Illinois

New York Times names Ava, Illinois, pizza place as one of the best in the country

Published

2 years ago

June 26, 2024

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New York Times names Ava, Illinois, pizza place as one of the best in the country

AVA, Ill. – According to the New York Times, one of the best pizza spots in the country is right in our viewing area.

Located in a town of 545 people, Scratch Brewing sits just miles away from Shawnee National Forest.

“It was incredibly gratifying to be included on the list. Most people know us for our beer, but our kitchen follows the same ethos, sourcing everything as locally as possible,” owner Marika Josephson said.

The brewery features a handmade brick oven for wood-fired pizza on weekends. All their pizzas are nearly entirely locally sourced from local farmers, mills, or right on their property.

“Like our beer, we think our pizza is a special representation of the land around us. We grow all the tomatoes and basil we put on our pizza; we grind and season our own sausage. When possible, we’ll also harvest an extra helping of the wild ingredients we put into our beer—like nettle—and make a topping with them, like pesto,” Josephson explained. “It’s a place-based approach to food that mirrors our place-based approach to beer.”

Types of pizzas include fennel pesto with goat cheese, margherita, sliced potato with rosemary and sausage, and bloomsdale cheese with hearth bread.

“Our pizzas change all the time—much like our beer—but in the middle of the summer, it’s hard to beat a classic margherita made with our own tomatoes harvested directly from the garden outside. They’re so fresh and so flavorful,” Josephson said.

The location also has an ever-changing line of drinks; from elderberry and ginger to hickory, lavender, and more, there is a variety for customers’ tastes.

“It would be an understatement to call Scratch a product of its environment,” the article from the NYT said. “To say this place is worth its own road trip is another understatement.”

Ava is located an hour and a half southeast of St. Louis. For more information on Scratch, click here.

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Illinois

Decorated Illinois guard Josh Gesky met with Saints ahead of draft

Published

59 minutes 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

13 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.