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After losing to rival Flanagan-Cornell back in November on a near-half-court buzzer-beater, Woodland's boys basketball team made certain it didn't happen again in Monday's 24-point regional-opening victory over the Falcons.

The Serena, Newark and Somonauk boys basketball teams all claimed postseason victories in Class 1A regional openers on Monday, while Leland saw its season come to a close in the Times area roundup.

The Marquette boys basketball scored the opening nine points of Monday's Class 1A regional quarterfinal against Dwight, led by 20 three minutes into the second quarter and eventually recorded a 66-33 victory at Bader Gymnasium.

The Autism Center of Illinois was celebrated during a ribbon-cutting ceremony last week on Friday, marking its official opening in Ottawa.

Time-Out Ice Cream, 915 E. Main St., Streator, opens for the season Monday.

The west half of the alley in the 600 block of Court Street in Ottawa will be closed to all traffic starting at 6 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25.

Contractors have advised Ottawa city officials that Green Street from Pearl Street to Canal Road will be closed to all traffic for a portion of the day, Wednesday, Feb. 26.

Congratulations to The Times Athlete of the Week, Marquette boys wrestling’s Alex Schaefer!

The Streator Police Department and Illinois State Fire Marshal’s Office are investigating a suspicious fire Sunday morning on the 600 block of North Sterling Street.

Many expecting parents begin looking for child care long before the baby’s arrival due to long wait lists. At the Starved Rock Regional Center in Ottawa, the wait list is about a year. 

Wallace Grade School announced its honor roll for the third quarter of the 2024-2025 school year.

Enrollment for the next session of Rock Steady Boxing at the Streator Family YMCA is open.

The Streator Public Library will be celebrating the world of Harry Potter the week of Feb. 24.

As various herb plants begin to flourish in the early spring soil, join Ridge Fridge Grocer and Grange at the Reddick Public Library in Ottawa on Thursday, Feb. 27, for a discussion on culinary herbs.

Mayor Robert Hasty of Ottawa joined a group of Illinois River mayors and Corn Belt Ports members in Peoria this week to officially launch the Illinois River Cities and Towns Initiative.

Local quilter, Gary Riss, has one of his quilts at the current QuiltCon Quilt Show.

Seneca's Raiden Terry takes third while teammate Jeremy Gagnon claims fourth in the Class 1A Individual State Wrestling meet on Saturday.

Tobias Burkey and Kealey Rick were selected as the senior students of the Month by Ottawa Sunrise Rotary. 

Another suspect has been apprehended in the Streator drug and theft ring.

The next monthly history lecture at the Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 23.

So many things are changing. Change. It’s in my head where I’ve been replaying that song, the one where Quincy Jones laments the steamroller we call time.

What are you most passionate about?

Sandwich's Cooper Corder and Seneca's Jeremy Gagnon dropped semifinal matchups at the IHSA State Wrestling meet, while Streator's rally came up short in a regular season capper in boys basketball. That and more in Friday's Times roundup.

Seneca never trailed Friday, storming to the Class 2A Beecher Regional title 50-34 over Manteno.

Ottawa trailed Rochelle by just two points at halftime, but by the end of the third quarter found themselves behind by 22 in an eventual 67-55 loss Friday in the Hub City.

The Marquette boys basketball team, led by 36 points from Alec Novotney, topped Seneca 57-51 in overtime to finish out the Tri-County Conference and regular seasons at Bader Gymnasium on Friday night.

The scores/schedule for Illinois Valley/Herald-News schools in the IHSA girls basketball postseason, Friday, Feb. 21, 2025

Streator High School honored its students of the month for January and February 2025 during its regular school board meeting Tuesday.

A Marseilles man will stand trial April 28 for allegedly setting fire to his brother’s house while his brother was trapped inside.

Ottawa announced the opening of the application period for its 2025 Veteran Banner Recognition Program, which honors local veterans by displaying banners along busy streets downtown.

Sandwich’s Cooper Corder and Seneca’s Jeremy Gagnon both started 2-0 to earn berths into their respective weight classes' championship semifinals at the IHSA Boys Individual State Finals held in Champaign on Thursday. Plus, more results from around the Times area.

The Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland girls basketball team started hot and hung on late to win the championship game of the Class 1A Heyworth Regional on Thursday night with a 47-43 win over the host Hornets.

The Amboy-Ohio girls basketball team beat Marquette 47-29 on Thursday to win the Class 1A St. Bede Regional.

The Streator High School Scholastic Bowl won its Streator Hexagonal Tournament. 

The Ottawa City Council approved two TIF District Redevelopment Agreements during their regular meeting on Tuesday night.

Streator Police Chief John Franklin shared a letter of commendation for Officer John Thompson to the Streator City Council on Wednesday, after the officer's work led to two arrests following a reported incident with a gun.

If grant funds are secured, Streator will move forward on constructing a pair of pickleball courts in Merriner Park.

Heroes come in many forms.

Trinity Rose Montessori School will host an open house from 1 to 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 23, at its location in the education building at 717 Chambers St., on the Trinity Lutheran Church of Ottawa campus.

The Fieldcrest boys basketball team — led by a game-high 23 points from Eddie Lorton and 17 from Jordan Heider — played solid on both ends of the floor in Wednesday's 68-44 victory over Midland.

Newark's Dylan Long scored 40 points, including his 1,000th career point and Somonauk was a winner over Marquette in Wednesday's roundup.

The Streator boys basketball team carried a 10-point lead over state-ranked Morton into the fourth quarter and played a good final period ... just not good enough to hold off the hot-shooting Potters.

Maya Durdan, fifth grade teacher at St. Michael the Archangel Catholic School in Streator, was named Q Hit Teacher of the Year for January.

The Sandwich boys basketball team had a tough start to this season, but since a 1-7 beginning have won 17 of their last 21 games and figure to be a tough opponent in next week's Class 2A Princeton Regional.

The scores/schedule for Illinois Valley/Herald-News schools in the IHSA girls basketball postseason, Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025

Ottawa City Council approved the design work for the replacement of the Post Street Bridge, which has been closed since July.

Even as a Packers fan, I also have had respect for Chicago Bears long-time owner Virginia McCaskey.

Seneca and Serena both won girls regional semifinals, while Ottawa and Streator's boys both suffered road losses, plus more in The Times Tuesday Roundup.

The Ottawa girls basketball team defeated Streator 52-12 in Tuesday's semifinal of the Class 3A Kankakee Regional to advance to Thursday's 7 p.m. championship game against the host Kays.

Ottawa High School announced its honor for the second quarter of the 2023-2024 school year.