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

The Dolores J. and Wilbur M. Anderson Joint Trust successor trustee, Sandra Woest and Sally Beebe, announced the launch of the Anderson-Woest Scholarship.

After a little more than one year of ownership, the Bresley family is selling Mendota’s Sports-n-Stuff after Friday, May 15.

The city of Mendota is starting its spring clean-up for residents’ yard waste on May 5.

Habitat for Humanity acquired the vacant lot at 1205 Jefferson St. following a bid to the Mendota City Council that was announced earlier this month.

Road work on U.S. 34 between Mendota and Earlville began on Friday with daily lane closures expected through mid-July.

Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of La Salle-Bureau-Putnam Counties Jessica Brayfield said that Habitat for Humanity is hoping to break ground in May and looking to have the project completed by the end of August or beginning of September.

The dates are April 27, May 11, May 25, June 22, July 27, Aug. 24, Sept. 14, Sept. 28, Oct. 12 and Oct. 26.

Ellyn Schoenholz and Marla VanVickle were recognized for contributions to the 74th District.

The 5K run started at the Fish Park pavilion and took participants around Lake Mendota and the baseball/softball fields of Lake Mendota Park while getting splashed with colors at eight different stations along the route.

The City of Mendota held a Color Fun Run 5K on Sunday, April 25, 2026 at Lake Mendota. All proceeds from the event will help with youth and family activities hosted by Live Well Mendota and Next Gen Leaders.

This community-focused event encourages students to start their day in an active and healthy way by walking, biking, or rolling to school.

A best-selling author is coming to the Mendota Public Library to discuss his book on famous Chicago hood Al Capone and his infamous vault.

Graves-Hume Public Library in Mendota is offering a variety of programs throughout May for children, teens, adults and families.

Real estate news: A 2,386-square-foot single-family residence, built in 1870, has changed hands.

The projects across the 14th Congressional District, which would come under federal Community Project Funding initiative, range from protecting clean drinking water to strengthening access to quality health care in rural communities to public transit systems.

Mendota YMCA Director Steve Donnell said Wednesday that the branch is not closing, but moving towards separating from the Illinois Valley YMCA based in Peru.

The car show will feature plenty of family-friendly activities to attract residents to the one year anniversary celebration of The Coffee Barn’s opening.

The Illinois Valley YMCA in Peru and the city of Mendota are in talks about what the future holds for the Mendota facility and its programs.

Most of the tornado warnings issued Friday in the Illinois Valley were for rotating clouds and not for funnel clouds that touched down. One exception was rural Mendota.

There may have been a funnel cloud near Mendota on Friday night. The National Service has dispatched a survey team to confirm it.

A tornado warning was issued at 7:45 p.m. Friday for Bureau and Putnam counties, though officials in both had no immediate confirmation of a touchdown. A rotating cloud may have set off the alert.

The class is designed to help individuals better understand advance care planning and make informed health care decisions that reflect their personal values and goals.

Plans include the removal of a dead tree, the planting of a few new trees and the updating some of the benches at the park.

A single-family home in Sheridan that sold for $400,000 tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in La Salle County in the past week

Working as a home health care aide at night, Michelle Wiemken for years had a picture in her mind. It was her own bakery, shelves lined with breads, cookies, cakes, pies and the other sweet treats she loved to bake.

Come make memories and leave looking like a rainbow at the 5K run that starts at the soccer fields of Lake Mendota Park and takes runners around Lake Mendota and Lake Kakusha while getting splashed with eight different colors.

AARP will offer a driver safety refresher course April 13-14 at Mendota Area Senior Services, designed to help drivers 50 and older maintain driving competency and stay safe on the road.

Kids ranging from 18 months to 10 years old participated in the 2026 Mendota YMCA Easter egg hunt. These kids scrambled to find over 1,000 eggs Monday morning at Veterans Park, including three golden eggs that when found, could be exchanged for a gift basket. This is the fifth year that the Mendota YMCA has had this event, and the fourth at Veterans Park.

The University of Illinois Extension will offer a diabetes support group from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thursday, April 9, in the OSF HealthCare Saint Paul Medical Center’s conference room C, 1401 E. 12th St., Mendota.

The Mendota Historical Society will hold a “Dr. Letitia Westgate: Medical Pioneer” program led by author Denise Moran at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at the Mendota Museum and Historical Society’s program space.

Aurora University has named the following students to the dean’s list for the fall 2025 semester.

The 881-kilowatt system is expected to span approximately 50,000 square feet of roof space and generate approximately 1 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually that will help power the facility plant, offsetting roughly 700 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each

ImpactLife will host a blood drive from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, April 3, at OSF Saint Paul Medical Center in Mendota, according to a news release.

The book explores the life of Dr. Westgate who was the first female physician to build and manage a hospital in the United States, according to the release.

The Easter egg hunt was originally scheduled for Saturday, April 4, but has been rescheduled for Monday, April 6 due to possible inclement weather.

“My mindset is that these kids are going to be the leaders of our town, our community, our state, our country and our world,” Hochstatter said. “I want to help make them the best humans that they could possibly be.”

The winners of the contest were Bailey Miller from Earlville, Kiley Mason from Leland, Clair Boudreau from La Salle-Peru, and Aden Tillman from Mendota, whose essay was sent on to the next level of the contest.

Graves-Hume Public Library will host an illustrated lecture on the Founding Mothers on Saturday, April 18 at 11 a.m.

Graves-Hume Public Library in Mendota is offering a variety of programs throughout April for children, teens, and adults. Registration is encouraged for all events.

Holy Cross School in Mendota released its third-quarter honor roll for the 2025-26 school year.

While many proposals were on the table and many were not acted on, the board settled on charging a $50 fee for driver’s education and raising the cost of the all-season athletic ticket package by $5 starting next school year.

Mendota Project Director Annie Short said that the celebration will include mural painting and dedication at 907 Washington Street and 728 Main Street, a full array of art activities for all ages and a nature-themed mixed media exhibition.

Mendota residents gathered Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Zion United Methodist Church for the Mendota Area Chamber of Commerce Easter Hop. The family-friendly event featured Easter activities and celebrations for the community.

The University of Illinois Extension will hold a migratory birdwatching hike for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, April 18, at Lake Kakusha, 1506 Lakeview Drive, Mendota.

First United Presbyterian Church in Mendota is going to be distributing Easter meals from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1.

OSF HealthCare announced the return of oncology services to the OSF HealthCare Saint Paul Medical Center in Mendota, starting on March 30 in the Community Health Services Department.

The YMCA is inviting kids of all ages for the event that is free and open to the public.

Children ages 3-10 are invited to participate in the Easter Hop, with children 3-6 participating from 9 - 10 a.m. and children 7-10 participating from 10 - 11 a.m.

4th Ward Alderman Mark Peasley announced that with the help of Mendota Project Director Annie Short, the city of Mendota is looking to utilize the Team Up app for deciding basic usage of public parks, fields and courts.