BCR

Ladd welcomed Amore Pizzeria to town.

Izzaq Zrust stepped atop the mound at Kirby Park Thursday, paused and took it all on. It was going to be the Hall‘s senior last outing on his home field and he wanted to savor the moment. He made it a memorable one, pitching the Red Devils to a 4-1 win over rival Princeton

Piper Hansen took care of business in the circle and Avah Oertel, Kiyrra Morris and Ellie Harp handled things at the plate as Princeton completed the week’s sweep over rival Hall, defeating the Red Devils 12-2 in six innings Thursday at Hall High School.

Princeton residents have a challenge before them. Postal carriers will collect nonperishable food items Saturday, May 10, from residents’ porches or curbs for the Bureau County Food Pantry.

Open Prairie United Church of Christ in Princeton will host a free concert by folk artist Bobby Jo Valentine at 7 p.m. on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 11.

On Saturday, May 10, volunteers will be headquartered at the Food Pantry, 500 N. Terry St., Spring Valley, as well as following carriers collecting donations.

Drew Carlson and Valeria Villagomez were named as 2024-25 Athletes of the Year at Putnam County High School’s awards ceremony.

A look at St. Bede school records which date back to 1970 in the pole vault. Emerald De La Torre, Bailey Engels, Kijah Lucas and Lily Bosnich are the newest record holders, running 4:23.04 in the 4x400 relay at the Tri-County Conference Meet

Margo Cartwright will retire from Jefferson Elementary School in Princeton at the end of the school year.

Steve Amy knew he wanted to be a coach one day, growing up in a house with a father who was a multi-sport coach and teacher. He just didn’t know he wanted to teach. He said once he started teaching at Princeton, "it was a lot of fun. We have great kids here. Makes it easy.”

Read our Thank You Teachers letters for Bureau County here

Ohio Grade School's Linda Downey has been a teacher for 28 years – 20 of them in a first grade classroom.

The Bureau Valley baseball and BV, Princeton and St. Bede will all host regionals beginning on May 19

Registration is open for the Illinois Valley Youth Football League season for kids entering grades 5-8 this fall. Sign-up forms are available at Heartland Bank & Trust in Spring Valley. Deadline to have registration forms in with physicals is June 30.

The Bureau Valley boys won a close meet at the Brockman Invite in Kewanee on Tuesday, defeating the host Boilermakers, 142-134. The Storm also combined with the girls team to win the co-ed title, 239-231 over Kewanee.

St. Bede's Ella Hermes and Bella Pinter have taken their softball game to the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University and have continued their winning ways for the Titans

Alan Spencer earned a complete-game victory in an 11-4 St. Bede win. Lily McClain had three hits, and Chipper Rossi pitched a two-hit shutout as the St. Bede softballers rolled to a Tri-County Conference. And more in the BCR Roundup.

The 2025 Kids Hot Rod Camp for boys ages 13-17 will be from June 8-13 at the Walnut Community Bible Church.

The Wyaton Hills Ladies Day held their opening day Play Day on Tuesday in honor of Phyllis Johnson, a league member, who passed away March 27 at age 98. For their Play of the Day, the No. 8 hole score was subtracted in honor of Johnson, who was known to skip the No. 8 hole.

Hall coach Tom Keegan saw a glimmer of sunshine when his Red Devils took the field Monday at Princeton. Then Hall scored four runs in the top of the first among many shining moments on the way to a 10-4 Three Rivers East win over the Bureau County rival Tigers at Prather Field.

The Aldi sign at Backbone Road and Main Street in Princeton has caught the attention of residents.

Several entrepreneurs in Sheffield are hosting an etsy-inspired market, Thrive on Main, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 10.

The Bureau County Genealogical Society will host historian Jim Gibbons and his presentation on World War II at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 22, at the Bureau County Genealogical Society, 629 S. Main St., Princeton.

Keely Lawson and Princeton made quick work of Hall, scoring 16 runs on 11 hits and three Hall errors in just 3 1/2 at-bats in a four-inning Three Rivers East softball victory at Little Siberia Field. Princeton boys tennis edged Geneseo 3-2 while Princeton girls soccer fell 4-3

Hall assistant coach Mike DeAngelo got the nod from head coach Tom Keegan to bring out the Red Devils’ lineup card to exchange with his son, Jimmy, the new pitching coach for the Crusaders.

The Princeton Tiger tennis team brought home the championship of Saturday’s Rochelle Invite. The Tigers scored 20 points to take top honors followed by Dixon (17), Rochelle (15), Newman (13) and Mendota (10).

It’s been a long time coming this season, but Bureau County rivals Hall and Princeton will meet on the baseball and softball diamonds today.

First responders from multiple agencies were on scene Sunday night near the Spring Valley/Ladd exit of Interstate 80 after a crash.

Protesters gathered Saturday and lined the 100 block of North Main Street to express their opposition to current U.S. foreign policy, domestic policy and the separation of powers being tested by the White House.

The La Moille Lions Club will host its chicken dinner from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, May 8, at 308 Howard St.

Bureau and Lee County farm bureaus will be hosting their 16th annual golf outing for supporters of Ag in the Classroom.

The Spanish Department at Hall High School in Spring Valley participated in the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy and the Global Seal of Biliteracy programs again this year.

The Princeton Public Library announced a donation of $80,000 from the estate of Jean Lawton, which will significantly enhance the library’s educational programs, community outreach efforts and infrastructure improvements.

Day Jones interviews Laura Brigham & Sarah Smith of the Michigan MOMsemble. They have performances of their show “Buckle Up” this Friday (5/2) and Saturday (5/3) at Festival 56 in Princeton

Day Jones interviews Laura Brigham and Sarah Smith of the Michigan MOMsemble. They have performances of their show “Buckle Up” this Friday (5/2) and Saturday (5/3) at Festival 56 in Princeton

State Senator Li Arellano, Jr, R-Dixon, and his staff will continue their Mobile Constituent Services program across the 37th Senate District with 10 stops scheduled for May, including three in Bureau County.

The following cases were considered on April 17 by the Bureau County Grand Jury.

Applications are now available for this year’s teacher training titled “Roads, Rivers and Rails,” created for pre-school through high school educators who want to expand their curriculum while including topics related to agriculture.

Join the Bureau and Putnam Emergency Management agencies and the Bureau and Marshall-Putnam farm bureaus at 9 a.m. Sunday, June 1, at the Bureau County Fairgrounds in Princeton for an eight-hour rescue course targeted at first responders in the area.

Luke Smith hit a three-run home run and closed the game with a scoreless inning in relief to lift Princeton to victory Thursday against Kewanee, avenging a 19-1 loss to the Boilermakers three days ago.

The Down on Main Summer Street Concert Series in Princeton is set to return this summer.

The Princeton Elementary School District is accepting applications for two open board member positions.

The Princeton Moose Lodge is hosting a sock hop dance from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 2.

Jack Jablonski had two of Hall’s three hits, including a double, as the Red Devils fell in 11 innings in nonconference action on Wednesday in Chillicothe.

There have been eight baseball teams from the Illinois Valley reach the state tournament at Dozer Park in Peoria since it first held the 1-2A finals in 2011. Should any teams from the IV make the IHSA Class 1A and 2A state finals this season, they will have a change of venue

A look at area softball standings on April 30. St. Bede leads Bureau County teams with an 11-7 record

A look at area boys baseball standings on April 30. Bureau Valley leads Bureau County teams with an 18-4 record, followed closely by St. Bede at 17-4. The Storm will play Monmouth United for the West division championship in the Lincoln Trail Conference

Newman sophomore Michael Morse drove in the trying run with a base hit in the sixth inning. Then he came in to pitch with the bases loaded and two outs and struck out the only batter he faced to end the game as the Comets held on for a 3-2 Three Rivers win at Princeton.

Avah Oertel went for 2 with two RBIs, Elle Harp was 2 for 3 with a RBI and Neveah Briddick had a three-run double to lead Princeton to 17-5 win over Mendota. The Princeton soccer team wins 5-0 while St. Bede baseball wins 14-4 at Henry.

Princeton’s Jason Smith, Annawan's Alex Coppejans and Amboy's Mike McCracken were named by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association as District Coaches of the Year.