Get caught up on Sauk Valley news, sports and features from the week of Aug. 8-14, 2025.

Sterling goes on the road to Metamora on Aug. 29, 2025, to start the season.

Here is a list of property transfers for Lee, Whiteside and Ogle counties for Aug. 4-8, 2025.

For many first-time buyers, the idea of purchasing a home can feel overwhelming, especially when navigating mortgages, credit scores and down payments.

Catch up on the week’s top Sauk Valley news and sports in minutes. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

Illinois saw 142 tornadoes in 2024. With weather teams stretched thin because of federal budget cuts, forecasters warn the next storm might slip through the cracks

Tyler Tarlton, Lou Pignatelli Sr., and Lou Pignatelli Jr. of Tarlton & Pignatelli LLC plan to construct multiple duplex-style townhomes, with one cluster planned for the 200 block of West Seventh Street and Avenue B, and another set at Lynn Boulevard and 16th Avenue.

The Friends of the Hennepin Canal will hold its next “Hike the Hennepin” event at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17, at Bridge 50, 25060 Illinois Route 172, Rock Falls.

There are fraternal organizations in the Sauk Valley where veterans gather to share stories and celebrate camaraderie. However, these fraternal organizations may not be around much longer unless more is done to help keep them open.

After nearly five decades of serving individuals with developmental disabilities, Cornerstone Special Care has opened a new 45,000-square-foot, long-term care facility in Sterling, designed for residents with developmental and medically complex needs.

Sterling’s new Cornerstone Special Care facility hosted a ribbon-cutting on Tuesday

The academy offers classes and workshops in visual arts, dance, music, theater, culinary arts and education for children and adults, along with a private, arts-based preschool program for ages 3 to 5.

According to court records, the two were charged after they were pulled over during an Aug. 3 traffic stop near Lincoln Road and Rock Falls Road near Rock Falls

As students across Whiteside County head back to school, Whiteside County's sheriff is reminding drivers, parents and the community to take extra precautions to keep children safe.

The university named more than 400 student-athletes to the honor roll.

Here's a list of Whiteside County property transfers for Aug. 4-8, 2025.

Attendees can learn how to identify, understand, and respond to youth mental health illness signs and substance use disorders.

In Sterling, shovels are already in the ground for big park upgrades while in Morrison, the wait for state grant money continues.

When a Sterling family saw an outdoor family gem with an uncertain future, they stepped up and gave their campground a renewed use. Now in its 60th year, Ruffit Park is flourishing with new owners encouraging people to experience the outdoors.

Sterling players hit the field Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, for the first day of football practice.

Building community was an overwhelming theme last week in the Sauk Valley as seen in this collection of Photos of the Week.

The opening reception will run from 5-6:30 p.m. Aug. 22, 2025, at the Academy, 3807 Woodlawn Road in Sterling, where visitors can enjoy refreshments while viewing artwork displayed in the halls and lounge.

Here's a list of property transfers for Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties for July 28 to Aug. 1, 2025.

“A History of the Lincoln Highway” will be presented starting at 2 p.m. at the Lincoln Land Center, 611 E. Third St., Sterling. The event is sponsored by the Sterling Rock Falls Historical Society.

A sleek space filled with the sounds of laughter, clinking glasses and the solid thwack of a perfect swing is quietly transforming a stretch of Sterling's Galt Road into a popular social destination.

The Sterling Park District is using $600,000 in state grant money to make improvements at Thomas Park.

X-Golf Sauk Valley in Sterling lets you get your swings in without fighting weather, slow play and lost balls.

The Illinois State Board of Education’s announcement of a $15.85 billion education budget for fiscal 2026 has drawn cautious optimism from Sterling Public Schools as the district awaits final details of its allocation under the state’s evidence-based funding (EBF) formula.

Sterling Police Chief Alex Chavira has announced he will retire next month, officially stepping down Friday, Sept. 19, 2025.

Just steps from Sterling High School and Challand Middle School, Whiteside Area Career Center students are earning certifications, college credits and real-world experience through hands-on training in a variety of fields, such as healthcare, construction and culinary arts.

There will be displays of farm machinery, tractors, trucks and lawn mowers all day. A blacksmith will be demonstrating tool-making and there will be fun family activities and a farm animal zoo.

Bashkim Rockwell has been charged and ordered detained following a shooting in Mount Prospect last month.

The Clinton Symphony Orchestra is based in Clinton, Iowa, and also includes musicians from the Sauk Valley area.

The TALK-LINE interview for August 6 featured Shaw Local reporter Brandon Clark looking at area stories of interest, including the recent retirement of the Sterling Police Chief

Business Employment Skills Team, Inc. and the Illinois Department of Employment Security will be available to share resources and information to area job-seekers.

Sterling/Rock Falls and Dixon hosted National Night Out celebrations Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. The event is meant to build community and police partnerships.

A coffee and conversation will be from 8 to 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 21, at Mary’s Diner, 607 Depot Ave., Dixon.

The seven-session academy will meet from 6-7:30 p.m. every Tuesday starting Sept. 9 in the Sterling Police Department’s training room, 212 Third Ave.

If approved, Barrel & Boards would offer year-round family-friendly entertainment, including on-site food courts, a brewery, a winery, 20,000 square feet of games, including bocce ball and pickleball courts, a boutique bowling alley, and virtual reality video games.

A new studio in Sterling is turning fitness upside down, sometimes literally, with a unique twist on breaking a sweat.

Here's a list of property transfers for Whiteside County for July 28 to Aug. 1, 2025.

Sterling Federal Bank has announced the retirement of Steven Brewer from its executive team.

Savana Egan wants to help every girl in the Sauk Valley find that one special dress for homecoming and prom.

They say you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink – but you can lead people to a horse trailer and let them drink, thanks to a Sterling woman who’s brought her own twist to the mobile bar service business.

Here is a list of property transfers for Lee, Whiteside and Ogle counties for July 21-25, 2025.

During Sterling’s annual Hot Dog Day on Friday, Aug. 1, 2025, community members got to take a peek inside the new performing arts center that will open this fall in the city’s downtown.

With the first full day of school quickly approaching on Thursday, Aug. 14, Sterling Public Schools has a few important events you might not want to miss.

The dean’s list honors students with a semester grade-point average of 3.5 or higher.

The Sterling Park District has released its fall 2025 Activity Guide, showcasing fitness programs, recreational sports, wellness services, and family-friendly events designed to engage residents of all ages.

Franklin Elementary and Challand Middle schools were recently awarded a Readers’ Choice Grant from the Association of Illinois School Library Educators/LBSS Endowment Fund.