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Dec 25, 2024 | 
dailyillini.com | Laura Mendes
Illinois earned the newest addition to its defensive line with senior defensive lineman James Thompson Jr, he announced on Wednesday according to Chris Hummer on X. Thompson spent a few years with Wisconsin and played his best season in 2023. He ended the regular season with 29 tackles, 19 of which were solo and three sacks. For the 2024 season, Thompson used the second redshirt season of his collegiate career, leading him to enter the transfer portal after three years of playing as a Badger.
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Dec 17, 2024 | 
dailyillini.com | Laura Mendes
Imagine being an athlete who can now be scouted without meeting a scout in person. The idea of this is becoming the new reality, making the lives of athletes and scouts easier. While the average person might assume that artificial intelligence is a new form of technology popularized by ChatGPT, V.N. Vimal Rao, professor in LAS, has a very different angle. “I’ve been interested in AI … for at least a decade,” Rao said.
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Dec 16, 2024 | 
dailyillini.com | Laura Mendes
From Jacksonville, Florida, to Champaign, Illinois, and now declaring himself for the 2025 NFL draft, senior wide receiver Pat Bryant is a star. His success is undeniable, but this year in particular has been nothing short of record-breaking for him. Rising star Bryant has been an Illini throughout his entire collegiate career. He created a name for himself in his very first year when Bryant became the 14th wide receiver in program history to start in three or more games as a true freshman.
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Dec 11, 2024 | 
dailyillini.com | Rudraksh Kikani |Anna Ceja |Laura Mendes |Maaike Niekerk
Rating: 4/10**This review contains spoilers.**The robotic beeps of dial-up internet, the playful chirping of a Tamagotchi and the existence of DVD stores are all relics of the 1990s that have been revived with the release of “Y2K.” The newest film from A24 details the adventures of a group of high school students trying to survive a robotic apocalypse caused by the Y2K crisis.
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Dec 11, 2024 | 
dailyillini.com | Rudraksh Kikani |Anna Ceja |Laura Mendes |Mary Piacente
Ben Shabad, an alum of the University and Lincolnwood native, headed to Chicago’s Humboldt Park on Nov. 16 for the city’s first annual Jeremy Allen White lookalike contest on an impulse. In the weeks following, his resemblance to the TV star has earned him celebrity status. Shabad, 37, was a student in LAS who majored in psychology and a member of the University’s intramural wrestling team.
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Nov 14, 2024 | 
dailyillini.com | Laura Mendes |Sahil Mittal |Jonathan Matthew |Conor Blount
It’s time for part two of the Big Ten fight songs. Featuring some of the conference’s oldest and newest members, the history behind all nine of these schools’ traditional tunes is rich. Ohio State: “Buckeye Battle Cry”In 1919, Ohio State was in search of a new fight song. After receiving numerous submissions, they chose “Buckeye Battle Cry” by Frank Crumit; it has remained a staple ever since. Notably, it is the fastest fight song in the Big Ten.
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Nov 14, 2024 | 
dailyillini.com | Laura Mendes |Sahil Mittal |Jonathan Matthew |Maaike Niekerk
DoubleSpot, a startup cofounded by two University students and an alum, aims to streamline scheduling, event coordination and overall facility operations onto a single management platform. The team behind DoubleSpot includes Sean Chang, senior in AHS, Wei-Jui Chen, senior in Engineering and Chien-Hsuan Chang, University alum. Inspired by his experience as a business strategy and analytics intern for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2022, Sean Chang saw the potential to innovate facility operations.
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Nov 14, 2024 | 
dailyillini.com | Laura Mendes |Sahil Mittal |Jonathan Matthew |Maaike Niekerk
With the most recent Emmys season winding down and the winter months ahead, The Daily Illini has gathered some upcoming winter TV shows to keep tabs on, from familiar returning faces to new adaptations of old classics. Following an accelerated production to capitalize on the box office success of “Dune: Part Two,” HBO and showrunner Alison Schapker are set to release “Dune: Prophecy” — a six-episode exclusive series.
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Nov 14, 2024 | 
dailyillini.com | Laura Mendes |Sahil Mittal |Jonathan Matthew |Maaike Niekerk
Rating: 8.7/10The latest psychological horror/thriller film from A24, “Heretic,” achieves tension and terror while posing interesting questions on the nature of religion — though not quite delivering on all of them. The film follows two young Mormon missionaries, Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East), as they visit potential converts. They stumble across the home of Mr. Reed (Hugh Grant), where they fall victim to a sadistic game of theological torture.
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Nov 13, 2024 | 
dailyillini.com | Laura Mendes |Sahil Mittal |Maaike Niekerk |Lauren Castaldo
Last Saturday, Illinois Vintage Fest hosted its second event in Champaign-Urbana. Over 50 vendors and many attendees were present, hoping to score some vintage finds. The halls of Lincoln Square Mall in Urbana were buzzing with eager shoppers, students and locals, who were all hoping to find unique merchandise. Illinois Vintage Fest started during the pandemic in 2020 after founder Shayne Kelly lost his job and sought a new, unique business model to attract customers.
