Western Illinois Today

The 2026 Rhubarb Festival is three weeks away in Aledo. The event is June 5-6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Aledo’s Central Park and will include the traditional event schedule with bake sales, [FULL STORY]

An Aledo man facing felony charges following a shooting investigation in rural Henderson County will return to court next month. 21-year-old Dakota Lockmiller was arrested and charged with two Class X felony counts of aggravated [FULL STORY]

The Mercer County Family YMCA is hosting a community interest meeting to gauge interest in starting a youth soccer program in Aledo on Thursday. Aledo Parks and Recreation Superintendent Scott Earl says he’s heard more [FULL STORY]

Now that spring is here, people are spending much more time outdoors. But with that extra time outdoors comes the danger of encountering ticks that can carry serious illnesses, including Lyme disease. According to State Rep. [FULL STORY]

Progress continues on the new Aledo Aquatics Center project, but there is still no official opening date. Originally, Aledo city officials were targeting Memorial Day to open the new facility. Then, in February, Aledo Mayor [FULL STORY]

The Mercer County unemployment rate is 5.5% percent. The number is for March and compares to a 5.4% figure recorded at the same time a year ago, according to data from the Illinois Department of [FULL STORY]

Local State Representative Dan Swanson (R-Alpha) has passed a resolution out of the Police and Fire Committee last week directed at a couple of entities. One is the State Fire Marshal to help fire officials [FULL STORY]

Two Mercer County School District IT workers facing charges of illegally accessing students’ medical records will return to court in August. Amberly Norton and Andrea Long, both 41, appeared in Mercer County Circuit Court on [FULL STORY]

The City of Aledo has approved a street resurfacing project. Aledo City Administrator Mike Chausse says the winning bid for the project, which will work on the north side of the city, came in around [FULL STORY]

The Rockridge High School Music Department finished state runner-up in the recent IHSA Class B Classic Music Sweepstakes. Rockridge High School senior Ben Krebs spoke with WRMJ about the accomplishment. The Rockridge High School Sports Spotlight is [FULL STORY]