Illinois

Illinois High School Sectional Matches To Watch – FloWrestling

Published

2 months ago

February 13, 2026

Illinois High School Sectional Matches To Watch – FloWrestling

The Illinois high school season rolls into sectional week across the state this weekend with the top competitors in the Land of Lincoln vying to secure a spot in Champaign for next week’s state tournament. Here’s a look at some of the top potential sectional matchups on tap for this weekend.

Barrington

126 pounds — Jackson Olson (Hononegah) vs. Oleksandr Havrylkiv (Hersey)

The anticipated final features a clash between a pair of fourth-place finishers from the 2025 season. Olson placed at 120 and Havrylkiv at 113. While Havrylkiv has the more impressive record, Olson’s record reflects a tough schedule that includes tournaments such as Ironman. Placement order at this sectional will be key for Champaign, as this is one of the more open weights and a favorable seed can give a clear path to the finals at state.

Hinsdale Central

113 pounds — James Morrison (Marmion) vs. Erik Klichurov (Montini Catholic)

In a state that embraces schematics over seeding, all too often we get semifinals such as this one. Both Morrison and Klichurov are having impressive seasons and both have cracked the national rankings at various points this season. Morrison and Klichurov have met once this year with Morrison taking home a close victory. The 113-pound class in 3A is one of the deepest weights in Illinois and the winner of this one will put himself in a much more favorable position for seeding in Champaign the following week.

Hinsdale Central

138 pounds — Zach Stewart (Marmion) vs. Griff Powell (Lyons)

In yet another way-too-soon semifinal, returning state placer Griff Powell will run into 2025 state finalist Zach Stewart. Stewart will be the favorite coming in, but Powell has already found success against the Cadets with a win over Demetrios Carrera at the Flavin. This is another early sectional matchup that has potential to be repeated in next Saturday night’s state finals.

144 pounds — Demetrios Carrera (Marmion) vs. Kam Luif (Montini Catholic)

Insane semifinal matchups seem to be the norm at the Hinsdale sectional, and this one will feature Demetrios Carrera, who placed third in 2025 against returning 2A state champion kam Luif. The winner will likely still have to face multiple-time state placer Justin Williamson of Chicago Mount Carmel in the sectional finals. This is one of the deepest sectional weights, featuring three contenders for the title in Champaign, and the winner in Hinsdale will be able to push the other two across the bracket in Champaign.

Conant

120 pounds — Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) vs. Ray Long (Niles Notre Dame)

This semifinal match is a clash between two returning state champions. Munaretto, a two-time U17 World champion and two-time Ironman champion, will be looking for his third IHSA 3A state title before continuing his career at Ohio State. Long will be looking to derail the future Buckeye’s perfect senior campaign en route to his second state title.

Antioch

190 pounds — Foley Calcagno (IC Catholic) vs. Jaxon Penovich (St. Viator)

With Jimmy Mastny up at 215 for the state series, this semifinal match up has a good probability of being repeated the following weekend in Champaign in the finals. Calcagno who placed third at 215 in his junior campaign, appears to be the biggest obstacle in front of Penovich, who will be looking for his second IHSA state championship.

Geneseo

165 pounds — Wyatt Medlin (Washington) vs.Izaac Gaines (Geneseo)

Medlin, who is highly nationally ranked and will be continuing his career at Illinois, will be a heavy favorite coming into this sectional semifinal. However, Gaines is one of the contenders at this weight, and we all know that strange things happen this time of year. Even if Gaines comes up short, the possibility of a finals rematch the following week in Champaign is definitely not out of the question.

215 pounds — Jimmy Mastny (Marian) vs. Josh Hoffer (Washington)

This is the premier matchup of this sectional and it happens in the semifinals. Both Mastny and Hoffer are returning state champions. Mastny is having a stellar season with a Super 32 championship and high placement at Ironman. Hoffer has had a few more bumps in the road, but has been high in the national rankings at points in the season and will be Mastny’s toughest test as he looks for his third state title.

Byron

106 pounds — Nate Lower (Rockridge) vs. Riley Paredes (Dixon)

This matchup makes the list because whenever you have two wrestlers with a combined 69-3 record meeting in the semifinals, someone is going to be pushed to the backside too early. Neither Lower nor Paredes qualified for the big dance last season and both will be looking to improve their seeding come the following week in Champaign.

113 pounds — Landon Near (Newman) vs. Augustus Swanson (Princeton)

This weight appears to have the marquee finals matchup between returning state placer Landon Near and state qualifier Augustus Swanson. What makes this one interesting is that Near is up from last season when he competed at 106 and Swanson is down from 120 a season ago. This is another weight where the sectional finals can be a prelude to what we will get to see next week in Champaign on Saturday.

165 pounds — Eli Burns (Mercer), Ethan Waugh (Stillman Valley), Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy), Reily Leifheit (Marquette), Casey Etheridge (Princeton), Ryan Lower (Rockridge), Jonner Smith (Carroll).

This 1A sectional is likely the deepest weight in any class. There are at least three of the top wrestlers in this weight who will not make it out and possibly a fourth if there are any upsets. Though it’s difficult to predict how this weight will play out, the beneficiaries are the wrestlers at 165 from the other three sectionals, as the field will be significantly thinned coming into Champaign.

Source link

Illinois

Illinois must rein in spending

Published

8 hours ago

April 6, 2026

Press Room

Increases funded by federal COVID aid have been made permanent, causing a fiscal problem.

Illinois needs to pull back on spending.

Since 2020, the state has gotten $15.6 billion in federal aid related to the COVID-19 pandemic. While that funding was temporary, Illinois has permanently increased what it spends.

That has caused a fiscal problem for the state, with projected budget deficits totaling nearly $21 billion during the next five years. Expenditures are forecasted to grow nearly 20% in that time, but revenues only 11% in that time.

These estimates could be off by billions because of changes such as reductions to federal benefits programs. Still, lawmakers should return spending to pre-pandemic norms. In response to the pandemic, Illinois expanded its budget by nearly $11 billion from fiscal years 2020 to 2023, a 27% increase.

Temporary federal aid supported much of that growth. Even though the emergency has passed, what was federal money now is covered by Illinois taxpayers.

For example:

1. “Environment and culture” spending, which encompasses the Illinois Art Council and Department of Natural Resources, grew 62% in just three years, rising from $61 million to $99 million. Had spending grown in line with the state’s nominal GDP growth, it would have risen only about 10% by 2023.

2. “Human service” spending, for departments such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and Human Rights, jumped from $6.6 billion in 2020 to $10.8 billion 2023, a 64% increase. Employee headcounts are up nearly 5,500 since 2020. If increases had tracked with nominal GDP growth, spending would be about $3.5 billion lower.

One way to rein in these increases is to enact a spending cap tied to that nominal GDP growth. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal of $56 billion, adds $880 million higher than the 2026 budget levels. With a spending cap in place, the state would need to cut $2 billion from the current proposal.

To help better manage its spending, Illinois should make more use of its Budgeting for Results Commission. Established in 2010, it can evaluate state programs, identify inefficiencies and ensure taxpayer money is tied to measurable outcomes.

The commission has been underutilized. Strengthening it would help lawmakers target waste and prioritize core services.

Other reforms would help establish fiscal stability. Read more in our report Illinois Forward 2027.

Source link

Illinois

2 injured in Bishop Ford Freeway shooting on South Side, Illinois State Police say

Published

20 hours ago

April 5, 2026

Press Room

2 injured in Bishop Ford Freeway shooting on South Side, Illinois State Police say

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team

Sunday, April 5, 2026 10:24PM

2 injured in Bishop Ford Freeway shooting on South Side: ISP

CHICAGO (WLS) — Two people were injured in a Bishop Ford Freeway shooting on Chicago’s South Side early Sunday morning, Illinois State Police said.

ISP said troopers responded to northbound Interstate 94 near 115th Street in the city’s Pullman neighborhood just before 1:30 a.m.

ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch

Two people self-transported to a local hospital with injuries.

Traffic was being diverted off of northbound I-94 at 130th Street before all lanes reopened at 3:30 a.m., ISP said.

What led up to the shooting was not immediately clear.

ISP asked anyone with information to contact the Illinois State Police Zone 1 at (847) 294-4400 or email at ISP.CrimeTips@Illinois.gov. They say witnesses can remain anonymous.

Authorities did not immediately provide further information about the shooting.

INTERACTIVE SAFETY TRACKER Track crime and safety in your neighborhood

Source link

Illinois

Our Chicago: How data centers could positively, negatively impact you

Published

1 day ago

April 5, 2026

Press Room

Our Chicago: How data centers could positively, negatively impact you

CHICAGO (WLS) — The I-Team reported in February that there were 164 operating data centers in Illinois, with dozens more in the works.

The city of Joliet recently voted to approve plans for a large data center.

That vote came after hours of public meetings, packed with people eager to weigh in. Joliet city leaders said it would bring tax revenue and financial benefits for the community.

Some residents expressed concerns about the potential environmental impacts.

But, what exactly is a data centers and why are some communities eager to attract them?; Why are so many people opposed to them?

“A data center is going to be a building that provides the space, the power and the infrastructure for everything that we do online today,” said Brad Tietz, the director of state policy for the Data Center Coalition. “So, when you look at where demand is going, for data, so everything we’re doing on the internet, the average household has 21 connected devices to it. We’re going to use twice the amount of data in the next five years than we’ve used in the last ten years.”

Part 2 – Our Chicago: Data Centers

When it comes to the types of jobs created by data centers, he says it depends on the size of the facility.

“There’s going to be technicians, service engineers, etcetera. The real value, especially for Illinois residents, is going to be on the construction side,” Tietz said.

In some communities considering data centers, residents are concerned about their water usage.

“The data center industry has been a large water user, historically, but by no means the largest compared to other industries. And if you look at how efficient the industry is getting, and I’ll remind you too, not every data center uses water. Some are actually using, especially in a colder climate like Illinois, the outdoor air temperature to help cool their facilities,” Tietz said.

Jen Walling is the Chief Executive Officer of the Illinois Environmental Council.

She wrote in Crain’s that “Big Tech” is coming to Illinois and that the state isn’t ready.

“We don’t have the guardrails in place that are going to be necessary to protect our environment, to keep our rates low, to protect our communities and most importantly, protect our water,” Walling said.

Part 1 – Our Chicago: Data Centers

She says the Alliance for the Great Lakes has put out a report where they’ve looked at water usage, and some data centers aren’t using much water.

“Some data centers are using up to five million gallons of water a day. These are huge water users, and they can be taking from different sources including Lake Michigan,” she explained.

“We’re also very concerned about air pollution and the energy usage, these are huge energy users,” Walling said.

She also explained the concerns for people living nearby.

“They need to be on with energy all the time. So, all of these facilities have backup diesel generators. And the residents in the [Aurora] community said that they could smell the methane gas that was being burned, the diesel gas that was being burned. And that’s particulate matter, it’s odor, so these communities face real consequences when something happens,” she said.

Source link