Rock Falls

The school will receive funds to replace its existing desks with 12 new whiteboard tables for teaching and necessary supplies, including markers and erasers.

Culver’s of Rock Falls will host a share night from 5-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, when a percentage of sales and all cash donations will be donated by the Rock Falls senior class to Dylan Wescott and his family as he recovers from a sports accident.

The Art in the Park Outdoor Art Gallery will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, at the RB&W District in Rock Falls.

The two groups will perform Mozart’s final composition, his Requiem Mass, at 7:30 p.m.Saturday, April 26, at Zion Lutheran Church, Clinton, Iowa.

Here is a list of property transfers for Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties for April 7-13, 2025.

Zoey Near plans to attend Michigan Technological University to major in aerospace engineering.

Living Lands & Waters, headquartered in East Moline, aids in the protection, preservation and restoration of the natural environment of the nation’s major rivers and their watersheds.

The city of Rock Falls Electric Department has received national recognition from the American Public Power Association for achieving exceptional electric reliability in 2024.

Voters this week in Whiteside, Lee, Ogle and Carroll counties determined who will make the important decisions regarding their communities, schools, townships, fire departments, parks and libraries. See the results here.

A community night will be from 5-8 p.m. Thursday, May 8, for the general public to view the “Anne Frank: A History for Today” traveling exhibit.

This will be an open forum meeting.

Kids and parents scrambled around gathering eggs during the Coloma Park District egg hunt Saturday, April 12, 2025, at Centennial Park in Rock Falls. Photos by Katie Holloway/Shaw Local News Network

Bearing the weight of escalating repair and maintenance costs, Coloma Township's newly appointed board and its residents unanimously voted at Tuesday’s annual town meeting to sell the still-vacant US Bank building the township purchased two years ago

Here is a list of Easter egg hunts planned in the Sauk Valley beginning April 12.

The Next Picture Show, Dixon, also will host a Chapter and Verse Open Mic Night for the area’s authors Friday, April 11, that will appear on a local video podcast.

Rock Falls hosts Rockford Lutheran in softball Wednesday, April 9, 2025. RF rolled to a 13-0 win.

A Whiteside County judge has directed the Illinois State Police to videotape blood and DNA testing to be carried out at the state crime lab in connection with a Rock Falls fatal stabbing case.

Rock Falls and Sterling firefighters and CGH EMS were called at 9:37 p.m. Sunday, April 6, 2025, to 222 Ave. D in Rock Falls for a reported structure fire with a possible explosion.

The music festival kicks off with a drum clinic from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 7 at the McCormick Event Center, 205 E. Third St. in Rock Falls, followed by live performances from four bands from 1-8:30 p.m at the RB&W District amphitheater, 201 E. Second St.

A Sterling woman has been charged with multiple traffic offenses, including two felonies, after police say she attempted to elude authorities in Rock Falls and ended up hitting a parked vehicle.

The award recognizes the significant efforts and dedication of 880 associates and the management team in achieving operational excellence across all parameters, according to a news release.

Tickets available for the Rock River Chapter of Ducks Unlimited banquet that will be April 26 in Rock Falls.

The Whiteside County Public Safety Tax Referendum passed with 3,667 votes for the measure and 2,907 against it. A total of 6,822 of the county’s 37,881 voters (18%) cast their ballots to decide the referendum’s fate.

New Sterling alderman Allen Przysucha on consolidated election win: ‘It still hasn’t fully sunk in yet.’

Proceeds will go to support remodeling of Cledy’s House of Hope.

Whiteside, Lee, Ogle and Carroll county voters get to decide who will make the important decisions regarding their communities, schools, townships, fire departments, parks and libraries.

Directors from Illinois Head Start centers, the federally supported child care and early education program, said they fear cuts, as it targeted in The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025.

Kyle Cooper was to stand trial April 8 for the Feb. 14 stabbing death of Daniel J. Gordon; however, that date was pushed until May 13 based on the prosecution’s request for more time.

Jessica Deboer charged with three felonies following an early morning traffic stop by Oregon police on March 23.

Rock Falls Fire Department Deputy Fire Chief Kyle Sommers said the departments are losing $825,000 in federal Community Project Funding appropriations they had planned to use to build a burn tower where firefighters from both communities could train in live-fire conditions.

Dixon Rural and Dixon City firefighters, along with Advance EMS, were dispatched to a residential structure fire at 4:41 p.m. Saturday, March 22, at 8259 S. Main St. in Grand Detour.

Beginning May 12, donated pasta items can be delivered to New Life Church at 702 W. Lynn Blvd., Sterling, during office hours from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Mike Ely plans to go into broadcasting and journalism and also earn a teaching degree.

Rock Falls City Council incumbent Steve Dowd talked with Shaw Local reporter Brandon Clark about the future of Rock Falls. Read the transcript from our podcast here.

Read the transcript: Austin Zink, a candidate for Rock Falls City Council Ward 3, talked with Shaw Local reporter Brandon Clark about his vision for Rock Falls ahead of the April election.

Austin Zink, a candidate for Rock Falls City Council Ward 3 in the April 1 election, talks with Shaw Local reporter Brandon Clark about the issues facing Rock Falls.

Steve Dowd, the incumbent for Rock Falls City Council Ward 3, spoke about the issues facing Rock Falls with Shaw Local reporter Brandon Clark leading up to the April 1 election.

Alexander Vinson-Ishmon, 24, was ready to plead guilty Wednesday afternoon to one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, which would have sent him to prison for up to 6 years and would be served concurrently with his sentence in a Lee County weapons case.

Kyle Cooper's first-degree murder trial will begin April 8 in Whiteside County Circuit Court.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office was alerted to a burglary in progress Saturday, March 15, in the area of U.S. 30 and Walton Road in rural Dixon, where two people were seen going in and out of a garage, authorities said in a news release.

Marshall Doane talked with Shaw Local reporter Brandon Clark about what Doane would like to see improved in Rock Falls on our podcast. Read the transcript here.

Marshall Doane, a candidate for Rock Falls City Council, spoke with Shaw Local reporter Brandon Clark about the issues in Rock Falls ahead of the April 1 election.

Kyle Cooper appears in Whiteside County Circuit Court in Morrison on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, for a pretrial conference. Cooper is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the Feb. 14 death of Daniel Gordon of Rock Falls. A jury trial is set for April 8.

Sixteen fire departments were involved in the fire call.

Firefighter crews were on scene Friday at the Illinois Wildlife Game Preserve for 8 hours, with an estimated 600 acres burned and an estimation of more 40,000 gallons of water used before extinguishing a brush fire.

Whiteside County deputies responded shortly before 8 a.m. Friday to 1706 E. Rock Falls Road following a 911 call reporting a disturbance.

Booker: I am writing to you today to strongly urge your support for the upcoming public safety tax measure. As the sheriff of Whiteside County, | have witnessed firsthand the growing demands placed on our law enforcement, fire and emergency services.

The Dixon Rural and City fire departments and Advance EMS were called around 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, March 11, 2025, to a barn fire at 2124 Sink Hollow Road, according to a news release.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office will increase its efforts to focus on stopping alcohol- and cannabis-impaired driving, unbuckled driving, speeding and distracted driving.

The child care crisis continues to roil the workforce while employers and managers still struggle to hire skilled job applicants, according to a statewide poll of business leaders