Rock Falls

Rain interrupted the Bellson Music Fest on Saturday, June 7, 2025, but fans still came out early to dance, take pictures and enjoy food at the amphitheater.

People in the community can bring their itemized or monetary donations to either Culver’s of Dixon to support PADS Homeless Shelter or Culver’s of Rock Falls to support TwinCities Homeless Shelter.

With the Fourth of July holiday around the corner, there are plenty of ways to celebrate throughout the Sauk Valley. From live music and food vendors to car shows and carnivals, here is a list of local places to bring in the holiday.

See our latest list of Sauk Valley-area students who've graduated or been named to their college's dean's list.

The meeting is an open house format with no formal presentation. The public is invited to attend at any time during the hours listed to view informational displays, speak with project representatives, ask questions and share feedback.

Semi driver Eric Dodge of Ashton speaks four months after a near-fatal crash in which his truck veered off Interstate 88 between Rock Falls and Dixon, launched over Bollman Road overpass and landed in a cornfield.

Students achieving high honors for the academic year are Anniston Buchholz, Heidi Epps, Alivia Heald, Evelyn Moore, Grady Small and Gabriel Willhite.

Other events include the Dixon Municipal Band's first concert of the season on Thursday, and the Discover Dixon Block Party and Sauk Valley Community College's Child Fair, both on Saturday.

Sterling High School students Nico Battaglia, Brinley Francis and Esra Ramirez were named recipients of the 2025 Garrett Ramos Scholarship during the June 2, 2025, Sterling City Council meeting. Ramos died in the line of duty on Dec. 4, 2021.

The TALK-LINE interview for June 3 featured Rock Falls Tourism Director Melinda Jones and representative John Watts discussing upcoming events June into July.

Proof of residency is required by presenting two forms of legal identification. Student fees are $65 for students in kindergarten through third grade and $70 for students in fourth through eighth grades.

The event features coloring contests, farm animals from Happy Little Hooves, giveaways, Scoopie appearances, $6 Kid Meals, and touch-a-tractor.

One of the charges – unlawful possession of 15-100 grams of meth with intent to deliver – is a Class X felony that carries a possible 30-year prison sentence.

Here's a list of students named to the honor roll.

Southside Elementary School of Morrison is hosting a drive-thru fundraiser to support Dylan Wescott, a Rock Falls High School student-athlete who was left partially paralyzed after suffering a broken neck during a track and field meet March 15.

The dedication will take place during the Bellson Music Fest at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, June 7.

Sauk Valley-area students have been named to the dean’s list.

A Rock Falls man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for a 2021 shooting that injured another man and damaged a Rock Falls home.

The donations will provide around 15,000 pasta servings for children’s free summer meals.

The fourth annual Bellson Music Fest is set for Saturday, June 7, 2025, in Rock Falls as is Discover Dixon’s Summer Block Party in Dixon.

Here's the list of students named to Newman's honor roll.

John Trumbla, who fulfilled a prison sentence for a 1984 Cook County murder conviction, has been out on parole for a drug conviction since 2023 and was set to be discharged from that sentence in 2026. Arrested in another drug case Friday, he was granted pretrial release Tuesday.

Here's a list of the public pools and splash pads opening across the Sauk Valley.

Read the transcript from our Talk-Line interview with Ellie Hanlon, the Marketing and Development Director at the Sterling/Rock Falls Family YMCA.

The TALK-LINE interview for May 27 featured the Marketing and Development Director at the Sterling/Rock Falls Family YMCA, Ellie Hanlon.

Sterling American Legion Post 296 and Rock Falls American Legion Post 902 conducted Memorial Day services Monday, May 26, 2025.

With a number of ceremonies, parades and speakers planned throughout the Sauk Valley on Memorial Day, here is a list of what local communities will be doing to remember the fallen.

Twin City Conservatives will host its monthly meeting at 8:30 a.m. May 24 at A’s Kitchen in Rock Falls.

A Rock Falls man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Thursday, May 22, 2025, in Whiteside County Circuit Court, then apologized for fatally stabbing the man, whom he considered a friend.

Other upcoming events include River Country 101.7-FM’s annual Summer Kickoff Concert, which begins at 6 p.m. May 31 with Delaney Ann, followed by headliner Kelsey Hart at 8 p.m., along the Dixon Riverfront.

Carlos T. Loyola, 27, is charged in Whiteside County with aggravated battery causing great bodily harm and aggravated domestic battery.

Friends and family cheered their graduating loved ones Sunday, May 18, 2025, during Rock Falls High School’s 146th commencement ceremony.

RFHS commenced 131 students Sunday, May 18, 2025, during the school's 146th graduation.

The funds were raised during a volleyball tournament held in April.

The tour’s first coffee and conversation event will be held at 8 a.m. June 4 in Franklin Grove.

The “Click It or Ticket” campaign will focus on nighttime enforcement.

Decor & More is a home-based business in Rock Falls specializing in charmingly whimsical pre-made wooden signs, door hangers, shelf sitters, do-it-yourself kits and coffee mugs.

A Lee County judge decided Wednesday to permit the pretrial release of a Rock Falls man accused of a felony sex crime against a minor with conditions which include electronic monitoring and home confinement.

Brian “Fox” Ellis will portray Lincoln’s law partner, William Herndon, at the Sterling-Rock Falls Historical Society meeting Sunday, May 18, in Sterling.

Kick off your summer with performances from rising country music stars Kelsey Hart and Delaney Ann on May 31 along the Dixon Riverfront.

The iconic Rock Falls barbershop is getting a new home. The new location will be fully wheelchair accessible and ADA-compliant, offering expanded amenities, including additional barber stations, a dedicated employee break room and a private manager’s office.

Just one day before Kyle Cooper was set to be tried on a first-degree murder charge in a Rock Falls stabbing case, attorneys announced they’ve reached a tentative plea agreement.

Read the transcript from our TALK-LINE interview for May 14 which featured Brandon Clark from Shaw Local News with stories on a new substance abuse prevention home opening in Rock Falls and more

Tyler Felder’s classic car and hot rod shop, Steel Town Speed, specializes in custom restorations, performance upgrades and full ground-up builds.

Cledy’s House of Hope, a 42-bed sober living facility for women in Rock Falls, was celebrated Tuesday, May 13, with a ribboncutting ceremony.

A Rock Falls man is hospitalized in Rockford after the motorcycle he was driving collided with an SUV near Palmyra and Peek Home roads.

Events include the Bellson Music Fest on June 7 at RB&W District Park, 201 E. Second St., and the Sick The Magazine Block Party on July 19 in downtown Rock Falls.

An ill detective and an abundance of pretrial motions – covering everything from whether to let a jury hear a 911 call to the possibility the Rock Falls Police Department violated investigative protocol – has led to a two-day delay in the start of a Rock Falls murder trial.

Concerned with a change in who is leading local protests against the Trump administration, Sterling’s police chief said an increased police presence and enhanced security measures will be put in place at upcoming protests.

A Whiteside County judge will decide Friday, May, 9, whether Kyle Cooper’s trial will begin Tuesday, May 13. That decision will follow a hearing on whether the Illinois Attorney General's Office will be able to intervene in the case on behalf of the Illinois State Police.