Rock Falls

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

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

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.

Also, get ready for two events on June 7: the fourth annual Bellson Music Fest at the RB&W District in Rock Falls and the 40th annual Sauk Valley Child Fair, with the theme Candy Land, from 9 a.m. to noon at Sauk Valley Community College, Dixon.

A federal program is working behind the scenes to ensure students experiencing homelessness, including those in the Sauk Valley, do not fall between the cracks.

The 2-year project's work zone will be from the U.S. 30 interchange at exit 44 in Rock Falls to just west of the U.S. 30 spur interchange at exit 36.

The TALK-LINE interview for May 2 featured the President and CEO of the Rock Falls Chamber of Commerce, Sam Kersey.

Read the transcript from our Talk-Line interview for May 2 featuring the President and CEO of the Rock Falls Chamber of Commerce, Sam Kersey.

Indivisible SRFD (Sterling-Rock Falls-Dixon) organized a march and protest Saturday, May 3, 2025, from Rock Falls into Sterling.

Pleas for due process were among messages displayed by approximately 150 people May 1 in a May Day rally to protest actions by President Donald Trump.

Both drives will run from May 1 to 31. Community members can support the initiatives by dropping off food or cleaning supplies at the Dixon Park District, Dixon YMCA, Lee County Health Department, Mount Carroll Farm Bureau, Save-A-Lot in Rock Falls, and the Dixon City Market.

Here is a list of the graduation dates and times for high schools throughout the Sauk Valley.

State Rep. Brad Fritts, R-Dixon, will partner with the Lee County Health Department and Dixon Family YMCA to host a sharps drop-off drive from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 8, in the Dixon Family YMCA parking lot.

The Velocity Youth Group from Sterling’s Abiding Word Church has partnered with Culver’s of Rock Falls, 1901 Harley Davidson Drive, to host a Share Night fundraiser event from 5-8 p.m. Tuesday, April 29.

Kristophur Johnson was charged June 4, 2024, with sex assault as well as one count of aggravated battery accusing him of pushing a woman to the ground in the 18000 block of Blue Goose Road in rural Morrison and one count of unlawful restraint.

Read the transcript from our Talk-Line interview with Rock Falls Director of Tourism Melinda Jones discussing upcoming events in Rock Falls during the spring and summer

The TALK-LINE interview for April 25 featured Rock Falls director of tourism, Melinda Jones

State Rep. Bradley Fritts, R-Dixon, honored Dallas Knack and Dr. Jennifer Hintzsche on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at the Women to Watch event in Springfield.

The annual student trade show was part of the Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities program at the Whiteside Area Career Center in Sterling. Now in its 12th year, the program is a year-long high school course that teaches students the basics of starting and running a business.

Here is a list of property transfers for Lee, Whiteside and Ogle counties for April 7-20, 2025.

The Whiteside Area Career Center CEO program student trade show took place Wednesday, April 23, 2025, at Northland Mall in Sterling.

Kyle Cooper, 36, is accused of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated battery in connection with the Feb. 14 stabbing death of Daniel Gordon, 27, outside of a Rock Falls residence.

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.