Here is a list of Lee County property transfers for Aug. 4-8, 2025.

Duane Dickison is the fire chief of the town he grew up in, and it's a badge of honor he takes seriously and with great responsibility. He leads a department that not just fights fires, but tackles the growing issue of recruitment and managing a substation in a neighboring town.

A Dixon man faces several drug and weapons charges following an early morning car crash Sunday in Amboy where responding deputies said they smelled cannabis and alcohol.

With football teams around the state opening official practices for the 2025 season Monday, here are five storylines to watch in the NewsTribune/BCR area this fall.

This popular sports bar and grill in Amboy offers creative twists to its traditional menu, including their famous Philly cheesesteak.

The Lee County Fair concluded Sunday, July 27, 2025.

Things got off to a hot start Thursday, July 24, 2025, at the Lee County Fair as drivers brought in their souped-up trucks and tractors and pitted them against one another in a pulling competition.

Action at the Lee County Fair in Amboy ended opening day with a truck and tractor pull Thursday, July 24, 2025.

Here is a list of property transfers for Lee County for July 14-18, 2025.

Jane Hochstatter has dedicated her life to saving orphaned and injured wildlife in northwest Illinois. But now, the founder of Calamity Jane’s Wildlife Rescue is facing homelessness and the closure of the rescue that she has poured her heart and soul into.

Jane Hochstatter is losing the home where she has rescued and rehabbed hundreds of wild animals.

Natalie Pratt, who graduated from Amboy High School this year, has family ties to FFA that reach back to her childhood. Her mother, aunt and uncle all served as state officers, and Pratt often traveled with her mother to FFA conventions and workshops.

Here is the list of Amboy High School students named to the spring 2025 semester honor roll.

Kenley Wilson, who will begin studying biology this fall at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse with aspirations of becoming an optometrist, has been awarded the bank’s $5,000 Student of the Year scholarship.

Beginning June 4, all children and teens can enjoy free meals in Lee County when school is out. This year, United Way will provide nutritious meals to kids and teens 18 and younger.

The Illinois College & Career Pathway Endorsement Program allows students to earn a formal endorsement on their high school diploma or transcript by completing a series of structured requirements designed to prepare them for life after high school in their chosen career path.

The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will hold the Briar Knoll Hunting and Fishing Club hunter level wingshooting clinic at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. June 14 and 15 at Briar Knoll Hunting and Fishing Club, 1502 Briar Knoll Road, Amboy.

La Salle County residents may participate in one of the local Memorial Day observances in honor of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. A list is available here.

Voters this week in Whiteside, Lee, Ogle and Carroll counties determined who will make the important decisions regarding their communities, schools, townships, fire departments, parks and libraries. See the results here.

Here is a list of Easter egg hunts planned in the Sauk Valley beginning April 12.

Dax, a purebred Belgian malinois, is the Lee County Sheriff’s Office’s newest K-9 officer. He went out on his first patrol Sunday, April 6, 2025, with his partner, Deputy Justin Hart of Amboy.

After graduating from Amboy High School, Carson Barlow will attend the University of Wisconsin-Platteville to study construction management.

Rock Falls and Sterling firefighters and CGH EMS were called at 9:37 p.m. Sunday, April 6, 2025, to 222 Ave. D in Rock Falls for a reported structure fire with a possible explosion.

The St. Bede, Hall, Princeton, Bureau Valley and Amboy co-op girls track and field teams competed in the Rosenberry Invite on Wednesday.

If unofficial vote totals hold, Ohio High School students will not have to travel to Amboy or La Moille to attend school.

The show brought in 55 high school students submitting 88 pieces of work with mediums ranging from charcoal to ceramic and paint to pen.

Whiteside, Lee, Ogle and Carroll county voters get to decide who will make the important decisions regarding their communities, schools, townships, fire departments, parks and libraries.

Dixon Rural and Dixon City firefighters, along with Advance EMS, were dispatched to a residential structure fire at 4:41 p.m. Saturday, March 22, at 8259 S. Main St. in Grand Detour.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to a burglary in progress Saturday, March 15, in the area of U.S. 30 and Walton Road in rural Dixon, where two people were seen going in and out of a garage, authorities said in a news release.

Courtney Ligtenberg has graduated from the Future Leaders Alliance Program offered through the Illinois Bankers Association.

Students ages 15 to 19 met for 10 consecutive weekends to train and learn the skills needed to fight fires, help with rescue and aid in support. Those 18 and over will be become active volunteer firefighters on the Sublette roster; those younger than 18 will fill auxiliary roles.

The event is intended for children ages 5 to 18. Participants can explore 4-H’s various activities and learning experiences.

Firefighter crews were on scene Friday at the Illinois Wildlife Game Preserve for 8 hours, with an estimated 600 acres burned and an estimation of more 40,000 gallons of water used before extinguishing a brush fire.

Tyler Huggins plans to become a carpenter after high school and join a union located in Rockford.

Cultivating Connections is intended to bring in administrators and local school leaders who don’t necessarily have an ag background and provide them with an enriching experience that demonstrates the value of an agriculture education.

The Dixon Rural and City fire departments and Advance EMS were called around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 11, 2025, to a barn fire at 2124 Sink Hollow Road, according to a news release.

Dinges Fire Company sells protective firefighter equipment, rescue tools and gear and services fire trucks on site.

Voters in the Ohio school district in Bureau County will be deciding the fate of their high school come April 1. If the deactivation measure passes, Ohio taxpayers will pay the costs associated with sending students to either Amboy or Bureau Valley.

The following cases were considered by the Bureau County Grand Jury on Feb. 18, 2025.

After correctly spelling “illicitly,” Amboy Junior High School’s Parker Zimmerly won the Lee, Ogle, Whiteside Regional Spelling Bee on Thursday.

Amboy/Ohio beats Putnam County 51-33 to advance to the Thursday's final during the Class 1A Regional semifinal game on Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025 at St. Bede Academy.

The fourth annual trivia night hosted by the Amboy FFA Alumni comes to the Amboy Community Building on March 1. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Trivia begins at 6:30 p.m.

Iowa State University, Trinity Christian College and Aurora University also announce fall semester dean’s lists.

Schools in and around La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties have announced closures and e-learning days ahead of a predicted snowstorm Wednesday.

Natalie Pratt is enrolled at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to study agricultural education. Her plans are to become a high school agriculture teacher and FFA adviser.

An Amboy grocery store owner hopes to create a place for people to have fun in the community by opening two new businesses along Route 52 between Amboy and Sublette.

The Dixon City Council approved three ordinances Monday to expand the Lee-Ogle County Enterprise Zone’s boundaries in anticipation of three projects planned in rural Lee and Ogle counties.

Sanjay Desai, owner of Amboy Food and Liquor, has plans to build two separate entertainment facilities between Amboy and Sublette.

The Dixon City Council will vote Monday on three ordinances that expand the boundaries of the Lee-Ogle County Enterprise Zone in preparation for three projects planned in rural Lee and Ogle counties.

Other projects include a new restaurant and bar near Sublette and construction of another building at HA International’s manufacturing plant near Oregon.