Rock Falls News

Newman Central Catholic High School valedictorian Rachel Hageman of Dixon receives her diploma from Bishop David Malloy Wednesday night at St.

ROCK FALLS – For the last couple of months, Rock Falls police officers have made a point of visiting schools.

MORRISON – Because the court had failed to handle a request for a mental evaluation, a judge refused today to sentence a Rock Falls man who had pleaded guilty to killing a pedestrian while driving drunk.

STERLING – Lawyers are interviewing witnesses and taking depositions in a wrongful death lawsuit filed after two Sterling detasselers were electrocuted in summer 2011, they told a Winnebago County judge at a status hearing last week.

Illinois State University Athletic Director Gary Friedman unexpectedly resigned Monday with three years left on his contract, saying the job wasn't a good fit for him.

It is impossible for Aurora Police Detective Lee Catavu to fathom the number of hours he has spent trying to bring Timmothy Pitzen home.

"Old-fashioned things," the Glen Ellyn woman says, like her dad organizing family camping trips, playing songs on the organ and singing in his distinct Irish tenor.

DIXON – About a decade ago, an advisory committee in Ottawa wanted to do away with the commission form of government and hire an administrator.

But his role goes beyond the legal realm. He performs bookkeeping tasks, drafts the budget, and prepares the monthly minutes for airport board meetings.

Janice Karrow and her husband, Tommy, have 15 children, born between 1969 and 1995.

SPRINGFIELD – The chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court, citing “gun-related tragedies” and the state's debate over concealed carry, emphasized in a memo to judges throughout Illinois this week that the state must be notified when they determine a person has serious mental health concerns.

ROCK FALLS – The third annual Ride for the Cure photo motorcycle ride, in which participants take photos of their bikes, cars, and trucks at the entrances of six area state parks, is coming up May 18.

STERLING – The mother of a pedestrian killed in a drunken driving accident is suing two bars she says served the SUV driver who hit her son.

ROCK FALLS – The Sterling-Rock Falls Family YMCA this summer will bring free activities and lunches to kids – right into their neighborhoods.

City of Rock Falls deputy clerk Michelle Conklin, swears in Mayor Bill Wescott at Tuesday evening's City Council meeting.

ROCK FALLS – The north side of the 1000 block of Dixon Avenue was evacuated this morning after a city electric department crew ruptured a gas main around 8 a.m. No one has been injured, but a large amount of natural gas has been released, and residents are advised to keep their windows closed, Rock Falls Police said in a news release.

Free activities will be held downtown from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today and Saturday, and at Heritage Canyon, an an 1880s pioneer village, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today through Sunday.

As Congress debates the first national immigration overhaul in decades, a state-level push advancing rights for people in the U.S. illegally has picked up momentum across the country.

Fewer health plans could mean less competition and possibly higher premium prices.

But let's face it: This scandal will stick with the community for years. No one is going to forget that a top city official made off with nearly $54 million.