The little castle on Main Street in Ottawa has life once again, as Keely’s Castle recently opened at the site of the former Prince Castle ice cream shop.

The Wyanet Meat Shop, formerly known as Wyanet Meat Locker, will soon reopen under new ownership.

The Earlville volleyball team defeated Leland 22-25, 25-20, 25-10 in Monday's Class 1A Somonauk Regional quarterfinal match.

The Putnam County volleyball team advanced in regional play, plus more postseason results in Monday's NewsTribune roundup.

Henry-Senachwine senior Harper Schrock was voted NewsTribune Athlete of the Week after helping the Mallards repeat as Tri-County Conference Tournament champions.

Illinois Valley Community College recognized three retired professionals with emeritus status during the Tuesday, Oct. 21, Board of Trustees meeting.

The suspect in the Streator City Park shooting will stand trial Feb. 2.

The Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce and Vintage Vines hosted a ribbon-cutting on Thursday, Oct. 23 to celebrate the continued growth of downtown Spring Valley.

The IVCC women's cross country team placed second in the NJCAA Division II Region IV Meet on Saturday and had runners Addyson Miller and Tatiana Serna qualify for the national meet.

The Oglesby Elks will hold their inaugural “Sip and Shop” event on Saturday, Nov. 8.

For more than five decades, if you ordered a pizza at Sam’s Pizza in Oglesby more than once, chances are owner Sammy Leone knew your order when you came in and never had to write it down.

Mort’s Pub set a new fundraising record by raising $17,000 for the Illinois Veterans Home in La Salle during its annual golf outing, surpassing last year’s $14,000 donation.

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

Bureau Valley High School recently announced its honor roll for the first quarter of the 2025-26 school year.

Christopher Leonard, director of counseling and psychological Services at Wichita State University, has been named Staff of the Year by the Kansas Board of Regents.

A look at the first-round playoff games for Princeton and Amboy.

The Bureau Valley boys cross country team was second and Princeton girls were third at the Class 1A Seneca Regional, plus more results in Saturday's NewsTribune roundup.

The Mendota boys soccer team beat Schaumburg Christian 4-0 on Saturday to win its seventh consecutive regional championship.

The No. 3-seeded Kankakee boys soccer team defeated No. 2 La Salle-Peru 6-0 on Saturday in the Class 2A Ottawa Regional championship.

La Salle-Peru committed four turnovers that led to 17 points for O'Fallon as a seven-point game at halftime turned into a 34-0 loss for the Cavaliers.

Princeton scored on all five of its first-half drives - two set up by interceptions - and the Tigers rolled to a 48-0 rout of playoff-bound Erie-Prophetstown.

Early turnovers led to a three-touchdown deficit that Hall-Putnam County couldn't overcome in a 48-21 loss to 2A No. 1 Rockridge on Friday.

A 16-year-old was taken to OSF Saint Elizabeth Medical Center in Peru after falling about 30 feet on Friday at Matthiessen State Park, Illinois Conservation Police Sgt. Phil Wire said.

La Salle County Clerk Jennifer Ebner announced she will seek re-election in 2026, aiming to build on improvements made during her first term.

A Streator man who set fire to the New Brite Spot in Ottawa in 2023 admitted Friday to violating his probation. John F. Smith could go to prison this time.

Illinois Valley Community College’s Red Cross Club and Student Nurses Association will sponsor a blood drive from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28, in the College Gymnasium.

The Mendota Historical Society has extended its exhibition, “Where Our Paths Meet: Journeys to Mendota”, through Dec. 14, at the Hume-Carnegie Museum.

The La Salle-Peru and St. Bede volleyball teams won their regular season finales to earn shares of their respective conference titles, plus more results in Thursday's NewsTribune roundup.

He was facing up to 30 years for holding up a credit union in Streator – and then got caught with a gun – but Charles Spencer’s testimony helped put away a murderer and won him a break.

She is alleged to have hidden in an attic crawl space while drug agents raided her Streator home. That, a judge ruled Thursday, made Tiffany Daniels a bad risk for pre-trial release.

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.

The Mound is a baseball and softball training facility in Oglesby dedicated to helping athletes develop their skills and passion for the game year-round.

Police and prosecutors would like to see the SAFE-T Act repealed, which Springfield is unlikely to do. But can the act be fixed? Local law enforcement had a few suggestions.

Johan Cortez scored three times and Cesar Casas twice as Mendota soccer moved into the Class 1A regional finals. Plus more scores in Wednesday's News Tribune sports roundup.

A Streator woman was charged with multiple felonies after a Wednesday drug raid yielded purported crack and powder cocaine plus methamphetamine.

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

A La Salle County grand jury convened Tuesday and returned the following indictments.

The La Salle County Clerk’s Office is switching to a new voter registration system and will be unable to make updates for several weeks.

The Village of North Utica has canceled its meetings of the Planning Commission and the committee of the whole, previously set for Thursday, Oct. 23.

Meyers, Flowers, Bruno, McPhedran and Herrmann - When we turn to doctors and hospitals, we expect safe and skilled care. Most of the time that is what we receive.

A grand reopening at Debo Ace Hardware in Peru is Saturday, following the store’s completion of a remodel.

The drop-in session runs from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Academic Support Center, room A201, on the IVCC campus.

The L-P volleyball team won a conference match and more results in Tuesday's NewsTribune roundup.

The St. Bede volleyball team beat Henry-Senachwine in three sets Tuesday to put the Bruins in position to earn a share of the Tri-County Conference title.

The Illinois Valley Parkinson’s Support Group will hold its monthly meeting from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, at the Utica fire station on Route 178 just south of Casey’s.

A Pennsylvania teen who donated money to Illinois Valley Animal Rescue (among thousands of other pet shelters) has succumbed to cancer.

Got a question or concern about Mendota acquiring the old Phalen Steel building? There will be an opportunityto chime in right before the next city council meeting.

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

The faculty and students of St. Bede Academy have selected seniors Emma Slingsby and Weston Heersink as the 2025-2026 winners of the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) and SAR (Sons of the American Revolution) Good Citizenship awards.

Henry, Bureau Valley and Earlville won in volleyball and more results in Monday's NewsTribune roundup.