Catch up on the week’s top Illinois Valley news in minutes for May 24-30. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

Illinois hunters set a new spring turkey hunting record in 2026, with nearly 21,000 birds harvested and a growing number of hunters taking to the field.

When the Celebration of Lights returns to Rotary Park in La Salle this year, one new display will be the first of its kind: it was designed by a Dimmick School student.

Parent2Parent4Support is a newly created group for parents dealing with their children’s mental health due to bullying, self-harm or other circumstances.

The University of Illinois Extension will offer a free Tomato Troubles educational program from 4 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, at the Seneca Public Library, 210 N. Main St.

Communities across northern Illinois are weighing billion-dollar data center projects that promise major tax revenue while raising concerns over water use, energy demand and rapid growth

Emergency crews responded Friday, May 29, 2026, for two patients who were drowning in the Cascade Falls area of Matthiessen State Park. Two helicopters landed at the Deer Park Model Airplane Field to airlift the patients to OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria. Fire and EMS crews from Utica, Tonica and Oglesby, along with Conservation Police personnel, responded to the incident shortly after 12:45 p.m.

The Illinois Valley Community College board of trustees approved the purchase of two vehicles to expand truck driver trainees’ and automotive students’ skills at its meeting Tuesday, May 19.

The Illinois Valley Community College Foundation selected five individuals to be inducted into the IVCC-LPO Hall of Fame Class of 2026.