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Illinois farm family featured in regional Super Bowl commercial

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Illinois farm family featured in regional Super Bowl commercial


A farming family from the Peoria area will be featured in a commercial to air during Super Bowl 58, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Sunday on WMBD-TV.

The Leman family of Eureka, Illinois, is set to appear in the regional commercial along with at least five other farming families throughout the state. Produced by Illinois Farm Families, the 30-second spot — part of the IFF’s “We are the 96%” campaign — is designed to highlight that nearly all of the state’s farms are family-owned.

“I hope people can see that the same families who have been responsible for growing their food in the past are still responsible for growing it today,” Chad Leman told agweb.com. “But, we’ve had to grow a little in the meantime so the next generation has room to move in.”

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Who is the Leman family?

Vernon Leman began farming the main Woodford County farmstead in 1949, according to IFF. The farm has expanded with each new generation, starting with crops and then moving on to pigs in the 1970s and then onto selling seed to fellow farmers in the 1990s. Three generations of Lemans work the farm now, including Chad and Staci Leman’s daughter, Tessa Leman, a former two-time Journal Star small-school girls basketball player of the year and recent graduate of Illinois State University.

“The next gens don’t have to come back to the farm, but the values and work ethic they learned growing up on the farm will benefit them in whatever path they pursue,” Chad Leman told agweb.com. “No matter what our daughters pursue in life, we hope they carry with them a fondness of the time they spent on our family farm.”

The Lemans will appear in the commercial alongside four other Illinois farming families: the Boucher family of Livingston County; the DeSutter family of Knox County; Bunting family of Livingston County; and the Marr family of Morgan County.

How can you see the Illinois farmers commercial?

The commercial will air in television markets in Peoria, Bloomington-Normal, Champaign, Quad Cities, Quincy, Rockford, Springfield, St. Louis and southern Illinois markets, including the Evansville, Indiana, and Cape Girardeau, Missouri, markets. Following the on-air debut, the full commercial can be viewed on Illinois Farm Families’ Facebook page and Wearethe96.org.

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The IL Corn Marketing Board helped spearhead the commercial for the second year because “consumer education is important to IL Corn,” said Lindsay Mitchell, director of communications and marketing for IL Corn and IFF Coalition member.

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“Closing out the ‘We are the 96%’ campaign with a second Super Bowl ad felt like the exact right way to conclude such a fantastic campaign,” she said.

Tammie Sloup of FarmWeek contributed to this story. Information in it was distributed through a cooperative project between Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Association. For more food and farming news, visit FarmWeekNow.com.



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Person of interest in deadly Cicero, Illinois stabbing apprehended after long pursuit

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Person of interest in deadly Cicero, Illinois stabbing apprehended after long pursuit



A suspect in a deadly stabbing was apprehended early Sunday morning following a pursuit from Cicero that ended up on Chicago’s Far South Side.

Around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Cicero police were called after Ubano Diaz, 73, was tsabbed in the 3200 block of South 54th Court in the west Chicago suburb. Diaz was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died, Cicero police said.

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Police immediately identified a person of interest, who was found driving out of the town. They launched a pursuit as the suspect headed northeast on the Stevenson Expressway.

At 1:21 a.m. Sunday, Illinois State Police were called in to assist Cicero police with the pursuit as the suspect cruised up the Stevenson Expressway at California Avenue.

The pursuit kept going along the Stevenson and Dan Ryan expressways before finally ending at 119th Street and Vincennes Avenue west of I-57 in Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood.

The driver of the vehicle was taken into custody at that point, Cicero and Illinois State Police said.

There were no crashes or injuries during the pursuit.

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Police believe the stabbing was an isolated incident, and there was no threat to the public.

State police did not specify the route of the pursuit.



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1 killed, multiple displaced after Glenwood, Illinois, condo fire, officials say

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1 killed, multiple displaced after Glenwood, Illinois, condo fire, officials say



One person is dead after a fire inside a condo complex in south suburban Glenwood on Saturday evening.

It happened around 5 p.m. in the 900 block of 194th Street.

Glenwood fire officials said that crews responded to a second-floor unit inside the three-story building that was engulfed with flames.

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It was confirmed that one person died in the fire. Their identity was not released.

Neighbors in adjoining condos were displaced. The Red Cross was working to provide further assistance to those affected.

Glenwood fire said they are working with the state fire marshal to investigate what led up to the blaze



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2025 FCS football championship: Bracket, schedule, scores

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2025 FCS football championship: Bracket, schedule, scores


The 2025-26 FCS playoffs consist of a 24-team bracket with play starting on Saturday, Nov. 29 and concluding on Monday, Jan. 5. The top 16 teams seeded and the top eight seeds receive automatic byes to the second round, while the rest of the 24-team field (the remaining 16 teams) play in the first round.

Here’s everything you need to know for the Division I Football Championship postseason.

FCS championship bracket

Click or tap here to view the bracket

FCS bracket

 

FCS championship schedule

All times Eastern

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Quarterfinals

  • Friday, December 12
  • Saturday, December 13

Semifinals

  • Saturday, December 20
    • Semifinal 1 | 4 p.m. ET | ABC
    • Semifinal 2 | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2

National Championship 

FCS championship rounds, dates

  • Selection show: 12 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 23 on ESPNU
  • First round: Saturday, Nov. 29
  • Second round: Saturday, Dec. 6
  • Quarterfinals: Friday, Dec. 12 through Saturday, Dec. 13
  • Semifinals: Saturday, Dec. 20 
  • National championship: Monday, Jan. 5 on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. ET

FCS selections

The bracket selections for the 2025-26 FCS Championship was on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. The bracket was be revealed via a selection show on ESPNU at 12 p.m. ET and a selections release

Eleven conferences (or conference partnerships/alliances) earn automatic bids to the playoffs. The FCS Championship Committee selects the remaining 13 at-large bids.

AUTOMATIC BIDS: Click or tap here to see all 11 of the clinched auto-bids

FCS championship history 

North Dakota Dakota State is the reigning national champion, winning its 10 title in 2024 with a 35-32 win over Montana State. Here’s every FCS champion and runner-up from the past decade:

Year Champion Coach Score Runner-Up Site
2024 North Dakota State Tim Polasek 35-32 Montana State Frisco, Texas
2023 South Dakota State Jimmy Rogers 23-3 Montana  Frisco, Texas
2022 South Dakota State John Stiegelmeier 45-21 North Dakota State Frisco, Texas
2021 North Dakota State Matt Entz 38-10 Montana State Frisco, Texas
2020 Sam Houston K.C. Keeler 23-21 South Dakota State Frisco, Texas
2019 North Dakota State Matt Entz 28-20 James Madison Frisco, Texas
2018 North Dakota State Chris Klieman 38-24 Eastern Washington Frisco, Texas
2017 North Dakota State Chris Klieman 17-13 James Madison Frisco, Texas
2016 James Madison Mike Houston 28-14 Youngstown State Frisco, Texas
2015 North Dakota State Chris Klieman 37-10 Jacksonville State Frisco, Texas

Click here for a full list of every champion since 1978.  

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