The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is sending out a message of caution in the wake of two recent reports of suspicious interactions involving children in Franklin Grove and Amboy.

Letter carriers across Dixon will collect non-perishable food donations on Saturday, May 9, as part of the National Association of Letter Carriers Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, an annual effort to combat food insecurity in communities nationwide.

Illinois State Police special agents began an investigation after receiving a cyber tip in January regarding the dissemination of child sexual abuse materials in Lee County.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a national organization that provides advocacy, support and education about mental health. The Amboy High School NAMI chapter is the first Lee County high school chapter, adviser and AHS teacher Emily Rose said.

The annual award seeks to recognize outstanding educators who go above and beyond for their students.

Teachers are asking the same questions on technology: What is changing, and how do we keep up? A Dixon educator is helping them find answers, even as the technology keeps shifting beneath him.

United Way of Lee County is inviting community members to take part in a drive-thru community pasta drive on Friday, May 8, to help support local children through its upcoming Summer Eats meal program.

A single-family home in Dixon that sold for $405,000 tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Lee County / Whiteside in the past week

This screening is part of a broader initiative led by SVVOR and ROE No. 47 to explore the potential development of a recovery high school in the Sauk Valley region, with a proposed location in Rock Falls.

Here's a list of Lee, Whiteside and Ogle property transfers for April 20-24, 2026.

How much rain fell in northern Illinois in April? In some places, it was more than twice the average, swelling rivers in the region beyond their banks.

This year, the Lee County Courts want to highlight juror appreciation as a central theme, acknowledging the time, attention, and public service that jurors contribute.

Here's a list of Lee County property transfers for April 20-24, 2026.

Woodlawn Dance Academy’s summer programs start the week of June 1, and registration is available now in person at the Academy or by calling 815-626-4278.

Deputies were told that a person in Paw Paw had earlier been contacted and informed their Apple account had been “hacked" and was then transferred to a person posing as an FBI agent, who told the individual they needed to pay money to capture the "hacker."

Almost 300 Lee County fifth-grade students swarmed the Lee County 4-H Fairgrounds in Amboy on Friday during the Lee County Ag Expo.

From the Illinois Answers Project: Mental health courts have proliferated across Illinois in recent decades. Now, the state has 31 courts across 25 counties. There’s at least one in most of the state’s judicial circuits, but about two million Illinoisans are still left out.

As Shaw Media celebrates its 175th anniversary, we looked back at four front pages from April 28

Strong to severe storms are expected across northern Illinois on Monday, with the greatest risk for damaging winds and hail arriving late afternoon into the evening

As Shaw Media celebrates its 175th anniversary, we looked back at four front pages from April 25

Heath A. Knipple, 46, was charged July 2, 2025, with six counts of Class X felony dissemination of images of child sex abuse, with each count listing the victim as younger than 13. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison if he is convicted.

Here's a list of Lee, Whiteside and Ogle County property transfers for April 13-17, 2026.

A Lee County sheriff’s deputy was honored Thursday for controlling the bleeding of an Amboy man’s partially amputated leg at the scene of a Feb. 12 single-vehicle crash near the Green River.

Polo School District Superintendent Kelly Mandrell has been named the 2026 Superintendent of Distinction by her peers in the Northwest Region of the Illinois Association of School Administrators.

Fifth graders from Lee County attended the 20th Ag Expo at the Lee County Fairgrounds on April 24.

A Lee County judge on Thursday set a June hearing for a Georgia man who’s pleaded not guilty to drug charges related to the Jan. 16 police search of a stranded vehicle near Amboy.

Here's a list of Lee County property transfers for April 13-17, 2026.

The Illinois State Board of Elections released final vote totals Friday in the March 17 primary. Here are the results for Whiteside, Lee, Carroll and Ogle county races.

United Way of Lee County invites community members, partners, and supporters to attend its upcoming Campaign Celebration Luncheon taking place at noon Tuesday, May 12, at the Post House Ballroom in Dixon.

Here's a list of Lee, Whiteside and Ogle County property transfers for April 6-10, 2026.

The NWS said locations that could experience flooding include Dixon, Rochelle, Byron, Oregon, Mount Morris, Amboy, Polo, Davis Junction, Forreston, Hillcrest, Stillman Valley, Franklin Grove, Ashton, Paw Paw, Lost Nation, Sublette, and Woodhaven Lakes.

Much of northern Illinois has been placed under a tornado watch until 8 p.m. Friday. A Level 3 severe risk brings strong storms, hail and possible tornadoes to northern Illinois on Friday evening.

The National Weather Service has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Lee County until 8:15 p.m. Friday, April 17.

Illinois youth turkey hunters set a new record, harvesting a preliminary total of 2,318 birds during the 2026 Illinois youth season.

An Amboy woman was taken into custody Thursday night in Dixon on an outstanding warrant for seven felony drug charges and subsequently charged with four additional felony drug offenses.

The Dixon Police Department is closely monitoring the weather today, preparing for possibly severe storms that could move through the Sauk Valley this afternoon and tonight

The Lee County Historical and Genealogical Society will present “The Orphan Trains - The Personal Side of the Story” by Carol Chandler on Monday, April 27.

The Lee County Democrats are organizing a meet, greet and donate to local candidates’ event from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Sunday, April 19, at Shinny’s arcade, Dixon.

Shanna M. Hillers of Sterling is charged in Lee County with aggravated battery in a public place, a Class 3 felony; official misconduct of a public employee, a Class 3 felony; and abuse/criminal neglect of a resident of a long-term care facility, a Class 4 felony.

Here's a list of Lee County property transfers for April 6-10, 2026.

A 22-year-old Chicago woman pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges tied to the October 2025 crash on Interstate 88 that resulted in the death of a 27-year-old Rochelle woman.

A Compton man has pleaded not guilty to charges that include attempted first-degree murder filed against him in the wake of an altercation April 12.

Amboy High School's old bleachers at The Harbor have sailed to a new port just a few miles down the road.

To celebrate, the company plans to host a grand opening event at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 18, which will include $10 complimentary gift cards to the first 50 adult customers and DG tote bags to the first 100 customers.

A Compton man is charged with attempted first-degree murder, weapons, and battery offenses after a fight near Compton, according to the Lee County sheriff

A level 3 severe risk is now in place, with the strongest storms likely on Tuesday afternoon into the evening

Over 50 people gathered on the Old Lee County Courthouse lawn in Dixon on Friday as they held up blue pinwheels, the national symbol for child abuse prevention, at the fourth annual Hands Around the Courthouse.

As Shaw Media celebrates its 175th anniversary, we looked back at four front pages from April 12, including one from 1922, when a "Youthful Moonshiner" was fined $1,000 in the Sauk Valley area

Here's a list of Lee, Whiteside and Ogle property transfers for March 30 to April 3, 2026.

Augustana College announced more than 1,200 students were named to the dean’s list for the 2025-2026 fall semester.