Fulton Sheen, the Peoria priest who gained fame as a 1950s televangelist, will be beatified Sept. 24 in St. Louis, Peoria Diocese announced Wednesday.

The Ottawa Police Department will host a sensory-friendly family event for Autism Acceptance Month on Wednesday, April 1, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Reddick Library Community Room.

The Ottawa/Marquette High School Class of 1984 donated over $7,500 to the Natalie Claire Conrad Memorial Foundation.

Ottawa Township High School (OTHS) hosted a quarterly Student Recognition Breakfast on Friday, March 20.

A Polar Plunge fundraiser at Serena Middle School has raised $9,125 for Special Olympics Illinois, organizers said Tuesday.

Crews are moving materials in place on the site of a future Chipotle Mexican Grill on Wednesday, March 18, 2026 in Ottawa. The Ottawa City Council approved the project last June, and the construction has been ramping up this month. It is located on Etna Road next to Thorntons.

How much hair would you part with to fight children's cancer? On Sunday, a few brave souls left Senica's Oak Ridge Golf Club with crew cuts and helped raise more than $5,200 for cancer research.

Catch up on the week’s top Illinois Valley news in minutes for March 15-21. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

The Leland Town and Country Association will host “Hop into Easter,” an Easter bunny and vendor event on Saturday, March 28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Leland School, 370 N Main Street.

A single-family home in Somonauk that sold for $780,000 tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in La Salle County during the past week

Todd Volker of Ottawa was recently appointed to TeamIllinois by the Illinois Economic Development Corp.

The HumanKIND initiative will be holding a fundraiser from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. on Friday, April 24 at the intersection of Norris Dr and Columbus St in order to raise money for the 5th Annual Ottawa Family Pride Fest.

The Beach House matches the flavors, décor, and relaxed feeling people may remember from their coastal vacations – and that’s exactly how owner John Mathias designed it to be.

Safe Journeys will be joining the HumanKIND Initiative at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 25 at the William E. Heisler Center for the first event of the ‘Crafts & Conversations’ series, ‘Succulents & Self Care’.

Hasty had a message for what proclaiming Thursday, March 26, 2026 as Epilepsy Awareness Day could change about the city of Ottawa’s impact on the epilepsy community.

According to a press release, work will repair the bridge deck and will include the replacement of expansion joints and the application of a latex overlay.

Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow said the case attempting to remove a Joliet City Council member from elected office was not a "vindictive attack" nor an example of his office attacking minority candidates based on race.

There will be a November rematch of the 2024 contest for statehouse: Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel (D-Ottawa) will again try to fend off Republican challenger Liz Bishop of La Salle.

Polling places in the Illinois Valley were full on Tuesday morning – with election judges, that is. Voters, on the other hand, were pretty scarce.

Arneson Oil & Propane Co. wins Ottawa fuel bid.

The Starved Rock Civil War Round Table will meet for a presentation at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 19, in Room 420 at Ottawa High School.

The Ottawa Historical and Scouting Heritage Museum will host its next history lecture about the Daniels pioneer cemetery and how cholera devastated early settlers in La Salle County at 2 p.m. on Sunday, March 22.

Are you heading out to the polls in northern Illinois Tuesday for the for the primary election? You might want to bundle up.

Snow and wind caused nearly whiteout conditions across the Illinois Valley on Monday, March 16, 2026. The storm sharply reduced visibility, and dangerous travel conditions were reported across the region.

Ottawa will resume its leaf vacuum program beginning Wednesday, April 1.

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

Culver’s of Ottawa received a prestigious Commitment to Excellence award and a Ruth award from the restaurant chain.

Shaw Local asked candidates in the 76th Illinois House District race the same question: “Should Illinois expand use of nuclear energy, including facilities like the Byron plant? What’s your vision for the state’s energy mix?”

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

Tuesday will be cold – the daytime high will hover around freezing – which surely won’t boost voter turnout. Even if it were spring-like, however, election officials doubt the polls will be very busy.

At the 2026 State of the City address, Mayor Robert Hasty announced that the city of Ottawa and Financial Plus Credit Union reached an agreement on a 15-year, $750,000 deal for the amphitheater’s naming rights.

The Ottawa City Council took its first steps towards adding a second McDonald’s to the city by granting a conditional use permit to James Bowe & McDonald’s USA after hearing a presentation at a meeting of the Ottawa Plan Commission.

A single-family home in Sheridan that sold for $480,000 nears the top of the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in La Salle County over the past week

On the surface, their answers share common ground: residents shouldn’t pay for data centers’ energy and water demands. But the candidates diverge on how much state oversight is warranted

On the surface, their answers share common ground: residents shouldn’t pay for data centers’ energy and water demands. But the candidates diverge on how much state oversight is warranted

The musical will be performed a total of four times, with a senior citizen dinner and show on Tuesday, March 10 starting at 5 p.m., and three weekend shows starting on Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., and a Sunday matinee starting at 1 p.m.

Students from St. Bede Academy earned top honors at a Feb. 27 regional academic competition hosted by Illinois Valley Community College. They finished first overall against several area schools.

The University of Illinois will hold a “Conservation Conversations” program as part of its “Sustainability on the Farm” series from 10 to 11 a.m. Friday, March 20, at the La Salle County Extension Office.

Photos show storm damage on the north side of Ottawa after severe storms moved through Tuesday evening, including fallen trees and flooding.

Tyler Thompson: I’ll work to cut the budget of waste, duplications, abuse, fraud and by any other means possible. The hope is to get the current budget costs under $50 billion by 2034 so that we can used the freed up funds to better support the state.

There will not be any data center proposals entertained by the city of Ottawa for the next six months.

NCI ARTworks will host an opening reception for artists Douglas Dalrymple and Jeri Sparks from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, March 13 at the NCI ARTworks Gallery, Peru.

Mayor Robert Hasty announced the grant at the recent State of the City event, hosted by the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce.

Bill Zens announced Monday he is stepping down as executive director of the Illinois Valley Area Chamber of Commerce.

The council officially requested permission from the Illinois Department of Transportation to temporarily close southbound La Salle St. from Washington St. to Center St. and portions of various city streets on Saturday, May 9, and to close Albin Stevens Dr. on Friday, May 8.

A dozen of local restaurants in Ottawa will serve up their own creative takes on classic midwest comfort food during Restaurant Week, a two-week celebration of the city’s food scene that will also support those in need.

The hearing was set to take place at Tuesday night’s council meeting, but was scrapped beforehand and is not expected to be considered for the foreseeable future.

While Hasty did not disclose other details, he said that formal announcements about the project will be made in the coming weeks.

A schedule of high school sporting events in the Ottawa/Streator/Seneca area for the coming week.

McKinley Elementary School in Ottawa announced its February Champions of the Charter students.