Sterling freshman Sophia Davis ran to 10th at the Western Big 6 meet. Dixon still has a chance to clinch the BNC title on Tuesday after a loss, and more in Thursday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Although a shorthanded Sterling lost to Galesburg on Thursday night, the Golden Warriors still gained valuable experience as freshman Kylie Shank led the team in kills.

The Illinois General Assembly is expected to address transit funding, energy, grid reform and property insurance, among other issues, during its fall veto session.

Whiteside County sheriff’s deputies were called at 3:40 a.m. Thursday, to a single-vehicle ATV crash on Mellotts Road, west of Fenton

The Chicago Bears got some good injury news Thursday and gained a couple starters back on the practice field when DJ Moore and Jonah Jackson were both back.

Chicago Bears coordinators and assistant coaches met with reporters at Halas Hall in Lake Forest on Thursday as the team continued its preparations for the New Orleans Saints. Here are three of the most interesting things they said Thursday.

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois’ Republican primary for governor is growing expensive as the party’s 2022 nominee works to rebuild his campaign fund while another candidate receives support from one of the state’s wealthiest Republican donors

The TALK-LINE interview for Oct. 15 featured Shaw Local News representatives Charlene Bielema and Brandon Clark discussing local news stories, including a bakery taking over a Sterling location.

It’s time to celebrate Halloween in Rock Falls! The second annual Spooktacular Halloween Lighted Golf Cart & UTV Parade is Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. The parade route begins at Rock Falls Township High School and then goes west down Second Street.

National Dessert Day is Tuesday, Oct. 14!

The Whiteside Forum will host a presentation, Q&A, and a tour of Morrison Tech at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, at the college, located at 701 Portland Ave. in Morrison. 

Join hosts Eddie Carifio, Sam Ramirez and J.T. Pedelty as they preview Week 8 in Illinois high school football in the western and southern portions of northern Illinois

Check out these delightfully frightening haunted houses in northern Illinois, guaranteed to bring the scares this season.

Sterling has a big home game against Quincy, No. 5 Newman hosts Kewanee on Saturday, No. 10 Dixon heads to Streator, Fulton and Morrison face off for the Wooden Shoe trophy and more in this week's Sauk Valley football slate.

Sterling volleyball lost in straight sets against Galesburg at home on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.

Ben Johnson’s Chicago Bears are cultivating a culture of belief and winning, Marc Silverman writes

The TALK-LINE interview for Oct. 14 featured Kreider Services of Dixon Administrative Manager Sue Ely previewing the upcoming “Holiday Appeal,” Kreider’s largest fundraiser of the year.

Join the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for its annual Stuff the Squad event from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 15, in Dixon.

Downtown Dixon rolled out the black carpet Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, and invited shoppers, diners and hunters to check out all the area has to offer for Discover Dixon's Witches Night Out.

After dropping the first set, Rock Falls rallied to win the second, then come back from an early deficit to win the third in a 20-25, 25-16, 25-22 win over Rockford Christian.

Sam Toia, president and chief executive officer of the Illinois Restaurant Association, said, “the increased presence of ICE agents and the staging of the National Guard in Chicagoland and surrounding suburban communities is disrupting restaurant operations significantly."

The Chicago Bears would've been without five players in an estimated injury report the team released Wednesday. The players included DJ Moore, Jonah Jackson, Grady Jarrett, Cairo Santos and Noah Sewell.

From Capitol News Illinois: A bill, filed by state Sen. Laura Fine, D-Glenview, would require school districts to notify parents, students and staff when immigration enforcement is confirmed on campus

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams said he was having fun with an Instagram post in relation to ESPN broadcaster Troy Aikman. But he and the Bears also said they couldn't care less on any criticism coming outside of Halas Hall.

Join hosts Steve Soucie and Josh Welge as they preview Week 8 in Illinois high school football and dig into where we are heading into the playoffs with only two games left

Here's a list of property transfers for Whiteside County for Oct. 6-10, 2025.

Some unexpected results led to a lot of seeding changes in this week's projections. It did not, however, lead to a lot of new teams breaking into the field. Steve Soucie's latest playoff projection can be found here.

The concert begins at 6 p.m. A dessert buffet follows the concert. A free-will offering will be received.

A Lee County judge is allowing a Dixon man facing several weapons charges to be temporarily moved to a sober living home.

After pulling away in the first set and scuffling in the second, Dixon rolled in the third set on its way to a 25-18, 22-25, 25-8 win over Byron to remain undefeated in Big Northern Conference play.

Miley Bickett had 17 assists in a home win for Rock Falls. Eastland volleyball beat Polo, Dixon boys soccer beat Pecatonica 2-0 and more in Tuesday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Erie-Prophetstown showed its depth can get the job done, holding on to beat Newman 25-22, 25-23 in Three Rivers East Conference girls volleyball action.

From Capitol News Illinois: A new report about education in Illinois suggests that overall, the state has made significant progress in key areas, from readying toddlers for kindergarten to helping young adults earn college degrees or industry certificates

Munroe is currently the executive director of the Oregon Area Chamber of Commerce. Lee County Board's District 3 covers nearly all of Dixon on the Walmart side of the river, or precincts 1 through 9.

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson met with reporters virtually Tuesday a day after his team beat the Washington Commanders on a last-second field goal. Here are three of the most interesting things he said.

A proposal has been put forth to the IHSA to expand the playoff field by 96 teams and introduce a flexed regional scheduling concept to ease the pressures for teams having difficulties putting together a full football schedule

Congratulations to these 23 Illinois high school football players who were voted onto Friday Night Drive's Team of the Week for Week 7 of the 2025 high school football season

From Capitol News Illinois: Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan reported to a West Virginia federal prison on Monday to begin his 7.5-year sentence for public corruption

In a week that seemed to be a less challenging one for ranked teams, that did not come to fruition as several ranked teams were upset. Check out the shuffled rankings here:

Rock Falls hosts North Boone in their annual breast cancer awareness month game Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. Money raised will go to Home of Hope.

Rock Falls seeks more leadership from key players after a promising start against IVC led to another loss. Dixon's Landon Knigge had a five-TD first quarter, and Sterling is looking for another bounceback in this week's Sauk Valley football notes.

The Plein Air Exhibition and Stories in Portrait Exhibition, sponsored by the Rock River Valley Painters Guild, will open Oct. 22 and run through Nov. 15 at The Next Picture Show in Dixon.

Opinion from our editorial board: The details here matter. Negotiations between billion-dollar franchises and local governments must be transparent, equitable, and accountable.

Newman volleyball plays host to Erie-Prophetstown on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. Erie-Prophetstown won the match in two tight sets.

The Chicago Bears picked a momentous win Monday night when they came back to beat the Washington Commanders in the final minute. Here are the five big takeaways from a thrilling win on the road.

The Chicago Bears came back with a last-minute game-winning drive to beat the Washington Commanders, 25-24, on Monday night. Here's how the Bears did it.

Amboy's Henry Nichols took seventh and Rock Falls' Kat Scott helped lead the team to fourth at Amboy's Columbus Day invite.

The Chicago Bears will be without kicker Cairo Santos on Monday night against the Washington Commanders. Jake Moody was elevated from the practice squad earlier in the day and will fill in.

A concerned citizen reached out to the Prophetstown Police Department after observing a 12-year-old child with apparent facial injuries, according to the Illinois State Police

From Capitol News Illinois: The biggest unknown for a bill on electric utilities is whether it will include direct regulations on data centers’ use of electricity, something House Speaker Chris Welch said is possible