Local News

(OLNEY) The Olney and Greater Richland County Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for its inaugural two-day event in downtown Olney, the Squirrel Sounds ‘26 Festival, set for this Friday and Saturday, May 29th and 30th. The highly anticipated event will feature eight (8) bands, over forty (40) artisan vendors, six (6) food trucks, a Kids Corner full of activities, games, inflatables, and much more, all free of charge. For […]

(BELLEVILLE) The Illinois Wheat Association’s (IWA) annual wheat plot tour last week confirmed the state’s crop is showing more potential than states further west. After scouting 143 fields in 25 counties last Tuesday, the tour calculated an estimated state weighted average yield of 102.8 bushels per acre. While the prediction was a bit below recent record-high estimates in 2024 (104.8) and 2025 (106.4), it was above the 2023 tour estimate […]

(SPRINGFIELD) Some Democrats and electoral rights groups in Illinois want progress on legislation in Springfield that would give people in prison across the state the ability to vote just weeks after being convicted of a felony or lesser crime. Some in favor of the bill cite the Illinois Constitution, which says an incarcerated person must have their right to vote restored by the completion of their sentence, leaving room for lawmakers to […]

(OLNEY/NEWTON) An approaching low pressure system will bring us some clouds today and a slight chance of a few scattered showers by noon, although the better chance of rain for our downstate area is later this evening, towards sunset, and then again overnight through the early morning hours of Wednesday. Then our sky will dry up for what appears to be the next six to seven days with slightly below average temperatures as we […]

(OLNEY/NEWTON/NOBLE) A reminder that most all city and village halls in the area are closed today, in observance of Memorial Day 2026. All of the village and city halls will be back open tomorrow with normal office hours. In addition, in Olney, the brush dump will also be closed today, but back open this coming weekend. And Republic Services will be hauling trash as normal today and all of this […]

(SPRINGFIELD) A new report says Illinois roads are not as bad as several other states around the nation. Data released by the Grigor Law Injury & Car Accident Lawyers Group, sourced from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, found that 80.4% of Illinois’ road network meets acceptable conditions. While the Land of Lincoln ranked 20th on the report’s list of states with the worst roads, it was far better than neighboring Missouri, which had the 16th worst roads, […]

(OLNEY/NEWTON) With still no major storm systems expected to impact our downstate area over the next several days and nights, the severe weather risk will remain low now through next weekend. After some patchy fog this morning, the Memorial Day weather outlook is dry with some sunshine and clouds mixed up on this Monday, following by slight chances of some rain by late tomorrow afternoon and overnight Tuesday before ending […]

(OLNEY) Olney Central College is inviting area students of all ages to explore new interests and develop hands-on skills through its upcoming Ignite Curiosity Summer Camps. Registration is now underway for the camps which offer creativity and teamwork for a variety of age groups : Culinar Conquest meets from 10:00 to 12 noon, June 8th–12th at the Terry L. Bruce West Richland Center in Noble – it's for grades 6-8 […]

(OLNEY) The Richland County School Board of Education met for its regular monthly meeting in May last night in Olney. The Board : approved the April financial report with the monthly bill listing worth $3,076,191 : recognized various teams, athletes, and students for accomplishments : heard an update on the IRS penalties from 2019, 2021, and 2022 : heard updates on the Athletic Complex and on the District’s 2026 Assessment […]