Lee County

A Rock Falls man is hospitalized in Rockford after the motorcycle he was driving collided with an SUV near Palmyra and Peek Home roads.

Read the transcript from our Talk-Line interview featuring the Community and Personal Health Director of the Lee County Health Department, Jenny Conderman.

The National Weather Service is monitoring the potential for severe weather across northern Illinois Thursday that could bring with it destructive hail, damaging winds and tornadoes.

Events include the Bellson Music Fest on June 7 at RB&W District Park, 201 E. Second St., and the Sick The Magazine Block Party on July 19 in downtown Rock Falls.

Lee County Special Education Association's Transition Program students attended a workshop at Pegasus Special Riders in Oregon on Tuesday, May, 6, 2025, to learn about horse care and safety.

The TALK-LINE interview for May 12 featured the Community and Personal Health Director of the Lee County Health Department, Jenny Conderman

The TALK-LINE interview for May 9 featured Lee County State's Attorney Charley Boonstra discussing the cases that have been completed through his office and more.

An Ogle County judge will now be presiding over the felony case of a former Carroll County sheriff’s deputy accused of reckless homicide and destroying evidence in connection with the July death of a Mount Carroll teen.

Corn and soybeans are planted at the same time on the Henert farm.

Representatives from Business Employment Skills Team, Inc. and Illinois Department of Employment Security will be on hand to share information and resources for area job-seekers.

Here is a list of property transfers for Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties for April 14-27, 2025.

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

Several groups and individuals were recognized Thursday, May 1, 2025, for their work this past fundraising year. Those awards include Rising Star of the Year, Campaign Champion, Business of the Year, Employee Excellence, Partner Agency of the Year and Spirit of United Way.

Both drives will run from May 1 to 31. Community members can support the initiatives by dropping off food or cleaning supplies at the Dixon Park District, Dixon YMCA, Lee County Health Department, Mount Carroll Farm Bureau, Save-A-Lot in Rock Falls, and the Dixon City Market.

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.

The Dixon City Council has approved two contracts that allocate funds to Discover Dixon and the Lee County Industrial Development Association. Both contracts provide a specific amount of annual funding – $325,000 for Discover Dixon and $50,000 for LCIDA.

United Way of Lee County ended its 2024-25 campaign with a celebration and awards luncheon Thursday, May 1, 2025, in Dixon. The campaign brought in a total of $409,359 to benefit community needs.

The new interactive online space helps families and caregivers find local early childhood resources, programs, events, developmental screenings and childcare information in Lee, Whiteside and Ogle counties.

Here is a list of the graduation dates and times for high schools throughout the Sauk Valley.

State Rep. Brad Fritts, R-Dixon, will partner with the Lee County Health Department and Dixon Family YMCA to host a sharps drop-off drive from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 8, in the Dixon Family YMCA parking lot.

Three hundred fifth graders attended the annual Ag Expo on Friday, April 25, at the Lee County 4H Fairgrounds in Amboy.

Blue pinwheels decorate the lawn of the Old Lee County Courthouse on Friday, April 25, 2025, during a ceremony to recognize Child Abuse Prevention Month.

State Rep. Bradley Fritts, R-Dixon, honored Dallas Knack and Dr. Jennifer Hintzsche on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at the Women to Watch event in Springfield.

The annual student trade show was part of the Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities program at the Whiteside Area Career Center in Sterling. Now in its 12th year, the program is a year-long high school course that teaches students the basics of starting and running a business.

The publicly available data was collected by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Here is a list of property transfers for Lee, Whiteside and Ogle counties for April 7-20, 2025.

The TALK-LINE interview for April 24 featured the Executive Director of United Way of Lee and Ogle County, Ashley Richter, discussing upcoming fundraising events.

Read the transcript from our Talk-Line interview featuring the Executive Director of United Way of Lee and Ogle County, Ashley Richter discussing upcoming fundraising events.

300 fifth graders from Lee County spent the day learning about many facets of agriculture during the annual Ag Expo at the Lee County Fairgrounds.

Matthew Herpstreith is accused of running over 18-year-old Jackson Kradle on state Route 78 in July 2024 and then trying to cover up any involvement he had in causing the death.

A tornado watch is in effect for Bureau, Putnam, Marshall, Woodford and Whiteside counties until 11 p.m. Sunday; and La Salle, Grundy, Lee, Livingston, Kankakee, Ford and Iroquois counties until 4 a.m. Monday.

Here is a list of property transfers for Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties for April 7-13, 2025.

Scattered thunderstorms forecasted for Friday evening could bring large hail, damaging winds and perhaps a tornado, the National Weather Service warned.

Derrick Flynn, 42, pleaded guilty Monday, April 14, 2025, in Lee County Circuit Court to aggravated battery causing great bodily harm in connection with an August 2023 fight in which he lacerated a woman's face and chipped and dislodged her teeth.

Donna Smith earned her art degree from Northern Illinois University, where she worked for 32 years as a catalog editor and curriculum coordinator.

The Whiteside Area Career Center has announced its list of students of the month for March 2025.

Voters this week in Whiteside, Lee, Ogle and Carroll counties determined who will make the important decisions regarding their communities, schools, townships, fire departments, parks and libraries. See the results here.

Read the transcript of our Talk-Line podcast with Executive Director of the Lee County Council on Aging, Susie Welch, discussing upcoming events throughout May.

The TALK-LINE interview for April 15 featured the Executive Director of the Lee County Council on Aging, Susie Welch.

When crews arrived at 8:05 a.m. Monday, April 14, they found a two-story residence with a heavy fire on the second floor, Dixon Rural Fire Chief Dustin Dahlstrom said.

Photos: Take a look back at some of the Daily Chronicle's news coverage and photos taken in the aftermath of a deadly tornado on April 9, 2015, that swept through DeKalb, Lee and Boone counties, killing two Fairdale residents and injuring dozens more.

Luther Head, who played six seasons in the NBA, made an appearance Thursday, April 10, 2025, in Lee County Circuit Court. An extradition hearing is set for April 17 in Lee County.

James L. Ballard’s plea comes less than two months after the state appellate court upheld a Lee County Circuit Court decision to keep Ballard in jail under the Pretrial Fairness Act, known as the SAFE-T Act

Total voter turnout was 16.77% of the 22,248 registered voters in Lee County and 18.01% of 37,881 in Whiteside.

In the contested race for Dixon Township’s highway commissioner, voters reelected incumbent Corey Reuter, according to Lee County’s unofficial election results.

If unofficial vote totals hold, Ohio High School students will not have to travel to Amboy or La Moille to attend school.

Reuter received 905 votes to challenger Cameron Magne’s 341, according to Tuesday, April 1, 2025, unofficial election results.

Contested races are taking place for two Rock Falls City Council seats, two Sterling City Council seats and Dixon Township highway commissioner. Whiteside County voters also are deciding the fate of a proposed public safety sales tax.

Whiteside, Lee, Ogle and Carroll county voters get to decide who will make the important decisions regarding their communities, schools, townships, fire departments, parks and libraries.

Directors from Illinois Head Start centers, the federally supported child care and early education program, said they fear cuts, as it targeted in The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025.