As a lifelong Bears fan who wants the team to stay in Illinois, I refused to vote for any bill that gave special tax breaks to a billionaire franchise while everyday Illinois taxpayers are drowning in the second highest property taxes in America.

From Capitol News Illinois: The former defendants known as the “Broadview Six” are moving forward with an aggressive plan to force the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago to reveal the machinations behind how they were indicted

Amboy's upcoming Food Truck Monday will feature not just a selection of food trucks and vendors but live music as well.

From Capitol News Illinois: Bills banning Glocks, creating a prescription drug board and regulating algorithmic pricing advanced in the final days of session, but not to the governor’s desk

The Chicago Bears announced Friday that its board of directors voted to advance its stadium project in Hammond, Indiana. However, two Illinois lawmakers confirmed to Capitol News Illinois that any talk of the Bears leaving the state is premature

Breaking school and state records, Rochelle pole vaulter Andrew Nuyen finished second with a personal-best height of 5.35 meters (17 feet 6 1/2 inches) during the IHSA Class 2A state boys track and field meet at Eastern Illinois. Nuyen is signed to compete at South Florida.

Chicago Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze is determined to be "excellent" after an injury-plagued season last year. Here's how he's working over the offseason to get there.

Vacation Bible School is coming soon to the Evangelical Free Church of Mt. Morris.

From Capitol News Illinois: State Treasurer Mike Frerichs visited the Vatican this week with a gift for the pope: $8.65 of his own money

The Flagg-Rochelle Public Library's HVAC replacement project is done, and the library is ready to welcome patrons for its summer reading program, Director Sarah Flanagan writes.

Jack McKanna of Mt. Morris graduated from Cedarville University in spring 2026 with an undergraduate degree.

From Capitol News Illinois: House Bill 4418 creates the Plastic Pellets Pollution Control Act, which takes a step toward controlling the amount of plastic that ends up in Illinois waterways

Ogle Co. Cowboy Church is offering a Church in the Dirt (CND) opportunity June 14 at Ogle County Fairgrounds.

Forreston fell behind early and never recovered in a 10-7 loss to Galena at the 1A Forreston Sectional on Wednesday, June 3, 2026. Galena plays Dakota for the sectional title on Saturday, June 6, at Forreston High School.

The National Weather Service said warm, dry conditions, combined with southwest winds gusting as high as 25 mph will result in an increased grass and brush fire threat this afternoon

Each year, the Polo Lions Club partners with the keynote speaker of their annual Farmers’ Night to support youth programming in the area.

From Capitol News Illinois: Lawmakers on the final day of the General Assembly passed a bill to regulate how minors interact with social media and other online platforms to make them less addictive

Stillman Bank is hosting a community-wide food drive to help support local families in need.

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and some players met with reporters Wednesday at Halas Hall in Lake Forest as they continued their Organized Team Activities (OTA) practices. Here are three of the most interesting things the Bears said Wednesday.

The Interstate 8 named three girls soccer MVPs: Kaneland's Erin Doucette, Ottawa's Chloe Carmona and Sycamore's Izzie Segreti. Co-champs Sycamore and Kaneland each had five all-conference selections, Ottawa had three, La Salle-Peru and Morris had two and Rochelle had one.

Sycamore pitcher Bella Jacobs was voted conference MVP by Interstate 8 coaches as the champion Spartans had five first-team selections. Ottawa and Morris had four selections each, Kaneland and La Salle-Peru had two each and Rochelle had one.

Ottawa's Adam Swanson was named the Interstate 8 MVP as Pirates and co-champ Kaneland each had six selections. Sycamore and Morris had three selections each, La Salle-Peru had two and Rochelle had one. Every team had one honorable mention.

AI, AI, that’s all one hears about lately. AI is presented as the next greatest deal since sliced bread. So what is the fuss all about?

From Capitol News Illinois: In an exceptionally rare move, U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros published a “special report” containing the transcript of a nearly four-minute speech he gave to a grand jury in October that would go on to indict the “Broadview Six” later that day

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams will be on the "Madden 27" cover. He is the first Bears player to ever appear on the cover since the game was first released in 1988

The Ogle County Planning & Zoning Department recently released zoning certificates it issued in May.

The Coliseum Museum in Oregon recently announced the opening of the second annual Around the Farm art exhibit featuring 35 artists from across the northern Illinois area, on display from June 6-July 18.

From Capitol News Illinois: Gov. JB Pritzker says he intends to sign legislation imposing a statewide ban on cell phones and other wireless communication devices during instructional time in public schools and charter schools

The Chicago Bears will go up against a familiar opponent for a joint practice in August. Chicago will travel to Cincinnati for a joint practice on Aug. 20 against the Bengals.

From Capitol News Illinois: An Illinois law banning “swipe fees” on taxes and tips — already delayed twice by lawmakers — appears to be on life support after a federal judge who once permitted it issued a permanent injunction against it this week

The Ogle County Solid Waste Management Department will host a residential electronics recycling event Friday, June 26.

The Chicago Bears’ search for a new stadium took another unexpected dramatic turn early morning Monday in Springfield when Illinois lawmakers failed to pass a bill that would help them build a new stadium in Arlington Heights. Here's what could happen next in the search.

From Capitol News Illinois: JB Pritzker acknowledged that the Chicago Bears may be on their way to Indiana. But he and Democratic leaders defended their decision not to move a bill incentivizing them to stay

The University of Dubuque recently named Ogle County students to its spring semester 2026 academic dean’s list.

From Capitol News Illinois: The General Assembly passed a bill early Monday that would give rideshare drivers the right to form a union

From Capitol News Illinois: Bills expanding privacy for abortion medical records and access to birth control services passed in the final days of the General Assembly’s spring session

Here's a list of events happening at the Mt. Morris Senior & Community Center.

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois lawmakers approved a budget after 4 a.m. Monday, which includes the full $350 million increase in Evidence-Based Funding for public schools. Some education advocates had called for a bigger increase

From Capitol News Illinois: New taxes would be implemented on social media companies based on the number of users in the state, along with prediction markets, fantasy sports, and digital assets

More than 3,500 students at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater earned a spot on the dean’s list for the spring 2026 semester.

Illinois lawmakers remained hopeful that they could find a way to stop the Chicago Bears from leaving for Indiana after they failed to pass a bill before the end of the spring legislative session that would’ve helped the NFL team build a new stadium in Arlington Heights.

The Leaf River Soaring Eagles 4-H Club collected nonperishable food supplies to donate to the local mini food center.

From Capitol News Illinois: Illinois could soon reform the state’s regulations on delinquent property tax sales after the House approved a bill 80-35 along party lines Saturday evening that lets homeowners keep their equity

From Capitol News Illinois: The Illinois Senate filed a more than 3,500-page spending plan late Saturday night but how it will be paid for has not been made public

Illinois lawmakers left numerous options open to stop the Chicago Bears from leaving for Indiana on Sunday as they entered the final day of the spring legislature in Springfield. That includes a potential stadium in Chicago.

From Capitol News Illinois: The POWER Act, an expansive bill to regulate data centers, will not pass the General Assembly this spring, but the bill’s leaders say the measure isn’t dead and negotiations will continue through the summer

A single-family home in Rochelle that sold for $215,000 nears the top of the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Ogle County in the past week.

From Capitol News Illinois: House Bill 4248 would prohibit any retailer from using surveillance pricing, a form of algorithmic pricing in which companies use a consumer’s personal data to generate a personalized price

Illinois hunters set a new spring turkey hunting record in 2026, with nearly 21,000 birds harvested and a growing number of hunters taking to the field.

Coe College is recognizing its highest performing students as members of the spring 2026 dean’s list, including Kamryn Stockton of Polo.