May 5, 2026 | WALLS 102 - Part 12

Open Modal

On Air Now

Up Next

Wall to Wall Country

New scholarship available for Illinois Valley students

gad3tx2i6fk6bf3yeqvkonvqyu277689

OTHS finishes third in 2026 IHSA Class A State Music Sweepstakes

e4xq6ywh4ra77dc6zicu7ozoum616975

La Salle-Peru High School honors 11 Renaissance students

und6bvs7sjhkppixfjim3gbnna672804

Fajitas Mexican restaurant opens in a new location

Fajitas Mexican restaurant has opened in a new location.The restaurant formerly located at 254 3rd St., La Salle, has reopened at 1840 Saint Vincent’s St., La Salle, the home of the shuttered John’s North Star. The longtime restaurant closed in 2018, and the Voluntary Action Center of LaSalle, Putnam, and Bureau Counties was located there before its recent move to the former Peru Pizza House in downtown Peru.Fajitas has served the area since 2009.The Times / NewsTribune / Bureau County Republican is committed to keeping readers up to date with business happenings in the area. Much of our reporting relies on what we see and hear, but we’re also reaching out to readers for tips on business items. If you have a tip to share for Eyes on Enterprise, email newsroom@mywebtimes.com.

Ottawa ice cream shops open for season on Main Street

Tones Cones and Scoops R Us, 523 W. Main St., Ottawa, has opened for the season, serving ice cream. Tones Cones serves soft-serve ice cream, and Scoops R Us, a hard-scooped ice cream dispensary next to Tones Cones, returns for a third season.For those using the drive-thru, customers may only enter heading east on Main Street.Hours are 3:45 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 3:45 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. The Times / NewsTribune / Bureau County Republican is committed to keeping readers up to date with business happenings in the area. Much of our reporting relies on what we see and hear, but we’re also reaching out to readers for tips on business items. If you have a tip to share for Eyes on Enterprise, email newsroom@mywebtimes.com.

Friends of Extension holding cash raffle to support 4-H programs

The Friends of Extension and 4-H will hold a cash raffle fundraiser for community members to support the University of Illinois Extension – Bureau County and 4-H and Youth Development Program.The fundraiser will award four cash prizes. The prizes include $2,500, $1,000, $500 and $250. The fundraiser proceeds will support Bureau County 4-H and extension educational programs.Tickets cost $50 or $100 for three tickets. The raffle tickets drawing will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, June 18, at the Becker Professional Building, 850 Thompson St., Princeton.For more information or to buy tickets, call 815-875-2878.

New scholarship available for Illinois Valley students

The Dolores J. and Wilbur M. Anderson Joint Trust successor trustee, Sandra Woest and Sally Beebe, announced the launch of the Anderson-Woest Scholarship.The annual $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to a DePue, Hall, Mendota or Putnam County High School graduate or an Illinois high school diploma completer through Illinois Valley Community College’s adult education program. The recipient also must enroll at Illinois Valley Community College.The scholarship is awarded every semester the recipient is enrolled as a full-time student. The Anderson-Woest Scholarship will also be renewable each semester, excluding summer sessions, with a renewal application submission, a letter reaffirming goals and a transcript verifying full-time status and a 3.0 or higher GPA. The scholarship may go towards the completion of an Illinois Valley Community College associate’s degree or courses in a study plan leading to a bachelor’s degree upon transferring to a university.Applications must be postmarked by Monday, June 22. The scholarship recipients will be named on Monday, July 20. The deadlines may also be pushed if the deadline falls on a weekend. To apply, visit the Illinois Valley Community College adult education office or a high school guidance counselor’s office.

OTHS finishes third in 2026 IHSA Class A State Music Sweepstakes

The Ottawa Township High School Music Department finished third in the 2026 Illinois High School Association Class A Music Sweepstakes held the weekend of April 18. According to a news release from OTHS, the OTHS bands and choirs participating in the IHSA Solo and Ensemble and Organizational Contests scored a combined 807 points.“One of our biggest goals throughout the contest is providing our students with quality musical experiences,” OTHS Band Director Andrew Jacobi said. “Our main focus is to grow our students into stronger musicians.”The 2026 competition marks the 40th time OTHS has placed in the top three in its class in the 54-year history of the IHSA Music Sweepstakes, according to the release.“Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, Jazz Band, Concert Choir, Treble Choir and Crimson Choir all got all Division I ratings,” Jacobi said. “It’s the third time that has happened in my 10 years at the school.”High school music programs across 5 different classes compete in the IHSA Solo & Ensemble Contest and the IHSA Music Organizational Contest. 90 OTHS music students competed in 100 events during the Solo and Ensemble Contest part of the competition on March 7 at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School before the full music department headed to Kewanee High School for the Organizational portion that was supposed to begin on Friday, April 17, according to the release. “A challenge that the choirs had to face was that we were suddenly rescheduled to Day 2 of the Organizational Contest due to the weather,” OTHS Choral Director Ali Stachowicz said. “It ended up being all the more exciting and special that all three choirs were awarded Division I’s, because the students rose to the occasion against those circumstances.”Jacobi stressed that the primary goals for the band and choirs transcend how they score in the competition. “The biggest win for us is the quality music we made along the way and the bonds our students made with each other through the process,” he said.Since the IHSA State Music Championship series began in 1972, OTHS has collected 22 total IHSA State Music Championships, six runner-up awards, and 12 third-place finishes.

La Salle-Peru High School honors 11 Renaissance students

Eleven La Salle-Peru Township High School students were recognized as Renaissance Students of the Month during a breakfast ceremony on Wednesday, April 29. The honorees are Clara Vaske, Sofija Dimitrijevich, David Palmer, Alex Monjaras-Aguirre, Radia Thompson, Endrew Sell, Lilah Hauter, Clayton Herz, Addison Dziarnowski, Astrid Blanco, and Madelaine Johns.Teachers, coaches, and staff nominate students for the monthly honor based on academic achievement, character, and service.Addison Dziarnowski also received a $50 gift card from Central Bank Illinois as the Renaissance Student of the Month prize winner.The ceremony was sponsored by the LPHS Renaissance Program and the LaSalle and Illinois Valley Sunrise Rotary Clubs.

Fajitas Mexican restaurant opens in a new location

uyejpl6apnfmtmsnl3vmjhsvcm353083

Loading...