1. HCC Raising Tuition
2. HCC Juried Art Exhibit Winners Announced
3. Freeport Art Museum Looking for Artists
4. Krape Park Art Walk Seeking Artists
5. Boys & Girls Club Receives State Grant
6. Freeport Fire Department Upgrading Protective Gear
7. SSM Monroe Named Top Community Hospital
8. Galena Student Heading to National Spelling Bee
9. SRC Expands Programming to Galena
10. Soybean Farmers Face Challenges Amid Trade Wars
11. Illinois Joins WHO
12. Harvey Set to Open at Winneshiek
13. YMCA Holding Silent Auction
14. Foundation for Northwest Illinois Offering Scholarships
15. Conserving Land and Legacy Program
16. Stephenson County Farm Bureau Hosting Fun Run
17. Better Balance & Strength for Older Adults Returns

Highland Community College is in a period of transition. President Chris Kuberski is set to retire in June and the college is in the early stages of building a new athletics and learning center on campus.

Freepod host Alan Wenzel spoke to Kuberski about the progress that has been made on the new facility so far, as well as what the future looks like for this undertaking.

1. Diocese Considering Closing Aquin Academy
2. Demolition Bid Approved for Old Holiday Inn
3. Freeport Awarded Enrollment in Downtown Revitalization Program
4. Stephenson County Sheriff's Office Gives Out Awards
5. City Completes Leaf Cleanup
6. Stephenson County Home Show Looking for Vendors
7. Tessa Janecke Wins Gold
8. Oregon Teacher Receives Honors
9. Friends of the Pecatonica River Looking for New Board Members
10. Pritzker Announces New State Budget
11. Illinois Schools Challenged by School Psychologist Shortage
12. Joys of Gardening Program Through U of I Extension
13. HCC Chamber Ensemble Concert
14. SRC Launches Science Series for Older Adults
15. United Way of Ogle County Hosting Adult Prom
16. Kiwanis Club Pancake Day is Here

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone in Freeport who hasn't been to the Wagner House. Whether it be for a special event or dinner and drinks, the Wagner House has become a stalwart institution for downtown Freeport.

Tim Connors spoke to owner operator Bill Green about how the Wagner House started and what they are looking forward to as they continue serving the Freeport community.

1. Freeport Could Get Its First Marjiuana Dispensary
2. Freeport Library Names New Executive Director
3. Top Cop and Top Firefighter Awarded by City of Freeport
4. FPD Reveals Key Figures for 2025
5. Applications Open for Downtown Façade Improvement Grants
6. GFP Names a New Chair
7. YMCA Receives Grant for Free CPR Training
8. FEMA Rejects Illinois Requests for Disaster Relief
9. Illinois Early Childhood Education Programs Face Challenges
10. Andrew Chesney Introduces Bill to Define Transgender Identity as Mental Illness
11. Early Voting in Illinois Begins
12. League of Women Voters Hosting a Meet the Candidates Event
13. SRC Hosting "Professional Women, Firsts"
14. Adventures in the Big Sky Read Aloud
15. Savanna Farm Represented During Super Bowl

For new or expecting parents, the questions and challenges that are faced seem to be never-ending. But for those in Jo Daviess and Stephenson County, the Regional Office of Education 8 have a program that can help.

Alan Wenzel spoke to Beth Johnson and Marci White from ROE 8 about the Family Enrichment program and what it offers for families in our community.

1. Freeport Fire Department Promotes New Leadership
2. City Gives Awards to Employees for Life Saving Acts
3. City of Freeport to Address Fire Hydrant Updates
4. OSHA Presents Award to City of Freeport
5. Pretzel City Area Transit Seeking Input on Fixed Routes
6. GFP Gives Out Annual Awards
7. Black History Month at FHS
8. Pat Norman Named Jane Addams Legacy Award Winner
9. Sam Schaible Named New President of Foundation for Northwest Illinois
10. United Way Opens Funding Applications for 2026-2027 Cycle
11. Iowa Considers Push for Jo Daviess County to Join the Hawkeye State
12. Illinois Sees Worst Flu Season in Years
13. Local Lawmaker Proposes Bill to Combat Medical Misinformation
14. Speaker Series: The Health Impacts of Climate Change
15. SRC Hosts Free NASA Presentation
16. Arctic Ale and Art Walk Readies for Another Year

The small town barbershop is more than just a place to get your haircut. Since the 1950s, barbershops have been social institutions. And James Rivas of Pretzel City Barbershop is hoping to keep that tradition alive in downtown Freeport.

Tim Connors chats with James about how the Pretzel City Barbershop is connecting Freeport's cherished past with its promising future.

1. Residential Fire on Clark Street
2. Pearl City Co-Op and Stephenson Service Company Shareholders Approve Merger
3. New YMCA to Feature Field House and Aquatic Center
4. City Waiving Late Fees for Some Residents
5. ROE 8 Gets a New Regional Superintendent
6. Polo Superintendent Receives Statewide Honors
7. Byron Man Convicted of Murder & Arson
8. Local Dairy Holds Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with State and Foreign Dignitaries
9. Partial Offset for Medicaid Cuts to Rural Communities Announced
10. ComEd Seeks $15B Grid Plan Approval
11. Electrical Transmission Line to Illinois Clears Legal Hurdle
12. New Data Centers Could Lead to Ballooning Electricity Costs in Illinois
13. City of Freeport Holding Graphic Design Contest
14. February Lunch & Learn on “The Rise and Fall of the Western as an Art Form and Moral Messenger in the U.S.”
15. Lectures in American History at the Freeport Public Library
16. FHS Speech Team to Put on Performance Open to the Public
17. HCC Announces Auditions for Summerset

Global climate change has been a controversial area of discussion in our community for decades. But a new speaker series at the Freeport Public Library aims to educate us all on the significant and real impacts of climate change on the northwest Illinois region.

Alan Wenzel sat down with Dr. Jack Hermann, Clinical Associate Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois, to talk about global climate change and the speaker series currently underway.