After a storm of backlash, Scholastic reversed its decision to allow school districts to omit books that deal with race, LGBTQ+, and other issues related to diversity from publisher’s book fairs. The children’s book publisher, in an Oct. 13 press release, announced the decision to create a special...

Ever wonder what high school courses Wednesday Addams or Miles Morales would take?  That’s the premise behind College Board’s new social media campaign. Amidst posts on financial aid and SAT practice problems, fictional characters are now the subject of an inquiry: What Advanced Placement...

When Joe Chianakas, a Peoria native, set out to write “Singlets and Secrets, his newest work of fiction, he wanted to give teens struggling with their sexuality a “superhero” of sorts. When the author was growing up in the ’80s in Central Illinois, there was “the Karate Kid,” “Rocky”...

Jasper’s Java isn’t the only coffee shop to call Bloomington-Normal home. It is, however, the only one committed to helping people and pets find homes of their own.  The business, which opens Oct. 14 following its one-week soft opening period, supports animal adoption through sales and human...

A tug on the sleeve. An adjustment of the arm. Millions are turning to the needle to feed their addiction. This is the vinyl revival. Vinyl records outsold CDs in the US for the first time in over 35 years, according to the Recording Industry Association of America’s annual revenue report. Climbing...

There’s an alternate universe where Community alum Paul Rudolph still spends his days surrounded by high school music students.  A universe where Rudolph (’84) conducts a classroom in Central Illinois, teaching teenagers to sight read, to play scales and chords, to march in formation.  That...

The Experimental Ensemble, an avante-garde musical group, offers Community’s musicians a unique outlet for creative expression.  After launching in 2022, the Ensemble wrapped their sophomore season with April 15’s performance at the McLean County Museum of History and the release of “Budget...

Three. Three children pictured amid a garbage-strewn field, wading in mud past their knees. Their hair, their skin, their clothes are covered in it. The picture, taken at a Bangladesh refugee camp on Sept. 29, 2022, provides only a snapshot of the issue. 773,000. The number of Rohingya—members...

The passage of time marked with penciled lines on the wall. Lines, drawn above children’s heads, climbing higher and higher with each passing year, with each growth spurt. Lines traced with a parent’s careful hand as a toddler, an elementary schooler, a teen waits. Lines etched with pencils, with...