On this episode of Talk Line, host Brandon Clark talks with Mayor Diana Merdian about Sterling’s 2026 budget, a proposed evidence storage facility for the police department, and the latest updates on the city’s new riverfront park.

Summertime - and wintertime - care and maintenance were on the minds of the Sterling City Council as the council discussed what kind of care and maintenance the new Northwestern Steel and Wire Park is going to need.

Sterling's Layla Wright pitched a perfect game and had four RBIs in a road win. Newman, Oregon and Rock Falls softball also had wins. Newman, Sterling and Dixon baseball won, plus track & field results and more in Monday's Sauk Valley roundup.

The Iowa State Patrol has released the name of a Sterling man who died Sunday in a two-vehicle crash in Clinton, Iowa.

Christopher L. Lindsley, 42, was taken into custody on a warrant around 3 a.m. Monday after police spotted him riding a bicycle while wearing a wig on the Peoria Avenue bridge in Dixon.

Here is a preview look at each softball team across the Sauk Valley coverage area as the 2026 season gets underway.

As Shaw Media celebrates its 175th anniversary, we looked back at four front pages from March 23

This special evening of music March 28 will feature acclaimed Grammy Award–winning saxophonist Tom Scott, whose legendary career spans jazz, pop, film and television.

Sauk Valley Community College invites the community to give the gift of life during its spring blood drive Monday, March 30, in the Dillon Mall.