SPRINGFIELD – With the REAL ID May 7 enforcement date approaching, Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias wants Illinoisans to get the facts about REAL IDs as many scramble to get one.

SPRINGFIELD – Opponents say Senate Bill 2217 will be detrimental to rural Illinoisans by dissolving townships that have population sizes less than 5,000.

MENDOTA – When Black Brothers announced they were presenting Reimagine Mendota with a match donation of up to $100,000 in February 2024, the civic group knew it had to think of ways to raise money.

OGLESBY – Nursing instructor Samantha Whiteaker of Arlington received IVCC’s 2025 Stephen Charry Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence.

SPRINGFIELD – Gov. JB Pritzker announced the sixth annual winner of the “Makers Madness” contest recently in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD – As spring sets in and more people head outside, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) is reminding everyone to leave baby birds and young animals alone when they encounter them in the wild.

MENDOTA – El Paso-Gridley dominated on both the boys’ and girls’ sides as each of the Titan teams took first place in the Don Gooden Track & Field Invitational on April 12 at the Prusator Sports Complex.

SENECA – The Mendota girls’ track team went up against four other schools in the Fighting Irish meet at Seneca on April 10.

The Mendota girls’ soccer team blanked Sterling, 3-0, on April 9 at the MHS field.

MENDOTA – Matthew J. Gambrel, 54, of Mendota, passed away unexpectedly on April 18, 2025, at OSF Saint Paul Medical Center, his loving wife by his side.

La MOILLE – Burial of John M. Littlewood's ashes will take place at Greenfield Cemetery in La Moille at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 26, 2025, followed by a fellowship luncheon and sharing of remembrances at the Community United Methodist Church in La Moille.

EARLVILLE – Michael S. Kelly, 67, of Earlville, passed away Monday, April 14, 2025, at OSF St. Anthony Medical Center in Rockford, with his loving family by his side.