Month: April 2021

Local State Rep. Dan Swanson expressing outrage following the release of an independent report on the deadly COVID-19 outbreak at the LaSalle Veterans Home. The 50-page analysis of the outbreak that killed 36 residents found [FULL STORY]

Western Illinois Congresswoman Cheri Bustos has indicated she will not be seeking re-election. She made the announcement on social media late Friday morning. Bustos was first elected in 2012. She just won re-election to her [FULL STORY]

Sherrard School District superintendent Alan Boucher has announced his retirement.  He will finish with the 2021/2022 academic year. Each year presents its own unique challenges, but Boucher says the pandemic was something completely different. Boucher [FULL STORY]

A whole bunch of calls.  Caryn Brokaw is retiring after 39 years as a Mercer County Sheriff’s Department dispatcher. An impressive career says Sheriff Dusty Terrill. Brokaw’s last day is Thursday.

Rockridge High School has captured another state title in the IHSA Music Sweepstakes. Curtis Fischer-Oelschlaeger is the school’s vocal director. Rockridge also won IHSA Music Sweepstake state titles in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019.

The Mercer County Historical Society promoting summer hours at the Essley-Noble Museum. Curator Shannon Boynton also promotes the museum on social media with an artifact of the week. You can follow on Facebook at Essley-Noble [FULL STORY]

What’s it been like working in the Mercer County Health Department the past year? The pandemic has created many challenges and the agency’s Jen Hamerlinck says the staff continues to plow forward. The health department [FULL STORY]