The projects across the 14th Congressional District, which would come under federal Community Project Funding initiative, range from protecting clean drinking water to strengthening access to quality health care in rural communities to public transit systems.

Mendota YMCA Director Steve Donnell said Wednesday that the branch is not closing, but moving towards separating from the Illinois Valley YMCA based in Peru.

The car show will feature plenty of family-friendly activities to attract residents to the one year anniversary celebration of The Coffee Barn’s opening.

The Illinois Valley YMCA in Peru and the city of Mendota are in talks about what the future holds for the Mendota facility and its programs.

Most of the tornado warnings issued Friday in the Illinois Valley were for rotating clouds and not for funnel clouds that touched down. One exception was rural Mendota.

There may have been a funnel cloud near Mendota on Friday night. The National Service has dispatched a survey team to confirm it.

A tornado warning was issued at 7:45 p.m. Friday for Bureau and Putnam counties, though officials in both had no immediate confirmation of a touchdown. A rotating cloud may have set off the alert.

The class is designed to help individuals better understand advance care planning and make informed health care decisions that reflect their personal values and goals.

Plans include the removal of a dead tree, the planting of a few new trees and the updating some of the benches at the park.

A single-family home in Sheridan that sold for $400,000 tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in La Salle County in the past week

Working as a home health care aide at night, Michelle Wiemken for years had a picture in her mind. It was her own bakery, shelves lined with breads, cookies, cakes, pies and the other sweet treats she loved to bake.

Come make memories and leave looking like a rainbow at the 5K run that starts at the soccer fields of Lake Mendota Park and takes runners around Lake Mendota and Lake Kakusha while getting splashed with eight different colors.

AARP will offer a driver safety refresher course April 13-14 at Mendota Area Senior Services, designed to help drivers 50 and older maintain driving competency and stay safe on the road.

Kids ranging from 18 months to 10 years old participated in the 2026 Mendota YMCA Easter egg hunt. These kids scrambled to find over 1,000 eggs Monday morning at Veterans Park, including three golden eggs that when found, could be exchanged for a gift basket. This is the fifth year that the Mendota YMCA has had this event, and the fourth at Veterans Park.

The University of Illinois Extension will offer a diabetes support group from 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thursday, April 9, in the OSF HealthCare Saint Paul Medical Center’s conference room C, 1401 E. 12th St., Mendota.

The Mendota Historical Society will hold a “Dr. Letitia Westgate: Medical Pioneer” program led by author Denise Moran at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at the Mendota Museum and Historical Society’s program space.

Aurora University has named the following students to the dean’s list for the fall 2025 semester.

The 881-kilowatt system is expected to span approximately 50,000 square feet of roof space and generate approximately 1 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy annually that will help power the facility plant, offsetting roughly 700 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each

ImpactLife will host a blood drive from noon to 5 p.m. Friday, April 3, at OSF Saint Paul Medical Center in Mendota, according to a news release.

The book explores the life of Dr. Westgate who was the first female physician to build and manage a hospital in the United States, according to the release.

The Easter egg hunt was originally scheduled for Saturday, April 4, but has been rescheduled for Monday, April 6 due to possible inclement weather.

“My mindset is that these kids are going to be the leaders of our town, our community, our state, our country and our world,” Hochstatter said. “I want to help make them the best humans that they could possibly be.”

The winners of the contest were Bailey Miller from Earlville, Kiley Mason from Leland, Clair Boudreau from La Salle-Peru, and Aden Tillman from Mendota, whose essay was sent on to the next level of the contest.

Graves-Hume Public Library will host an illustrated lecture on the Founding Mothers on Saturday, April 18 at 11 a.m.

Graves-Hume Public Library in Mendota is offering a variety of programs throughout April for children, teens, and adults. Registration is encouraged for all events.

Holy Cross School in Mendota released its third-quarter honor roll for the 2025-26 school year.

While many proposals were on the table and many were not acted on, the board settled on charging a $50 fee for driver’s education and raising the cost of the all-season athletic ticket package by $5 starting next school year.

Mendota Project Director Annie Short said that the celebration will include mural painting and dedication at 907 Washington Street and 728 Main Street, a full array of art activities for all ages and a nature-themed mixed media exhibition.

Mendota residents gathered Saturday, March 28, 2026, at Zion United Methodist Church for the Mendota Area Chamber of Commerce Easter Hop. The family-friendly event featured Easter activities and celebrations for the community.

The University of Illinois Extension will hold a migratory birdwatching hike for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, April 18, at Lake Kakusha, 1506 Lakeview Drive, Mendota.

First United Presbyterian Church in Mendota is going to be distributing Easter meals from 6-8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1.

OSF HealthCare announced the return of oncology services to the OSF HealthCare Saint Paul Medical Center in Mendota, starting on March 30 in the Community Health Services Department.

The YMCA is inviting kids of all ages for the event that is free and open to the public.

Children ages 3-10 are invited to participate in the Easter Hop, with children 3-6 participating from 9 - 10 a.m. and children 7-10 participating from 10 - 11 a.m.

4th Ward Alderman Mark Peasley announced that with the help of Mendota Project Director Annie Short, the city of Mendota is looking to utilize the Team Up app for deciding basic usage of public parks, fields and courts.

The Graves-Hume Public Library will have more funds for its summer reading program this summer after the Mendota City Council approved a $6,000 donation.

Demolition has begun on two buildings in the 800 block of Illinois Ave in Mendota.

Each bus, a 2025 Blue Bird Vision Gasoline 71-passenger bus, costs $114,900.

The Mendota City Council approved the closures and gave the organizers of the race extra time on the front end of the event for set up and coordination.

The Mendota High School District 280 Board of Education announced a number of personnel moves that are to take effect in the 2026-27 school year, according to documents from a closed and executive session.

A team from Fehr Graham Engineering and Environmental showed up on the morning of Tuesday, March 17 to start to tear down the buildings at 805 and 807 Illinois Avenue. This is the future site of the pavilion.

“Immigration is a huge part of the American story,” history teacher Troy Woods said. “We want our students to know where they fit in the history of this country.”

English learners across northern Illinois schools are facing growing uncertainty as federal funding cuts and policy changes threaten the programs they rely on to learn in the classroom

Shows begin at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday night, followed by a Sunday matinee performance at 2 p.m. All performances will be in the Mendota High School auditorium.

Mendota High School will host a free presentation on protecting children from online dangers on Tuesday, March 24, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the auditorium.

Here is a roundup of weather-related cancellations in the Illinois Valley.

Chief Operator of the Mendota Water and Sewer Department Nate Kim said that phase one of the project, the construction of the new building, should be done in the middle or late part of this year.

Catch up on the week’s top Illinois Valley news in minutes for March 8-14. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

More than 1,200 students received their bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Northern Illinois University in December.

Led by an experienced birder and Master Naturalist, this two-hour walk offers a chance to observe a variety of species during their spring migration through Illinois.