The National Archery in the Schools Program, aimed at improving educational performance among students in grades 4 – 12 through archery, had its Illinois State Tournament March 25 and 26.

Champaign Centennial High School won first place at the tournament, where the team scored 3,400 during the two days.

Champaign Central High School scored 3,390 points putting them in second place and East Dubuque High School finished in third with 3,329.

Edison Middle School in Champaign won first place in the middle school division, scoring 3,332. Jefferson Middle School in Champaign took second place with a score of 3,297 and East Dubuque students took third with a score of 3,250.

In the elementary school division, East Dubuque won first place, scoring 2,844. Next Generation School in Champaign finished second with a score of 2,798 and Armstrong-Potomac in Vermilion County finished third with 2,769.

First place for individual performance was awarded to Shayna Sigh from Champaign Central with a score of 293. Westin Ballantine from East Dubuque High School was the top male score with 289.

The NASP Illinois State Tournament was hosted by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources at Champaign Centennial High School this year. Top finishers qualified for the NASP U.S. Eastern Nationals will be held May 11-13 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Congratulations to all of our student athletes. For the full Illinois State Tournament results, visit the NASP website at https://nasptournaments.org.

Documentaries are a wonderful resource that teach us about topics we may not have thought about otherwise — from crime, food production, scientific discoveries and even tiger kings. Documentaries also promote the sharing of knowledge across the world. One such documentary, “Mussel Grubbing,” was filmed here in Illinois and has received international attention. Director Jason Lindsey won the Best Documentary award for his film at the World Water Film Festival in New York.

Lindsey’s film examines research being done in the upper Sangamon River on freshwater mussels. “Mussel Grubbing” follows the story of a citizen scientist’s discovery of finding a diverse collection of healthy mussels in the Sangamon River basin. The mussels contribute to a healthier river, which in turn improves the well-being of the community. The film’s purpose is to highlight how everyday people in Illinois are supporting science in a way that is vital to the welfare of their local environment. The filmmakers wanted to show that community science projects are for everyone, regardless of their experience with science.

Lindsey’s film was one of only two to open the United Nations 2023 Water Conference. This documentary showcases the importance of not only local art, but also local engagement in science. It combines the beauty of art and filmmaking with the magnificence and practicality of science. We often think of the arts and of science as two separate entities; however Lindsey masterfully combines both in his award-winning documentary.

To learn more about “Mussel Grubbing,” visit the director’s website here.

In the heart of the Windy City lies the Chicago Public Library, which consists of 81 locations, including a central library, two regional libraries and branches distributed throughout the city's 77 community areas.

The American Library Association reports that the library holds 5,721,334 volumes, making it the ninth largest public library in the United States by volumes held and the second largest public library system in the Midwest.

This year, the library is celebrating 150 years of service to the great city of Chicago. Since 1873, it’s moved to several locations varying from the City Hall to traveling buses and carts which provided multiple selections of books to be delivered.

In recent years, CPL has reached major milestones, becoming the largest public library system in the United States to eliminate late fees for borrowed items in 2019. CPL also forgave all existing fines and allowed more than 100,000 formerly blocked accounts to start anew. There are still due dates for borrowed items, and patrons are still required to return items or replace them to continue their borrowing privileges.

In addition to no overdue fines, the library’s property tax levy was raised by a fraction to increase library access on Sundays. All CPL branches now operate seven days a week and visitation has increased by 35%, according to library officials.

View a visual timeline of the library on CPL’S website.

Continuing its commitment to technological innovation, the city of Chicago plans to offer its first air taxi route between O’Hare International Airport and Vertiport Chicago in 2025. The announcement from Archer Aviation Inc. and United Airlines calls the method of transportation a “safe, sustainable, low noise and cost-competitive alternative to ground transportation.”

Vertiport Chicago, which is North America’s largest vertical aircraft takeoff and landing facility, is located near the Chicago Loop and was selected for its convenient and accessible location. From there, passengers will be able to travel via aircraft to and from O’Hare in about 10 minutes — saving a significant amount of time that is often spent stuck in the city’s rush hour traffic.

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