Members of the Amboy High School Class of 2014 recently supported the Kishwaukee College Foundation’s Mathew J. Rood Diesel Power Technology Scholarship after collecting donations at its class reunion.

Focus House is one of two facilities of its kind in the state. The Ogle County treatment facility just north of Rochelle provides a continuum of services for at-risk youths, including residential, counseling, education and alternative programming.

MCDERMOTT: The story of Rochelle cannot be told without a mention of the taverns and Cherry Avenue.

To raise awareness of Constitution Week, Sept. 17-23, 2025, the Rochelle Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution is sponsoring a Constitution Week word search contest for students through grade 12.

Terry Roderick, former director of bands and school administrator at Rochelle Township High School, will be inducted into the Illinois State University Band Hall of Fame on Oct. 11, 2025.

Country Road Greenhouses will host its second annual fall plant sale from Sept. 28-29, 2025, at the farm near Rochelle.

Sept. 1 marked 50 years of the Rochelle Fire Department providing ambulance services.

Relive those high school days when Cutting the Square was the way to cruise the loop and check out the people and the cars.

Area nonprofits are working to fill the fundraising gap left by local nonprofit From the Heart after it ceased operations in February after 18 years and $1.116 million in giving in the greater Rochelle area.

October 2024 incident happened at the Rochelle Hospital.

The Creston Village Board of Trustees has unanimously approved an agreement with the Rochelle Landfill that will see the village officially acquire 111.3 acres of land that will be used as farm property that will be leased out.

The Rochelle Area Community Foundation held a golf outing at Fairways Golf Course on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025, in Rochelle. The event featured golfers from local businesses and community organizations and nonprofit partners and sponsors with booths at each hole.

The annual meeting of the Rochelle Community Hospital Association will be 5 p.m. Sept. 30 at Alfano’s Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant. 

Rochelle Family Dental is excited to welcome Dr. Shawn May to its team. This new chapter reflects the practice’s continued commitment to providing compassionate, high-quality dental care for families throughout the Rochelle community, according to a news release.

The Rochelle Lions Club recently donated new office furniture and a commemorative plaque to Kings Elementary School in memory of Lion Jim Milligan.

At its Aug. 11, 2025, meeting, the Rochelle City Council approved the annexation of 5 acres at 13800 Gurler Road, which is contiguous to the Rochelle Municipal Airport.

The Rochelle Chamber of Commerce recently presented its Lawn of the Week award for the week of Sept. 2, 2025, to Ken and Becky Hardy.

Since the inauguration, the President has waged a campaign to gain control of the legislative and judicial powers assigned by the Constitution to Congress and the Supreme Court.

About 125 people, critical of President Donald Trump, carried signs and chanted during the 2-hour "Workers Over Billionaires" rally held in downtown Oregon on Monday, Sept. 1, 2025. A smaller contingent of Trump supporters also demonstrated, displaying a large MAGA flag and Trump poster during the event.

Rochelle mayor: As we close the chapter on August, it’s a fitting time to reflect on the numerous activities that kept our community engaged and lively throughout the month.

On Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025, a ribboncutting and dedication were held for the Diane McNeilly Memorial Garden at the intersection of North 7th Street and 10th Avenue in Rochelle.

Many of you may think that what is happening in ICE raids with immigrants, and some citizens, and those that protest by marching, those at sit-ins at universities, troops in your backyard, and detention camps being built, won’t happen to you or those you love or your friends. 

Rochelle Community Hospital is working to make the community aware of the importance of being established with a general health provider through its Family Healthcare Clinic for individual or family healthcare.

Local media serves as a community’s connective tissue, especially in small towns like Rochelle, where residents look to trusted neighborhood outlets for timely, relevant information.

The Rochelle Police Department recently acquired an armored vehicle and started its own emergency response team, RPD Chief Pete Pavia said Aug. 25, 2025.

Rochelle Kiwanis Golden K Club President Will McLachlan recently was presented with two awards. He was named Distinguished Club President at the Kiwanis Convention and received the Outstanding Club Leadership award from the Rochelle club.

The Rochelle Fire Department recently teamed up with students from FOCUS House in Rochelle for a hands-on STEM learning activity that blended creativity, problem-solving, and a bit of suspense – the classic “egg drop challenge.”

On Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, a public informational meeting was held on the ongoing Steward-Caron Roads Industrial Corridor study.

At its meeting Monday, Aug. 25, the Rochelle City Council unanimously accepted a strategic communications plan that will see it adopt purple as the city’s official color and change branding in coming months.

Spring Lake Pool in Rochelle saw its highest attendance numbers in 5 years this summer, Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District Director of Recreation Maureen Stevens said Aug. 21, 2025.

Trump derangement syndrome (TDS) is an affliction of mostly the leftists in the country.  TDS can be defined as a personal behavior where one views everything that Trump does as bad.

Northern Rehab Physical Therapy Specialists are hosting an after-hours open house on Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. at the clinic, 1211 Currency Court, Rochelle.

Stepping Stones Preschool began operations at the newly reopened May Elementary School on Aug. 19, 2025, Rochelle Elementary School District officials said.

After its grant cycle ended in the summer of 2025, the Rochelle Elementary School District will be locally funding its HUB Program this semester through Dec. 12, district officials said Aug. 21.

Batavia City Council members are expected to approve a new energy policy at their Sept. 2 meeting to set sustainability goals and guide future energy decisions.

Every fall, additional bricks in the Rochelle Veterans War Memorial are engraved in time for Veterans Day. Orders for brick engraving are collected and the engraver is hired to perform the work on a dry day in the fall. 

Chana Methodist Church will celebrates its 150th year Sept. 7, 2025.

Richard Sax and Joseph Dubin were two Chicago men with a dream, very little money, but a dream. The two men wanted to start a printing company but could not afford the high costs of opening a shop in Chicago.

Here is a list of property transfers for Ogle County for Aug. 18-22, 2025.

The Kishwaukee College Foundation recently announced student scholarship recipients for the Fall 2025 semester. The Foundation awarded 296 scholarships totaling $218,866.

The annual summer banquet and officer installation for the upcoming year of Rochelle American Legion Post 403 was held at Storybook Gardens in Rochelle on Aug. 13.

Kris Wexell, program director and operations manager at WYOT-FM and WRHL-FM, has been recognized by Radio Ink magazine as one of the Best Program Directors in America for 2025.

The Rochelle Chamber of Commerce presented its Lawn of the Week award for the week of Aug. 22 to Jose and Lourdes Arroyo. They received a sign and a $25 Rochelle ACE Hardware gift card, presented by Rochelle Ace Hardware Manager Jesse Lopez.

On Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, the City of Rochelle held a groundbreaking for the expansion of its Rochelle Intermodal Transload Center at 1851 S. Steward Road.

Augustana College recently recognized 555 students during its 165th commencement ceremony.

Shaw Media is set to buy four northern Illinois newspapers after their publisher abruptly shut down operations earlier this month, including The Rochelle News-Leader, Ogle County Life, The Mendota Reporter, and The Amboy News

The Ogle County Economic Development Corporation recently hired longtime resident Liz Hiemstra as its new director.

A Rochelle woman was hospitalized Wednesday after suffering what police called a medical issue while driving that caused her car to crash into a tree, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

An animal rights activist accused in Ogle County of falsely reporting a shooting at a rodeo near Rochelle pleaded not guilty Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025, after a judge ruled that the case against her will move forward.

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.