Local Headlines

MENDOTA – Officer Samantha Holland of the Mendota Police Department has been selected as the Mendota ‘2017 Officer of the Year’. This award is given annually and the recipient is selected by their peers. Officer Holland is certified in child safety seat installation and coordinates

HENNEPIN – Phone records for a Standard man was supposed to be the strongest piece of evidence for the defense in the murder trial of Clifford Andersen, however he was found guilty of murdering and burying his sister in law Friday. Defense Attorney Rob Parker strongly believed phone calls

STREATOR – Vandalism was reported over the weekend in Streator with tires slashed and windows broken in two separate incidents.   On Saturday morning Streator Police were notified that a parked vehicle in the 1400 block of Sterling Street had its windows smashed.   In the 700 block of

SENECA -The son of the police chief of Seneca has apparently drowned in the Illinois River. In a release by the Grundy County Coroner’s Office, a call came in Saturday afternoon for a person in the water near the Seneca boat ramp. Around 4:30 p.m. a body was recovered and identified as

DIXON – The Lee County Health Department has confirmed that mosquitoes collected in Dixon and the Amboy/Sublette area during the week of July 17th have tested positive for West Nile Virus. The tests confirmed the continued presence of WNV in the Lee County area. The announcement should

HENNEPIN- A Standard man has been found guilty of murdering and burying his sister in law. Clifford Andersen was found guilty Friday, in a Putnam County Court of the 2016 murder of Deborah Dewey. It took a jury of 9 men and 3 women under four hours to reach a guilty verdict on charges of murder

HENNEPIN- Closing statements were heard by prosecution and defense for the murder of Deborah Dewey at the Putnam County Courthouse, Friday. Clifford Andersen is accused of the concealment and murder of his sister in law. The prosecution used circumstantial evidence as their strongest points in

HENNEPIN – Closing arguments commence this morning and by this afternoon the Clifford Andersen trial is expected to be in the hands of the jury in Putnam County. Nine men and three women will decide the fate of Andersen, who is accused of the concealment and murder of Deborah Dewey in 2016.

ROCK FALLS – An investigation by the Blackhawk Area Task Force has led to the arrest of a man on gun and drug charges. On Thursday authorities arrested 38-year-old Joseph H. Greul of Lyndon, Illinois on multiple charges stemming from an investigation into methamphetamine distribution.

KINGS – A multi-agency training exercise will be taking place in Ogle County on Saturday at the school in Kings. The Ogle County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting an active school shooting drill along with the Ogle/Lee Fire Protection District, Rochelle Fire Department, Ogle County