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The mother of a 13-year-old boy killed in a shooting in Joliet said he was a “very nice kid” who was “very joyful.” The family has a GoFundMe to help with funeral costs.

An NIU student from Batavia was charged Monday after police searched his dorm room in DeKalb and allegedly found more than 20,000 images depicting child sexual abuse on his electronics. Police allege he used AI and photos of real people he knew and sold the materials via Snapchat

The city of Joliet announced Tuesday that Raynor Avenue will be closed at Six Corners starting Monday for a pavement project.

A Lyft driver from Joliet has been charged with criminal sexual assault of a woman who was a passenger in his vehicle in Lockport.

The Dixon Police Department is requesting the public’s assistance in locating Madison Manning, 25. She has not been seen since around 1 a.m. Sunday, June, 1, 2025, in the 1000 block of Highland Avenue.

A Georgia woman has been charged with stealing money by posing as a Will County sheriff’s sergeant and claiming a woman owed money for missing jury duty.

John Callahan, the Grundy County Coroner, confirmed Monday that Alexis Kay Higgins-Weatherhead, 18, Coal City, has died after her vehicle was discovered in a lake at around 11 p.m. Sunday on Jugtown Road slightly north of Deerfield Drive.

Keegan Shirley owns Gleam Team, a commercial and residential window-washing business he runs with several of his friends and fellow Dixon High School athletes.

The Joliet City Council will vote Tuesday on Mayor D'Arcy's recommendation to replace Dominic Orlando, who D'Arcy brought back onto the Plan Commission after his removal by former Mayor O'Dekrik.

Overnight lane closures and 15-minute full traffic stops are scheduled on Houbolt Road at Interstate 80 in Joliet over Monday and Tuesday.

Work will patch, mill and resurface roads. Also, sidewalk ramps will be reconstructed to meet ADA standards. The projects will use staged construction with temporary lane and sidewalk closures.

Joliet, Crest Hill, Shorewood, Romeoville, Minooka and Channahon will celebrate start of 60-mile pipeline for Lake Michigan water at Chicago event.

A retail clothing and home goods department store is coming to Northland Shopping Center in DeKalb, according to a city announcement Wednesday.

Joliet Police report that the driver of a car that crashed into a parked truck was hospitalized after the crash which left a portion of Maple Road closed Saturday.

A DeKalb man was charged this month with the criminal sexual assault dating back to August 2024 after the victim alleged the man “asked for a hug,” and then assaulted them, court records show.

Got bud? The city of DeKalb wants to help one local dispensary in making that pitch to consumers easier to act on. DeKalb city leaders moved one step closer this week to allowing Excelleaf Dispensary, 305 E. Locust St., to open what its founders are calling a “tasting room.”

A grungy alternative to DeKalb County’s family entertainment and amusement industry will sling its final axe this weekend. Northern Axeposure, an indoor axe-throwing venue in Sycamore, will close after Sunday.

A Rock Falls man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for a 2021 shooting that injured another man and damaged a Rock Falls home.

A Hinckley woman was charged this month after police allege she attacked an Elgin man with a large kitchen knife, injuring him in a domestic attack, court records show.

Every year, when school lets out for spring break, it is a painful reminder for Andrea Elion because her son, Ezra Hill Jr., 10, was shot and killed in March 2019. In his memory, she's preparing to host the fifth annual memorial rock painting event June 7.

A caller claimed to a New Lenox resident they were "involved in an accident and they were in jail," police said. The resident ended up transferring $20,000 in the form of various cryptocurrencies.

A crowd gathered in DeKalb Friday to celebrate as Pride Month kicks off. Organizers said Pride Palooza was a chance to show area families how welcoming the community can be. "We need to embrace the differences," organizer Violeta Shaw said.

A car crashed into a light pole and then into a Joliet residence along Larkin Avenue on Friday.

A DeKalb County judge on Thursday denied release to a man accused of shooting and severely injuring a teenager outside a DeKalb apartment complex Wednesday. “This defendant literally brought a gun to a fist fight with minors," prosecutor Heather Darsie said.

The Forest Preserve District of Will County has come up with a unique way to remind visitors about the risk of car break-ins and how to prevent them this summer.

A man has been charged with stealing a crucifix, candles and a towel on Sunday from St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Wilmington.

David Skinner, 62, was found not guilty of all seven counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child younger than 13 that he faced.

A Sterling man has been sentenced to up to 9 years in prison after admitting he set fire to his Sterling apartment last fall as officers arrived to investigate an aggravated battery reported at that address

After unseasonably cool weather delayed openings last week, Joliet area public pools and splash pads are now ready for the summer season.

One person suffered serious injuries in a shooting mid-afternoon in DeKalb Wednesday, Police Chief David Byrd said. Two suspects are in police custody. This is a developing story.

A complete makeover transformed the former village hall building into the new breakfast and lunch restaurant, which soon will add a dinner menu for evening service. A free monthly breakfast for veterans is one of the special perks.

John Trumbla, who fulfilled a prison sentence for a 1984 Cook County murder conviction, has been out on parole for a drug conviction since 2023 and was set to be discharged from that sentence in 2026. Arrested in another drug case Friday, he was granted pretrial release Tuesday.

Wadsworth, 72, first became the pronouncer for the Lee County Spelling Bee in 1983. Over the years, he has declared 43 local champions and sent them to Washington to represent the local bee, which is now the Lee Ogle Whiteside Spelling Bee.  

A’Jah Davis once believed that following her hoop dreams meant going overseas to play basketball. But the DeKalb native and standout NIU women’s basketball star, has since found her calling mentoring area youth.

An 11-year-old child was flown to a hospital in Maywood for treatment of his injuries when his electric dirt bike collided with a pickup truck in Joliet. 

Joliet officers discovered a residence in the 600 block of Grant Avenue had been struck by multiple rounds of gunfire.

Bolingbrook’s CosMc’s will close in late June, less than 2 years after opening with much hype, McDonald’s said in a statement.

Ryan Bivins will officially assume his new role during his swearing-in ceremony on Monday, June 2, 2025. Bivins’ selection was announced Tuesday, May 27.

High school seniors, college undergraduates and students from across DeKalb County celebrated milestones in their educational journeys this month. Check out photos from various ceremonies here.

You’ve heard of beer and wine tastings at local establishments and breweries. What if you could go to a cannabis edible tasting at your neighborhood dispensary? That’s a question one DeKalb dispensary owner will pose to the DeKalb City Council this week.

DeKalb County Democrats and Republicans unanimously agreed this week not to enact a 1% grocery tax on unincorporated areas, though some municipalities still are considering it. "There’s something really evil about taxing food,” Democrat Scott Campbell said.

The following lane closures in Will County will remain in place during the holiday weekend, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The Minooka Police Department announced Friday afternoon that Ridge Road is reopened after it was closed due to a traffic accident.

Chilly temperatures expected this Memorial Day weekend have delayed planned openings for some splash pads around DeKalb County, though others are open for early summer fun.

Cold weather is preventing Bolingbrook's Pelican Harbor outdoor aquatic park from opening on Saturday.

A Crest Hill home has been left uninhabitable after a structure fire swept through the building Tuesday. Though the home's inhabitants were able to evacuate safely.

Mark T. Kelly, 54, of Eldridge, pleaded guilty Monday, May 19, to the charge, which is a Class X felony because he had had at least five previous DUI violations, according to Whiteside County court records.

Pumpkins are headed to the cinema in the 2025 Sycamore Pumpkin Festival. South Prairie Elementary School 5th grader Rayven Rosas submitted the contest’s winning entry: “Pumpkins at the movies.”

The Lockport City Council granted final permission for the construction of a Wendy's restaurant near I-355.

A two-vehicle crash in rural Prophetstown on Wednesday afternoon left one man dead and another injured, according to a news release from the Whiteside County Sheriff’s Office.