Illinois

Putnam County Rotary Club to host Illinois River ports speaker for Ag Night on March 27

Published

1 year ago

March 11, 2025

Putnam County Rotary Club to host Illinois River ports speaker for Ag Night on March 27

The Putnam County Rotary Club will host Ag Night 2025 at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 27, at the Putnam County High School in Granville.

Continuing a tradition dating back five decades, Putnam County Rotary hosts the event in conjunction with National Agriculture Week to honor local farmers and those whose support of agriculture strengthens the local and regional economy and provides food to the population.

This year’s featured speaker will be Robert Sinkler, sharing his perspective on the importance of the Illinois River ports in the marketing of locally harvested corn and soybeans. The Illinois Waterway Ports Commission, a consortium of five port districts, including 10 counties along the Illinois River, was created in 2023 under the leadership of Sinkler, dedicated to the protection and preservation of the river for commerce and recreation. That Commission is one of four Midwest ports, collectively referred to as the Corn Belt Ports of which Sinkler now serves as executive coordinating director.

With federal recognition, the Commission has helped attract and fund projects to refurbish and modernize aging locks and dams, and to bring new river-dependent commercial infrastructure projects to the waterways. Among Corn Belt’s greatest projects will be a federally funded $38.6 million new 700-foot loading dock, conveyor system and storage facility at the Hennepin Barge Terminal, primarily for soybean products.

The speaker’s background includes past leadership service in numerous government and Army Corps of Engineers positions, as well as executive positions with biotech leader Allonnia, technology leader Intrexon and water resources company Dawson & Associates.

The Illinois River plays an important role in corn and soybean markets, facilitating downstream and export sales. The Illinois Waterway Ports alone handle more than 14 million tons of freight annually from the Illinois River Watershed which includes nearly half of the state’s agricultural land and some 90% of the state’s population.

For reservations email PutnamCountyRotary@gmail.com by March 20. Cost includes dinner and dessert for $18 a person or $162 for a table of 10.

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Illinois

Decorated Illinois guard Josh Gesky met with Saints ahead of draft

Published

6 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

18 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 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.