.

A simplified process

The IRS estimates that more than 30 million people will be eligible to use the program during the 2025 tax filing season.

State officials said the IRS Direct File option will simplify the filing process for eligible taxpayers.

“We understand that a significant amount of time and money is spent every year to ensure personal income tax returns are filed accurately and on time,” said David Harris, the director of the Illinois Department of Revenue, in a statement. “This integration will help relieve stress and financial burden for taxpayers.”

Direct File is an online service that’s available on mobile phones, laptops, tablets or desktop computers.

The service provides a checklist and a guide to help navigate the process. Users will have access to a chatbot for guidance in both English and Spanish.

For more information on eligibility and how to use the service, visit irs.gov/filing/irs-direct-file-for-free.

NewsIllinoisPersonal FinanceMoney

Source link

Illinois

Illinois State Police trooper hurt in multi-vehicle crash near Chicago

Published

1 day ago

January 12, 2025

Press Room

Illinois State Police trooper hurt in multi-vehicle crash near Chicago

(25News Now) – An Illinois State Police trooper was hurt in a five-vehicle crash Saturday morning in the Chicago suburb of South Barrington, but there are conflicting reports about the severity of the trooper’s injuries.

State Police said the trooper was heading to an accident scene to help with traffic control at Illinois Route 59 and Higgins Road. Police said the trooper activated his emergency lights and sirens, but was struck by another vehicle at the intersection about 9:45 a.m.

The trooper suffered critical injuries, according to a release from the East Dundee and Countryside Fire Protection District, but State Police said the trooper’s injuries were not life-threatening.

The fire department said it took almost a half-hour to extricate the trooper from his heavily damaged vehicle.

Fire crews said it took almost a half-hour to extricate an Illinois State Police trooper from his heavily damaged squad car on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, in the Chicago suburb of South Barrington.(East Dundee and Countryside Fire Protection District)

Authorities said two people from other vehicles were hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

State Police are investigating.

Saturday’s accident happened less than a month after State Police Trooper Clay Carns was killed in a crash on I-55 in Will County.

The 35-year-old officer left his squad car to pick up debris from the roadway when he was struck by a passing pickup truck two days before Christmas. The truck’s 69-year-old driver was cited for not moving over to avoid hitting Trooper Carns.

You can watch 25News – any newscast, anywhere – streaming LIVE on 25NewsNow.com, our 25News mobile app, and on our WEEK 25News SmartTV streaming app. Learn more about how you can get connected to 25News streaming live news here.

Source link