Huntley's Gavin Rettberg helped force extra innings and hit a go-ahead homer in the ninth inning to beat Dundee-Crown, Hampshire's Tyler Rubino had a walk-off hit to beat Crystal Lake Central, Johnsburg's Peyton Mesce threw a five-inning no-no, and more in Monday's roundup.

A Harvard man was denied pretrial release Monday after he was accused of strangling a woman until she passed out.

McHenry faces Crystal Lake South in a Fox Valley Conference baseball game on Monday, April 13, 2026, at Crystal Lake South High School.

From Capitol News Illinois: ComEd customers in Illinois will see an average $19 monthly reduction to their electricity bills over the coming months, thanks to a policy in the state’s climate bill

Dinosaur Dimensions Expedition is a state-of-the-art live performance that combines cutting-edge animatronics, dazzling visuals and high-energy storytelling for the ultimate family-friendly adventure.

Recently hatched bald eagles have been spotted around the Chicago area, including at Fermilab grounds in Batavia.

Shaw Local is taking a look at a number of potential prospects who could fit the Chicago Bears’ needs in the first round of the NFL draft later this month. Here’s how Clemson's defensive tackle Peter Woods could be a fit with the Bears.

Woodstock sophomore Megan Kuiper struck out 38 batters in her first 14 1/3 innings of the season, including 20 in a near no-hitter against Round Lake. Kuiper is the Northwest Herald Athlete of the Week in an online vote.

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

Northern Illinois is home to some notably beautiful botanical gardens and arboretums waiting to be explored.

U.S. producers intend to plant 3% fewer corn acres and 4% more soybean acres this spring, according to the prospective planting report

A man already on the sex offender registry is accused of luring a child from Harvard to Wisconsin and sexually assaulting the child, authorities said.

To improve communication and encourage more positive interaction between police officers and people on the autism spectrum, the Lake in the Hills police department is gearing up to participate in the “Blue Envelope” initiative.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness McHenry County’s upcoming annual gala has a new name and venue this year.

Catch up on the week’s top McHenry County news in minutes. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you, for the week of April 5-11

Woodstock North's Braelan Creighton was a triple winner in the high jump, pole vault and triple jump to lead the Thunder to first place at the Marengo Ed Reeves Invite. Marengo's Gabby Christopher set the program's all-time home run record, and much more in Saturday's roundup.

From Capitol News Illinois: As Illinois officials remain strongly committed to closing coal-fired power plants, federal policies under the Trump administration are creating uncertainty, spurring legal action and a push by some to keep the plants open

A single-family home in Richmond that sold for $787,000 tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in McHenry County during the past week

A single-family residence located at 24867 North Black Walnut in Cary changed ownership on March 27.

A single-family home in McHenry that sold for $255,000 tops the list of the best real estate deals in McHenry County in the past week.

The McHenry Golf Club - known as the McHenry Country Club for more than 100 years – annexed into McHenry at owner's request.

Huntley Community School District 158 has been named the inaugural recipient of the national Education Advisory Board’s High-Performance District Award.

From Capitol News Illinois: A long-proposed bill to improve price transparency and ban junk fees passed the Illinois House for the second time in three years. A plan pushed by Gov. JB Pritzker to create a new abortion grant fund is advancing to the Senate

Ella Arana hit a pair of home runs to power Crystal Lake Central softball past Dundee-Crown, Cary-Grove and Hampshire softball won on walk-off hits, and more softball, baseball, girls soccer, girls lacrosse and track and field results in Friday's Northwest Herald roundup.

Ian Boland struck out six and held Crystal Lake South to two hits over five innings as McHenry, which didn't record a hit until the sixth inning, manufactured runs to outlast the Gators 3-2 in a low-scoring Fox Valley Conference baseball game Friday.

West Dundee police are urging teens to think twice about playing the popular “senior assassins” game after a participant scared people and caused a school lockdown this week.

Due to declining numbers in participation and an inability to field multiple softball teams at each school, the four District 155 schools are set to move to a co-op structure in 2027, pairing Crystal Lake Central with Prairie Ridge and Crystal Lake South with Cary-Grove.

McHenry is eyeing 232 acres of unincorporated land on the west side of Route 31 and south of Veterans Parkway for future annexation and development.

From Capitol News Illinois: Madigan has been in a West Virginia federal prison for nearly six months, though family and friends showed up to Thursday’s arguments

Prospective homebuyers considering the real estate market had a range of options in various neighborhoods throughout the region in the past week. We outline recent property sales in McHenry County, all of which featured properties at the price point of $300,000 or under.

Broadway star Levi Kreis will perform at the Woodstock Opera House on April 19, while David Maraniss will speak on April 16.

Shaw Local is taking a look at a number of potential prospects who could fit the Chicago Bears’ needs in the first round of the NFL draft later this month. Here’s how Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren could be a fit with the Bears.

A School District 300 elementary school teacher is facing six felony battery charges after authorities said he got into a physical altercation outside a Crystal Lake bar.

Crystal Lake South senior Drake Lenckus, playing under his father Tim and alongside his freshman brother Derek, posted one goal and three assists to lead the undefeated Gators over Burlington Central in a Fox Valley Conference boys lacrosse game Thursday.

Gabby Christopher hit her 40th career homer to tie the school record in Marengo's win over Woodstock. Huntley pounded out 27 hits in a 23-7 win over Crystal Lake South. Plus, more softball, baseball, girls soccer and boys tennis in Thursday's Northwest Herald roundup.

Harvard face Richmond-Burton in a Kishwaukee River Conference softball game on Thursday, April 9, 2026, at Richmond-Burton High School.

Step into the spotlight for an evening inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood at the 2026 McConnell Ball Saturday in Richmond.

From Capitol News Illinois:

A Richmond man on pretrial release in two Wisconsin DUI cases is accused of illegally possessing stolen guns, ammunition and 50 package of firecrackers in Lake in the Hills, according to authorities.

A McHenry resident is left without a home after a fire that started in a detached garage spread to the home and two other structures early Thursday morning, officials report.

From Capitol News Illinois: The Illinois State Board of Education presented its budget request for $10.9 billion to fund public schools in the upcoming fiscal year. The request includes $300 million in new spending for schools, plus $50 million for property tax relief grants

Storms may drop over an inch of rain across northern Illinois overnight, raising rivers and increasing flooding concerns by Friday morning.

Spring and the return of baseball bring hot dogs back to the forefront. So here are 10 places to get a legit, Chicago-style hot dog in the suburbs.

Country music band Parmalee will perform at The Vixen McHenry Thursday, April 9.

A 3,008-square-foot single-family home, built in 1998, has changed hands.

Metra will be undertaking a wide scope of projects this year, including improvements to 20 stations, replacement of 22 grade crossings, and three major tie replacement projects.

Crystal Lake Central baseball handed Huntley its first loss, Jacobs baseball improved to 7-1, Burlington Central baseball walked off Crystal Lake South, and plenty more baseball, softball, girls soccer, boys tennis and track and field results in Wednesday's roundup.

Bella Moore belted a game-tying home run in the seventh inning and Reese Vrba crushed a walk-off, three-run home run in the ninth inning as Prairie Ridge rallied from a six-run deficit to beat Jacobs 9-6 during Fox Valley Conference softball action Wednesday.

McHenry senior Natalie Bender was all smiles Wednesday, striking out seven batters in the circle and hitting two home runs to lead the Warriors to a 10-3 Fox Valley Conference win over Crystal Lake South.

Jacobs vs. Prairie Ridge in a Fox Valley Conference softball game on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, at Prairie Ridge High School.