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Here are Mike Vaughn's photos of Tuesday's Riverdale at Princeton girls basketball game. The Rams won 54-33.

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Dwight defeated St. Bede 63-55 during the Tri-County Conference Tournament on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026 at Putnam County High School.

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Seneca defeated Roanoke-Benson 56-48 during the Tri-County Conference Tournament on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026 at Putnam County High School.

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Marquette defeated Midland 66-57 during the Tri-County Conference Tournament on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026 at Putnam County High School.

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Two OSF HealthCare lifeflight helicopters landed on a farm in the 13000 block of County Road 950 North just south of Granville after two people fell into a grain bin on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. Emergency responders worked to extract the victims from the hazardous situation. Residents are advised to avoid the area during emergency operations.

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Crews are building a new solar farm located in the 1400 block of North 27th Road (Dee Bennett Road) on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2026 in Naplate. The 28.26 acre site is owned by SunVest Solar, LLC. It will have a total of 6,890 panels with a capacity of 4.27 megawatts. The solar farm is on a former U.S. Silica property and is unique for the area with a diverse landscape, considering most solar farms are placed on flat farmland. The project is scheduled to be completed in May 2026.

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Visitors to Starved Rock State Park brave harsh winter weather during Bald Eagle Weekend on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026. Power outages affecting areas along the Illinois waterway forced organizers to relocate programs and shows to the La Salle room at Starved Rock Lodge. The Illinois Waterway Visitor's Center closed due to a lack of power, with its activities moved indoors.

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Crews are close to completing a new solar farm located in the 9900 block of Illinois Route 71 on Friday, Jan. 9, 2026 in Granville. The Corn Belt Granville substation will provide energy to 650 members. The 1.5 megawatt farm sits on 9 acres with a total of 2,678 panels. The substation has only a single transmission feed with no redundancy. The solar farm and battery energy storage system will provide backup power to the substation during transmission outages. The solar farm will use a single-axis tracking system, allowing the solar panels to track the sun from east to west. This provides 5% to 6% more energy than a fixed array while utilizing a smaller footprint.

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La Salle firefighters responded to a fully engulfed two-story home in the 800 block of Bucklin Street on Friday, Jan. 23. A woman, her son and their dog evacuated safely before crews arrived. Firefighters from La Salle, Peru, Oglesby and Utica fire departments worked together to battle the blaze in subzero temperatures. Peru Fire Department provided an aerial truck to help crews reach the roof. Firefighters broke windows and cut a hole in the roof to access the seat of the fire. Bucklin Street was closed between 8th and 9th Streets during firefighting operations.