Western Illinois Today

The Mercer County Fair Queen Pageant will have nearly 35 participants in 2026. Before the deadline earlier this month, 34 contestants registered for the competition. There are 15 entrants in the Little Miss competition, 13 [FULL STORY]

A specialty court program is celebrating two more graduates in Mercer County. Mercer County Drug Court launched in 2023 at the Mercer County Courthouse. The program targets people in the criminal justice system who are [FULL STORY]

Temperatures are forecast in the 90s all week for the WRMJ listening area, with heat index readings expected to exceed triple digits. MercyOne Genesis Aledo Nurse Practitioner Kristin Anderson provides some tips to stay safe [FULL STORY]

The 2026 Relay for Life of Mercer County takes place on Saturday. The annual event is Saturday from 4 to 9 p.m. in Aledo’s Central Park to support cancer survivors and caregivers. Luminaria sales run [FULL STORY]

A New Windsor woman accused of stealing over $900,000 during her time as a Rock Island County employee will return to court in August. 63-year-old Leisa Streeter appeared in Rock Island County Court on Thursday [FULL STORY]

A new public mural has been completed in downtown Aledo. The artwork was done by 19-year-old muralist Maddie Dieters of Marion, Illinois. She was selected for the project, which is supported by the Illinois Art [FULL STORY]

A celebration is planned to commemorate the 20th year of the Aledo Central Park Band Shell this week. The Mercer County Community Band will be performing at 6 p.m. on Thursday. Following the concert, there [FULL STORY]

An August jury trial date has been set for an Aledo man facing attempted murder charges. 23-year-old Brody Esp appeared in Mercer County Circuit Court last week for a pre-trial conference, where the jury trial [FULL STORY]

The Mercer County Fair Queen Pageant is asking all former Mercer County Fair queens to take part in an entry in the City of Aledo’s America 250 Parade on July 3. Pageant co-director Ledith Whitehall [FULL STORY]

A Viola man facing two felony sexual abuse counts will now have a bench trial next month. 33-year-old Gregory Wilson was originally scheduled to have a jury trial begin Monday, but during a court appearance [FULL STORY]