How important was Oregon’s regional title in boys basketball? Considering that male athletics at the high school have been in a down period for over a decade, it was a huge boost to morale.

Paula and Derrick Porter are transforming a vacant downtown Oregon business into the After Teen Lounge – slated to open next month. Here's a look at their progress.

The area boys 2A basketball regionals will be unique in lack of clear-cut favorites leading up to the Mendota sectional.

Anytime Byron and Stillman Valley get together for girls basketball, fans are treated to a high level of competitiveness.

Roller skating rinks are places where people of all ages can enjoy camaraderie, competition and creation of memories for years to come – and for more than 75 years, a classic Mount Morris rink has been a spot for fresh moves and retro fun.

Looking to unplug and enjoy some time with friends and family? Game shops can bring a lot to the table, whether you like to roll with the roles, practice your skills and perfect your strategy, or go on an epic quest.

Here's a list of Ogle County property transfers for Jan. 5-9, 2026.

Fourteen area students were named to the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater dean’s list for the 2025 fall semester.

The Oregon High School bowling team hosted Harvard at Town & Country Lanes in Mt. Morris on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025.

The owners of a Mount Morris bar and grill have put their own touch on a longtime establishment in recent years with its food, drinks, fun and free money making it more of a destination.

It’s finally here. The game that area high school football fans had earmarked since the season began. Byron versus Immaculate Conception Catholic Prep of Elmhurst at 2 p.m. Saturday.

There are hundreds of World War I monuments across Illinois – remain silent reminders of a war legacy that still lingers more than a century later.

This was one of the weeks when is was hard to get motivation to do a column. Could it be from a bad head cold, writer’s block or burnout from 627 trick-or-treaters on Halloween? Sadly it is from emotional distress after seeing my beloved Rochelle Hubs lose a playoff game.

Derek Swanlund, 45, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the April 21 death of Cameron Pasley, 25, also of Mt. Morris.

What started as somewhere for seniors to socialize has grown into a place that today is celebrating 50 years of being the Center of attention for Ogle County’s older population.

The basement of the Evangelical Free Church of Mt. Morris was abuzz Thursday morning, Oct. 16, 2025, as volunteers from several area agencies and organizations filled sealable plastic bags with treats, toiletries, and cards and packed them into cardboard boxes to ship to soldiers serving on the USS Fitzgerald.

Performing Arts Guild will present an original work, “Tapestry of Shadows,” Friday, Oct. 10, and Saturday, Oct. 11, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 12, at 2 p.m. in Mt. Morris.

The TALK-LINE interview for Oct. 8 featured Morgan McConnell, the director of performances presented this weekend courtesy of the Performing Arts Guild, titled “Tapestry Of Shadows,” which are four acts based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe and arranged by McConnell.

Performing Arts Guild's latest play, titled "Tapestry of Shadows", will be performed this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Allure of Pinecrest Grove Theatre in Mt. Morris. Tickets can be had at the Allure of Pinecrest Grove Theatre in Mt. Morris on the days of the performances, at performingartsguild.com or by calling 815-734-2103.

A steady stream of visitors took to the back roads of northwestern Ogle County on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, to visit four stops on the sixth annual Back Roads Market.

Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025, will be a day with many farms to stroll around throughout Ogle County, with farmers showing their farms, practices, products and antiques to help educate visitors on food sources and the life of a hard day's work.

The Oregon High School Marching Band performs during halftime of the Hawks' football games. The Marching Hawks performed at the last two home games, on Sept. 6 and Sept. 14, 2025.

Fortunate Sons, a Creedence Clearwater Revival tribute band, closed out the 2025 Jamboree Music Series in Mt. Morris in record-breaking style Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, with an estimated 2,500 attending the free concert.

A special Wednesday night concert was held in Mt. Morris on Aug. 27, 2025, as part of the Jamboree Concert Series in which the All-Star Superband made its debut on the bandshell. The band’s original performance date of July 11 was canceled due to inclement weather. The 18-piece rehearsal big band hails from Milwaukee. The free concerts are held on Fridays during the summer in downtown Mt. Morris.

Perfect weather graced the final day of the 10th annual StrawFest Sculpting Contest on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Mt. Morris. Four new straw sculptures competed in this year's event.

Seven teams composed of two people took part in the Straw Bale Race held at StrawFest in Mt. Morris on Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025. StrawFest was a day-long event, ending the 10th annual Straw Sculpting Competition.

Augustana College recently recognized 555 students during its 165th commencement ceremony.

Heartache Tonight, an Eagles tribute band, played before a large crowd at the Jamboree Concert Series on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Mt. Morris.

A rural Oregon home was significantly damaged Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, after a fire started in an attached garage. Oregon firefighters responded to 540 E. Elizabeth Road at approximately 4:40 p.m. and saw flames coming from the roof of the one-level, ranch home. No injuries were reported.

Here is a list of property transfers for Ogle County for Aug. 11-15, 2025.

Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets got the crowd movin' to rock and roll hits from the 1950s and 1960s at the Mt. Morris Jamboree concert on Friday, Aug. 15, 2025. The 2-hour free concerts are held Friday nights through the summer in downtown Mt. Morris.

The risk to aerial applicators was magnified last month with four crashes within eight days in Illinois, one of them an applicator plane crash near the Ogle County Airport in Mt. Morris along Illinois Route 64. The 23-year-old pilot died in the crash.

A Mount Morris man with prior assault convictions has been accused of home invasion and aggravated battery, according to court records, after allegedly cutting through a window screen and beating a woman.

Sunny skies and mild temps made for a perfect setting for three National Night Outs in Ogle County on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. The evening events, organized by the Ogle County Sheriff’s Department, Oregon Police Department, and Mt. Morris Police Department, were held in Byron, Oregon and Mt. Morris.

An estimated 1,300 people turned out to hear the popular band, Brass From the Past, play Motown, soul, and rock selections on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. The Chicago band featured a large horn section, dynamic rhythm section, and three vocalists.

A bit of rain may have held the attendance to 1,200 at the Mt. Morris Jamboree Concert on Friday, July 25, but it didn’t stop the band shell from rocking.

Travis Cunningham was the guest conductor for the Kable Concert Band on Wednesday, July 23, 2025 in Mt. Morris. Cunningham is the music/band teacher for Forreston High School and Junior High. Bailee Fyock of Forreston sang two solos: "For Good" from Wicked and "Let it Go" from Frozen.

The pilot of a cropdusting plane died Tuesday morning when a plane crashed near the Ogle County Airport, between Oregon and Mt. Morris

Thirty four kids took part in the Let Freedom Ring Kiddie Parade on Saturday, July 5, 2024 in Mt. Morris.

A parade, live music, food and fun were all part of the Let Freedom Ring festival in Mt. Morris on Friday, July 4, 2025.

Two pancake breakfasts started a day full of events on Friday, July 4, 2025 at the Let Freedom Ring festival.

A total of five contestants took part in Let Freedom Ring's Little Miss and Mister Firecracker contest on the Warren Reckmeyer bandshell on Wednesday, July 2, 2025, in downtown Mt. Morris.

Block party, live music and fireworks all set for Friday, July 4.

The martial art of jiu jitsu is more than just taking people to the ground, there are abundant life lessons to learn from engaging in it, and an Ogle County club teaches it all.

Jonny Lyons and the Pride entertained an estimated crowd of 1,000 at the Mt Morris Jamboree on Friday, June 27, 2025. The free concerts are held on Friday nights through the summer on the campus in downtown Mt. Morris.

Rocks Off, a tribute band featuring Rolling Stones songs, rocked the Jamboree bandshell on Friday, June 20, in downtown Mt. Morris. The free concerts are held Friday nights throughout the summer. All concerts are from 7 to 9 p.m. at the bandshell, except for July 4 and 5. Next up on Friday, June 27, is Johnny Lyons and the Pride, offering classic rock tunes.

The 2025 Jamboree Concert Series kicked off Saturday, June 13, in Mt. Morris with Rick Lindy and his band paying tribute to Roy Orbison on the Warren Reckmeyer Bandshell before a packed crowd on the Campus square. The free concerts are held Friday evenings in downtown Mt. Morris.

Sunny skies and a large crowd made for the perfect match at the annual Rock River Riders Motorcycle Club’s Father’s Day Hillclimb on Sunday, June 15.

Freshman Jillian Hammer who placed third in the 100-meters hurdles and fifth in the 300 hurdles

The weather was perfect and the animals and tractors did not disappoint as Oregon Elementary School students flocked to the Oregon High School's FFA Petting Zoo and Ag Event on Friday, May 9, 2025. FFA students brought their tractors and animals to the lawn of the elementary school for kids to learn about agriculture.