Utica

The Illinois Valley Animal Rescue will host its annual Building Care & Fund Auction from 4 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, at Grand Bear Lodge in Utica.

Schools in La Salle, Putnam and Marshall counties recently held their annual spelling bees.

Here’s a look at how candidates across the Illinois Valley reacted to Tuesday’s unofficial election results.

The portable classrooms at Waltham Elementary may stick around for a while. Tuesday, Utica-area voters rejected building a $10 million annex.

Here is a list of stories from our Tuesday, April 1, 2025, election coverage.

Dozens of fire vehicles respond to a structure fire Tuesday on U.S. 6, across from the golf course, in La Salle. Fire departments from Peru, La Salle, Utica, Troy Grove, Wallace, Spring Valley and Oglesby were dispatched just before 2:30 p.m. to a one-story duplex home. Traffic was shut down on U.S. 6 in both directions from Richard Hallett Road to North 29th Road.

Voter turnout was solid, if not spectacular, in La Salle-Peru thanks to contested mayoral races. Outside L-P, however, foot traffic at the polls was spotty, at best.

Check out photos on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, from Spring Valley, La Salle, Peru, Oglesby and Utica as voters head to the polls during the consolidated election.

A Chicago man is headed to prison for nine years for selling fentanyl-laced heroin to undercover agents in Utica.

About 20 visitors took a Thursday tour of Waltham Elementary, where district officials made their case for a $10 million expansion ahead of a Tuesday vote to fund it.

Waltham School Superintendent Kristi Eager led residents on a tour Thursday, March 27, 2025, and gave a presentation on why the school has outgrown its space five years after being built in Utica.

Seven Illinois Valley mayors spoke Wednesday about their cities during the State of the Cities luncheon coordinated by the Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce.

Firefighters responded to a structure fire at the former Platform 31 tavern on Monday on Water Street in Peru. The fire broke out just after 8:30 a.m. Peru Fire upgraded the scene to a third alarm, summoning fire departments from La Salle, Utica, Mendota, Tonica, Ottawa, Ladd, Spring Valley, Lostant, Cedar Point and Troy Grove.

Twenty-four local volunteers went bald during the 18th annual Illinois Valley Emergency Services St. Baldrick's event on Sunday at Senicas Oak Ridge in La Salle. More than $14,000 was raised during the event. The Illinois Valley Emergency Services St. Baldrick's event has shaved more than 1,000 heads and collected $275,000 since it began in 2007.

Here is a look ahead at some of the events or meetings coming up in the next week in the Illinois Valley.

Sidney Galvar from the Utica Public Library will be at the Hennepin Public Library at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 27, to teach the public how to crochet.

Wednesday, the Waltham Elementary School board announced graduation will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 21 – the board meets the same day at 5:30 p.m. – and students will be dismissed for summer vacation May 28.

Waltham Elementary in Utica will be hosting a community open house Thursday, March 27, to provide a tour and a presentation to keep district residents informed about the need for a possible addition.

Outdoor dining will return to Utica on Mother’s Day weekend.

Putnam County was hit hard with straight-line winds Friday night into Saturday morning, leaving hundreds without power. There were, however, no injuries.

Hundreds gathered along Mill Street to watch the St. Patrick's Day parade on Saturday, March 15, 2025, in downtown Utica.

A pair of Federal Railroad Administration train cars were seen on a side track on Saturday, March 15, near the entrance to the former Covia plant in Utica. The cars are used for inspection on the rails along with track safety, signal systems and operating practices.

Mark your calendars: The grand opening of the Market on Mill, Utica’s outdoor retail plaza, will be Saturday, May 3.

The Rock and Soul in Utica will host a Gem and Mineral Show from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, March 15 and 16, to showcase hundreds of new items fresh from the largest gem and mineral show in the world, the Tucson International Gem and Mineral Show.

Communities across northern Illinois are gearing up for Irish celebrations over St. Patrick's Day weekend.

Speakers at Tuesday night’s Women Inspired Network 2025 Kickoff event in Utica noted the organization’s growing influence and impact.

There will be three St. Patrick's Day parades Saturday, March 15, in the Illinois Valley. La Salle, Utica and Marseilles host celebrations.

Illinois Valley residents will have opportunities to celebrate St. Patrick's Day across the region with a number of events, including parades in La Salle, Utica and Marseilles.

Waltham Elementary School released its honor and high honor rolls for the second trimester of the 2024-25 school year.

The grassroots political group YANA (You Are Not Alone) is celebrating its four-year anniversary with an event at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 13, at Jamie’s Outpost, 602 Clark St., Utica.

The primary museum on Canal Street in Utica will from now on be known as the Edmund B. Thornton Canal Warehouse Museum.

For the Fall 2024 semester, the following students were named to the Presidential Honors list at Illinois Valley Community College. 

For the Fall 2024 semester, the following students were named to the Academic Honors list at Illinois Valley Community College. 

Last fall, a total of 162 students earned 185 degrees and certificates from Illinois Valley Community College. 

Going anywhere this summer? Some residents in northern Illinois were planning on visiting U.S. National Parks once school is out. Recent events have some visitors thinking twice.

A Chicago man is headed to prison after pleading guilty Thursday to selling fentanyl-laced heroin to undercover agents.

The second annual Illinois Valley Library Road Trip begins April 6.

The La Salle County Historical Society will honor benefactor Edmund B. Thornton by dedicating the Canal Warehouse Museum in his name at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 9, at 101 E. Canal St., Utica.

The fifth annual Starved Rock Art Show drew about 30 entries. To hear one Starved Rock employee tell it, picking a winner wasn't easy.

People gathered on Mill Street for the Utica Business Association's Mardi Gras parade on Saturday, March 1, 2025, in downtown Utica. Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, is March 4, and is the celebration before Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, March 5.

Here is the list of couples who applied for La Salle County marriage licenses from Feb. 1 through Feb 14, 2025.

The Starved Rock Art Show award ceremony and artist reception will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 1, at the Starved Rock State Park Visitor Center.

In the last weekend before Lent, there are Mardi Gras celebrations taking place in the Illinois Valley, including Starved Rock Country Community Foundation's Mardi Gras Carnivale and Utica's Mardi Gras parade.

The La Salle-Peru High School Board and administration are hosting a coffee talk about the recent progress made in replanting its agriculture program.

The La Salle County Board passed a rare roll call: eight “yes” votes, one “no” vote (Bill Brown, R-Utica) and with 17 members abstaining or voting “present.”

Utica plans a May 3 grand opening for the Market on Mill, the village’s outdoor retail plaza

Here's a list of indoor water parks in northern Illinois for a winter afternoon or weekend getaway.

Lynda Marlene Moshage of Waltham Township, rural Utica, recently announced her bid for Illinois Valley Community College Board of Trustees at the April 1 consolidated election.

Museums and historical sites in La Salle County are open to visitors who purchase $1 passports valid from Saturday, Feb. 15, to Monday, Feb. 17.

Utica showcased its Market on Mill retail plaza during the Winter Wine Walk on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, downtown Utica. The Market on Mill is scheduled to officially open in May. Hundreds of wine enthusiasts gathered in Utica on a winter's day to sip wine and experience a fun-filled afternoon.