University High's Robert Gao celebrates after grueling doubles victory against Urbana's Karl Bonita and Santi Lleras. Narrowing taking the first set, and dropping the second, Gao and partner Kyle Fan won the tiebreak, 10-7. See more match photos below.
URBANA - Despite less-than-favorable weather conditions—a steady breeze and temperatures in the mid-40s—at Atkins Tennis Center, the Uni High boys tennis team swept all six singles matches Tuesday in a home contest against crosstown rival Urbana High School, cruising to an 8-1 victory.
Freshman Jameson LaFave defeated Urbana junior Xander Ashley 7-6 (5), 6-2 at No. 1 singles. Ashley bounced back in doubles, teaming with Sam Sherwood for the Tigers' lone win of the day. The Urbana duo rallied past Josh Persiani and Ian Pan at No. 2 doubles, winning 2-6, 6-1, 10-7.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Urbana's Sam Sherwood lines up backhand shot during his double match with partner Xander Ashley at No. 2 doubles.
At No. 1 doubles, Urbana’s Santi Lleras and Karl Bonita dropped the first set 7-6 (5) but made dozens of sharp plays and dominated serve-plus-one points to take the second set 6-2. However, Uni High’s Robert Gao and Kyle Fan showed resilience in the third-set tiebreak, capturing the final three points after a 7-7 deadlock to close out the match.
Urbana returns to action Wednesday for a nonconference match against St. Thomas More at Atkins. The Illineks will travel to Bloomington on Saturday before hosting St. Teresa at 4:30 p.m. Monday.
Match Results
Singles:
No. 1 - Jameson LaFave, Uni def. Xander Ashley, Urbana 7-6 (5), 6-2
No. 2 - Swapnil Kumar, Uni def. Karl Bonita, Urbana 6-1 , 6-3
No. 3 - Robert Gao, Uni def. Santi Lleras, Urbana 6-2 , 6-2
No. 4 - Kyle Fan, Uni def. Samuel Sherwood, Urbana 6-2 , 6-2
No. 5 - Josh Persiani, Uni def. Theodore Nevins, Urbana 6-3 , 6-4
No. 6 - Ian Pan, Uni def. Gus Rund, Urbana 6-2 , 1-6 , 10-5
Doubles:
No. 1 - Robert Gao - Kyle Fan, Uni def. Santi Lleras, Urbana - Karl Bonita, Urbana 6-3 , 2-6 , 10-7
No. 2 - Xander Ashley - Samuel Sherwood, Urbana def. Josh Persiani - Ian Pan, Uni 2-6 , 6-1 , 10-7
No. 3 - Collins Rosch - Tristen Ting, Uni def. Theodore Nevins - Gus Rund, Urbana 7-6 (5), 6-2
An astonishing number of Trump supporters took the dangling video bait and swallowed it hook, line, and sinker.
After last weekend's Hands Off! protests across the country, TikTok creator @redsaidblue posted a satirical video, sprinkled with subtle digs at popular MAGA stereotypes, in which she claimed to be attending the protest as a paid participant. In the video, she described what she could and couldn’t wear, who her point of contact was, and that she would receive a bonus for bringing a sign.
"I got paid $100 for going to the protest, and I got an extra $10 for bringing the sign," she confesses to viewers in character as a Trump supporter going over to the other side to make a few bucks. "Overall, it was a pretty good experience. The people were pretty nice."
A MAGA supporter on X (formerly Twitter) with over 200,000 followers, "@TheEXECUTlONER_", posted the performance to his account and encouraged other Trump supporters to share it. The buffoonery sailed by unchecked by rational thought or rudimentary critical thinking.
There were 1,400 Hands Off! demonstrations across the country on Saturday. The majority drew well over 1,000 participants. Conservatively, someone or some entity would have spent around $140 million (before signs). The kicker: an estimated 3 million people took part in the nationwide protests. If all the marchers were punching the proverbial clock, someone would have spent $300 million—which might have been a boon to the economy after the stock market experienced its steepest plunge since COVID, during Trump’s first term.
While @redsaidblue wasn’t actually paid to protest—it's not clear if she even attended one—the blue-check MAGA user is making bank. As of this story, the video had been shared by 24,000 other accounts on the social media platform. While the young woman wasn’t actually paid for the protest, the account that posted her video is cleaning up, having collected 47,000 likes and over 3,000 comments so far.
Meanwhile, the creator began receiving negative backlash from liberals for posting the video, which she eventually took down. She is now attempting to remove copies from the internet. Supporters from the left were enraged, claiming her video added fuel to the political fire by implying extreme right conservatives aren’t smart enough to recognize when they’re being punked.
It appears her critics were right. The video—or screenshots with text excerpts from it—is circulating on conservative social media channels as supposed proof that liberal protesters are social justice mercenaries, reinforcing the narrative that liberals only protest against the Trump administration because they are paid.
Redsaidblue posted a follow-up video to her TikTok account yesterday, apologizing to fellow liberals for harming their movement.
"I truly thought it was so obvious that it was a joke. I thought that if anyone did take it seriously, if they shared it with someone else, the next person would be like, "Bro, that's satire".
Do paid protesters actually exist? They don't, according to an article from USA Today.
"Time after time, claims of "paid protesters" have been debunked, sometimes by the very people who made them in the first place," according to an article by John R. Roby.
Leo Gertner wrote a piece for The Washington Post entitled, "So what if protesters are paid?"
Gertner wrote, "So the next time someone tries to discredit a movement by insinuating that some of the people on the ground are being compensated, ask the all-important question: So what?"
What's the old saying? Freedom isn't free.
This spring, protect yourself from those triggers that you know will make you uncomfortable.
Photo: Corina/Pixabay
by Paul Arco OSF Healthcare
ESCANABA, MI - If you grew up without suffering from seasonal allergies, consider yourself one of the lucky ones.
But if you’ve reached your 40s or 50s and are now feeling miserable during the spring and fall months, welcome to the club. Adult-onset allergies are a real thing. And it happens to a lot of people.
Nearly 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. have seasonal allergies, eczema, or food allergies, according to recent data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 75% of those are older than 45. Many of those people developed allergies in adulthood or were not diagnosed until they were adults.
Experts are unclear why or how allergies develop in adulthood. Some theories include moving from one geographic region to another, having a reduced immune system or owning a pet for the first time in your life. There is a belief, however, that having one severe allergic reaction or symptoms during childhood can increase your chances of developing allergies as an adult.
Breanne Gendron OSF Nurse Practitioner
Many people who develop allergy symptoms early in life will outgrow their allergies by their 20s or 30s. But, really, it’s possible to develop an allergy to something – whether it’s an animal or pollen – at any point in life.
“People will have them as kids and sometimes grow out of it,” says Breanne Gendron, a nurse practitioner with OSF HealthCare. “Then the alternative happens, where something starts bothering you as you age. That’s when we teach you about all the different medications you can use to control your symptoms.”
Gendron says most people are bothered by things that bloom and that includes trees and grass in the spring. Ragweed pollen or other weed pollen are problematic in the fall. Spores from molds and fungi are typically around in warm-weather months. And don’t forget about house dust mite allergens, which tend to be present throughout the year.
Most allergy symptoms, while annoying, are mild. Examples are sneezing, itchy eyes and runny nose. In her practice, Gendron notices more adults suffering from sinus infections with their allergy issues, more so than her younger patients.
“The dilemma about having untreated allergies is that you can get extra congestion in your sinuses, which could lead to a sinus infection,” Gendron says. “When you get pressure in your face, and you generally feel a little rundown, then we want to treat you for that.”
Gendron recommends treating allergies with a combination of oral antihistamines, eye drops and steroid nasal sprays. Allergy shots may be in order as well. But first, talk to your doctor to see if you are a candidate for a skin test to determine your specific allergies. “Once the medication gets your symptoms to calm down, you can generally keep it in check with less medication,” she says.
There are other things you can do to help minimize your symptoms. Gendron recommends things like eliminating carpet in your bedroom and washing your sheets regularly to eliminate dust. Consider taking a shower before bedtime, especially after being outside, and keep the windows closed at night to prevent pollen from entering the home.
This spring, protect yourself from those triggers that you know will make you uncomfortable.
“If you are bothered by something in the environment and you know that it bothers you, such as mowing the grass or raking leaves, do yourself a favor by wearing a mask to prevent yourself from breathing in more allergens,” she adds. “And take your allergy pills before you do those things, to make sure that you're going to have less of a reaction.”
Walking with other demonstrators around the park’s perimeter, Kathleen Toalson described the first 76 days of Trump’s second term as a “disaster.”
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Nearly a thousand people took part in Champaign-Urbana's installment of a nationwide day of action at Saturday's Hands Off! protest.
CHAMPAIGN - In a show of solidarity against President Donald Trump's trade and immigration policies, which critics say are harming families and retirement savings, more than a thousand protesters gathered Saturday at West Park near downtown Champaign for the Hands-Off! Mobilization rally.
The two-hour event featured several guest speakers who shared their thoughts on the state of the country since Trump began his second term. Large turnouts were also reported in major cities including Chicago, Boston, New York and Washington, D.C., as part of a national day of action that highlighted growing dissatisfaction with the administration’s policies and service cuts.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Standing with a long line of people along University Avenue, a protester holds up a sign as cars pass by. Many of the drivers showed their support, honking as the drove past the hundreds of Americans demonstrating against the hamfisted approach to nearly every issue the Trump administration as taken the past 75 days.
After attending a similar rally earlier Saturday near his home, John Edwards traveled from Sullivan to Champaign to take part in the demonstration. The Army veteran said he would attend a third if there were another nearby.
“They are not representing anybody but the rich,” Edwards said of the Trump administration. “We were already at one in Sullivan today. You might as well do two if you’re going to do one — and three if there’s another somewhere. We’ve got to get the word out.”
Walking with other demonstrators around the park’s perimeter, Kathleen Toalson described the first 76 days of Trump’s second term as a “disaster.”
“It’s an absolute nightmare for our nation, for our world,” she said. “It’s inconceivable to me that a nation as wealthy and prosperous as ours would turn its back on its own citizens.”
Cynthia D’Angelo, one of several speakers at the rally, criticized the administration’s policies.
“They are trying to destroy the things that are good about America. We are a leader in science. We are a leader in higher education and training future scientists, and they are trying to destroy all of that,” she said. “I feel like it is important for people to speak up and make a statement about what they believe.”
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
Cynthia D'Angelo, one of many speakers defending American values, delivers remarks at the Champaign Hands Off! rally at Westside Park.
Hands-Off! was the largest coordinated day of demonstrations by concerned citizens across the country since Trump began his second term, with events held at more than 1,200 locations in all 50 states. According to The Associated Press, over 150 organizations participated in organizing the peaceful rallies.
When asked about her views on how the administration is running the country, Urbana resident Terri Barnes laughed while walking with the procession.
“I think they are evil and pathetic. They are stronger than people anticipated,” she said. “Evil. Definitely evil.”
CHAMPAIGN - Over a thousand people gathered at West Park for the Hands-Off! Mobilization rally on Saturday at noon. Across the nation, hundreds of thousands of Americans participated in a national day of action to protest policies implemented since Donald Trump began his second term as President. Critics highlight Trump's frequent use of executive orders, bypassing legislative process, which they argue has harmed the country's reputation, economy, and exacerbated societal divisions. The two-hour rally featured several guest speakers who shared their thoughts on the state of the country since Trump has taken office. Conservative estimates put the attendance significantly above last Saturday's rain-soaked Rally for Democracy organized by Champaign-Urbana Resistance Effort (CURE) in Urbana. See more photos here ...
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