La Salle County

Police seized more than 200 grams of cocaine, multiple firearms and stolen goods worth more than $50,000. A trio of men are accused of overseeing the year-long criminal enterprise.

Barring an appeal, Amy “Murri” Briel will succeed state Rep. Lance Yednock as the 76th District state representative.

Four Streator men were charged Tuesday with the seldom-filed felony of criminal drug conspiracy. Streator police said other suspects in a drug and theft ring would be charged, as well.

Republicans officially maintained control of the La Salle County Board after final election results were released Tuesday.

I worked as a judge for the 2024 General Election a few weeks ago. It was a long day.

The Serena and Seneca girls basketball teams defeated Herscher and Streator respectively in the second night of the Falcon-Irish Thanksgiving Tournament on Tuesday at Seneca High School to improve to 2-0 on the young season.

The first day of the girls basketball season brought hard-earned victories for both Marquette and Fieldcrest, which both used big middle quarters and then held on late in the Falcon-Irish Thanksgiving Tournament.

The Lee County Honor Flight is growing as more and more La Salle and Bureau counties veterans join the trips to Washington D.C.

North Central Area Transit is requesting input.

Here on the farm, we gain a lot of spiritual lessons while taking care of our livestock. Patience, perseverance, humility and awe are just a few.

Bureau-Putnam Area Rural Transit surveys were mailed to every rider that made a reservation in 2023.

With girls basketball season starting across the state Monday, here is a look at the 2024-25 season for teams across The Times coverage area.

The 2024-25 Seneca girls basketball team wants to continue to play up-tempo and returns all but one player from last season's squad that won 17 games in coach Josh Myers's first season.

The last charged suspect in the armed Ottawa home invasion, during which shots were fired, has pleaded guilty to a felony.

An Ottawa man serving 18 years for sexually assaulting a child struck out with an appeals court Thursday.

4-H members across Bureau, La Salle and Marshall-Putnam counties learned ways to improve as officers at the 2024 gameshow-themed 4-H Officer Training event Nov. 9 at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby.

2024-25's senior-heavy Ottawa girls basketball team returns a ton of talent, including all-state senior guard Marlie Orlandi and Times All-Area first teamer senior Skylar Dorsey, to the floor looking to put together a solid season under 10th-year coach Brent Moore.

Eight veterans were awarded Quilts of Valor on Wednesday from the Illinois Valley chapter following a Starved Rock Country Community Foundation meeting in La Salle.

Marquette's girls basketball team lost its top star to graduation, but looks to have another waiting in the wings as well as a strong supporting cast.

The formula for the Streator girls basketball team's improvement in 2023-24? “If we keep this pace up, our coaching staff anticipates a much better season than last year.”

A judge was thinking about giving Nicholas Huber more of a shot at pre-trial release. A call from La Salle County Jail may have changed the judge’s mind.

As the holidays approach, many of us think about charitable giving, either financially or by volunteering our time and talent. Perhaps you have a charity of choice or two. But what if you want to support a community, not just a few organizations?

Musical theater will be on the stage at IVCC and in Henry over the weekend, along with another event to kick off the holidays in Spring Valley.

A Streator man is charged with jumping out of a moving squad car and running from police. He had to be tased and was charged with having drugs on him.

The police searched the truck Sunday and found binoculars and bolt cutters in the cab. The trailer they were hauling was stolen. Both driver and passenger had been previously granted pre-trial release.

Our country is living in tumultuous times.

Wednesday, Nov. 13, is the last day to pay your taxes in La Salle County before they are sold at the tax sale.

You Are Not Alone (YANA), a grassroots organization aimed at building community and promoting civic engagement among conservative and right-of-center individuals, is set to host its next meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, at Jamie’s Outpost, 602 Clark St., Utica.

Veterans Day ceremonies will take place Monday, Nov. 11, across La Salle, Bureau and Putnam counties.

The Veterans Day ceremony, put on by the Ottawa American Legion and the VFW, consisted of speeches about acts of heroism by those present and others now passed, talks of the civic responsibility of those now free to ensure the veterans’ well-being.

A team comprised of local leadership announced the award of a $900,000 drug court grant made possible through The Bureau of Justice Assistance.

One of the suspects in a burglary-theft spree is back in custody.

What causes homelessness? That’s easy. Loss of job and income is no. 1. Not far behind are family disputes – breakups, divorces, domestic violence – that force people out. How do we fix homelessness? By addressing the needs of individuals.

Voter turnout was strong throughout the Illinois Valley, but county clerks guessed a bit high when predicting voter participation.

The period for filing nomination petitions for the April 1 Illinois Valley Community College Board of Trustee election begins Nov. 12.

A 46-year-old Streator man was able to open the back seat door of a La Salle County Sheriff’s Office squad car while he was in custody and flee Saturday in Ottawa.

Join Susan Glassman, a nutrition and wellness educator from the University of Illinois Extension, and learn simple ingredient swaps, healthy eating tips and creative gift-giving ideas while savoring and sharing favorite holiday foods.

The La Salle County Genealogy Guild will host its annual ethnic potluck lunch at noon Saturday, Nov. 16, at 115 W. Glover St., Ottawa.

Shots heard Sunday morning at Everett and Main streets in Streator were from a botched robbery. The man charged with firing those shots will be held in La Salle County Jail.

La Salle police and drug agents apprehended a suspect in a July shooting near a La Salle bar. Leeonta Patton will remain in custody while awaiting trial.

Marseilles resident Jack Leininger, a native of Varna, saves thousands of live with his rescue helicopter in Vietnam.

He took one look at the sea, dreamed of a Navy career and finished as chief after 20 years' service. Oglesby Mayor Jason Curran encourages almost any young person to try military service, but cautions that family life with the service can be complicated and stressful.

Chandler Bedecker, a Streator native, recently made the transition from being in the military service to a career in civilian life as a mill helper at Nucor Tubular Products in Marseilles.

Dave Bartley of Peru was stationed outside Frankfurt, Germany, as a 75 Bravo personnel administrative clerk for the U.S. Army, when the wall came down.

Ed Levy has been with Streator FD for many years and prides himself on his committment to service after his time in the U.S. Army.

Daniel Higgins, who dropped out of Marseilles High School at 17, made it way around the world during a decorated career on US Navy submarines.

Streator boys and girls soccer coach J.T. Huey served in the Army and was stationed in the Diyala Province, which at the time hotbed of the Iraqi insurgency, as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom after the 9/11 attacks.

Mendota native Chad Hochstatter credits his four years in the Marine Corps for setting him on the right path. Now, he's the school resource officer at Mendota High School and is heavily involved in youth sports in town as a board member and coach of several sports.

Fran Baker of La Salle enlisted in the Navy on St. Patrick’s Day 1993 intending to find a new direction.

Read thank you letters to Ottawa area veterans in our 2024 special section: Thank You Veterans