MENDOTA – Preparations by the candidates are winding down as the 77th annual Sweet Corn Festival Queen Pageant is fast approaching.

MENDOTA – The members of the Holy Cross eighth grade boys’ basketball team have been the talk of the town since their magical, state championship run.

OGLESBY – The first day of classes is a critical date for college students to remember, but they won’t want to miss a key deadline coming up in two weeks. Tuition for Illinois Valley Community College’s fall classes is due July 31.

DIXON – Lee County Sheriff Clay Whelan is excited to announce the release of a custom smartphone application.

OGLESBY – The Illinois Valley Community College Board of Trustees on July 11 approved a $41 million tentative budget and set a public hearing on the document next month.

MENDOTA – A 47-year-old man was killed in a single-vehicle accident on Route 251 north of Mendota on July 14.

PARIS, Ill. – It was a magical run for the Mendota Little League 10U All-Stars over the last three weeks, culminating with a runner-up finish at the Illinois State Tournament on July 16 in Paris, Ill.

MENDOTA – The Mendota Trojans will appear five times on their home turf during the 2024 regular football season.

SPRINGFIELD – Waterfowl hunters should mark their calendars for upcoming waterfowl blind drawings at several public hunting areas in Illinois.

SUBLETTE – Susan Marie (Leffelman) Ennenbach, 69, of Eureka, Mont., formerly of Sublette, passed into eternal life on July 18, 2024.

DEXTER, Mo. – Mark Lawrence Salander, 72, of Dexter, Mo., passed quietly surrounded by family on July 15, 2024, after a short battle with cancer.

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Janet Alene (Brown) Rusk, 89, of Lawrence, Kan., passed away peacefully in her sleep on July 15, 2024. Janet was in the Pioneer Ridge Nursing Home in 2015 until present.