5 things to do in the Illinois Valley: Another weekend of outdoor festivals ahead

1. Ottawa Family Pride Fest: The event begins with the John Fisher Dann Memorial Pride Parade at 9:30 a.m. Saturday along La Salle Street in the city’s downtown. About 90 vendors will set up stations with products,
Ottawa church to host Prayer and Praise Night

First Presbyterian Church, 114 E. Jefferson St., Ottawa will be hosting Prayer and Praise Night at 7 p.m. Friday, June 9. Chaplin Jay LeRette will serve as special speaker. He’s the founder of the Mobile Chapel, which
Streator’s Ken Knight to exhibit abstract art at NCI ARTworks Gallery in Peru

The opening reception for the month-long exhibit of the works by internationally acclaimed hardline abstract artist Ken Knight will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 9, at the NCI ARTworks Gallery in the Westclox building
CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht resigns after one year
CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed in a statement that CNN Worldwide Chairman and CEO Chris Licht resigned on Wednesday, effective immediately. Warner Bros. Discovery said they have undertaken “an active search for a replacement,” and that
Last-minute power grid bill is bad for Illinois transition to renewable energy

In a behind-scenes, last-minute maneuver on May 26, the state Legislature found a way to hobble Illinois’ important conversion to renewable energy. Gov. JB Pritzker should veto the idea, as has said he will, and find a
Write Team: What title should we give our national team?

In Mrs. Sterner’s seventh grade social studies class, the students recently divided into groups for a friendly competition on American civics and history. They also were asked to ascribe titles to their teams. Say what you’d like
Eye On Illinois: Do we really need to ponder a new state flag?

“The flag should be so simple that a child can draw it from memory.” That’s the first principle of flag design per the North American Vexillological Association (nava.org/good-flag-bad-flag), and it must be said Illinois’ banner fails on
French Open 2023: Coco Gauff defeated by No. 1-seeded Iga Świątek in quarterfinal
Top-ranked Iga Świątek defeated Coco Gauff with a 6–4, 6–2 victory to reach the semifinals on Wednesday. The 22-year-old Świątek recorded another straight-set victory over the American and will face Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil. The 19-year-old
Chris Stapleton postpones Syracuse, NY concert due to dangerous air quality conditions
Chris Stapleton has postponed his concert on Thursday, June 8th at the St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse, New York due to the dangerous air quality issues affecting the northeast stemming from wildfires raging in
Lainey Wilson, Dierks Bentley & Elle King to host ‘CMA Fest’ on ABC
Dierks Bentley, Elle King and Lainey Wilson have been announced as the hosts of the CMA Fest, a three-hour primetime television event set to air this summer. Returning as co-hosts are Bentley and King, who had the