Jeff Helfrich

The Rochelle Police Department held its annual Cop on a Rooftop event at Dunkin Donuts on May 15 to raise money for Special Olympics Illinois.

The Hillcrest Village Board voted unanimously May 13 to waive competitive bidding for a short-term repair of the currently closed Hemstock Road bridge, which is owned by the village.

Danae White will retire this month after 25 years of teaching English at Rochelle Township High School.

Tracey Lawton will retire from Rochelle Middle School this month after 32 years of teaching eighth grade communication skills.

Glen Mehrings will retire this month after 33 years as a math and computer teacher at Rochelle Township High School and 30 years as the school's head golf coach.

Normally, the small cottages, cabins, and barns of Chaplin Creek Historic Village in Franklin Grove represent the way of life as it was in northern Illinois in the early to mid-1800s.

Rochelle's Sarah Flanagan volunteers for numerous local causes, including the Hub City Senior Center, the Rochelle Rotary Club and the Rochelle Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Dave Eckhardt of Rochelle founded From the Heart, an annual gala fundraiser that raised about $1 million for Rochelle-area nonprofits over 18 years.

Dennis Swinton’s volunteer work has included the Rochelle Kiwanis Golden K Club, the Boy Scouts, the Rochelle Moose Lodge and the Masonic Lodge.

Kevin Zilm has been a member of Rochelle Lions Club for the past 19 years, serving as the club's president for much of that time.

Cal Jacobs's volunteer history has included the Rochelle Christian Food Pantry, the Rochelle Area Community Foundation, the Rochelle Free Summer Lunch Program and a recovery committee established following a 2015 EF4 tornado that hit the area.

A Forreston woman was killed in a Wednesday morning crash in rural Forreston, an Ogle County Sheriff’s Office news release said.

Three certified staff members and four non-certified staff members are retiring from the district.

The Rochelle City Council voted 6-1 on May 11 to increase and extend its utility tax structure to pay for sidewalk improvements.

The city of Rochelle’s work on three ongoing construction projects in its downtown area is progressing to new phases with a planned total completion date of the end of 2026, Interim City Manager and City Engineer Sam Tesreau said May 6.