For the last two years, Michelle Mehnert reigned as one of the state's top cross country runners. But with Mehnert gone, it's up to veterans like senior Elaine Gu and junior Elizabeth Russell to set the pace for the Illineks.

With a record number of runners, the Illineks are ready to make a presence at the IHSA state finals for the first time in 11 years. Led by senior Malcolm Taylor and several other varsity returnees, the boys look to be in for a great season, which begins Tuesday at the Kickapoo Kickoff Classic.

Somehow Lauren Piester has remained unmoved by the charms of Edward Cullen, the hot "young" vampire at the center of Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series. Did the latest installment, "Breaking Dawn," change her opinion?

This highly controversial movie overtook "The Dark Knight" to become No. 1 its opening week as people flocked to the theaters, either to see it or to protest. Lauren Piester was one of those who saw it, and she was pleasantly surprised.

Behind the high-scoring junior, the Illineks ended an otherwise tough day on a positive note as they beat Oakwood to finish 1-2 in their season-opening Shoot Out tournament. Uni lost to champion Blue Ridge and runner-up Fisher/GCMS. It was the first time in eight years that Uni didn't win at least a share of the Shoot Out title.

This wasn't a speech. It was music. It was as if the Black-Eyed Peas' will.i.am wove Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” with the best syncopated sounds of hip-hop from the streets to produce one of the most memorable political speeches of the past 45 years.

After Lor Sligar wrote her recent column about grinding at Uni dances, senior Carl Pearson responded with some thoughts of his own about the subject. In case you missed them, we are republishing Carl's comments as the first letter to the OG editors of 2008-09.

The Illineks lost their second game of the Uni High Soccer Shoot Out today, eliminating their chances of winning an eighth straight tournament title. Fisher/GCMS defeated the Illineks 3-1.

The Illineks ran into an obstacle in their quest for an eighth straight Soccer Shoot Out title, dropping the tourney's first game 2-0 to Blue Ridge this morning. Uni has two more games on tap today.

The boys begin their season Saturday at the annual Uni High Soccer Shoot Out. Last season they came within one game of advancing to state — the second time in two years that Uni played for a sectional title. What can we expect from the Illineks this year? Check inside to find out.

Well, maybe "celebrity treatment" is overstating things a bit, but sophomore Will Fernandez definitely received some extra attention today from the local media as he returned from Denver after covering the Democratic National Convention for the Online Gargoyle.

Sometimes the strongest words come from unlikely sources. For Will Fernandez, that was the case Wednesday night, when the oratory of political giants like Bill Clinton and Joe Biden gave way to the simple message of a retired admiral from New Hampshire.

How much freedom should students have at Uni dances? It's been a much-discussed topic ever since grinding was prohibited, but Lor Sligar believes we need to talk about it some more.

So what's it like being a 14-year-old reporter covering the Democratic National Convention, surrounded by pros who've been on the political beat for 30 or even 40 years? Who better to answer but the OG's own Will Fernandez.

The big question for Democrats and the news media as they arrived here over the weekend was whether Sen. Hillary Clinton would be a uniter or a divider at this convention. From the very outset it was clear that she had opted to be a team player, and by the reaction of delegates at the Pepsi Center Tuesday night, her speech scored big with both Clinton and Obama supporters.