Illinois

Champaign creative agency named finalist in Illinois flag redesign competition

Published

1 year ago

December 16, 2024

Press Room

Champaign creative agency named finalist in Illinois flag redesign competition

A Washington native and his creative firm were chosen as a top-10 finalist for the Illinois state flag design contest.

Clanin Creative submitted eight designs, and one was chosen out of roughly 5,000 entries.

Colleen Hayes, a Clanin Creative graphic designer, conceptualized the flag chosen as a finalist, receiving input from colleagues, including owner Scott Clanin, Oscar Aguilar, Jess Johnston and Jason Reitmann.

Clanin Creative’s flag features 21 stripes to depict rows of crops and open plains symbolizing Illinois’ agricultural history. Three six-pointed stars denote the northern, central and southern regions, and their 18 points reference the founding of the state in 1818. A rising sun, which captures a piece of Illinois’ current flag, symbolizes renewal. The flag’s colors — blue, green and yellow — symbolize unity, agriculture and a bright future, respectively.

Clanin Creative, based in Champaign, acknowledged there are strong feelings surrounding the possible redesign of the state flag. Clanin said his team’s goal was to respect the existing flag while giving it a fresh, contemporary look honoring the state’s diversity and shared values.

“My hope is that design inspires appreciation for Illinois’ past, present and future, while uniting everyone in our state, no matter where they’re from,” Hayes said in a press release.

The Illinois Flag Commission’s Top 10 selections are displayed online. Public voting will begin in January 2025. The public can vote for one of the 10 new designs, or for one of the previous flag designs, including the current state flag, the 1918 Centennial Flag and the 1968 Sesquicentennial Flag.

After the public votes, the Illinois Flag Commission will report the results to the Illinois General Assembly by April 1. Assembly members will vote on whether to adopt a new flag, return to a previous version of the flag or retain the current flag.

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Illinois

Decorated Illinois guard Josh Gesky met with Saints ahead of draft

Published

10 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

22 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.

Get the gear the players wore on the court, including Illinois Final Four hats, Illinois Final Four shirts, and more.

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Illinois Final Four hat

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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.