Jeannine Otto

Nathan Petrie's words in his dedication of the Mills & Petrie Memorial Library in Ashton in 1936 define the mission the library director continues to carry out 90 years later.

The Sterling Fire Department also is hiring. With the two newest candidates starting at the academy March 6, the SFD is pulling applications for the position left open by a resignation.

After extensive debate and discussion, the Sterling City Council will proceed with plans for a house at 701 First Ave. in Sterling to eventually be demolished.

The Sterling City Council approved an economic development incentive agreement for improvements around a Second Street business Monday night.

Around half of the over 200 students at Amboy High School are enrolled in at least one class, with enrollment in the agriculture program hovering right around 105 students.

The Sterling Public Library, from the 1905 original Carnegie Library to the two additions in 1985 and 1995, continues to serve the changing needs and meet the reading demands of its patrons.

Most of Julie LeFevre’s seventh-grade agriculture students have had a taste of agriculture education when they get to her classroom. She sees her job as giving students a bigger bite to keep them at the table.

"Agriculture education is big." That was not the theme but it was the message Friday at the fourth Cultivating Connections in Agriculture, which celebrates agriculture education and FFA in the Sauk Valley and the larger northern Illinois region.

The way some Dixon High School students recently learned about food science and meat science is an example of how Dixon agriculture teacher Grace Klein uses hands-on learning and finds topics to hold students' attention.

Regular users of the Dogwood Bark dog park at Thomas Park in Sterling were barking up the right tree Wednesday night as they discussed concerns and talked about fundraising plans.

A majority of the students in Kelly Viall's seventh and eighth grade agriculture classes at Amboy Junior High School probably have never met an emu. But those students may have the chance to meet five of them soon.

The Sauk Valley Community College Board of Trustees heard more details about plans for a proposed public safety building on the SVCC campus at its February meeting.

Aug. 14, 2026, will be the first day of school in the Amboy School District for the 2026-2027 year, the school board has learned.

The city of Sterling wants to know from residents and businesspeople whether parking needs are being met in the downtown business district.

The Dog Park Committee, which will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, was formed after some residents voiced concerns about part of the dog park being repurposed for the massive Thomas Park improvement project.