Whiteside County

Steve Dowd has retained his Rock Falls City Council 3rd Ward seat, winning reelection over challengers Austin Zink and Mary McNeill.

Voters this week in Whiteside, Lee, Ogle and Carroll counties determined who will make the important decisions regarding their communities, schools, townships, fire departments, parks and libraries. See the results here.

An Erie man has been sentenced in Whiteside County to four years in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday, April 1, to sexually abusing a teenager in 2020.

Contested races are taking place for two Rock Falls City Council seats, two Sterling City Council seats and Dixon Township highway commissioner. Whiteside County voters also are deciding the fate of a proposed public safety sales tax.

Fulton city officials have announced that the Illinois 136 bridge, also known as the North Bridge, over the Mississippi River will close May 12 for maintenance.

Whiteside, Lee, Ogle and Carroll county voters get to decide who will make the important decisions regarding their communities, schools, townships, fire departments, parks and libraries.

New inductees consisted of 13 juniors and three seniors.

Whiteside County sheriff’s deputies were dispatched around 1:25 a.m. Saturday, March 29, to the 6000 block of Cordova Road for a report of a single-vehicle rollover crash.

The equipment will be placed below the water surface to monitor waves and water clarity from early April through mid-September, according to a news release.

Directors from Illinois Head Start centers, the federally supported child care and early education program, said they fear cuts, as it targeted in The Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025.

The dean’s list honors students with a semester grade-point average of 3.6 or higher.

Kyle Cooper was to stand trial April 8 for the Feb. 14 stabbing death of Daniel J. Gordon; however, that date was pushed until May 13 based on the prosecution’s request for more time.

Whiteside County Circuit Court Judge James Heuerman made the ruling Friday morning, allowing the case against Harrison Webb, 18, to proceed toward trial

Teen charged with attempted murder is accused of shooting two other teens shortly before 6 p.m. July 23 in the area of 13th Avenue and East Fifth Street in Sterling. A 17-year-old boy was shot in the head, and a 14-year-old boy was struck in the leg, police said.

A Sterling woman has pleaded guilty to mob action and been sentenced to probation in connection with a December 2024 home invasion in Sterling.

A Whiteside County judge has ruled that enough evidence exists to move forward with a criminal case that accuses a Sterling man of setting an October fire that destroyed a Galt home.

Beginning May 12, donated pasta items can be delivered to New Life Church at 702 W. Lynn Blvd., Sterling, during office hours from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Kyle Cooper's first-degree murder trial will begin April 8 in Whiteside County Circuit Court.

Kyle Cooper appears in Whiteside County Circuit Court in Morrison on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, for a pretrial conference. Cooper is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the Feb. 14 death of Daniel Gordon of Rock Falls. A jury trial is set for April 8.

The Bureau County Farm Bureau, in partnership with the Lee, Marshall-Putnam, Whiteside and Stark County farm bureaus, in partnership with Ag View FS and Growmark, are offering butterfly pollinator seed mix at a reduced price until April 11.

Booker: I am writing to you today to strongly urge your support for the upcoming public safety tax measure. As the sheriff of Whiteside County, | have witnessed firsthand the growing demands placed on our law enforcement, fire and emergency services.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office will increase its efforts to focus on stopping alcohol- and cannabis-impaired driving, unbuckled driving, speeding and distracted driving.

According to the lawsuit, the female patient was at the doctor's office for a medical visit on Aug. 4, 2022, when he sexually harassed, abused and assaulted her. She also alleges in the lawsuit that the doctor “had a history of inappropriate sexual behavior with female patients."

Ed Britton, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Refuge Manager, Savanna District, will speak about the 100th anniversary of the refuge.

Change would allow for more parking on Fourth Street, officials say.

JCE Co-op, formerly Jo-Carroll Energy Co-op, on Monday announced the connection of its 7,000th fiber customer, the Garden Plain Township.

He also was ordered to pay $66,255, which includes a $5,000 fine, a $43,440 drug enforcement fee and other court costs.

Dixon resident Teyla Wendt recently was named to Millikin University’s high dean’s list for the fall 2024 semester.

Preschool offerings are expanding in Dixon as Regional Office of Education No. 47 prepares to open two of four classrooms in April which, in all, will service up to 80 children at no cost to qualifying families.

Students must be 5 years old by Sept. 1 and a school district resident.

Before you head to the polls, here is a look at the candidates and the seats they are running for in Whiteside County's city, school and township elections.

Selected students will serve as non-voting members on the United Way Board of Directors from June 2025 through May 2026, providing valuable youth perspective to the organization while developing professional skills and connections.

Here is a list of property transfers for Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties for Feb. 17-23, 2025.

The list honors students who received a semester grade-point average of 3.5 to 3.75 depending on the student’s college.

Whiteside Forum will discuss book, “Breakfast with Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living."

See when State Sen. Li Arellano Jr.'s mobile constituent services will be visiting your town.

Rodney Swan has been held in the Whiteside County Jail since mid-January, when he was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is accused of shooting himself in the thigh when a loaded gun tucked into his waistband discharged as he was pulling up his pants.

SVCC Academics and Student Services Vice President Jon Mandrell has been named the Phi Theta Kappa Distinguished College Administrator Award recipient.

Talk-Line: The Managing Editor of Sauk Valley News, Charlene Bielema, and reporter Brandon Clark discuss the recent protests being staged in Whiteside County concerning immigration and other national issues, the opening of the newly remodeled Dixon Historic Theater and more.

A Rock Falls man wanted on an arrest warrant in connection with a Dec. 8 home invasion in Sterling has been taken into custody and is facing more charges.

Over 250 people gathered in front of Sterling’s Grandon Civic Center and post office on Tuesday to peacefully protest against President Trump and Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk.

An initial investigation indicates the motorcycle was traveling south on Buell Road at a high rate of speed when it failed to stop at the posted stop sign at the intersection of Buell and Gaulrapp roads, according to Sheriff John Booker.

Kyle M. Cooper, 36, is charged with murder in connection with the Feb. 14 death of Daniel J. Gordon, 27, who prosecutors say was stabbed after trying to break up an altercation between Cooper and Cooper's ex-girlfriend, who was dating Gordon.

Join keynote speaker, experienced landscape designer and horticulturalist Kim Hartman as she unveils the secrets to shade-loving plants – including fresh and exciting new options – to transform your garden into a stunning sanctuary.

The screening’s goal is to provide parents a measure of their child’s development in areas of learning importance. The Bi-County cooperative and schools will offer preschool programs for special needs children ages 3 to 5.

With tax day fast approaching on April 15, United Way of Whiteside County is encouraging low-to-moderate-income households who have not yet filed their taxes to visit MyFreeTaxes.com. 

Sterling resident Ryan Heffelfinger will work in Lincoln Elementary’s physical education programs in the Sterling Public Schools.

Here is a list of property transfers for Lee, Whiteside and Ogle counties for Feb. 10-16, 2025.

School champions from three area counties compete at Dixon High School on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2025, in the regional spelling bee for a chance to represent the Sauk Valley in Washington, D.C.

After correctly spelling “illicitly,” Amboy Junior High School’s Parker Zimmerly won the Lee, Ogle, Whiteside Regional Spelling Bee on Thursday.