"In the ’50s, I stood in line at my local school to receive a polio shot, grateful that it was available. When I had measles, I stayed in a dark place to protect my eyes," Nancy Delware of Crystal Lake writes in a letter to the editor.

Prairie Ridge's Emaline Foster and Jacobs' Lennox Szymonik captured the Class 2A and 3A titles, respectively, at the First to the Finish Girls Cross Country Invite at Detweiller Park in Peoria. That and more in Saturday's Northwest Herald roundup.

"Is it the homeowner’s responsibility to diagnose a power outage and pay an independent electrician to then notify ComEd?" Richard K. Ragni of Crystal Lake writes in a letter to the editor.

Luke Bryan will perform at Berning Family Farm in Prairie Grove Sept. 19.

Authorities allege a 19-year-old man knew the drugs he was peddling were of “low quality” yet continued to sell them, including the dose of MDMA that they say killed a Wonder Lake teen.

A sealed bid auction of abandoned properties in McHenry County is going on through Sept. 19. Find out how to bid.

Miss out on any of the high school football action in McHenry County? Listen to the audio versions of our stories from Week 3 of the 2025 season here

Prairie Ridge earned a comfortable road win over Hampshire, Woodstock held off Harvard and Alden-Hebron beat Hiawatha as all three teams moved to 3-0. Plus more in the Week 3 McHenry County roundup.

Burlington Central QB Landon Arnold ran for 124 of his 157 rushing yards in the second half as the Rockets took control to beat Jacobs 21-12 Friday night. Jacobs RB Caden DuMelle set the school's all-time rushing record in the loss.

Huntley sophomore Chase Hojnacki finished with 25 carries for 140 yards as the Red Raiders pulled away from Crystal Lake South late for a 28-7 Fox Valley Conference win Friday night.

Dundee-Crown’s Kadin Malone and Ikey Grzynkowicz had equally big games with three touchdowns apiece as the Chargers ran away from Crystal Lake Central 56-8 on Friday night.

Cary-Grove's Logan Abrams made his return at fullback, running 23 times for 175 yards and the team's opening TD in a 36-23 Fox Valley Conference win over McHenry on Friday. "It’s really good to be back."

Richmond-Burton travels to Johnsburg for a Kishwaukee River Conference football game on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025, at Johnsburg High School.

The third of three defendants charged in connection with the fatal fentanyl overdose of a Crystal Lake man pleaded guilty Thursday.

The Chicago Bears will play the Lions on Sunday in what will be head coach Ben Johnson's first return to Detroit since the Bears hired him. Here are the top five storylines to watch Sunday afternoon.

Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon was ruled out for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions with a hamstring injury. The Bears also reportedly signed kicker Jake Moody to their practice squad.

The Chicago Bears will head to Detroit to play the Lions on Sunday in Week 2. Shaw Local's Michal Dwojak and Joe Aguilar break down the latest news from Halas Hall and preview Sunday's game

The McHenry County Historical Society is recognizing WWII's 80th anniversary with a Victory Dance Saturday. Sept. 13.

Rylee Rud fired a 77 for a four-shot victory, leading Crystal Lake Central's co-op girls golf team to the championship of the McHenry County Tournament. Plus, boys soccer and girls volleyball in Thursday's Northwest Herald roundup.

Huntley goalkeeper Christian Cuellar replaced injured starter Ethan Knaus and recorded seven saves to help the Red Raiders shut out Dundee-Crown 1-0 during Fox Valley Conference play Thursday evening.

The Chicago Bears aren't taking the Detroit Lions' offense lightly after a down Week 1 performance against the Green Bay Packers. Here's why.

Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson told reporters Thursday that he plans to play in Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions. Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett both also missed Thursday's practice

A Cicero man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after prosecutors said he turned the Fox River Grove Jewel-Osco parking lot into an “open-air drug market.”

Nearby Crystal Lake elementary schools were put on security alert for a reported person walking around nearby with a knife, but was only found with a pencil Thursday morning, police say.

Woodstock's Stage Left Cafe will host an open mic night on Friday, Sept. 12 and trivia on Thursday, Sept. 11.

Homegrown: The Zac Brown Band Tribute Experience will perform Sept. 12 at Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake.

The 2025 corn maze at Richardson Adventure Farm in Spring Grove celebrates the 40th anniversary of the classic film "Back to the Future."

The show will feature hilarious and talented comedians sharing their unique experiences, anecdotes and frustrations about school life and being an educator.

Football season is back! Watch the game at one of these lively sports bars in northern Illinois.

A total of 162 teams enter Week 3 with 2-0 record, with 50 of those teams playing against another 2-0 team. Steve Soucie takes a look at some of the top games.

The elephant in the room is Williams’ work ethic. There have been far too many reports that the second-year quarterback still doesn’t understand what it takes to become truly great, Marc Silverman writes

Richmond-Burton and Woodstock North stayed perfect in Kishwaukee River Conference volleyball, Harvard and Woodstock North boys soccer scored shutout wins, and more in Wednesday's Northwest Herald roundup.

Junior midfielder Giovanni Hernandez scored the equalizer and dished out the go-ahead assist as Woodstock erased a one-goal deficit to beat Richmond-Burton 3-1 in a KRC boys soccer matchup Wednesday evening.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams had the same reaction most fans had when he looked at the film of some of his missed passes against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. He was frustrated.

Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett both out Wednesday in an estimated injury report while linebacker T.J. Edwards would've returned in a limited fashion.

A man’s medical alert pendant may have fallen into the Fox River, prompting a false alarm that prompted multiple agencies to response to a possible water rescue Wednesday afternoon near Algonquin, officials report.

A crash in Spring Grove closed a road Wednesday afternoon, officials say.

Hosts Steve Soucie and Josh Welge preview Week 3 in Illinois high school football on the Friday Night Drive podcast

Here are the latest Associated Press IHSA football polls released Wednesday for all eight classes.

The McHenry County Coroner's Office identified the man killed in a crash near McHenry Tuesday.

Charlie Kirk, who rose from a teenage conservative campus activist to a top podcaster, culture warrior and ally of President Donald Trump, was shot and killed Wednesday during one of his trademark public appearances at a college in Utah. He was 31.

Since she was young, Burlington Central goalkeeper Mackenzie Lorkowski has aspired to play professional soccer. On Aug. 23, Lorkowski announced her commitment to NCAA Division-I Louisiana Tech.

Guests will hear accounts of unexplained occurrences experienced not only by the Grams family, who own the museum, but also by employees and visitors over the decades.

At a Tuesday forum hosted by state Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, Illinois House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, a Cook County Democrat, said lawmakers will tackle regulating data centers during the upcoming fall veto session.

Marengo's football team is 2-0 for the first time since 2016. The Indians host Woodstock North in a Kishwaukee River Conference opener Friday night and will wear their white road uniforms for the third time in a row.

A group of 23 new teams worked their way into the projection this week. Where do they fit? And how did they change the projected classification breaks for all eight classes. Steve Soucie breaks down how the playoff field projects after the second week of games.

Food pantries across northern Illinois anticipate an increase in demand as a result of almost $200 billion in cuts in the next 10 years to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The cuts are part of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.”

A McHenry man died, and a woman and two child passengers in another car were injured, when their two cars collided near McHenry Tuesday.

Monday night's season-opener against the Minnesota Vikings wasn't an offensive renaissance for the Chicago Bears offense and Caleb Williams. Here's a look at the stats in Williams' first start under head coach Ben Johnson.

Dundee-Crown boys soccer opened Fox Valley Conference play with a shutout, Prairie Ridge's Addison Smith recorded 24 assists and seven kills in a win over McHenry, and more in Tuesday's Northwest Herald roundup.