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Crews are close to completing a new solar farm located in the 9900 block of Illinois Route 71 on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 in Granville. The Corn Belt Granville substation will provide energy to 650 members. The 1.5 megawatt farm sits on 9 acres with a total of 2,678 panels. The substation has only a single transmission feed with no redundancy. The solar farm and battery energy storage system will provide backup power to the substation during transmission outages. The solar farm will use a single-axis tracking system, allowing the solar panels to track the sun from east to west. This provides 5% to 6% more energy than a fixed array while utilizing a smaller footprint.

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La Salle firefighters responded to a fully engulfed two-story home in the 800 block of Bucklin Street on Friday, Jan. 23. A woman, her son and their dog evacuated safely before crews arrived. Firefighters from La Salle, Peru, Oglesby and Utica fire departments worked together to battle the blaze in subzero temperatures. Peru Fire Department provided an aerial truck to help crews reach the roof. Firefighters broke windows and cut a hole in the roof to access the seat of the fire. Bucklin Street was closed between 8th and 9th Streets during firefighting operations.

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Princeton High School sports teams could be playing future games in a fieldhouse. In December, the Princeton City Council amended its zoning ordinances to accommodate a proposed fieldhouse for the Princeton School District. The project is in the beginning stages. The school district is considering purchasing 15 acres north of Liberty Village for a 50,000 to 80,000 square foot indoor sports complex. The facility would also include parking. The fieldhouse concept would serve both youth and high school teams. The site is located behind the Princeton High School softball field, known as Little Siberia.

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Kaneland, Princeton and L-P girls and boys wrestling teams competed duing a wrestling meet on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026 in Sellett Gymnasium at L-P Hich School.

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Take a look from above of the newly proposed sports complex behind John F. Kennedy School on the north side of town. Earlier this month, Gov. JB Pritzker announced a$245,000 grant funding through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to pave the way for a future sports complex in Spring Valley.

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A search party was organized by the family of Villa Herrera on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 at Advanced Asphalt in Utica. Herrera went missing on Sunday, Jan. 11, after being involved in a crash at the Utica roundabout. He was last spotted walking on foot and wearing a white and grey windbreaker jacket and jeans. Agencies with Central K9 Search in Spring Valley and Eye in the Sky in Bloomington helped the family with the search. La Salle County Sheriff's Office has also searched the ground and air surrounding the crash site.

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L-P defeated Dixon 69-46 on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026 in Sellett Gymnasium at L-P High School.

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The Hiawatha boys basketball hosted DePue Tuesday night in Kirkland.

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Over 40 organizations across Bureau County gathered for a group photo during a Lending a Hand funds distribution of checks totaling $200,000 on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2026 at the Closet in Princeton. The Closet has donated 2.3 million dollars to area organizations over the past 16 years.