Through a largely unassuming package that he received in the mail from Metal Blade Records, Carl Zielinski discovered "Precambrian," the fifth album by German experimentalist band The Ocean Collective. His thoughts? Look inside to find out.

With the IHSA state meet just a month away, the Uni chess team began the new year by winning the 14-team Illini Classic on Jan. 5, then five days later swept Charleston in a league match. Uni is 8-0 in the East Central Illinois Chess League.

Thanks to the efforts of the Uni High Activism Club, a communitywide panel discussion on health care reform will be held 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Channing-Murray Foundation, 1209 W. Oregon St., Urbana. The panelists will focus on the reform movement in Champaign County, where an estimated 40 percent of residents have no access to health care.