With Forreston’s loss in sectional baseball, it’s a wrap for another high school sports season in Ogle County and also for this column. Both will return in August.

Global supply chains are essential to the movement of agricultural commodities around the world.

Betty Obendorf writes about needed renovations to the Polo Historical Society building in her weekly Ogle County Life column.

I’ve spent an awful lot of time trying to figure out how to make that all fit into eight semesters for my own kids and suspect I might not be alone.

From our editorial board: The Bears have now advanced a “site TBD” in Hammond, Indiana. The phrasing matters. It is not a plan. It is not a commitment. It is not even a fully described proposal. It is a directional signal carefully calibrated to do two things at once

As a lifelong Bears fan who wants the team to stay in Illinois, I refused to vote for any bill that gave special tax breaks to a billionaire franchise while everyday Illinois taxpayers are drowning in the second highest property taxes in America.

Can Graham Platner, the Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, survive his sexting scandal? The first thing to know is how little we know about it.

The Flagg-Rochelle Public Library's HVAC replacement project is done, and the library is ready to welcome patrons for its summer reading program, Director Sarah Flanagan writes.

You can drop in any other policy area (property tax reform, transportation infrastructure, prescription drug access, etc.) and the question is equally applicable: Do voters want somebody with a plan or someone who is merely opposed to the status quo?

Billions meant for real needs flowed to scammers

Marc Silverman argues that despite uncertainty off the field, the Bears are building something fans can genuinely believe in this season

After 18 years of writing a column, Joan Oliver is stepping away from the laptop. She does have some final thoughts to share, though.

AI, AI, that’s all one hears about lately. AI is presented as the next greatest deal since sliced bread. So what is the fuss all about?

In this week's column, Toby Moore writes most never feel ready to pursue what they were born to do.

The Democrats’ apparent choice to replace Maine Republican Susan Collins in the U.S. Senate has built a rap sheet of dazzling disqualifiers.

Nothing exists in isolation, least of all venues that seat tens of thousands of people.

Column: What's Happening in Batavia? The city's Parkway Tree Program is now open, an initiative meant to help grow the city's urban forests. That and more, writes Lori Botterman.

The plan gets the biggest detail (mostly) correct: 'If a homeowner fails to pay their debt in an initial redemption period, and their property is seized and sold, they will receive any surplus funds left over from the auction.'

William Stephen Hamilton was an early Illinois legislator who platted the city of Peoria. The sixth child and fifth son, William, was nearly 7 when his father was killed in a duel.

Some of the push for new revenue now could be an attempt to offset a deficit in fiscal 2028 – a February report suggested the figure might reach $1.5 billion – with at least one Democrat specifically targeting concerns toward uncertainty from Washington

I am a simple human being doing what comes naturally. Instead of tuning in to the world around me, I wander off in many directions. I tune it all out so I can see what I want to see.

As we move further into spring and summer, we begin following the great number of projects and happenings throughout our community.

Betty Obendorf of the Polo Historical Society chronicles a trip to the Polo Farmer's Market.

Widespread, instant criticism of the autopsy has focused on three areas: what is in it, what is not in it and how it was prepared. Other than that, as they say, no problem.

Today's column by Tom Wadsworth continues the story of Horace G. Reynolds, Douglas Gray Harvey and John Gould Ralston and their impact on the Dixon community.

The North Point Marina in Winthrop Harbor will be open for the 2026 season.

June 23, 2021: 'Sports owners have notoriously short arms when it comes to their own deep pockets but gladly open their palms wide for public handouts.'

While political divisions existed during World War II, the slogan “We’re all in this together” forged a unity that is nearly unheard of today, unless we are attacked as on 9/11.

Marc Silverman unloads on the chaos, finger-pointing and delays surrounding the Bears’ endless stadium drama

LOVETT: Events like the Reagan Run remind graduating athletes that running does not have to end when competitive seasons do. Instead, it changes.

From the first time picking up a racket to leveling up one’s game, the St. Charles Park District has designed a tennis program that will serve up a win.

Columnist Tom Weitzel warns of the consequences when police departments collapse.

China is a leading importer of Illinois soybeans – a bit of a concern given recent disruptions in traditional international trade relations – and the fact that so much of the yield leaves the state overlaps significantly with transportation infrastructure concerns.

In this week's column, Toby Moore writes that whether rich or poor, big or small, or healthy or unheathy, everyone must rise are take on the day.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson isn’t nearly as polished a social media performer as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is, but they share an equally deep well of ignorance over how a big city funds itself.

It was a big day for Oregon girl athletics on Saturday with a regional softball title and a fourth-place finish in the IHSA track & field meet.

"The evidence shows the county was deliberately indifferent to the obvious risk of constitutional violations when it failed to act to address property owners’ loss of equity when a tax deed was issued."

A list of the governor’s proposed budget cuts was circulating among state legislators last week.

I enjoy having my grandchildren here, but this Grandma was ready for her recliner after everyone left. How nice to be able to enjoy them all, then still get your sleep at night.

If the president wants to help himself and his party ahead of this year’s midterm elections, the most effective thing he can do is eliminate the tariffs.

I guess there’s a psychology to eating. Right? It’s not just about flavor. The smell and texture also can influence my decision to chomp and chew.

BELZER: Winning the Reagan Run Scholarship is an incredible honor, and it has given me a chance to reflect on what this race, and this community, really mean to me as I get ready to graduate.

As the nature of threats evolves, so must the tools we use to address them. In communities across Illinois, that has meant taking a closer look at how technology can responsibly support traditional safety measures.

The president’s approval has been ticking downward for months – it started at 50.5% approval in January 2025 – and was brought to its current point by a number of polls showing his job approval in the mid-to-high 30s.

Betty Obendorf of the Polo Historical Society talks spring flowers around Polo and upcoming programs.

People are only limited in the amount they can earn by their talents, persistence, and a willingness to take reasonable risks.

Registering to vote is neither required nor a guarantee of actually voting, which might be partly why political types are so comfortable with the phrase “publicly owned” referring to a specific government entity and not the constituents whom that entity technically represents.

Marc Silverman predicts a 12-5 finish, another division title, and several statement wins in a loaded 2026 schedule for the Chicago Bears

Column: "Put the reminders in the calendar and dust off the inflatables," writes Melissa Rubalcaba Riske for the St. Charles Park District.

Even though the country is still adding people at about replacement level, population alarmists are painting falling birthrates as an economic disaster in the making.