A look at all the boys golf teams in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

A new event has been planned for the 170th annual Bureau County Fair in Princeton: a tractor show from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 24. 

The Princeton Junior Woman’s Club Baby Contest has received two new entries for 2025.

Crews began building the exterior walls at the future home to an Aldi grocery store on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2025 at the intersection of Backbone Road and North Main Street in Princeton. The 20,000 square-foot store could be open by Thanksgiving.

The University of Illinois Extension will host two upcoming cooking workshops focused on planning and preparing quick, healthy meals using seasonal ingredients, according to a U of I news release.

The Princeton American Legion Auxiliary 125 will be meeting at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 13, at the Legion Post at 1549 W. Peru St.

The application period for programs happening between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2026, ends Sept. 15. Grant announcements will be made in early October.

Protesters gathered on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, at Rotary Park in Princeton to stand against President Donald Trump's policies. Check out these photos by MaKade Rios.

The following property transfers were recently recorded at the Bureau County Recorder of Deeds’ office in the Bureau County Courthouse.

The Elton John and Billy Joel tribute band "Face 2 Face" brought in a huge crowd during the Down on Main Street Summer Concert series on Friday, Aug. 8, 2025, in Princeton. The band was formed in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 2010 by frontmen Mike Santoro and Ronnie Smith.

With football teams around the state opening official practices for the 2025 season Monday, here are five storylines to watch in the NewsTribune/BCR area this fall.

The following property transfers were recorded between July 1 and July 15, 2025, at the Bureau County Recorder of Deeds’ office in the Bureau County Courthouse.

These marriage licenses were recently recorded at the Bureau County Courthouse.

Kathy Ballard is the 2025 recipient of the Betty Pretzsch Memorial Volunteer Award given to a 5-year member of the Friends of Princeton Public Library. She has been a member of the Friends of Princeton Public Library since 2016.

The Cities of Princeton and Spring Valley held National Night Out on Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. National Night Out is an annual community policing campaign held on the first Tuesday of August to create police-community partnerships and build safer neighborhoods

Hundreds of kids and teens visited the Second Story Teen Center during the Shoes and Socks Giveaway on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025 in Princeton. The drive handed out 1,250 socks and 420 pairs of shoes from size 4-14 for kids just in time for the upcoming school year. Half of the donations came from Another Child Foundation and Christ Community Church in Princeton. The other remaining supplies were donated from people in the community.

National Night Out will take place on Tuesday, allowing Illinois Valley residents and officers to meet in a casual and fun setting.

Sheffield native and author Gene Scott will return to the area for the first time since 2017 to present his latest novel at the Princeton Public Library.

Greenfield Retirement Home in Princeton held a "Gorgeous Grandma Day to honor and appreciate grandmothers, recognizing their beauty, wisdom, and the important role they play in families and communities on Wednesday. The event featured a speech from Princeton mayor Ray Mabry, refreshments and games. The day encourages people to show their love and gratitude to grandmothers and to celebrate women of all ages who embrace the spirit of a "gorgeous grandma".

Reimagined adaptation of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ runs this weekend

The following cases were considered by the Bureau County Grand Jury on July 18.

PYSL is for children aged four to 14. Players must be four years old by Aug. 31, 2025, and no older than 14 as of September 1, 2012, to enroll. PYSL is located in Princeton. The league accepts players from all surrounding communities.

A look at the top games to watch in the NewsTribune/BCR area for the 2025 football season.

Entries are being accepted for the 2025 Princeton Junior Woman’s Club Homestead Baby Contest.

A driver was charged Tuesday for a crash that killed a Princeton man on Thanksgiving weekend near Ottawa. He was using a handheld cell phone, prosecutors allege.

Sessions run from early November through mid-May and are held from 8:05 to 10:35 a.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Children may attend on a flexible schedule. The cost is $2 per day.

Crews continue work on the site of a future Aldi grocery store located on the southeast corner of the intersection of Backbone Road and North Main Street on Tuesday, July 8, 2025 in Princeton. Crews have been working on the property since April this year. The store is expected to open by the end of the year.

The Habitat for Humanity La Salle, Bureau, Putnam Counties held a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday in Princeton. The home is located near the intersection of Cherry and Marquette Street in Princeton. A family of 6, including 4 young children, will move into the home. Volunteers interested in helping with the home are asked to contact to Habitat for Humanity La Salle, Bureau, Putnam Counties by contacting the Peru office. The home should be completed by the end of the year.

Storms caused flooding, high winds, downed trees and damaged crops throughout Bureau County on Thursday. The Bureau County Courthouse had standing water in the basement on Friday, July 11, 2025 in Princeton. Princeton received over 4 inches of rain from the storm system.

Based on Stephen King’s debut novel, “Carrie” tells the story of a bullied high school outcast with a terrifying secret—her supernatural powers. The musical is intended for young adult audiences and older.

Payton Frueh, Lydia Hardy and Karlie Schultz of Princeton High School participated in the Section 3 FFA Summer Fair held July 1 at Black Hawk East in Kewanee and July 2 in Cambridge.

Two agribusinesses got the finals votes needed to set up shop in Princeton.

Street work and sign regulations are on the table for Monday’s Princeton City Council meeting.

More than 100 people gathered Saturday morning at Princeton Rotary Park to protest President Donald Trump and what many described as rising authoritarianism in American politics just a day after the Fourth of July.

A No Kings Independence Day protest was held on Saturday, July 5, 2025 at Rotary Park in Princeton.

Princeton junior Casey Etheridge helped the football team reach the quarterfinals, placed fourth in Class 1A at 165 pounds in wrestling and qualified for state in the 300-meter hurdles in track and field.

Arukah Institute of Healing held it's annual 5K Freedom Color Run on Friday July 4, 2025 at Soldiers and Sailors Park in Princeton. A Color Run is a non-competitive Fun Run or running event where participants and observers throw brightly colored paint powder on the runners.

Eight free performances to bring Shakespeare’s classic to life in downtown Princeton

Tiskilwa native Wyatt Workman will be the featured vocal soloist for the Princeton Community Band’s concert at 6 p.m. on Sunday, July 6, in Soldiers and Sailors Park in Princeton. He will be singing Gershwin’s “But Not for Me.”

There was a three-way tie for this week’s Wyaton Hills Ladies Play of the Day for “Most Fives” on Tuesday’s July 1 between Susan Johnson, Nita Wyatt and Mary Cooney.

Illinois Department of Transportation announced that the historic bridge enters next rehabilitation phase. Phase II includes the preparation of a detailed cost estimate and expected to take 12 to 18 months to complete and will result in advertising a repair contract to bidders. Approximately $1 million is identified to pay for the needed repairs in IDOT’s most recent multiyear program. The bridge survived a number of threats, both intentional and unintentional, including arson, erosion and high winds. It also has survived several strikes by large trucks. 

Health officials are urging residents to take extra precautions against mosquito bites after mosquitoes from Granville tested positive for West Nile virus last week.

A look at the top boys track and field athletes in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

Guests can meet Solberg from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. in the Garden Center, followed by his presentation at 11 a.m. in The Barn: “Living with Hostas: Care, Feeding, and Collecting Them While Sharing Their Joys and Sorrows.”

The Starved Rock Country Community Foundation recently awarded more than $43,000 in scholarships and a new memorial award, according to a news release.

Many Illinois communities are adding back a 1% grocery tax that will otherwise expire on Jan. 1. Is your town among them?

Vocal soloist Luke MacDonald from Festival 56 will be featured in Sunday's Princeton Community Band's Patriotic Concert

A look at the best girls track and field athletes in the NewsTribune area for the 2025 season.

A large crowd attended The Great Pages Circus on Monday, June 23, 2025 at the Bureau County Fairgrounds in Princeton. The Great Pages Circus is a family-friendly, traveling circus that features international acts, liberty animals, aerial, juggling, clown acts, and motorcycle mayhem. Performances are held on Tuesday June 24, 2025 at 4:30p.m. and 7p.m. at the Bureau County Fairgrounds.

The city of Princeton held a ribbon-cutting of their new 1-megawatt generating solar farm on Monday, June 23, 2025, at the intersection of Peggy Land and Epperson Road in Princeton. The ground-mounted solar project includes 2,400 panels that will generate enough power to supply roughly 185 homes. The solar farm was developed by Altorfer Cat and built by ITG Construction.