Dancers performe during the Our Lady of Guadalupe vigil Chichimeca dance on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2025 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in La Salle. The Chichimeca dance is a vibrant, Indigenous-rooted devotional tradition where dancers (Danzantes) perform to honor the Virgin Mary's appearance to Juan Diego in 1531, symbolizing faith, hope, and cultural fusion, often involving elaborate costumes, feathers, and drumming, leading up to the main Feast Day on December 12th, with celebrations happening globally in parishes.

Dani Holland from Shaw Local Radio interviews Anne with the Hegler Carus Mansion. She talks about last-minute tickets for their "Oh Christmas Tree" tour, along with an upcoming Valentine's Day dinner

Experience the magic of the season with a cozy carriage ride through the Celebration of Lights in La Salle. Carriage rides are offered in November and December at Rotary Park. The last ride is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 11. Prices are $25 per person or $200 for the entire wagon up to a dozen people. The carriage rides are organized by the Illinois Valley Chamber of Commerce. For more information visit https://www.ivaced.org/carriage-rides.

Churches across La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties have announced their Christmas Eve and Christmas Day service schedules for 2025.

The Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra will perform Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” with live orchestra and local dancers for two shows this weekend at Matthiessen Auditorium. The holiday performances are scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 14, at La Salle-Peru Township High School District 120. Dancers from The Dance Center of La Salle, Gray’s School of Dance in Ottawa, and Dancenter of Streator and Pontiac will perform alongside the orchestra. The Illinois Valley Youth Choir, directed by Jenilyn Roether, will join the production as the Snowflake Chorus.

La Salle police are buying a hybrid squad car that will save the department money, but which won’t mean less power and acceleration.

Oglesby Knights of Columbus recently donated $1,500 to the Academy of St. Carlo Acutis.

Catch up on the week’s top Illinois Valley news in minutes for Nov. 30-Dec. 6. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

The City of La Salle celebrated their annual Miracle on First Street on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025 downtown La Salle.

"Day" Jones interviews Stephen Wolf, who will be participating in Dreamwave's Good as Gold event this Saturday at the Kaycee Club in La Salle

The show is a fundraiser supporting the recent renovation of the auditorium. It will feature local performers singing and dancing to a variety of holiday favorites.

Grace United Methodist Church in La Salle will offer a Blue Christmas service at 6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 18.

Students collected donations during the Small School Big Hearts campaign on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025 at Dimmick School in La Salle. The “Small School, Big Hearts” campaign is a toy drive organized by third graders and celebrates the power of kindness, generosity and community spirit. Gifts will be wrapped and sent to Officer Santa with the La Salle Police Department and St. Jude. The school is accepting donations through Dec. 12.

Third-graders at Dimmick School have been working to spread a little Christmas cheer.

Dimmick School in La Salle has announced its honor roll and high honor roll students for the first trimester of the 2025-26 school year.

Catch up on the week’s top Illinois Valley news in minutes for Nov. 23-29. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

Heavy snow continues to fall across the Illinois Valley on Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Roads are snow-covered. A total of 7-11 inches of snow is possible for the region with higher amounts further west.

A windy and cold Thanksgiving morning didn’t stop runners from showing up to the 47th Annual Oglesby Turkey Trot, which drew just shy of 1,300 participants.

The Carlo Acutis girls basketball team beat Annawan 44-13 on Tuesday to win the IESA Class 1A Annawan Regional championship.

The improvements to its La Salle theater have been a hit, but Stage 212 seeks additional help meeting its fundraising goal.

The La Salle-Peru Township High School District 120 Board accepted separation agreements Tuesday for the district’s superintendent and business manager following an investigation into alleged misconduct involving the two administrators.

The Illinois State Scholar Program identifies graduating high school seniors with superior academic potential based on college entrance examination scores and high school achievement records.

The workshop is free and open to families with children of all ages.

The La Salle-Peru Township High School Renaissance Students of the Month were recognized during a breakfast ceremony on Wednesday.

The La Salle-Peru Township High School District 120 Board of Education will hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 25, to discuss unnamed staff, according to an agenda released Saturday.

Catch up on the week’s top Illinois Valley news in minutes for Nov. 16-22. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

The La Salle-Peru High School District 120 Board of Education President Greg Sarver said students are not involved in the ongoing investigation into a report of district employee misconduct.

Farmers are rebuilding turkey flocks hit hard by avian flu, and overall demand has declined. That combination is helping keep turkey costs down for families this Thanksgiving.

Clayton Theisinger, of La Salle, will be La Salle-Peru Township High School’s new superintendent.

The La Salle-Peru High School District 120 Board of Education has confirmed that it is investigating a report of misconduct by a district employee.

The two-story center will have two classrooms, an agriculture maintenance shop, a greenhouse, a veterinary science building, a kitchen, a learning center, a student store and an FFA office.

Annie from Shaw Local radio interviews Chris Mueller, a La Salle native with 15 years of service, who tells what he did during active duty and reserve duty, and what he's doing now

Shaw Local Radio's Annie interviews Jerry Bacidore, a La Salle native on Veterans Day. Bacidore spoke about his active duty service, reserve service, and Team Rubicon, a volunteer organization started by a combat vet

La Salle's Celebration of Lights runs from early November through New Year's Day at Rotary Park. The free drive-through display is open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Donations are welcome. With over 400 unique and original displays, the Celebration of Lights at Rotary Park is one of the biggest and brightest Christmas light celebrations in North Central Illinois.

La Salle-Peru Township High School will host a community meeting from 6 to 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 17, at Matthiessen Memorial Auditorium, announcing the next stage of replanting the agriculture program.

Check out photos from the Frosty on First event by MaKade Rios.

Check out aerial photos from the inaugural Frosty on First event on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025 downtown La Salle.

What began as a volunteer project for La Salle-Peru student Ryne Bubela has grown into the Illinois Valley Learning Hub, a free tutoring service to help local kids reach their potential in the classroom.

A La Salle County grand jury convened Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, and returned the following indictments.

The La Salle Rotary Club will host its 55th Annual Draw Down Thursday, Nov. 6, at the Paramount Catering Hall, 2411 St. Vincent’s Ave.

La Salle County authorities have identified the victim killed in a two-vehicle crash Tuesday on Interstate 39 between Oglesby and Tonica.

La Salle-Peru Township High School senior Claire Boudreau was named the 2025-26 Daughters of the American Revolution Citizenship Award winner.

La Salle-Peru Township High School senior Madelaine Johns was named the 2025-26 Sons of the American Revolution Citizenship Award winner.

Search our table to see what designation your La Salle County school received on the 2025 school report card.

The Fort du Rocher Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution met Oct. 11 at the Illinois Veterans Home in La Salle, with Regent Beverly Richardson presiding.

'Puffs' will be presented Nov. 14-16 and Nov. 21-23.

Catch up on the week’s top Illinois Valley news in minutes for Oct. 19-25. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

The fully immersive experience, including the macabre aspects of death in the Victorian Era, will take place from 6 to 9 p.m. from Oct. 23 to Oct. 25, according to a Hegeler Carus news release.

Police and drug agents seized nearly 2 ounces of purported heroin during a Tuesday traffic stop in rural La Salle.

Over the past three years, fatal overdoses have been down by about two-thirds in La Salle County, according to County Coroner Rich Ploch. And while they can’t take full responsibility, the Perfectly Flawed Foundation is certainly making a difference