When the Purple Iron Cats host the 4-7 Dunlap Eagles in the opening round of the IHSA Boys Lacrosse sectional on Wednesday, they’ll aim to advance past the first round for just the second time in program history. The co-op’s only postseason win came May 22, 2023, when Bloomington-Normal defeated...

Community will install new digital scoreboards in the East Gym this summer, replacing outdated equipment first installed when the building opened in 2004. The upgrade comes in response to the Illinois High School Association’s mandate requiring shot clocks in boys and girls varsity basketball games...

Community’s bass fishing team captured the inaugural Big 12 Conference championship on May 8 at Banner Marsh, sweeping both team and individual titles.  Johnny Thomas, Nick Rosenlund and Will Newbold led the Big 12 performance, reeling in five fish totaling over 18 pounds. Their haul included a...

Tick-tack-tick-tack-tick-tack-tick-tack. The hot concrete of Comlara park sparked with each strike of Armoni Conner’s make-shift clothesline rope, surrounded by the giggles of seniors as they skipped. When Conner heard the “picnic” in Senior Picnic, she knew what she was going to bring—her...

Community’s bass fishing team captured the inaugural Big 12 Conference championship on May 8 at Banner Marsh, sweeping both team and individual titles.  Johnny Thomas, Nick Rosenlund and Will Newbold led the Big 12 performance, reeling in five fish totaling over 18 pounds. Their haul included a...

A dangerous TikTok trend encouraging students to vandalize school-issued Chromebooks has prompted a districtwide warning from Unit 5’s IT Department. Known online as the “Chromebook Challenge,” the trend instructs students to insert pencil lead, staples, paper clips or other conductive materials...

Ten music students gathered in the choir room before school on April 24 for an interactive presentation introducing music therapy, a growing field that blends music and healthcare. Led by Madison Larson, a graduate student in Illinois State University’s music therapy program, the session featured...

After a sluggish 2-3 start, Iron baseball has roared to life—winning 21 of its last 22 games, including a 3-0 shutout of a top-tier U-High squad (19-5) on May 7. The Ironmen now boast nine shutouts this season, and over their 22-game tear, they’ve outscored opponents by nearly eight runs per game. That...

For the first time this season, Community softball holds a winning record. The Ironmen climbed above .500 with a 9-1 road win over Danville on Thursday, improving to 10-9 overall and 5-0 in Big Twelve play—good for first place in the conference. In the conference race, Champaign Central sits close...

After dropping their first eight games of the season, Community softball has bounced back to win nine of their last 10, evening their record at 9-9. The slow start was deceiving. Five of the team’s eight losses were by just one run—it was only a matter of time before the Ironmen swung their way...

Tick-tack-tick-tack-tick-tack-tick-tack. The hot concrete of Comlara park sparked with each strike of Armoni Conner’s make-shift clothesline rope, surrounded by the giggles of seniors as they skipped. When Conner heard the “picnic” in Senior Picnic, she knew what she was going to bring—her...

The May-hem is upon us—the inboxes are full. The college tees are out. The senior absences keep adding up. Senior season has arrived. As the countdown to graduation winds down, the spotlight often shines on spirit week polls, senior sunset movie picks and yearbook superlatives. But one of the...

The screen flickers on, and the opening notes of a timeless tune fill the room. A door swings open, and a familiar figure begins a quiet ritual: sweater zipped, sneakers laced. Whether it’s animated or filmed, the gestures are the same—deliberate, comforting. A signal that it’s time to slow...

Vampires used to skulk in crumbling castles, draped in capes and centuries-old rot. Now they wear pressed suits, flash charming smiles—and drain entire cultures dry. With “Sinners,” director Ryan Coogler trades jump scares for generational trauma. His fifth feature, following “Creed” and...

What does it feel like to die? If you knew you’d be reborn, would that make the process any less terrifying? Less painful? Less traumatic? These are just some of the existential questions at the heart of Bong Joon-Ho’s “Mickey 17.” Six years after winning Best Picture for “Parasite,”...

First they came for the Center for Disease Control, and I did not speak out—because I was healthy. Then they came for the migrants and refugees, and I did not speak out—because I was a legal citizen. Then they came for paper straws, and I did not speak out—because I was not a turtle. Then...

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...