Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

The University of Illinois Extension will hold the first session of its Lunch N Learn Series for adults from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 8, at Nell’s Woodland, 2000 Alexis Ave., Ottawa.

First-year Ottawa varsity boys basketball coach Bob Bartman feels his team has gasped new concepts quickly and has improved across the board during summer workout and competition.

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

Here is the list of couples who applied for La Salle County marriage licenses from June 5 through June 30, 2026.

Putnam County senior Johnathon Stunkel is the 2026 NewsTribune Baseball Player of the Year after ranking top three in the area in nearly every hitting and pitching category and leading the Panthers to a runner-up finish in Class 1A.

A look at the top baseball players in the NewsTribune area for the 2026 season.

The University of Illinois Extension will offer gardeners and flower lovers a flower arranging workshop from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, July 16, at the Marshall-Putnam Extension Office, 509 Front St., Henry.

Gov. JB Pritzker has issued a disaster proclamation for Illinois following months of severe storms, tornadoes and flooding, with La Salle County among 11 counties included in the declaration after damaging weather in June.

The La Salle County 4-H Show and Junior Fair returns July 9-12 at the La Salle County fairgrounds in Ottawa, with youth projects, livestock competitions and community activities.

A look at the final baseball statistical leaders in the NewsTribune area for the 2026 season.

The Streator City Council is set to go over a relatively light agenda during their meeting Wednesday night, with discussion focused on infrastructure and property-related matters.

STEM scholarships were presented to Kaminski and Hansen. Askeland and Askeland and Frey earned accountancy scholarships. The $10,000 scholarships will go towards educational expenses.

Congratulations to The Times Athlete of the Week!

A look at the BCR Male Athletes of the Year Honor Roll from 1994-95 through 2025-26

Alexander Pool in Princeton will officially open Wednesday, July 1, after repairs delayed the start of the summer season.

Heavy rain dominated the week across La Salle County, with farmers reporting between 2.5 and 4.7 inches of precipitation that halted fieldwork and accelerated weed growth.

Marseilles city council will vote Wednesday on a $13,500 consulting contract for improvements to Knudson Park, part of a larger state grant project.

The Play of the Day was “choose a hole 1-9 and subtract from total score.” Karen Towns (42) was first, Sue Garvin (49) second and Sherri Sturm (50) third.

When Casey Etheridge was in the seventh grade, his older brother, Carson, tried to get him to work on his game with a little conditioning involved. Casey didn’t take to kindly to brother’s pushing. That little nudge by his brother helped push Etheridge to great heights.

Plans to restore Red Covered Bridge in Princeton are moving closer to construction, with repairs expected to begin as soon as this fall.

Hanson’s appointment as principal changes the structure of L-P, as well as Ottawa Township High School.

After nearly 10 years of being closed, the Kelly Street Bridge in Streator reopened to traffic Monday.

We are proud to present the 2026 Times All-Area Baseball Team, filled with standouts from Newark, Serena, Somonauk, Earlville/Leland, Streator, Sandwich, Ottawa, Fieldcrest, WFC, Seneca and Class 2A state third-place finisher Marquette.

Marquette's Alec Novotney is the 2026 Times Baseball Player of the Year. The right-hander was the unquestioned on-the-field leader of the Crusaders during a 38-4 season in which they followed up back-to-back Class 1A state championships with a third-place finish in 2A.

The Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp opened the second half of the season with a win Saturday.

Landen Hoffman will be chasing the gold at the Junior Olympics in Des Moines, Iowa in August. He qualified with a fourth-place at the Region 13 National qualifier in Rockford on Sunday. He had a throw of 146-2.

Braden Curran, Casey Etheridge, Gino Ferrari, Gavin Lanham and Logan Philhower are up for BCR Male Athlete of the Year honors for 2025-26.

Every year, a city in the Illinois Valley gets a gold star for giving residents a break on their property taxes. This year, the winner is Streator. Many other cities did cut rates, however, even if you owe the county more than in 2025.

The Illinois Valley is under a heat advisory through late Wednesday, July 1, with feels-like temperatures of 105 degrees. Shaw Local is providing a list of cooling centers throughout the region.

The Peru Police Department announced the temporary parking restrictions for the July 3 fireworks display. These temporary restrictions are in addition to the regular restrictions that are already posted.

Despite flooding on the Illinois River, Peru Mayor Ken Kolowski said Monday, June 29, 2026, that Independence Day fireworks will proceed as planned.

If you were in Utica on Saturday, then you might have spotted lots of red, curly hair and some eye-popping clothes. (And that’s not eye-popping in a good way.)

Putnam County Public Library District’s Granville branch announces early July programs.

Many of us sail through the first half of our lives with generally good health, without having to try too hard.

Putnam County Public Library District’s Condit branch announces early July programs.

Putnam County Public Library District’s McNabb branch announces early July programs

Wednesday brought high winds clocked at more than 50 mph and La Salle Speedway and Event Center certainly felt it. Damage to the facility forced owners to cancel its July 2 events.

An Ottawa man charged in an April 18 shooting at an Ottawa tavern (the victim survived) waived his right to a speedy trial Friday and will be tried later this summer.

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

Illinois Valley communities are launching fireworks displays this summer, with shows running from late June through early August.

When you’re helping someone, don’t think about the task or if you can do it correctly. It’s not about how much you can or cannot do.

We are proud to present the 2026 Times All-Area Softball Team, filled with standouts from Newark, Serena, Somonauk/Leland, Earlville, Streator, Sandwich, Ottawa, Fieldcrest, WFC, Marquette and Class 2A state runner-up Seneca.

Congratulations to the 2026 Times Softball Player of the Year, Seneca all-state pitcher/hitter Hayden Pfeifer.

Grand Bear Resort at Starved Rock is proud to announce the grand opening of the newly rebuilt units, marking the completion of a remarkable journey that began after a devastating fire impacted the resort homes in May 2022.

A second mural in downtown Mendota is now complete.

The following marriage licenses were recently recorded at the Bureau County Courthouse:

The following property transfers were recently recorded at the Bureau County Recorder of Deeds’ office in the Bureau County Courthouse:

More than 6,000 miles from their hometown, Japanese twin brothers Yamato and Takeru Onozaki have reunited in the Illinois Valley this summer to take the next step in their baseball careers together with the Pistol Shrimp.

Local historian David Reed will give a presentation on the history during the Cherry Mine Disaster this Saturday.

The following property transfers were recently recorded at the Bureau County Recorder of Deeds’ office in the Bureau County Courthouse: