With over $52 million in facility repairs projected over the next five years, Unit 5 schools face mounting infrastructure needs—from roof replacements to outdated HVAC systems, according to Superintendent Dr. Kristen Weikle. Normal Community alone accounts for nearly $18 million of those needs,...

Community recognized student accomplishments across athletics, academics and the arts during the Spring Walk of Champions on Friday, March 14, a tradition that began during the 2023-24 school year.  

Community opened its season with a 5-0 victory over Metamora on March 18, with four different Ironmen finding the back of the net. Campbell Damery struck first, capitalizing on a pass from Sarah Thompson to put the Ironmen ahead early. The Iron controlled possession throughout the first half, pressuring...

After a record-setting 33-4 season and an undefeated conference run in 2024, the No. 7 state-ranked Ironmen enter 2025 hungry for more. That taste of success, head coach Mr. Ryan Short said, has the senior class “really motivated,” setting their sights on a third straight regional title and a...

In the summer before the basketball season, Community head coach Mr. David Witzig faced a flood of questions—not about his current team, but last year’s 4A state runners-up. The same questions kept repeating: What’s next for Jaheem Webber? Where’s Braylon Roman playing in college? What’s...

Community recognized student accomplishments across athletics, academics and the arts during the Spring Walk of Champions on Friday, March 14, a tradition that began during the 2023-24 school year.  

After saving two lives in separate incidents last spring, Officer Jeremy Flood, Community’s School Resource Officer, was named Normal Police Department’s “Officer of the Year” in February. Despite the honor, Flood credits his role at Community as the most rewarding part of his 20-year law...

San Diego’s Marine Band took the Kevin Yale Vernon stage on March 6, performing a rock-heavy setlist for Community music students. Choir, band and orchestra members were excused from their eighth-hour classes to watch “America’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization”...

In the summer before the basketball season, Community head coach Mr. David Witzig faced a flood of questions—not about his current team, but last year’s 4A state runners-up. The same questions kept repeating: What’s next for Jaheem Webber? Where’s Braylon Roman playing in college? What’s...

Community (28-6) will face Quincy (30-3) Friday at 7 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s IHSA 4A Sectional Championship at Collinsville High School. Though the teams' postseason history only dates back to 2022, the rivarly has offered plenty of excitement. That year, the Blue Devils ended the Ironmen’s...

Community, for the first time in program history, secured a fifth consecutive regional championship, defeating Minooka 51-38 on Friday night. The Ironmen (27-6) advance to the IHSA 4A Collinsville Sectional Semifinal, where they will face Rock Island (28-5) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Pekin High School. The...

The State Farm Center hummed with anticipation–under the bright lights of the IHSA 3A State Wrestling Semifinals, history waited to be written. A senior, unbeaten in 47 matches. A two-time state medalist. One final shot at a championship.  Across from him, a freshman phenom.  David versus...

They move through Yellowstone, the wind ruffling their thick fur as they stalk through the underbrush. Their paws make no sound against the damp earth. Ears pricked, eyes scanning for movement, nose twitching at the faintest scent of mule deer. They are the alpha. They are the hunter. They are…...

The surgeon’s steady hand marks the incision. The scalpel glides across the skin, parting flesh to reveal the damaged ligament beneath. A tendon—healthy, unscarred—harvested from the wrist, severed from its home. The drill whirs to life, its bit biting deep into the ulna, then the humerus,...

From the phonograph to the Discman, the iPod to TikTok, the music industry has always been about evolution. But few shifts have been as rapid—or as disruptive—as in the digital age. From SoundCloud breakthroughs to TikTok-fueled superstardom, the way we discover, share and consume music has been...

From basement shows to booking sets at Chicago’s Beat Kitchen, Harrison Gordon has put in the work to earn their place in the Midwest indie rock scene. Now, the band is bringing their signature sound back to Bloomington-Normal, headlining The Castle Theatre on Feb. 28—and if you haven’t seen them...

The world was forever changed when the World Wrestling Entertainment’s “Monday Night Raw” debuted in 1993, bringing suplexes, powerbombs and piledrivers into American living rooms. Over three decades, WWE’s flagship show became a fixture on the USA Network, a tag team that helped “Raw”...

3:30, and Community’s doors burst open—students spilling out. Backpacks slung over shoulders, hands shoved deep into pockets, they rushed toward buses idling at the curb, they wove through the parking lot chaos—horns blaring, engines revving—a steady current, all moving with one purpose: getting...

Are Movie Theaters Dying, or Are We Just Forgetting Why They Matter? In the dark ages—before mobile devices and flat-screen TVs—early man had no choice but to journey to vast structures for entertainment. These coliseums of storytelling, with their dim lobbies and the scent of butter-soaked popcorn...

Apple Pay. Venmo. Cash App. PayPal. Make no mistake—cash is fading into the background, the dollar replaced by digital transactions. Your next Big Mac, the latest Grand Theft Auto release, your prom dress—just a tap away. So, as we move further into a cashless economy, one question lingers: do...