After closing in 2024, Sam and Serena Witz reestablished the Serena Cafe on Wednesday, March 5.

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

Amazon opened a last-mile delivery facility in Ottawa in September, bringing in jobs while speeding up deliveries across the Illinois Valley.

Planned Parenthood of Illinois closed four health centers in March, including its Ottawa location.

A La Salle County grand jury convened Tuesday and returned the following indictments.

Heroin abuse began to wane in La Salle County in recent years and that decline has continued into 2025. That would be good news, except that fentanyl is taking its place.

La Salle County has had years when the crime statistics were high but there wasn’t much violence. In 2025, it was the other way around.

Here is a schedule of high school sporting events in the Ottawa/Streator area for the coming week.

Catch up on the week’s top Illinois Valley news in minutes for Dec. 21-27. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

Four area churches will host “Dinner with a Friend” Jan. 26 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the Norway Community Building in Sheridan.

Michael Turk, owner and president of Turk Furniture’s, said the company’s goal hasn’t changed since Joseph Turk founded Turk Furniture in 1885 in downtown Joliet.

There are six new La Salle County sheriff's deputies on the road, with four more coming in 2026. It's a sign of how police recruitment, a problem in recent years, has steadily improved.

The Illinois Valley experienced a year marked by high-profile murder cases, heated healthcare battles and political setbacks in 2025.

Illinois Master Gardeners will teach winter seed sowing techniques Jan. 31 from 10 a.m. to noon at Nell’s Woodland in Ottawa.

Earlville Community Unit School District No. 9 has hired Jenette R. Fruit as superintendent beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.

Reddick Public Library in Ottawa has scheduled several events for the week of Jan. 1, including movie screenings, escape rooms and club meetings.

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

The Red Stocking Fund has received donations totaling more than $6,000 from individuals, families and organizations to help low-income families celebrate the holidays by providing Christmas gifts to children ages 12 and younger.

A Servant’s Heart, an Ottawa nonprofit organization, hosted its annual Christmas dinner on Tuesday to feed the community.

OSF Saint Clare Medical Center in Princeton recently notified patients that some of their personal and medical information may have been exposed in a breach involving its former electronic health record software vendor, Cerner.

What began as a way to bring some normalcy during the COVID-19 pandemic has now grown into a neighborhood tradition on the 800 block of Banbury Drive in Ottawa.

Heritage Harbor announced that the Illinois Crafter/Bluegill Boathouse & Marina Bar concluded its services with the Ottawa marina community.

The City of Ottawa will collect Christmas trees from Friday, Dec. 26, through Friday, Jan. 30, at the Riordan Pool parking lot.

A diabetes support group will meet on Thursday, Jan. 8, from 9:30-11 a.m. at OSF Saint Paul Medical Center in Mendota.

You may not know Lacey Haltenhof, but if you’ve shopped downtowns in the Illinois Valley this holiday season, you’ve seen her work.

Seneca High School named its November students of the month.

The library has scheduled multiple events for the week of Jan. 5-10:

Catch up on the week’s top Illinois Valley news in minutes for Dec. 14-20. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

State Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, who represents the 76th House District covering parts of DeKalb, La Salle and Bureau counties, is hosting the event.

Ottawa Township High School will induct Dr. Richard “Dick” Martin into its Hall of Fame in 2026.

The ordinance stands: Feed a feral cat in unincorporated La Salle County and, yes, you could be fined $75. But there have been behind-the-scenes discussions between between county authorities and the Safe House Animal Rescue League, which opposes the ban on feeding feral cats.

If you’ve been dreaming of a white Christmas, well, dream on. It looks as if Santa and his reindeer won’t be landing on any snow-covered rooftops in the Illinois Valley.

Illinois Master Naturalists will lead a winter nature walk Jan. 17 from 11 a.m. to noon at Nell’s Woodland in Ottawa.

The Ottawa City Council approved the purchase of Knox Box equipment, allowing the Ottawa Fire Department to begin a residential emergency access program that lets firefighters and paramedics enter homes during emergencies without forcing entry.

Bring the kids to see Santa Sunday, Dec. 21 at Hank's Farm in Ottawa.

Several Bill Walsh auto dealerships in Ottawa are under new ownership following their acquisition by Midwest-based automotive retailer Home Run Auto Group.

Ottawa City Council approved annexation agreements allowing 13 homes in the Woodridge subdivision to be brought into the city during their meeting on Tuesday night.

Two seniors have been selected as Ottawa Sunrise Rotary Students of the Month for December.

The Daughters of the American Revolution Illini Chapter honored recipients of the DAR Good Citizen Award from area high schools on Dec. 4 at the Reddick Mansion, according to a DAR news release.

Supporters call it Medical Aid in Dying. Opponents call it assisted suicide. The health care network serving the Illinois Valley favors the latter phrase – and pledged to not engage in it.

Horizon House in Peru has launched its annual Tree of Hope campaign with a goal of raising $75,000 to support programs for people with disabilities.

Catch up on the week’s top Illinois Valley news in minutes for Dec. 7-13. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

Five individuals and one team have been selected as 2026 inductees to the Ottawa Township High School Hall of Fame.

The Women Inspired Network recently awarded $8,000 in grants to local nonprofits during its ninth annual Celebration of Giving Sunday, Dec. 9.

Bill Walsh Auto Group announced it will end its Volkswagen franchise operations in Ottawa on Dec. 11, 2025.

Ava Offermann has been named Marquette Academy’s 2025-2026 Daughters of the American Revolution Good Citizens Award winner.

Ottawa Township High School has selected four students as winners of its annual holiday art card competition.

Experience a Victorian Christmas as the Reddick Mansion in Ottawa.

A look at why drivers see a price gap from one end of La Salle County to the other.

United Way of Eastern La Salle County’s Community Investment Program has allocated $20,000 to the Community Food Basket of Ottawa’s Milk Program to support food security in the region.