Western Illinois Today

The 105th annual New Boston Fish and Chicken Fry is set for this weekend. The event will run Friday-Sunday and includes a carnival, food, a parade, a tractor pull, fireworks, musical entertainment, side-by-side barrel racing, and [FULL STORY]

A local nonprofit is celebrating a successful fundraiser that supported Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Mercer County Better Together’s (MCBT) first annual “Reading is a Gift” Readathon raised $10,275, Executive Director Kyle McEwen says. The money [FULL STORY]

The Mercer County VFW is holding its third annual rummage sale this weekend. The fundraiser supports the Mercer County VFW Post #1571 and coincides with Aledo Antiques Day on Saturday. All items at the sale [FULL STORY]

A jury trial has been moved to November for a New Boston man facing a felony sexual abuse charge. 24-year-old Gage Welch appeared in Mercer County Circuit Court last week, where a jury trial has [FULL STORY]

Some big numbers from a 72-hour rain event last week. The system moved through last Thursday through Saturday and resulted in some impressive totals in the WRMJ listening area. Per the National Weather Service in [FULL STORY]

The Mercer County School District has announced that it has removed Superintendent Tim Farquer from paid administrative leave following a regularly scheduled school board meeting on Wednesday night. Farquer remains employed as the superintendent of [FULL STORY]

The 86th New Windsor Fair, Rodeo and Horse Show is this weekend. The event kicks off Thursday and runs through Saturday. Scheduled events include the parade Thursday, the carnival, IPRA Rodeo and more. New Windsor Rodeo [FULL STORY]

The 105th annual New Boston Fish and Chicken Fry is set for next weekend. The event will run Aug. 28-30 and includes a carnival, food, a parade, a tractor pull, fireworks, musical entertainment, side-by-side barrel [FULL STORY]

Progress continues on the construction of the Aledo Aquatics Center, but city officials remain unsure if the brand-new facility will open to the public at all in 2026. On Monday night, Aledo Mayor Chris Hagloch [FULL STORY]