Daniel Martinez, of Enid, Oklahoma, was born in Quito, Ecuador, but moved to San Antonio when he was four years old to begin playing tennis. He is one of six freshmen on the Southern Illinois men’s tennis team in the 2014-15 season.
Crystal and Brian Yeast lost their son, Joshua Yeast, 19, during a vehicle crash in 2015, part of a deadly year where 10 persons between the ages of 14 and 24 were killed on Knox County streets and rural roads. Brian, who now carries Joshua’s driver’s license with him everywhere, said it “was the one thing Josh wanted more than anything else in this world.”
Ricquia LaNore and her brother, Eddie Bolden, share a moment Thursday, April 21, 2016, in downtown Galesburg, Illinois. Bolden, 46, spent the last 22 years in a prison for a double murder in Chicago that it was determined he didn’t commit. Now that Bolden is free, he and LaNore are ready to start a new chapter in their lives.
Dunlap High School’s Emma Theobald, left, and Metamora Township High School’s Noelle Peplowski were both rewarded at the state tournament for their efforts in the pool. They are co-winners of the 2016 Peoria Journal Star Girls Swimmer of the Year award.
Farmington Community High School’s Dylan Hayden had a ball during his senior season, throwing for 3,412 yards and 42 touchdowns, as the Farmers made it to the IHSA Class 3A quarterfinals. He is the 2016 Journal Star Small-School Football Player of the Year.
Thomas Briggs was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma when he was 15. After going under countless chemotherapy and radiation sessions, the now 16-year-old has no signs of active cancer and can get back to doing what he loves, including playing tuba in Normal Community High School’s wind ensemble.
Zach Craig tries on his new Enchroma glasses while visiting a mural in Normal, Illinois. Craig is colorblind and realized it when he was in his third grade art class as they were studying the color wheel. “I could just distinguish a few colors. I confused the reds and greens,” Craig said. Over the summer, his best friend, Justin Givens, collected $350 in donations from Ridgeview High School marching band members with the help of band director Anthony Marchese. They surprised Craig with the glasses in a video posted to Facebook that quickly racked up views.
Cristen Monson and her husband, David Krostal, rehearse as Emily Vecchi Noble and Clyde Noble for the 2018 Evergreen Cemetery Walk in Bloomington, Illinois. The walk is held in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery where costumed actors portray individuals, representing all walks of life, from McLean County’s past.
From left, Holli Hays, Daun Greif and Sevin Headley pose next to a semi-tractor-trailer truck in Normal, Illinois. The three women from different backgrounds are all striving for the same goal, to get a Class A commercial driver’s license through Heartland Community College’s truck driver training class.
Donavon Burton displays his “Black Lives Matter” flag on the balcony of his apartment in Bloomington, Illinois. Burton has been served an eviction notice from his landlord, First Site Apartments, because he has refused to take down the flag.