Before a filled banquet room in Bradley, the Kankakee County Chamber of Commerce honored members and reported strong growth trends within the organization.

Rock Falls Tourism wrapped up its fourth annual Halloween house decorating contest. Here's a list of the winners.

Twelve local students are among the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater scholarship recipients receiving financial awards for the 2025-26 academic year.

Thirty-six District 202 middle school musicians and singers have been selected for the 2025 Illinois Music Education Association District 9 Honor Band and Honor Choir.

Rock Falls Tourism is excited to announce the evolution of its beloved Tour of Lights House Decorating Contest into a bigger and brighter community celebration – the Winter Wonderland House and Business Window Decorating Contests.

Ogle County 4-Hers were recognized for excellence in 4-H project work at the recent county 4-H Achievement Celebration.

Four local students are among University of Wisconsin-Whitewater scholarship recipients receiving financial awards for the 2025-26 academic year.

Through a ComEd grant, the 4th annual Kankakee Christmas Parade has sharply increased the prizes for the top three floats in the Dec. 13 event.

Rochelle resident and co-owner of Institute of Languages, Mathematics, & Sciences, Faten Abdallah, was awarded the 2025 EIGERlab 815 Innovation Award for Education Innovation on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2025.

Kendall County volunteer and Oswego resident Tom Kopacz earned a 2025 Outstanding Illinois Master Gardener Award.

Ogle County’s top 4-H members and clubs were honored for outstanding achievement at a special program held Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025 in the Pinecrest Grove Theatre.

The display, called Raven Hills Cemetery, at 224 Presidential Boulevard earned top honors in the Oswegoland Park District’s 2025 Halloween House Decorating Contest

The Village of Progress held its annual banquet Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, at St. Mary’s Parish Center in Oregon. Eight VOP consumers and volunteers were presented with awards during the festivities.

More than 2,000 people have participated this year in the forest preserve district's Be a Trailblazer program, completing over 60,000 nature-themed missions.

Rochelle Township High School recently congratulated students Wyatt Worthington and Kyler Dickson on being selected as recipients of this year’s Sons of the American Revolution and Daughters of the American Revolution Awards, respectively.

Augustana College announced more than 1,100 students were named to the dean’s list for the 2024-2025 spring semester.

Made in Kendall is a program of the Kendall County Economic Development Office with the goal of promoting manufacturing and supporting manufacturers and makers in Kendall County.

The book run consisted of 56 businesses of bike dealers, bars/grills, and places of interest.

Prairie Brome Solar is proud to announce the third-quarter recipients of its Community Grant Program, recognizing outstanding organizations making a meaningful difference across Lee County. Five local nonprofits have been awarded a total of $10,000 to support their work.

Volunteers from Joliet-area nonprofits were recently honored by the Arkas Restaurant Group’s second annual Joliet Philanthropy Recognition Awards Brunch.

Rock River Valley Self Help Enterprises of Sterling celebrated the achievements of its clients, staff, and volunteers during its annual awards banquet Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at the McCormick Event Center in Rock Falls.

Awards were presented for the Air, Land & Sea Art Exhibit at the awards reception at the Coliseum Museum on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025.

The Plein Air Exhibition and Stories in Portrait Exhibition, sponsored by the Rock River Valley Painters Guild, will open Oct. 22 and run through Nov. 15 at The Next Picture Show in Dixon.

Joliet Public Schools District 86 students announced its Students of the Month for September.

Plainfield East seniors Kyleah Edison and Rishi Shah are among the more than 16,000 National Merit Scholarship 2026 semifinalists

Byron Woman’s Club has named Susan Zumdahl as its 2025 Byron Woman of the Year.

Stillman Bank is proud to announce that Kathy Yocum, vice president and director of retail banking, has been named the 2025 Woman of the Year by the Illinois Bankers Association.

Two Whiteside County businesses have advanced to the top 100 finalists in the 2025 Chicago Innovation Awards. Online voting for the People’s Choice Award is open through Oct. 9.

The Lincoln-Way Foundation for Educational Excellence has announced the addition of Loreal Flowers to its board of directors.

The center earned the Clinical Distinction Award for demonstrating “exceptional success by meeting or exceeding clinical benchmarks,” according to a news release from Silver Cross Hospital.

Sauk Valley Community College hosts local artist Les Allen for a new exhibit titled “The Shape of Light”. The exhibit runs to Thursday, Nov. 20, and takes place in the Sauk Art Gallery. The gallery is open during campus hours and is free to the public.

Two Dixon residents were honored Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, for stepping in and disarming a Dixon man Sept 3.

Vern Tervelt, Mike Anderson, Christy Wiersema Houzenga and the 2010 softball team to be honored.

OSF HealthCare Saint Katharine Medical Center in Dixon is proud to announce the recipients of its third-quarter DAISY and Sunflower Awards. The DAISY winners are Kaitlynn Pfeiffer and Paige Lewis, while the Sunflower Award winner is Audra Suter.

The Joliet Junior College Foundation will honor outstanding alumni and community members during its annual Night of Stars celebration

The honorees include two groups from Franklin Grove and Dixon recognized for their vital roles in conserving and maintaining Franklin Creek State Natural Area.

Saint Joseph Medical Center, a member of Prime Healthcare and a Comprehensive Stroke Center, received award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive timely and appropriate treatment.

Arron Sain of Joliet appeared on “No Utensils Needed,” of the Food Network’s “Supermarket Stakeout” program, which aired July 22.

The award acknowledges excellence in membership growth, promotion of insurance benefits, support for Catholic faith formation programs, and service-based volunteer efforts.

The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association both recognized the stroke program at Silver Cross Hospital in New Lenox.

The city of Joliet Neighborhood Hero Award program celebrates residents who take great pride in maintaining their properties

The Kendall County Association of Chiefs of Police hosted the annual event, which recognizes exceptional law enforcement officers and civilian staff from agencies across the county for their service, bravery, and professionalism.

Four Lockport Township High School students received medals at the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference this summer after winning state championships this spring.

Oswego’s Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist won the 2025 John Wesley Mission Links award for per-member giving.

The African American Business Association of Will County recognized eight local organizations and individuals at its Juneteenth CEO & Awards Gala.

The resolution honoring Dr. Jeff Schutt as Kendall County Citizen of the Year notes that he has dedicated “more than 20 years to coaching high school teams, instilling discipline, teamwork and perseverance in student-athletes.”

Shaw Local newspapers received a combined 33 awards Thursday, June 5, 2025, in news contest categories that included general excellence, photography, news writing, opinion writing, design, community service and editorial pages.

Joliet Public Schools District 86 has announced that 19 of its students have been named recipients of the Joliet Region Hawk Education Scholarship.

The LTHS 205 Foundation presented staff members nominated by students with their annual William and Mildred Jackson Teacher Recognition Award and the Golden Key Award on Thursday.

Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital received its fourth Magnet designation and its first Magnet with Distinction designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.