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.