Local author says humor is key to good health

Arlington Heights resident and author Pamela Aye Simon will be signing copies of her book at the Barnes & Noble on West Rand Road in Arlington Heights on March 8.

Simon's book "Book of Blah: Random Thoughts for Boring Days" talks about using the ol' sense of humor as a way to deal with the stress of daily life. Simon said we should all learn to take ourselves less seriously. As a registered dietitian, she also touts the health benefits of laughter and humor, which include increasing the body's ability to use oxygen and lowering blood pressure.

Sign of the times: Economically, times are tough all around. The District 25 school board is discussing increasing student lunch fees by 25 cents. Talk of a recession affects pizza and mini-milk cartons, too.

This guy knows his mountain ranges: Congratulations to South Middle School student Mark Newman, who won District 25's National Geographic Bee and will go on to the state competition on April 4. More than 40 students participated, ending in a tiebreaker in the championship round.

Check mate: Like many schools throughout the country, Windsor Elementary School has jumped on the chess bandwagon.

The school will host a chess tournament on March 8 and all District 25 schools have been invited to participate. Illinois Chess Teachers expect about 150 students, ranging in ages from kindergarten through eighth grade.

Windsor's chess club is partnered with Illinois Chess Teachers, who have provided instruction to Windsor students since 2006. Every week 44 students receive chess lessons and play each other.

Former Bears player at Thomas: Former Chicago Bear Brent Novoselsky will be at Thomas Middle School on Friday talking to seventh-graders during a career fair.

He'll be talking about his transition from Bear player to financial adviser.

Novoselsky played in Chicago during the 1988 season. He played in eight games that year, but had no receptions. In 1989, he moved to the Minnesota Vikings and from 1989-1993, Novoselsky played in 78 out of a possible 80 regular season games.