Whiteside County

Events include the Bellson Music Fest on June 7 at RB&W District Park, 201 E. Second St., and the Sick The Magazine Block Party on July 19 in downtown Rock Falls.

The River Bend Board of Education may need to seek public funding in the form of a referendum in spring 2026, according to a district statement.

Due to contractor delays, the start of the closure has been postponed to June.

Ebenezer Reformed Church is hosting 7 p.m. program featuring Pastors Darin and Korene Sturtz.

A Sterling man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty Wednesday, May 7, 2025, to fatally stabbing a man found severely injured last August in a vehicle that crashed in the hospital parking lot.

A Whiteside County judge will decide Friday, May, 9, whether Kyle Cooper’s trial will begin Tuesday, May 13. That decision will follow a hearing on whether the Illinois Attorney General's Office will be able to intervene in the case on behalf of the Illinois State Police.

Read the transcript from our Talk-Line podcast: Shaw Local Editor Charlene Bielema on our Thank You Teachers section and more local news in the Sauk Valley.

From the May 7 Talk-Line: Shaw Local Editor Charlene Bielema details our Thank You Teachers special section and more local news in the Sauk Valley

Whiteside County Sheriff John Booker made the announcement Tuesday, May 6, 2025.

Representatives from Business Employment Skills Team, Inc. and Illinois Department of Employment Security will be on hand to share information and resources for area job-seekers.

A pavement replacement project on the U.S. 30 bridge over the Mississippi River between Clinton, Iowa and Fulton will require closing the roadway to traffic from May 7-9. The Illinois 136 bridge, also known as the North Bridge, will close May 12 to Sept. 30.

Here is a list of property transfers for Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties for April 14-27, 2025.

Jackson Miller, 13, of Prophetstown, died at the scene of the crash in the 18000 block of Lomax Road. Whiteside County deputies were dispatched to that location shortly after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in reference to the crash.

Applications are now available for this year’s teacher training titled “Roads, Rivers and Rails,” created for pre-school through high school educators who want to expand their curriculum while including topics related to agriculture.

The teen’s name has not yet been officially released.

Power restored Tuesday, April 29, to ComEd customers across Whiteside County.

The new interactive online space helps families and caregivers find local early childhood resources, programs, events, developmental screenings and childcare information in Lee, Whiteside and Ogle counties.

Here is a list of the graduation dates and times for high schools throughout the Sauk Valley.

State Rep. Brad Fritts, R-Dixon, will partner with the Lee County Health Department and Dixon Family YMCA to host a sharps drop-off drive from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 8, in the Dixon Family YMCA parking lot.

The fair runs from Tuesday, Aug. 12, through Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Whiteside County Fairgrounds, 201 W. Winfield St. in Morrison.

Ronald Coleman admitted earlier this year that he was driving a semi-truck and trailer carrying over 91 kilograms of cocaine on I-88 in Whiteside County in 2023 while on his way to a warehouse in Chicago, where he was to exchange the cocaine for cash.

Kristophur Johnson was charged June 4, 2024, with sex assault as well as one count of aggravated battery accusing him of pushing a woman to the ground in the 18000 block of Blue Goose Road in rural Morrison and one count of unlawful restraint.

State Rep. Bradley Fritts, R-Dixon, honored Dallas Knack and Dr. Jennifer Hintzsche on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at the Women to Watch event in Springfield.

The annual student trade show was part of the Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities program at the Whiteside Area Career Center in Sterling. Now in its 12th year, the program is a year-long high school course that teaches students the basics of starting and running a business.

The publicly available data was collected by the Illinois State Board of Education.

Here is a list of property transfers for Lee, Whiteside and Ogle counties for April 7-20, 2025.

The Whiteside Area Career Center CEO program student trade show took place Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at Northland Mall in Sterling.

Kyle Cooper, 36, is accused of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery in connection with the Feb. 14 stabbing death of Daniel Gordon, 27, outside of a Rock Falls residence.

Catholic church leaders in Joliet and Rockford dioceses react to the passing of Pope Francis, who died early Monday morning.

A Sterling woman has been fined a combined $3,400 in two separate animal neglect cases in which she was charged with hoarding and neglecting cats.

The Fulton City Council is discussing the development of single family households as a part of ongoing talks with Ryan Eissens Construction.

The 2025 theme for Dutch Days is the celebration of de Immigrant, Fulton’s authentic, Dutch, working windmill.

A tornado watch is in effect for Bureau, Putnam, Marshall, Woodford and Whiteside counties until 11 p.m. Sunday; and La Salle, Grundy, Lee, Livingston, Kankakee, Ford and Iroquois counties until 4 a.m. Monday.

Here is a list of property transfers for Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties for April 7-13, 2025.

Brett A. Holcomb, 35, was arrested by Sterling police shortly after 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 16, in the 1500 block of West Fourth Street and taken to the Whiteside County Jail, where he remained jailed Thursday.

The Whiteside Area Career Center has announced its list of students of the month for March 2025.

Voters this week in Whiteside, Lee, Ogle and Carroll counties determined who will make the important decisions regarding their communities, schools, townships, fire departments, parks and libraries. See the results here.

Kane, a full-service K-9 who will be working alongside Deputy Jacob Wilging, joins the department to assist in a variety of law enforcement functions.

A Whiteside County judge has directed the Illinois State Police to videotape blood and DNA testing to be carried out at the state crime lab in connection with a Rock Falls fatal stabbing case.

The event will be in the program room at the Odell Public Library.

Longtime Fulton resident to be honored May 2-3.

The Office of the State Fire Marshal received 347 applications, requesting around $7.7 million in funding for this grant period.

Kyle Cooper appears in court for a hearing Friday, April 4, 2025, in Whiteside County. Cooper is charged with first-degree murder in the Feb. 14 stabbing death of Daniel Gordon of Rock Falls.

A Sterling woman has been charged with multiple traffic offenses, including two felonies, after police say she attempted to elude authorities in Rock Falls and ended up hitting a parked vehicle.

Michael W.T. Bennett Jr. will be moved from the Kane County Juvenile Justice Center in St. Charles to the Whiteside County Jail in Morrison on May 17, the day he turns 18.

The funds will be used to purchase new tools, enhancing the hands-on learning experience for students pursuing careers in construction, according to a news release.

The Whiteside County Public Safety Tax Referendum passed with 3,667 votes for the measure and 2,907 against it. A total of 6,822 of the county’s 37,881 voters (18%) cast their ballots to decide the referendum’s fate.

Total voter turnout was 16.77% of the 22,248 registered voters in Lee County and 18.01% of 37,881 in Whiteside.

According to unofficial election results, Jim Wise has been reelected to his seat, while newcomer Allen Przysucha was elected to the council by unseating current alderwoman Kaitlyn Ekquist.

According to unofficial vote totals, the measure passed with 55% approval on a vote count of 3,667 yes votes to 2907 no votes.