Kathy Ballard is the 2025 recipient of the Betty Pretzsch Memorial Volunteer Award given to a 5-year member of the Friends of Princeton Public Library. She has been a member of the Friends of Princeton Public Library since 2016.

The Cities of Princeton and Spring Valley held National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. National Night Out is an annual community policing campaign held on the first Tuesday of August to create police-community partnerships and build safer neighborhoods

Hundreds of kids and teens visited the Second Story Teen Center during the Shoes and Socks Giveaway on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025 in Princeton. The drive handed out 1,250 socks and 420 pairs of shoes from size 4-14 for kids just in time for the upcoming school year. Half of the donations came from Another Child Foundation and Christ Community Church in Princeton. The other remaining supplies were donated from people in the community.

National Night Out will take place on Tuesday, allowing Illinois Valley residents and officers to meet in a casual and fun setting.

Sheffield native and author Gene Scott will return to the area for the first time since 2017 to present his latest novel at the Princeton Public Library.

Greenfield Retirement Home in Princeton held a "Gorgeous Grandma Day to honor and appreciate grandmothers, recognizing their beauty, wisdom, and the important role they play in families and communities on Wednesday. The event featured a speech from Princeton mayor Ray Mabry, refreshments and games. The day encourages people to show their love and gratitude to grandmothers and to celebrate women of all ages who embrace the spirit of a "gorgeous grandma".

Reimagined adaptation of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ runs this weekend

The following cases were considered by the Bureau County Grand Jury on July 18.

PYSL is for children aged four to 14. Players must be four years old by Aug. 31, 2025, and no older than 14 as of September 1, 2012, to enroll. PYSL is located in Princeton. The league accepts players from all surrounding communities.

A look at the top games to watch in the NewsTribune/BCR area for the 2025 football season.

Entries are being accepted for the 2025 Princeton Junior Woman’s Club Homestead Baby Contest.

A driver was charged Tuesday for a crash that killed a Princeton man on Thanksgiving weekend near Ottawa. He was using a handheld cell phone, prosecutors allege.

Sessions run from early November through mid-May and are held from 8:05 to 10:35 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Children may attend on a flexible schedule. The cost is $2 per day.

Crews continue work on the site of a future Aldi grocery store located on the southeast corner of the intersection of Backbone Road and North Main Street on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in Princeton. Crews have been working on the property since April this year. The store is expected to open by the end of the year.

The Habitat for Humanity La Salle, Bureau, Putnam Counties held a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday in Princeton. The home is located near the intersection of Cherry and Marquette Street in Princeton. A family of 6, including 4 young children, will move into the home. Volunteers interested in helping with the home are asked to contact to Habitat for Humanity La Salle, Bureau, Putnam Counties by contacting the Peru office. The home should be completed by the end of the year.

Storms caused flooding, high winds, downed trees and damaged crops throughout Bureau County on Thursday. The Bureau County Courthouse had standing water in the basement on Friday, July 11, 2025 in Princeton. Princeton received over 4 inches of rain from the storm system.

Based on Stephen King’s debut novel, “Carrie” tells the story of a bullied high school outcast with a terrifying secret—her supernatural powers. The musical is intended for young adult audiences and older.

Payton Frueh, Lydia Hardy and Karlie Schultz of Princeton High School participated in the Section 3 FFA Summer Fair held July 1 at Black Hawk East in Kewanee and July 2 in Cambridge.

Two agribusinesses got the finals votes needed to set up shop in Princeton.

Street work and sign regulations are on the table for Monday’s Princeton City Council meeting.

More than 100 people gathered Saturday morning at Princeton Rotary Park to protest President Donald Trump and what many described as rising authoritarianism in American politics just a day after the Fourth of July.

A No Kings Independence Day protest was held on Saturday, July 5, 2025 at Rotary Park in Princeton.

Princeton junior Casey Etheridge helped the football team reach the quarterfinals, placed fourth in Class 1A at 165 pounds in wrestling and qualified for state in the 300-meter hurdles in track and field.

Arukah Institute of Healing held it's annual 5K Freedom Color Run on Friday July 4, 2025 at Soldiers and Sailors Park in Princeton. A Color Run is a non-competitive Fun Run or running event where participants and observers throw brightly colored paint powder on the runners.

Eight free performances to bring Shakespeare’s classic to life in downtown Princeton

Tiskilwa native Wyatt Workman will be the featured vocal soloist for the Princeton Community Band’s concert at 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 6, in Soldiers and Sailors Park in Princeton. He will be singing Gershwin’s “But Not for Me.”

There was a three-way tie for this week’s Wyaton Hills Ladies Play of the Day for “Most Fives” on Tuesday’s July 1 between Susan Johnson, Nita Wyatt and Mary Cooney.

Illinois Department of Transportation announced that the historic bridge enters next rehabilitation phase. Phase II includes the preparation of a detailed cost estimate and expected to take 12 to 18 months to complete and will result in advertising a repair contract to bidders. Approximately $1 million is identified to pay for the needed repairs in IDOT’s most recent multiyear program. The bridge survived a number of threats, both intentional and unintentional, including arson, erosion and high winds. It also has survived several strikes by large trucks. 

Health officials are urging residents to take extra precautions against mosquito bites after mosquitoes from Granville tested positive for West Nile virus last week.

A look at the top boys track and field athletes in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

Guests can meet Solberg from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Garden Center, followed by his presentation at 11 a.m. in The Barn: “Living with Hostas: Care, Feeding, and Collecting Them While Sharing Their Joys and Sorrows.”

The Starved Rock Country Community Foundation recently awarded more than $43,000 in scholarships and a new memorial award, according to a news release.

Many Illinois communities are adding back a 1% grocery tax that will otherwise expire on Jan. 1. Is your town among them?

Vocal soloist Luke MacDonald from Festival 56 will be featured in Sunday's Princeton Community Band's Patriotic Concert

A look at the best girls track and field athletes in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

A large crowd attended The Great Pages Circus on Monday, June 23, 2025 at the Bureau County Fairgrounds in Princeton. The Great Pages Circus is a family-friendly, traveling circus that features international acts, liberty animals, aerial, juggling, clown acts, and motorcycle mayhem. Performances are held on Tuesday June 24, 2025 at 4:30p.m. and 7p.m. at the Bureau County Fairgrounds.

The city of Princeton held a ribbon-cutting of their new 1-megawatt generating solar farm on Monday, June 23, 2025, at the intersection of Peggy Land and Epperson Road in Princeton. The ground-mounted solar project includes 2,400 panels that will generate enough power to supply roughly 185 homes. The solar farm was developed by Altorfer Cat and built by ITG Construction.

A look at the best boys tennis players in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

After falling short of state last season, Princeton's Asa Gartin and Jackson Mason came back motivated this spring. The Tiger tandem went 25-5, qualified for state and went 1-2 at the state tournament.

The 13th annual Z Tour bicycle event was held on Saturday, June 21, 2025 at Zearing Park in Princeton. Z Tour is an annual charity event supporting the Zearing Child Enrichment Center, a not-for-profit organization. The event offers various paved road routes, including 10, 30, 65 mile loops. Riders begin and end at Zearing Park.

The Bureau County Cattleman celebrated the 46th annual Beef and Ag Festival on Saturday, June 21, 2025 at Soldiers and Sailors Park in Princeton. The event featured vendors, food, live music, a kids pedal pull petting zoo, bounces houses and more.

A large crowd attended the first "Down on Main Street" concert featuring country singer Mae Estes on Friday, June 20, 2025 downtown Princeton. The free public music series features more than a dozen vendors, arts and crafts and much more. Attendees also helped kicked off the community mural project with the Princeton Public Arts Commission.

Students from the Princeton High School Drama Department dressed up as characters during a Life-Sized Candyland game on Friday, June 20, 2025, at the Princeton Public Library. Kids played as a gingerbread kid while meeting characters from the classic game. Other games included minute to win it and each child got a bag of candy for attending.

The Second Story Teen Center hosted the Princeton Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours event on Thursday, June 19, 2025 at the Second Story Teen Center in Princeton. The event featured door prizes, 50/50, hors d'oeuvres and refreshments, games and tours of the new building. The Princeton Area Chamber of Commerce hosts a Business After Hours event on the third Thursday of each month. These events are a great opportunity for local business professionals to network, build relationships, and promote their businesses in a casual setting.

Today’s Play of the Day for the June 17 Wyaton Hills Ladies Day Golf was “subtract high and low score.” Anna Flaig took first place, Karen Towns second and Elise Gugerty third.

A look at the best baseball players in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

A look at the NewsTribune area's baseball stat leaders for the 2025 season.

A look at the top softball players in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

A look at the top softball players in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

Funds for the scholarships were raised through various events throughout the year. Since 2001, Princeton Rotary Club has awarded $111,500.