From cake pops to candles, auto detailing to window washing, 31 students in the Whiteside Area Career Center’s CEO program will be showing and selling the fruits of their labor at the annual WACC CEO student trade show Wednesday and Thursday at Northland Mall in Sterling.

Sterling’s Eli Penne pitched a complete game in a 2-1 win over Quincy. Newman's Evan Bushman and Dixon's Daniel Fordham pitched complete games, Morrison's Ava Duncan pitched a shutout against Eastland, Fulton girls track won and more in Tuesday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Rock Falls senior Carter Hunter hopes to see more passion from the team after an 8-3 loss to North Boone. Hunter led the Rockets with three hits and scored two runs from the leadoff spot.

From Capitol News Illinois: The mother of a young woman to whom the Trump administration dedicated Operation Midway Blitz testified to the Illinois Accountability Commission on Monday, saying her daughter would not have wanted this legacy

A new landmark was recently discovered at Franklin Creek State Park, with a celebration set to mark its discovery.

Ellyn Schoenholz and Marla VanVickle were recognized for contributions to the 74th District.

The Chicago Bears prioritized adding speed to their defense for much of the offseason, including last week's NFL draft. Will that speed lead to better defensive play next season?

From the Illinois Answers Project: Mental health courts have proliferated across Illinois in recent decades. Now, the state has 31 courts across 25 counties. There’s at least one in most of the state’s judicial circuits, but about two million Illinoisans are still left out.

Despite limited research and transparency, Illinois counties have continued to launch new mental health courts, and advocates call for more, raising big questions about fiscal accountability and oversight

Newman's Ray Sharp, Eastland's Tyler Zumdahl and Oregon's Jarrett Reynolds were named IBCA Coaches of the Year on the boys side. Newman's Herb Martin, Eastland's Nicole Brinker and Dixon's Luke Ravlin were recognized on the girls side.

A new landmark was recently discovered at Franklin Creek State Park. A celebration is set to mark the discovery.

Rock Falls fell to North Boone 8-3 in varsity baseball Tuesday, April 28, 2026.

Sterling Main Street's annual car show is Sunday, May 3, at Sterling Marketplace.

Sterling's Paizley Johnson won the long jump and triple jump, Kaelee Varden won the 100 hurdles and high jump, Rock Falls' Kat Scott won the 1,600, Dixon softball fell 5-4 and more in Monday's Sauk Valley roundup.

From Capitol News Illinois: The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld all of ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan’s bribery and other corruption convictions, writing in a 29-page ruling Monday

From Capitol News Illinois: A federal agency says Illinois can’t limit credit card swipe fees for federally chartered banks, even though a federal judge earlier this year ruled that it could.

Ohio senior Jillian Anderson has been selected to the Northwest Illinois All-Star Game on June 9 at Highland Community College in Freeport. She was a first-team All-BCR selection, named first-team NUIC All-Conference for the Amboy co-op.

As tornadoes hit Northern Illinois, millions are turning to livestreaming weather creators instead of traditional forecasts — raising new questions about how people stay safe

A Rock Falls man has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to a weapons charge.

Some of the best runners in Illinois and surrounding states assembled for the prestigious Distance Night in Palatine, and Dixon’s Dean Geiger definitely proved he belonged. He won the 800 to lead the Dukes.

High turnover can mean instability for teachers, making it harder for them to improve student outcomes, research shows. How does your school compare?

Milledgeville senior Kendra Kingsby is the Sauk Valley Athlete of the Week, presented by Loescher Heating and Air Conditioning. She pitched 18 innings in two complete-game wins against Eastland for the Missiles (11-5, 6-0 NUIC South). Here is her Q&A.

The Chicago Bears added to their roster over three days during the NFL Draft. Shaw Local's Michal Dwojak and Joe Aguilar break down whether they think the Bears did enough to fix their needs.

COLUMN: Starchy foods can be part of a healthy diet if you keep two things in mind, namely processing and preparation.

The Chicago Bears continued bolstering their roster after the NFL Draft by signing undrafted free agents. Here’s a look at the undrafted rookie free agents who the Bears reportedly are signing.

From Capitol News Illinois: Water supply concerns are furthered by the development of data centers, particularly in regions with depleted aquifers

Firefighters work at the scene of a fire in the 800 block of Avenue I on Monday, April 27, 2026, in Sterling.

Check out pictures from a busy week in the Sauk Valley for April 17-23, 2026.

Mother's Day is Sunday, May 10.

Strong to severe storms are expected across northern Illinois on Monday, with the greatest risk for damaging winds and hail arriving late afternoon into the evening

Writing is a solitary activity. An author might spend more than 1,000 hours working on a book they hope the masses will want to read.

An overwhelming majority of America’s farmers who responded to a nationwide survey say they cannot afford to purchase enough fertilizer to get them through the year.

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois launched two websites last week that share various work, training and volunteer opportunities that meet federal food assistance work requirements

Meals will be served from 5 to 7 p.m. May 1.

Catch up on the week’s top Sauk Valley news for April 19-25 in minutes. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

From Capitol News Illinois: A Cook County judge will rule next month on a petition to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate — and possibly charge — alleged abuses by federal immigration agents during the Trump administration’s “Operation Midway Blitz” deportation campaign

The new system offers park users a more user-friendly system for making reservations and securing permits, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources said.

A rural residence in Compton that sold for $1.03 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Lee County / Whiteside during the past week.

The 2026 NFL draft is in the book and the Chicago Bears selected seven prospects over three days. Here’s a look at every player the Bears drafted this weekend.

Karter Livengood hit two home runs and had eight RBIs in a Milledgeville win. Rock Falls' Zoey Silva pitched two complete games, Fulton's Wrenn Coffey hit for the cycle, Oregon girls soccer shut out Mendota and more in Saturday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson met with reporters at Halas Hall in Lake Forest on Saturday to recap the 2026 NFL draft. Here are three of the most interesting things the Bears said Saturday.

The Chicago Bears used their final selection of the NFL draft to address defensive tackle, selecting Georgia Tech’s Jordan ven den Berg in the sixth round at No. 213.

The Chicago Bears continued to boost their defense in the fifth round of the NFL draft on Saturday afternoon, selecting Arizona State linebacker Keyshaun Elliott at No. 166.

The Chicago Bears started the final day of the NFL by boosting their secondary once again, this time selecting Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad in the fourth round at No. 124.

MEIER: We hear the term "hacked" often, in the context of credit cards, bank accounts, and social media accounts.

Forecasters warn of an all-hazards severe weather threat on Monday, including tornadoes, hail, and flooding rain

In dueling appearances Friday, Gov. JB Pritzker and his Republican rival in the Nov. 3 election, Darren Bailey, outlined fixes for legislation intended to anchor the Chicago Bears in Illinois

Heath A. Knipple, 46, was charged July 2, 2025, with six counts of Class X felony dissemination of images of child sex abuse, with each count listing the victim as younger than 13. The charges carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison if he is convicted.

E-P's Ava Grawe hit two home runs, Fulton girls track took second at Oregon's Landers-Loomis Invitational, Sterling softball beat Eastland, E-P track won at home, Fulton baseball beat Rock Falls and more in Friday's Sauk Valley roundup.

A pursuit across Ogle County fields and through a waterway ended in a rollover crash Friday afternoon that killed one person and sent two others to a regional trauma center.