Payton Felix

M5 is taking on two big projects in downtown Sterling. The company plans to reopen the former Starlight’s Theatre and Lounge and rename it The Spark Center for the Performing Arts. The company also will renovate the former Amcore Bank and turn it into a business center.

Dixon Public Schools will kick off a new transitional kindergarten program at the start of the 2025-26 school year. The program was developed in response to kindergarten students’ increasing behavioral issues at Washington Elementary School.

The Dixon Police Department has announced the promotion of two officers who’ve each been at the department for 17 years.

Dixon officials are looking into the zoning of the city's shooting range after a resident questioned the legality of its existence at the Monday, July 7, 2025, City Council meeting.

A Lee County judge decided Monday to allow the pretrial release of a Dixon man accused of disseminating images and videos of child sexual abuse.

The Polo Historical Society is applying to become a designated Network to Freedom site with the National Park Service after uncovering local ties to the Underground Railroad.

The Dixon City Council approved an amendment to the city liquor code June 23, 2025, that restricts the presence of those under 21 in bars.

In observance of PTSD Awareness Day, 13 volunteers, including veterans, jumped out of a perfectly good airplane Friday, June 27, 2025, at the Chicagoland Skydiving Center in Rochelle.

To promote its free book program, the United Way of Whiteside County hosted Dolly Parton’s Book Bash on Wednesday June 25, 2025, at the Odell Library in Morrison.

About 25 people attended State Sen. Li Arellano’s legislative session recap town hall Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at The Dixon: Historic Theatre.

The Dixon City Council has approved two contracts related to its $1.4 million plan for street resurfacing projects.

Gina Venier says singing the national anthem July 2 at Wrigley Field for the Chicago Cubs game “will be one of the most special days of my life.”

The Dixon City Council approved a one-year extension of its electrical service contract Monday, June 16, 2025, for residents and small businesses within city limits.

Dixon officials are looking to regulate the use of motorized bikes after city council members said Monday, June 16, 2025, they’ve received an uptick of calls from concerned residents.

The defense attorney of a former Carroll County sheriff’s deputy accused of reckless homicide and destroying evidence calls the July death of a Mount Carroll teen a suicide.