Ottawa

Covering April 20 through April 26, here's a schedule of high school sporting events in the Ottawa/Streator/Seneca area.

The Ottawa High School music program is among the best in the state.

An electronics recycling event will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, June 21, in the parking lot at 814 Columbus St. in downtown Ottawa.

La Salle County Associate Judge Michelle A. Vescogni is now a circuit judge of the 13th Judicial Circuit, which also includes Bureau and Grundy counties.

The La Salle County Sheriff’s Office has a new chief deputy and undersheriff.

Here is the list of couples who applied for La Salle County marriage licenses from March 17 through March 31, 2025.

Ottawa firefighter Kevin Stewart graduated from the Illinois Fire Service Institute Fire Academy.

The La Salle County Friends of Extension & 4-H will host a drive-thru fundraiser, featuring Stone Jug BBQ at 4 p.m. Friday, May 9, at the La Salle County Extension Office Parking Lot, 1689 N. 31st Road in Ottawa.

A 14-year-old boy from the Hinckley-Big Rock area fell about 25 to 30 feet Thursday in La Salle Canyon at Starved Rock State Park.

Immanuel Lutheran Church in Marseilles will host a barbecue dinner to support the new PADs homeless shelter in Ottawa from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30, at 227 E. Bluff St.

An Ottawa woman was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison for disseminating child sexual abuse images.

There are more Easter egg hunts this weekend, including a glow-in-the-dark egg hunt in Hennepin and an underwater egg hunt in Princeton. The Easter bunny is even planning to skydive into Skydive Chicago on Easter Sunday.

Fifth and sixth-grade students at Central Intermediate School in Ottawa put their entrepreneurial skills to the test on Wednesday during their Lemonade Day My Way event in the school’s auditorium.

Three people were injured, one critically, following a multi-vehicle crash Tuesday on Route 71 near Hank’s Farm restaurant in Ottawa. The crash pulled away some first responders tending to a fire.

Ottawa firefighters said a Tuesday afternoon fire at 1617 Sycamore St. was an accident. No injuries were reported.

The south side of Ottawa contains some historically significant homes – several could crack the National Register of Historic Places – but not enough to declare South Bluff a historic district.

Students operated their startup businesses Wednesday during the Central Intermediate School Lemonade Day My Way in Ottawa.

Poco a Poco hosted two events April 5 at Park Presbyterian Church in Streator – its annual sampler fundraiser, selling $100 tickets to attend an intimate afternoon of mini concerts, visual arts displays, interviews and sampler desserts, and a public jam session for musicicians.

A skydiving Easter bunny, Easter centerpiece workshop, adult egg hunt, bunny run and underwater egg hunt are among the activities in the Illinois Valley this weekend.

The Grundy County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday that it has arrested a 17-year-old who had allegedly stolen a firearm in Peru after a pursuit that ended near Arby's on Route 6 in Morris.

Nicolaus Phillips says police had no business questioning him about an Ottawa shooting death without a lawyer present. Prosecutors say it’s a moot point because Phillips waived his rights. Who is correct? A La Salle County judge will settle that Friday, May 16.

The Ottawa City Council recognized National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week, honoring those who work with Ottawa Central Dispatch for their years of service.

The Starved Rock Country Community Foundation recently played a role in the 38th Annual Teen Showcase at Illinois Valley Community College.

Illinois Valley Community College sophomore Emma Coss of Ottawa has been recognized as one of the nation’s outstanding community college students and will receive a $1,500 scholarship as a 2025 Coca-Cola Academic Team Gold Scholar. 

A garage fire on St. James Street between Douglas Street and Ottawa Avenue in Ottawa was extinguished without any injuries on Monday night.

Ottawa’s Green Street will be reduced to one lane of traffic Wednesday, April 16, as contractors continue with construction of the box culvert.

Laborers Local Union 393 members participated in the spring beautification project at the Middle East Conflicts Wall Memorial in Marseilles, cleaning out old mulch and installing new mulch, trimming trees and replacing old flowers.

The next Starved Rock Civil War Round Table is at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 16, in Room 420 at Ottawa High School, 211 Main St.

The La Salle County Board wants to regulate wind and solar farms and has asked Springfield to tear up an existing law that limits its authority to do so.

Third through sixth graders will have an opportunity to make yarn wrapped birds at a program 4 to 4:45 p.m. Thursday, April 17, at Reddick Library, 1010 Canal St., Ottawa.

Here's our schedule of high school sporting events in the Ottawa/Streator/Seneca area for the week of April 13 through April 19.

Ottawa Sunrise Rotarians welcomed the April Students of the Month.

Ottawa Mayor Robert Hasty and the Historic Preservation Commission will host a public meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, at the City Council Chambers to present the final report on the South Bluff Historic Building Survey.

The Starved Rock Country Community Foundation recently awarded a $1,500 community grant to the Illinois Critical Access Hospital Network for suicide intervention training.

The Princeton-Illinois chapter Daughters of the American Revolution presented an American flag to new citizen Cynthia DelGado Lara at its April 5 meeting.

You don't have to drive into Chicago for an exciting and educational excursion. There are plenty of museums in the suburbs and northern Illinois that are well worth a visit.

NCI ARTworks to host an opening reception for the month-long Naturescape exhibition of art by Karen Tucker, Mary Jean Dzurisin and Carol Bingham from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, April 11, at the NCI ARTworks Gallery at the Westclox building in Peru.

Firefighters from the Ottawa Fire Department visited children on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at the Reddick Public Library to celebrate National Library Week. The firefighters read a story to the children and gave them tours of the fire engine.

Parishioners at the Ottawa Catholic churches have until Tuesday, April 15, to suggest the name for the parish.

Sci-Fest, Naturescapes art exhibition, Route "Flute" 66 and Easter egg hunts are among the events in the Illinois Valley this weekend.

A La Salle County grand jury has indicted a La Salle woman for allegedly fracturing her baby’s leg and a Streator woman for firing shots during a neighborhood dispute.

The La Salle County Genealogy Guild will host a free program at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 19, at 115 W. Glover St., Ottawa.

Fifth- and sixth-grade students from Central Intermediate School in Ottawa will host a sale event from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, as part of their participation in the Lemonade Day My Way after-school entrepreneurship program.

A chance encounter with a college instructor while shopping brought Angela Doermann back to where her nursing career began and took her in an exciting new direction. 

An Ottawa man awaits a detention hearing after discharging a pistol while children were present – and despite a felony record that precluded him from possessing a weapon.

Reddick Library in Ottawa was visited Monday by the mayor, chamber director and city’s police department to kick off National Library Week.

The Ottawa Concert Association’s 2024-2025 concert season will come to a close at 7 p.m on Tuesday, April 15, at Central Intermediate School, 711 E. McKinley Road, with a performance by Sail On, a tribute band to The Beach Boys.

Easter is Sunday, April 20. In the weeks prior to the holiday, there are several Easter egg hunts and opportunities to meet the Easter bunny throughout La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties. Here is a list of upcoming events.

Gov. JB Pritzker wants to keep cell phones out of classrooms and wants policies implemented. Superintendents in the Illinois Valley say they’re already there.

The La Salle County Health Department is joining communities across the U.S. in recognizing National Public Health Week from April 7-13.