Several community members spoke in support of a Normal Community teacher at the Oct. 15 McLean County Unit 5 School Board meeting at Normal West, after a photo of him wearing an “Abolish ICE” T-shirt drew criticism online. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—the federal immigration...

The Ironmen (7-1, 7-0) will look to secure a third-straight Big 12 Conference title outright when they travel to take on the Peoria Lions (6-2, 6-1) Friday.  The Lions enter Peoria Stadium looking to spoil the Iron’s chances at a third-consecutive undefeated season in league play and a guaranteed...

Volleyball head coach Ms. Christine Konopasek recorded her 400th career victory Oct. 21 as the Ironmen improved to 28-5 on the season with a 2-0 sweep over Danville. The straight-set win (25-18, 25-9) capped an unbeaten Big 12 campaign for Community, earning the program its first conference championship...

Community opened the 2025 postseason with a 9-0 win over No. 7 seed Decatur MacArthur/Eisenhower Coop on Oct. 20, with the win the No. 2-seeded Ironmen advance to Friday’s IHSA Class 3A regional final against Peoria Notre Dame. Community needed only a half of action to advance to the Oct. 24 regional...

When Community swept Normal West on Oct. 7, the win was a crucial step toward the Ironmen’s first Big 12 title since 2021 and the team’s first undefeated conference run since 2019.  That two-set victory doubled as payback for last year’s season-ender against West, when the Wildcats handed the...

Community recognized longtime coach and teacher Mr. Bryan Thomas in a pregame ceremony before the Oct. 3 football game against Bloomington High School. Thomas will retire at the end of the school year after nearly three decades in Unit 5. Thomas began coaching at Community in 1997 while student-teaching...

Unit 5 brought staff from every school to Normal West on Sept. 26 for the district’s first all-level institute day, the “Excellence in Education Summit.” The day featured 38 sessions presented by Unit 5 teachers, administrators and students across two periods, 8:45–9:45 a.m. and 10:15–11:15...

Blending historical tragedy with a message of hope and empathy, Community’s fall play “The Diary of Anne Frank” reimagines the stage to bring audiences into Anne’s world. The production, directed by theater teacher Ms. Cassie Adelman, runs Oct. 9–12 in the Ms. Kevin Yale Vernon Auditorium,...

After Iron volleyball’s 4-1 weekend at AutumnFest, Community head coach Ms. Christine Konopasek is one win shy of 400 career victories. The veteran coach will have the opportunity to reach the milestone Oct. 21 on Community’s home court when the 27-5 Ironmen host a 3-21 Danville team.  A victory...

Community defeated the Normal West Wildcats 5–3 in a comeback victory Oct. 14, clinching the Intercity title and a share of the Big 12 Conference championship. The Ironmen opened the match aggressively, taking a 1–0 lead just 44 seconds in when a Cooper Lee free kick deflected off the Wildcat...

The cast of “The Diary of Anne Frank” reflect on why the story still matters, pointing to the play’s urgency amid current events, the importance of free expression and the harm that follows when prejudice goes unchecked. 

As the September slips away, summer fades—along with sunburns, sandals and the scent of sunscreen. In its place: hoodie weather, falling leaves and the unmistakable aroma of bonfires and pumpkin spice. With fall comes a shift in more than just the weather. Our watchlists change too—ditching summer...

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...

Trigger Words is a perspective series examining the language we throw around without thinking—and the impact it can leave behind. In a culture where “jokes” blur with insults and memes replace meaning, this series unpacks the words we’ve normalized and asks: Who’s listening? And what are they...

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...