The Bureau County Farm Bureau and COUNTRY Financial are accepting applications for their annual Community Impact Grant through Feb. 28.

The Bureau County Farm Bureau Foundation is accepting grant applications from Pre-K through eighth-grade teachers to enhance agricultural literacy programs in their classrooms.

The Bureau County Farm Bureau Foundation is accepting scholarship applications for students pursuing agriculture-related degrees or trade school programs.

Here's a look at Bureau County girls statistical leaders for Bureau Valley, Hall, Princeton and St. Bede

The Christmas tournaments are all wrapped up for the 2025 holiday hoops season. Here’s a rundown of all the tournament champions at seven different sites.

The Illinois Valley welcomed a few new coffee businesses this year.

A look at boys and girls tournament pairings at LaMoille, Ottawa, Princeville, Prophetstown, Senea, Sherrard, St. Bede

The past year saw triumph with state champions and tragedy for Bureau County sports. Here’s a look at the top 10 sports stories that shaped the area sports:

A rundown of holiday hoops for the La Salle-Peru, Fieldcrest, Princeton, LaMoille and Putnam County boys basketball teams.

Halls beat Monmouth-Roseville 57-39 in the old gym Tuesday at Prophetstown. Down the hallway in the new gym, the Storm beat Stockton 51-27 to conclude Warkins Tournament play.

Brothers Aden (19) and Cole Tillman (13) combined for 32 points to lead the No. 7 seeded Trojans to victory over the Indians at the 62nd annual Plano Christmas Classic. The Trojans advance to Tuesday’s fifth-place game at 5 p.m. against Ottawa.

Bureau Valley FFA and Bureau County Farm Bureau will host a free weather preparedness seminar on Thursday, Jan. 15, at 5:30 p.m. at Ag View FS in Walnut

The Illinois State Fair will use digital ticketing exclusively for the 2026 season following a successful trial last year.

NCI ARTworks Gallery will exhibit 70 works by internationally acclaimed contemporary artist Ken Knight, a Streator native who has donated the pieces to support the nonprofit arts organization.

Take a look at some of the week’s best photos, captured by Illinois Valley photographers from Sunday, Dec. 21, to Saturday, Dec. 27.

The following property transfers were recently recorded at the Bureau County Recorder of Deeds’ office in the Bureau County Courthouse.

The following property transfers were recently recorded at the Bureau County Recorder of Deeds’ office in the Bureau County Courthouse.

The following property transfers were recently recorded at the Bureau County Recorder of Deeds’ office in the Bureau County Courthouse.

Photo editor Scott Anderson selected some of the best news photos from 2025 in the Illinois Valley.

A hot start by St. Bede fueled a 51-23 victory over the Sandwich Indians on Saturday evening during the final game of the 2025 Lady Bruins Christmas Classic to claim second place in its own tournament.

The following property transfers were recently recorded at the Bureau County Recorder of Deeds’ office in the Bureau County Courthouse.

Photo editor Scott Anderson selected some of the best sports photos from 2025 in the Illinois Valley.

The following marriage licenses were recently recorded at the Bureau County Courthouse.

St. Bede defeated Orion 45-36 but lost to IVC 59-51 in the nightcap. The Grey Ghosts look to finish off its first tournament title at St. Bede since 2009.

The La Salle County Soil and Water Conservation District has named Riskedal Farms the 2025 Conservation Farm Family of the Year for their commitment to sustainable agriculture and community service.

The Illinois Valley experienced a year marked by high-profile murder cases, heated healthcare battles and political setbacks in 2025.

The Princeton girls basketball team is streaking into the New Year with a 12-0 record. The win streak is the best to start the season in program history, topping the 10-0 by the 2022-23 team, which finished 27-5.

OSF Saint Clare Medical Center in Princeton recently notified patients that some of their personal and medical information may have been exposed in a breach involving its former electronic health record software vendor, Cerner.

A look at boys and girls tournament pairings at LaMoille, Ottawa, Princeville, Prophetstown, Senea, Sherrard, St. Bede

After more than seven years, Jean Arthur Salon in Peru plans to close its doors.

Bureau County Christmas For Kids provided gifts to 160 families with 410 children from western Bureau County on Dec. 13 at Princeton Wesleyan Church.

Starved Rock State Park hasn’t broken a monthly attendance record in more than three years. The park will finish this year with “only” 2.2 million visitors – nowhere close to the attendance record – when the final tally is in.

A Dover man was charged with aggravated battery, and charges against a woman may be pending, Ladd police said in a Monday press release.

The Gamers Guild Lounge in Princeton will soon close permanently. 

Bureau County has been assigned a tentative property assessment equalization factor of 1.0000 for 2025, according to David Harris, director of the Illinois Department of Revenue.

Illinois Valley Community College has begun accepting appointments for its low-cost dental clinic, which operates Jan. 15 through May 5.

University of Illinois Extension will host a five-part educational series on conservation practices for farmers and landowners beginning Jan. 22.

Catch up on the week’s top Illinois Valley news in minutes for Dec. 14-20. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

State Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, who represents the 76th House District covering parts of DeKalb, La Salle and Bureau counties, is hosting the event.

The Bureau County Farm Bureau will be closed Dec. 23-26 for the Christmas holiday.

Kristin Wrobleski, a life skills teacher at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Spring Valley, has been named the November Teacher of the Year winner.

The Mendota Trojans played a bit angry Friday night. They lost their last games earlier this week, falling to Rock Falls by two points and Sycamore by 13. They turned that anger into a 73-51 win over rival Princeton in the Three Rivers East opener for both teams.

The Princeton Tigresses led for 28 seconds in the first quarter and for the final 2:15 in the fourth quarter. That was all they needed to pull out a 47-42 victory over rival LaSalle-Peru in the Ottawa Girls Holiday Tournament Friday afternoon at Kingman Gym.

Keighley Davis and Camryn Driscoll have been paired to much success in volleyball and basketball at Princeton High School. They will be going their separate ways next year.

Putnam County Primary School has been transformed into a festive winter wonderland this holiday season, bringing excitement to students, staff and visitors.

University of Illinois Extension will offer pesticide applicator certification testing sessions across Bureau, La Salle, Marshall and Putnam counties beginning in January.

The Illinois Valley Community College student newspaper earned top honors at the Illinois Community College Journalism Association annual conference in November.

Princeton High School didn’t have to look far for its next head volleyball coach Libby Boyles, a 2022 PHS graduate who played for and coached under newly retired coach Andy Puck, was officially hired as PHS' new head coach at Wednesday’s school board meeting.

Bureau County Treasurer Joseph Birkey announced he will seek reelection for a third term in office.

The Starved Rock Country Community Foundation will host “A Country Night for a Cause” on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Senica’s Oak Ridge Golf Club to raise funds for scholarships, grants and community programs, SRCCF announced in a news release.