Sauk Valley graduate and former Rock Falls boys basketball assistant coach Tony Tompkins, the athletic director at Johnson County Community College, was a recipient of the NACDA Athletic Director of the Year award.

Penny Lane – The Ultimate All-Girls Beatles Tribute Band will perform at The Dixon Historic Theatre on Saturday, April 4.

Sauk Valley Bank recently announced Lori Gajdzik is the Harvard market president of Sauk Valley Bank.

Newman baseball took its first loss 8-4 to Lena-Winslow after the Panthers scored five unearned runs. Fulton girls track & field won, Sterling baseball fell to Rock Island 5-4, Sterling softball fell at Ottawa and more in Wednesday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Sterling’s Lily Martinez and Layla Wright pitched a combined no-hitter in a 9-0 win over Quincy. Milledgeville softball beat Newman 17-6, E-P took second at the Rosenberry Classic and more in Tuesday's Sauk Valley roundup.

A wrapper or cigarette butt might seem small, but multiplied across blocks of sidewalks, it reshapes how a downtown feels. Once a month from March to October, volunteers step up to change that in Sterling, cleaning it up and building friendships in the process.

From sandwich sales to scholarships, Morrison High School’s Key Club is showing how student volunteers are shaping leadership, community and opportunity.

From early settlers to current football coaches, Prophetstown has launched lives that shaped the world. They're local leaders, inventors, artists and athletes who built and represented the town well, showing how hometown roots can leave a big mark.

Dixon native Isaiah Roby, a forward for the Westchester Knicks, received the 2025-26 NBA G League Community Assist Award for his impact and outstanding service in the Westchester County community throughout the season. 'My commitment to giving back comes from my own upbringing.'

Owen Mandrell and Ethan Mathews both hit grand slams for Rock Falls in a win at E-P. Dixon baseball is 4-0, Sterling fell 9-8 at Rock Island, Dixon's Taylor Frost pitched a complete game win over Amboy and more in Monday's Sauk Valley roundup.

A Night of Jazz concert fundraiser will bring a jazz quintet to Dixon and benefit music scholarships for Sauk Valley youths.

A couple of hundred people gathered on the lawn outside the Old Lee County Courthouse in Dixon on Saturday, a day in which millions of people took to the streets nationwide for No Kings protests

Get caught up on Sauk Valley news, sports and features from the week of March 19-26, 2026.

Catch up on the week’s top Sauk Valley news for March 22-28 in minutes. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

Dixon's Abram Garcia, Keegan Shirley, Averick Wiseman and Dean Geiger won the 4x4800 relay at the Illinois Top Times meet. Dixon and Sterling softball won, and Oregon baseball won 11-10 in Saturday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Provided that at least 10 students register and pay for the course by the Friday, April 17, registration deadline, the program will run from Monday, June 1, through Thursday, June 25, and will be priced at $315.

The No Kings protest movement is expected to be in full swing Saturday, March 28, with more than 3,100 events in communities large and small across all 50 states and more than 9 million people expected to participate, according to organizers

Newman baseball continued to roll after beating Morrison 12-2. Fulton beat Milledgeville, Morrison softball beat Newman and more in Friday's Sauk Valley roundup.

On this episode of Talk Line, Brandon Clark talks with Andy Jackson of Sinnissippi Centers about Self-Harm Awareness Month, recognizing the signs of self-harm, and the resources available to support those in need.

Dixon baseball improved to 3-0 after an 8-5 win at Rockford Jefferson. Eastland softball beat Lena-Winslow, Fulton fell to Ridgewood 10-0 and more in Thursday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Owen Mandrell plans to attend Sauk Valley Community College for two years and to eventually transfer to a 4-year university.

Aidan Brown, a Dixon High School senior, plans to attend the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to study mechanical engineering with a minor in business, and hopes to work as an automotive engineer.

The Dixon Municipal Band will perform a free spring concert Saturday, March 28, at The Dixon Historic Theatre.

Newman's Brenleigh Cook and Claire Von Holten each had five RBIs in a win. Oregon softball beat Amboy, Newman baseball won 12-3, Dixon boys track & field won and more in Wednesday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Owen Mandrell and Owen Laws each had two RBIs in Rock Falls' 7-3 win over Eastland. Fulton and Forreston baseball won, and Morrison softball beat Fulton to improve to 4-0 in Tuesday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Rap and rock. Country and blues. Hip-hop and pop. Folk and fun. Many ingredients make up the musical gumbo that five guys – including those from Morrison and Fulton – are mixing together, and they’ll be in concert this summer in Sterling, Savanna and Cordova.

Nicole Olinger didn’t plan to build a photography business, but she held on to moments. The Prophetstown photographer found purpose in preserving senior years, sports milestones and memories families don’t want to forget.

What some call junk, Melissa Hull calls possibility. Inside her downtown Morrison studio, discarded items become art, and the creative itch in others is inspired.

Spray tan business owner Caitlin O'Connor has studios in Dixon and Polo, and has become part of wedding mornings – helping brides feel comfortable, natural and camera-ready for their big day before they ever step into their dresses.

Sauk Valley Community College and Skyhawk Athletics have announced that SVCC softball coach Derron Sellers has been appointed the college’s new director of athletics.

Sterling's Layla Wright pitched a perfect game and had four RBIs in a road win. Newman, Oregon and Rock Falls softball also had wins. Newman, Sterling and Dixon baseball won, plus track & field results and more in Monday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Sterling's Jossy James, Dixon's Ahmyrie McGowan and Polo's Camrynn Jones were all named to the Illinois Media All-State team on Monday night.

Catch up on the week’s top Sauk Valley news for March 15-21 in minutes. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

A warm Saturday afternoon brought Sauk Valley residents out of their homes for sun and fresh air.

Dixon boys and girls track & field both had invite wins. Dixon, Milledgeville and Forreston baseball also won. On the softball diamond, Sterling beat Erie-Prophetstown 9-1 in Saturday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Dixon grad Harvest Day, along with Morrison grads Shelby and Camryn Veltrop were named to the All-Arrowhead Conference women's basketball team for Sauk Valley. Camryn was also named first-team all-region after leading it with 20.6 points per game.

PASCHAL: Anyone who has watched cartoons as much as Gen X did as kids has been preparing their whole life for the inevitable sinking into quicksand.

Wyatt Cassens was 4 for 4 in Sterling's 13-3 win over E-P. Newman, Fulton and Eastland baseball won, Dixon and Rock Falls softball won and more in Friday's Sauk Valley roundup.

The Dixon School Board on Wednesday night approved several personnel action items.

Morrison softball edged Sterling 2-1 as Ava Duncan pitched a complete game with 13 strikeouts. Sterling baseball beat Princeton 9-7, while Fulton softball and baseball beat Polo in Thursday's Sauk Valley roundup.

Woodlawn Arts Academy is proud to exhibit artwork from talented students and staff from all over the Sauk Valley area and is pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 student-teacher art exhibit.

G.I.T improv troupe and Nikki D & The Sisters of Thunder will perform at The Dixon Historic Theatre this weekend.

Registration is from now through May 15 and can be completed in person, by mail or online at villageoflyndon.org at a cost of $10 per vehicle.

About a year after Cledy’s House of Hope opened in Rock Falls, the money is running out and, without donations, could be forced to close its doors, according to its COO.

Once an aging farm, an Oregon wedding venue is now a lovingly restored getaway where a mother-and-daughter team shape wedding weekends through antiques, photo nooks, heartfelt management and a devotion to making magic happen.

When the chains in old farm equipment break, dealers often say, “No parts.” A Dixon business says otherwise, and farmers nationwide are dialing in to keep old iron running.

Campus life reborn: A long-quiet part of Mount Carroll is filling with life again. Shimer Square blends housing, jobs and services into the town’s former campus.

Local election judges for Tuesday's Illinois' primary election reported slow voter turnout.

Get caught up on news, sports and features in the Sauk Valley for the week of March 6-12, 2026.

High winds and snow canceled schools and closed businesses as a late-season blizzard blanketed the Sauk Valley on Sunday and Monday.