Coal Creek Brewing will host a Galentine’s Party A Shop and Sip event at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, as part of its Pop-Up Valentine’s Bar.

Donkey basketball returned to Seneca for the first time since the 1990s, drawing a crowd so large that standing room only spectators surrounded the court by the time the donkeys took the floor. The games served as a fundraiser that benefited the Seneca FFA.

Milton Pope Elementary School in Marseilles recently announced its students of the month for January. The theme was “fairness.”

A Streator man is headed to prison for sexually assaulting a girl younger than 13.

The United Methodist Higher Education Foundation is offering a United Methodist Dollars for Scholars scholarship for students pursuing a Doctor of Ministry.

Joseph Flanagan on a top priority for Bureau County Sheriff: Building relationships with all schools within Bureau County to assist in getting grants to implement School Resource Officers within each school district. Read Flanagan's full election questionnaire here

Michael Wittig: My top three priorities as sheriff are community-first policing, youth engagement, and strengthening our mental health response. Read Wittig's full election questionnaire here

Catch up on the week’s top Illinois Valley news in minutes for Feb. 1-7. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

The La Salle Public Library, 305 Marquette St., will host several programs and events in February.

Utica finalized an increase in its hotel-motel tax along with late penalties– this time with unanimous support.