Arnold Heltness American Legion Post 403 of Rochelle hosts an essay contest in January and February each year. Essay winners from several local schools were presented their awards Tuesday.

The Creston Village Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to purchase property located next to the village’s maintenance shed for $80,000.

The Vintage Shop Hop, featuring vintage, thrift and antique stores across northern Illinois and Wisconsin, is March 6 and 7.

The musical adventure “Paint Your Wagon” is driving into Mt. Morris this spring.

Stillman Valley High School Students of the Month for February were recently named.

Officials in several northern Illinois counties say regulating steer-tailing events at backyard rodeos is up to state legislators, but charges filed in McHenry County could prove otherwise

A Davis Junction woman who was the subject of a 9 1/2-hour missing persons search was found dead Wednesday afternoon, Ogle County Sheriff Brian VanVickle said Wednesday night.

The next Human Services Transportation Plan Regional Transportation Committee meeting for Region 3 (Bureau, DeKalb, Grundy, Kendall, LaSalle, Lee, Ogle and Putnam counties) will be Friday, March 27.

The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies in the Davis Junction area are searching for a missing 68-year-old woman who has dementia.

Stillman Valley High School sophomore student Casey McCleary has been appointed to the Illinois High School Association Student Advisory Committee.

Voters in many Illinois counties will see a question on their March 17 primary election ballots asking if Illinois should opt into a voucher-style federal scholarship program that would give donors a tax credit. It was created in the Big Beautiful Bill.

With a donation from CHS Ethanol, Ogle County 4-H purchased seven new laptops. These devices will support Tech Club meetings, Project Workshop days and Ogle County Fair volunteers and judges, expanding access to technology-based programming and needs.

As we move closer to spring here in Rochelle, the temperatures are finally beginning to feel far more comfortable than the below-zero stretch we experienced not long ago.

As the weather begins to warm, construction is set to ramp up throughout downtown Rochelle. The city expects work on the project to continue through December.

Oregon High School Theater will present “The Sound of Music!” this month.

Here are the 2025-26 All-Interstate 8 Conference boys wrestlers, as voted on by I-8 coaches.

Here is the 2025-26 All-Interstate 8 girls wrestling team, as voted on by I-8 coaches.

Ogle County recently released the marriage licenses it issued during February 2026.

The OCSWMD also encourages alternatives to open burning, such as field application, chipping and composting.

An 80-year-old ag equipment company in Oregon is still shaping land and lives. At Woods Equipment, the machines matter, but the people who use them matter more.

The two remaining members of the Rochelle Township High School class of 1943 recently met at Luna in Rochelle to celebrate another year.

Oregon Community Unit School District 220 announced that Ryan Huels, principal of Oregon Elementary School, has recently been recognized at both the national and state levels for his leadership in education.

Quincy University released its dean’s list for the fall 2025 semester.

Here's a list of Ogle County property transfers for Feb. 23-27, 2026.

The city of Rochelle wants the Prairie State power plant in Marissa, Illinois, to remain open after 2035, until all bonds reach maturity in 2041. Gov. JB Pritzker does not.

Here's a list of upcoming events at the Byron Public Library.

The late Kenneth Roeglin of Rochelle served in the United States Navy in World War II as a ship’s cook third class aboard the USS Zaurak. 

Abigail Rogers of Oregon was named to the dean’s list of Loyola University College of Arts and Sciences.

A single-family home in Oregon that sold for $290,000 tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Ogle County during the past week.

Milwaukee School of Engineering recently congratulated students named to the fall semester 2025 dean’s list.

Here's a list of property transfers for Lee, Whiteside and Ogle counties for Feb. 16-20, 2026.

Following two heavy storms in early December, the Rochelle street department has seen a lighter winter in the months that have followed, Public Works Director Tim Isley said Wednesday.

Following the Jan. 26 Rochelle City Council's approval of an $11.89 million bid for transmission line construction, Rochelle Municipal Utilities will see its new electrical substation project on Centerpoint Drive west of town break ground in mid-March.

March will see three city of Rochelle construction projects in the downtown area ramp up, and two of the three will continue until the end of 2026, Interim City Manager and City Engineer Sam Tesreau said Feb. 25.

Ogle County has been issued a final property assessment equalization factor of 1.0000, according to David Harris, director of the Illinois Department of Revenue.

Wheatland Tube presented a $25,000 donation Thursday to the Rochelle Area Community Foundation.

On Wednesday, March 4, our publications in Oregon, Polo, Mt. Morris and Forreston will be merged into our Ogle County Life publication, which instead of publishing on Mondays, will be published on Wednesdays going forward.

The Rochelle Fire Department Social Organization will host its 103rd annual Fireman’s Ball on Saturday, March 14, at the hangar at Flight Deck Bar & Grill in Rochelle.

Applicants must be a current member of Cornerstone Credit Union as of April 1. Membership is open to individuals who live or work in Boone, Bureau, Carroll, Jo Daviess, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside or Winnebago counties in Illinois and Green and Rock counties in Wisconsin.

To be eligible, students must have earned at least a 3.5 semester grade-point average and carried a minimum of 12 credits.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help as authorities try to determine who stole and crashed a vehicle Wednesday night near Dixon then fled the scene on foot.

The Hub Hickory Nuts 4-H club recently held its February meeting at the Creston-Dement Public Library.

The dean’s list is Trinity Christian College’s highest academic honor.

The Ogle County 4-H Penny Carnival is set for March 7 at the Blackhawk Center in Oregon.

The Byron Museum of History is currently an art exhibit of work by members of the Eagle’s Nest Art Group. The show began with an opening reception on Saturday, Feb. 14, with many of the artists on hand to welcome visitors.

The Augustana Symphonic Band, directed by Dr. James Lambrecht, will bring performances to communities across Illinois and Wisconsin from March 20-26.

The First Fridays Open Mic presents its monthly show at the Oregon VFW on Friday, March 6.

Cambrey Rodeghero was recently named the February Rochelle Rotary Club Student of the Month at Rochelle Township High School.

The Chana Play Day committee has announced competition for several scholarships. The candidates must be high school graduates or the equivalent with ties to the Chana area.

The Rochelle City Council unanimously approved an ordinance Monday for its intent to borrow funds from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to drill a new well, build a new well house and construct approximately 7,400 feet of water main.