Lake County briefs

Bounce for Autism:

The Autism Society of America, the nation's leading grass roots autism organization, and Pump It Up, a provider of indoor inflatable playgrounds for private parties, will host "Bounce for Autism" from 5 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 21. The event at Pump It Up of Vernon Hills, 500 N. Fairway Drive, combines family fun with autism awareness. Participants ask friends, family and community members to support the cause by giving a donation to sponsor them. An estimated 30 million people in the world have an autism spectrum disorder, including 1.5 million in the U.S. Visit bounceforautism.org.

Chess team wins title:

A chess team from Half Day School in Lincolnshire has won a national chess championship, officials announced this week. The team of four third-graders won the K-3 SuperNationals Chess Championship, which was held April 3-5 in Nashville. The team members were Conrad Oberhaus, Haoyang Yu, James Wei and Alex Bian. The tournament, held every four years, is considered the preeminent national scholastic chess tournament and determines the United States Scholastic National Championship Teams. More than 5,300 students from 45 states and Puerto Rico participated this year.

Tick season underway:

Tick season is underway in Lake County and residents are being cautioned how to avoid the insects. Surveys confirmed the presence of deer ticks in the area in 2007, and more than a third tested positive for the presence of the pathogen that causes Lyme disease. The American dog tick, the most common species in Illinois, also is present in Lake County but don't carry the disease, according to the Lake County Health Department. For more information about ticks, including how to identify and avoid them, visit lakecountyil.gov/health or call (847) 377-8002.