The Utica Knights of Columbus Father Maquette Council donated $2,600 to four local charities in the Illinois Valley on Thursday, March 18, 2026 at the Utica Village Hall. The organizations were Horizon House, Lighted Way, Special Olympics and Starve Rock Regional Center. The Knights of Columbus also donated $200 to the Utica Police and Fire Departments. The money was raised through The Knights of Columbus Intellectual Disabilities Fund Drive, commonly known as the Tootsie Roll Drive, last October. The fund drive supports local programs for people with special needs.

Here is a roundup of weather-related cancellations in the Illinois Valley.

Utica officials appear to have found a compromise with business owners over the outdoor dining program.

Explore the world of reptiles with a live animal program at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 26 at the Starved Rock State Park Visitor Center.

Registration has opened on Starved Rock’s Eventbrite page for “Nature Sleuths: Spring Break Youth Workshops” to be held April 8-10 at the Starved Rock Visitor Center.

A program, “Early Pioneers of La Salle,” will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 11 at Starved Rock State Park Visitor Center.

Registration begins soon for the “Chasing Spring Hike” at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, April 25 at Starved Rock State Park.

The Starved Rock Art Show Award Ceremony and Reception for 2026 took place Saturday at the Starved Rock Visitor Center.

Starved Rock Lodge and reelCreative have announced an expanded creative partnership to elevate the Lodge’s “Escape to Nature, Wake Up with Adventure” campaign while investing in new visual assets for 2026.

Outdoor dining in Utica has been a big hit, but Utica village officials say there are costs to the village and business owners must pay their fair share.

Lead has been found in some homes and businesses in Utica, the village disclosed.

Starved Rock State Park announced Thursday free events to be offered in March.

Visitors to Starved Rock State Park are urged to watch for trail closures starting Tuesday, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources has announced.

The University of Illinois Extension will offer a “The Foods and Flavors of the Mediterranean Diet” program from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 3, at the Utica Public Library, 224 Mill St., Utica.

Wine enthusiasts gathered in Utica for its Winter Wine Walk on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026, to enjoy a winter's day to sip wine and experience a fun-filled afternoon.

Sample food and wine at participating local businesses in downtown Utica.

The body of a Streator man reported missing Jan. 11 has been located in rural Utica, the La Salle County Sheriff’s Office reported Monday.

Utica finalized an increase in its hotel-motel tax along with late penalties– this time with unanimous support.

Ernie Marcelain on fixing school funding: I feel individual property taxes that the counties impose are way out of control. We need to revise the PTELL to make property taxes fairer to homeowners. Read Marcelain's full election questionnaire here

Illinois Valley Community College recently announced its Presidential Honors List for the fall 2025 semester.

Illinois Valley Community College recently announced its academic honors list for the fall 2025 semester.

Wondering if we’re in for another six weeks of winter? You’ll have to wait until Tuesday to find out. The groundhog that appeared Sunday at Starved Rock State Park was in no mood to prognosticate.

Firefighters and EMS personnel from Utica, Tonica and Oglesby braved sub-zero temperatures Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, to conduct ice-rescue training on a private pond south of Utica. Wearing wetsuits, firefighters cut multiple holes through the ice while practicing rescue scenarios. The exercise focused on teaching new techniques to improve safety and efficiency during frozen-water emergencies.

Graduates and their degrees or certificates are listed by hometown. The students are eligible to participate in the college’s spring commencement.

A search party was organized by the family of Villa Herrera on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026 at Advanced Asphalt in Utica. Herrera went missing on Sunday, Jan. 11, after being involved in a crash at the Utica roundabout. He was last spotted walking on foot and wearing a white and grey windbreaker jacket and jeans. Agencies with Central K9 Search in Spring Valley and Eye in the Sky in Bloomington helped the family with the search. La Salle County Sheriff's Office has also searched the ground and air surrounding the crash site.

Two people were taken to local hospitals for smoke inhalation Tuesday morning after fire broke out in Fire on Fifth, located in the Westclox building.

How many new visitors will the New York campaign bring to Starved Rock State Park? Probably not that many, tourist officials say.

Eagle Watch Weekend returns Jan. 24-25 at Starved Rock and all those who service and support the park are hoping for strong turnout.

Utica Public Library announces its upcoming free events for 2026

Utica is boosting its hotel-motel tax for the first time in more than 40 years – and plans to crack down on venue operators who don’t pay that tax on time.

Five people have been admitted to intensive care in La Salle County with the flu, health officials said Monday.

Utica American Legion has reached a tentative settlement with the Utica Public Library: the Legion will vacate the library by Feb. 1.

NCI ARTworks will host an exhibition opening for international contemporary artist Ken Knight from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at its gallery in Peru.

Cajun Connection closed in 2023, but the loss of the nearly 30-year-old restaurant was softened with plans for a food truck.

The open-air shopping venue with portable retail stalls is modeled after Batavia and Muskegon, Michigan.

Shaw Local photographers across northern Illinois captured some amazing moments this year, including the excitement and drama of high school sports, the hometown pride of a summer festival, and the reality of the news events that shaped our communities. Together, these images preserve not just what happened in 2025, but how it felt to live in the towns and neighborhoods we call home.

Check out these 8 eateries that are serve up mouth-watering burgers.

Starved Rock State Park hasn’t broken a monthly attendance record in more than three years. The park will finish this year with “only” 2.2 million visitors – nowhere close to the attendance record – when the final tally is in.

Santa Claus took time out of his busy schedule to parade through Utica on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. The Utica Fire Protection District has been hosting Santa since December 1941 and is one of the oldest Santa parades in the Illinois Valley.

Waltham Elementary won’t ask voters to fund a $7.3 million expansion of its Utica-area school -- not inspring 2026, anyway.

Coincide, a boutique shop at 225 N. Mill St. in Utica, will donate 25% of select item sales to Chicagoland Pig Rescue through Sunday, Dec. 21.

Utica’s tax base grew 7%, giving village officials a chance to cut rates or boost revenue. Tuesday, they did a little of both.

The Market on Mill, Utica's outdoor retail plaza, is considered a big hit. New data from the Illinois Department of Revenue suggest the plaza helped Utica to record summer sales totals.

Churches across La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties have announced their Christmas Eve and Christmas Day service schedules for 2025.

A new gourmet food destination has opened in downtown Utica, offering infused olive oils, aged balsamic vinegars and specialty foods.

Two fires broke out Friday afternoon at a Utica company and at a cemetery. The former drew firefighters while the latter drew the ire of village officials.

Olivetta Market recently opened its new location to the public at 122 Mill St. in Utica.

After failing earlier this year to get voters to approve a $10 million expansion, Waltham Elementary may try again in 2026. But the vote to proceed with a spring referendum didn’t happen Wednesday.

The Village of North Utica has canceled its remaining November meetings.

Two bald eagles have died from injuries, not believed to be the result of human contact, near Starved Rock State Park and in northern DeKalb County, Conservation police confirmed.