With one week left in the regular season, the football playoff picture is getting clearer. The good news for Byron is that they probably won’t see IC Catholic right off the bat.

The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights held a statehouse lobby day last week to push its far-reaching veto session agenda.

'Families need long-term stability, not short-term uncertainty. We still don’t know how much funding this measure provides, how quickly states will receive it, or how long it will sustain operations.'

In 2015, there were nearly 113 million registered cars in the United States, mostly powered by gasoline. A pair of Illinois brothers is credited with building the first gas-powered automobile in American history.

OBENDORF: While the Waterbury family were here, they had a stone placed in Fairmount Cemetery honoring William Waterbury. It is a beautiful stone and the Polo American Legion honored him with a ceremony.

This is Lovina’s daughter, Verena, writing. The leaves are changing color more and more. It is always such a beautiful view once the leaves change to such pretty colors.

The first Guest moved to the area of Flagg Township in 1856. Thomas Guest Jr. purchased 160 acres west of today’s Rochelle and began a life in what was then the wild west. 

In this week's column, Dennis Marek shares some wonders of the English language, which can be maddening, frustrating and humorous - all at the same time.

On Oct. 13, former Illinois Speaker of the House Mike Madigan, now also known as Inmate #90368-509, reported to federal prison to begin a 7.5-year sentence after being convicted on 10 counts of public corruption.

In this weekend’s “A Taylor-Made Life,” Taylor Leddin-McMaster writes about a recent trip to Joshua Tree, Calif., and the astounding views the area offers.

'Treating our values like a liability means selling them out, and Illinois can’t afford leaders who cave when it counts.'

Ben Johnson’s Chicago Bears are cultivating a culture of belief and winning, Marc Silverman writes

Opinion from Scott Holland: If the veto session conversation involves sales tax reform, this issue absolutely must be incorporated. Modernizing the tax structure is overdue, including for the opportunity to resolve unintended consequences

In much the same way local governments (especially schools) must dance with the state as its dominant yet clumsy partner, Springfield’s steps are too often intertwined with those from Washington, D.C.

It’s looking like all six Ogle County football teams will be in the playoffs. The only question mark is Forreston, which has had the toughest road of all.

Virtually every day, the effects of the big lake to our east are brought home to us, even though for those of us out here in the Fox River Valley it is often only through news videos and weather maps on our television screens that we realize what’s happening.

DeWalt: "It’s that time of year again. Here come the pumpkin spice donuts, lattes, cakes, and cookies."

As the United States Navy celebrates its 250th anniversary on Oct. 13, it’s a time to commemorate the Liberty ships, which were used for cargo and other utility purposes in WWII.

The doll, made in the very early 1900s or late 1800s, is now repaired and is adorned with a 90-year-old baby dress and a tatted baby hat.

On Wednesday, my sister Emma, my husband Joe and I attended the funeral of his Uncle Jonas in Hicksville, Ohio

Column: Community members who wish to learn more about the flora and fauna of the area and who are interested in the work needed to support it are encouraged to check out the Kane County Certified Naturalist information session Nov. 6, writes Patricia MacMillan.

Harris: I have friends and colleagues that tell me if I don’t like America or what’s happening in America, I should find another country. Let me clarify something. I not only like America, but I also love America!

In this week's column, Dennis Marek, a former public defender, writes a new state law is being put in place to provide legal counsel for counties which don't have the means or the attorneys to provide defense for those in need.

On Sept. 10, after news broke that Charlie Kirk had been shot but before his passing was confirmed, the U.S. House of Representatives paused for a moment of silence.

In this weekend’s “A Taylor-Made Life,” Taylor Leddin-McMaster writes about the upcoming fundraiser, Empty Bowls: Kankakee County, which raises money for area food pantries.

Less than a year after one of the most painful regular-season losses in Bears history, a win on Monday at the scene of the crime could vault the Bears into playoff contention, Marc Silverman writes

Common sense tells us that crime is rising. Large majorities agreed that it was in Gallup polling last year, as well as in 23 out of 26 previous yearly surveys. But what seems to be an obvious fact is an illusion.

‘If I were the federal government, I’d strongly urge holding off until Thursday,’ she said of the plan to activate troops. But she added, it’s ‘up to them.’

In this week's column, Toby Moore writes about the humble - somewhat ragged - beginnings of the U.S Navy.

The announcement last week that the Illinois AFL-CIO was withdrawing from the “agreed bill process” at least 40 years after its inception took almost everyone by surprise, but nobody was really shocked.

The Illinois ag sector is vital to the local, state and national economies.

While resting up in the comfort of home for an ultra trail run on the Hennepin Canal, I took the night off from covering football and watched a few games on the NFHS streaming network. Simultaneously, I followed Byron, Forreston, Oregon and Stillman.

German ancestry is the most prevalent ancestry in the state, and the culture of the German homeland has been a mainstay in Illinois for a century and a half.

Camp Grant had been established in 1917 as a training center for World War I soldiers. By 1918 it was the center of the Spanish Flu outbreak in our area.

Facebook algorithms review what you view, post, read, or browse while on the site. From that information, along with location data and other demographic data, they develop a profile which they sell to marketers and advertisers.

Anyone with a talent for carving or decorating pumpkins won’t want to miss submitting their masterpiece for Ghoulish Gourds on Parade with the St. Charles Park District.

My mother penned the Amish Cook column for 11 years. I was a teenager at home when she started writing. After her sudden death on Sept. 17, 2002, I started writing.

Column: Since many Scandinavians live in Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles, and South Elgin, I would love to hear from anyone who has baked with antler salt, writes Janet Lagerloef.

Recently, it was the all-town rummage sale and the chili cook off on the same day. At the museum we had some things out for people just to take, such as old picture frames and some furniture that the Tri-County had left many years ago.

Opinion by Scott Holland: This project could be transformative beyond even bold predictions, but that degree of potential also drastically elevates the stakes of failing to deliver.

In this week's column, Dennis Marek writes the time to learn from our older relatives and friends is now, before death or illness takes them away.

Column: With grass growing slower and leaves starting to drop, our lawn care shifts from beautifying to cleaning up and preparing for the cold winter ahead, writes Rob Srygler of DeKalb's Citizens' Environmental Commission.

Record stories that captured people's attention in years passed.

It’s important to remember that any development at this scale necessarily impacts public resources, even if just transportation infrastructure and emergency response.

Ben Johnson gets the perfect scenario for the bye week – the good feelings of a two-game win streak while his team gets valuable time to reset, work, and improve with 13 games still on the schedule, Marc Silverman writes

Column: Homecoming is just around the corner, and as Executive Director of the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau and an NIU alumnus, I can barely contain my excitement, writes Cortney Strohacker.

The Oswegoland Park District was created in a March referendum 75 years ago. The landmark Little White School Museum was completed on its present site at Jackson and Polk streets 175 years ago last spring.

Repetition works both ways. If negative words can burrow deep and take root, then positive ones can heal, strengthen and grow.

Plenty of legislative proposals are perennial, some with the same diligent sponsors and a few that represent old ideas under new names. On rare occasions, one party claims the other’s idea as its own and runs it up a different flagpole. That won’t happen with HB 2827.

Fiegenschuh: Over the past eight years as Rochelle’s city manager, I have had the privilege of working alongside an extraordinary team of elected officials, department heads, and employees who are deeply committed to serving our community.