The Earlville High School blood drive is an opportunity to help one or more graduating seniors earn a scholarship through a blood donation.

Becker’s Hospital Review has recognized President of OSF HealthCare Saint Clare Medical Center and OSF HealthCare Saint Paul Medical Center, Heather Bomstad, as one of its Critical Access Hospital Presidents and CEOs to Know for 2025.

On the 100th day of kindergarten, Katie Henkel lined up her 19 students at Holy Cross School in Mendota, decked out in their best 100-year-olds’ clothes, and sat down to try and name all of her students.

Immanuel Lutheran Church is reintroducing Soup Suppers at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday nights. Soup will be served at 5:30 p.m. and worship will follow at 6:30 p.m.

Brothers Aden and Cole Tillman have become the 20th and 21st 1,000-point scorers in the history of the Mendota boys basketball program. Here’s a look at the Mendota 1,000-point scorers through the Saturday, Feb. 7 games:

The United Methodist Higher Education Foundation is offering a United Methodist Dollars for Scholars scholarship for students pursuing a Doctor of Ministry.

The Graves-Hume Public Library will host several events to celebrate the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Three response vehicles from the Earlville Fire Department arrived on the scene at 10:30 a.m. to put out the remains of a pull barn fire.

Illinois Valley Community College recently announced its Presidential Honors List for the fall 2025 semester.

The program enables CHP to serve vulnerable patient populations at the Mendota Health Center and provide access to outpatient drugs at significantly lower cost, which helps it improve overall patient care.

The event’s craft is going to be a paint by number canvas. Participants will be given a pre-drawn painting and will have the ability to fill in spots with paint provided by the library.

The Graves-Hume Public Library is going to be closed all day Friday, Feb 6.

Illinois Valley Community College recently announced its academic honors list for the fall 2025 semester.

The car show will be from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 28. To accommodate the car show, the council agreed to shut down portions of 6th Ave and 8th St during the event.

As the Seal of Biliteracy marks 10 years in Illinois, the number of seniors graduating with the distinction has climbed more than 2,000%.

The Mendota City Council approved the use of Lake Mendota Park for the 9th annual polar plunge. The plunge will be at noon on Saturday, Feb 28 at Lake Mendota.

A family safely evacuated their rural Triumph home on Saturday, but fire caused an estimated $150,000 damage to their residence in Troy Grove Township.

Fire crews responded to a structure fire in the 3000 block of East 550th Road on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026 in Mendota. The fire started in the chimney area. Fire departments from Troy Grove, Utica, La Salle, Peru, Mendota, and others across the region were dispatched shortly after 10p.m.

Cody Calkins, an American country music singer-songwriter from Streator, is playing from 7-10 p.m. on Friday, Feb 6 at R’s All In in Earlville. Calkins plays cover songs from the 1990’s to now with some original songs included throughout his shows.

The Mendota Historical Society will be holding its first virtual program at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Mar 14. Genealogist and historian Peg Kapustiak will be giving a talk entitled “Food of My Forefathers: The Cultural Context of Traditional and Ethnic Foods”.

The Graves-Hume Public Library, 1401 W. Main St., Mendota, will host several events and programs in February.

The Mendota High School Athletic Department is adopting a new dual-sport athlete policy. The proposal is being tested out for the rest of the 2025-26 school year and the 2026-27 school year on a trial basis.

Earlville Jr./Sr. High School is having a fundraiser to raise money for the class of 2032.

Graduates and their degrees or certificates are listed by hometown. The students are eligible to participate in the college’s spring commencement.

The first day of attendance for students is slated for Friday, Aug 14, 2026. The tentative last day of attendance for students is Friday, May 21, 2027.

While Brian and Teresa Faber visited a candy store in Galena, they browsed the chocolates and other sweets, but also noticed the atmosphere of the store.

Community Health Partnership of Illinois will receive funding from the federal government to help expand the Mendota Health Center.

Catch up on the week’s top Illinois Valley news in minutes for Jan. 11-17. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

Mendota Township High School went on soft lockdown Friday morning for roughly 30 minutes during police actions in the area.

Mendota's new Chamber of Commerce CEO Madeline Piller hopes to continue her family's legacy of working for the people of Mendota.

A La Salle County grand jury convened Tuesday and returned the following indictments.

Mendota Chamber of Commerce having Valentine's Baby Contest.

Thursday’s warm up is due to a low-pressure weather system pulled in from the Gulf region, National Weather Service spokesperson Brett Borchadt said.

A successful, regional program to attract and train teenagers in firefighting and emergency medical services is returning to Sublette for a second year.

First State Bank will host its 26th Annual Agriculture Conference on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 10 a.m. at the Mendota Civic Center.

A Mendota man said he shot in self-defense. Prosecutors said the Mendota incident was a drive-by shooting. A La Salle County jury will have to settle that.

A La Salle County grand jury convened Tuesday and returned the following indictments.

The Mendota school board reviewed a potential letter to city officials supporting traffic cameras near school buildings to improve school bus safety.

Two Mendota High School students have been selected for state music honors, and a third received community recognition.

The Mendota Community Unit School District board approved its final 2025 tax levy of $7,101,208 following a public hearing Dec. 15.

Graves-Hume Public Library in Mendota has scheduled multiple programs for January, including story times, book clubs and health screenings.

Holy Cross School students in grades K-8 took a ride on the 61342 Christmas Express on Wednesday, Dec. 17 in collaboration with the Mendota Museum and Historical Society.

A diabetes support group will meet on Thursday, Jan. 8, from 9:30-11 a.m. at OSF Saint Paul Medical Center in Mendota.

Seventh and eighth-grade students at Northbrook Middle School in Mendota raised $850 for the Mendota Area Christian Food Pantry through a donation campaign before Thanksgiving.

The ordinance stands: Feed a feral cat in unincorporated La Salle County and, yes, you could be fined $75. But there have been behind-the-scenes discussions between between county authorities and the Safe House Animal Rescue League, which opposes the ban on feeding feral cats.

Mendota awarded a contract Monday to an engineering firm to design a walking-cycling path using $3 million in funding the city received this spring.

Horizon House in Peru has launched its annual Tree of Hope campaign with a goal of raising $75,000 to support programs for people with disabilities.

Santa visited The Coffee Barn in downtown Mendota on Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. Families enjoyed writing letters to Santa, cookies, hot chocolate and cozy photo sessions during the holiday event.

Mendota High School counselors Mitch Landgraf and Rachel Tarr were recently honored by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission for their efforts to support students and families during the financial aid process.

The Fort du Rocher Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution met Dec. 6 at First Presbyterian Church in Mendota with Regent Beverly Richardson presiding.