At its meeting Monday, the Rochelle City Council heard a presentation on the status of a potential bus route in Rochelle in the future provided by the Reagan Mass Transit District (formerly Lee-Ogle Transportation System).

We had a fabulous summer at the library!  The last few months have flown by and now everyone is back in school.  We will be jumping into fall programming starting this month.

The talk of the college football world this week? Northern Illinois University, of course.

Senior midfielder Fernando Diaz scored two goals for the second consecutive match on Monday evening, when the Rochelle Hub varsity soccer team faced Johnsburg.

The Rochelle Lady Hub varsity volleyball team won three of its five matches enroute to a third-place finish during the annual Lady Hub Invitational at RTHS on Saturday.

Junior Annaliese Koziol was a medalist for the third consecutive meet on Saturday afternoon, when members of the Rochelle Township High School varsity cross country teams took on more than 20 local schools during the annual Oregon Open at Oregon Park West.

The Rochelle Junior Tackle football teams faced off against the Byron Junior Tigers on the road Saturday afternoon.

The Rochelle Hub varsity golf team shot a 373 to finish 16th out of 24 schools in the Brad Fowler Invitational at Aldeen Golf Club on Saturday. Junior Ian Metzger took 29th individually with an 83, while sophomore Alex Dyer landed in 42nd with an 89.

MORTON — The Rochelle Hub fresh-soph football team won its second straight game on Friday evening, cruising over the Morton Potters for a 40-14 victory. Sophomore Keegan Cathina scored three …

Dylan Manning was a breakout star for the Rochelle Hub varsity football team last year, when he became the starting wingback halfway through the season and rushed for over 700 yards and 11 touchdowns enroute to earning First-Team All-Interstate 8/KRC honors.

John William Montgomery, 76, of Mount Pleasant, IA passed away on Wednesday, September 4th, 2024, at 10:45 PM.

On Aug. 28 at 4:44 p.m. the Ogle County Sheriff's Office Special Operations Unit, along with the DeKalb Police Department Advanced Criminal Enforcement Team (ACET), conducted a traffic stop on East Hickory Ridge Drive and Skare Road in Rochelle. During the traffic stop, Kyler Powell, 21, of DeKalb was arrested for unlawful possession of a controlled substance (cocaine). Powell was transported to the Ogle County Jail, processed, and released due to the SAFE-T Act. Powell was then transported to the Dekalb County Jail by the DeKalb Police Department ACET team for active felony warrants out of DeKalb County.

On Sept. 3 at 7:36 p.m. Zackary R. Helser, 19, of Rochelle was arrested for no valid driver’s license and cited for no insurance and disobeying a stop sign. He signed a promise to comply and was given an Oct. 4 Rochelle court date.

Senior midfielder Fernando Diaz found the net twice to lead the Rochelle Hub varsity soccer team in a physical nonconference match against Sterling on Thursday evening.

The Rochelle Hub varsity golf team continued its winning ways with a new season-best showing on Thursday evening, when the purple and white faced the Oregon Hawks and the North Boone Vikings in a nonconference match at Beaver Creek Golf Course.

Junior forward Kevin Orozco and senior midfielder Fernando Diaz each scored goals for the Rochelle Hub varsity soccer team during Wednesday’s match against Mendota. 

This week, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago (FHLBank Chicago) awarded Midwestern Clothing Company a grant of $15,000 through its Community First Accelerate Grants for Small Business program. FHLBank Chicago offers grants of up to $30,000 to eligible small businesses to advance economic opportunity in the communities it serves.

With heavy hearts, we announce the passing of Richard Frank Pelka (Dutch), 89, of Rochelle, Illinois, on September 4th, 2024, at Serenity Hospice and Home in Oregon, Illinois, with his family by his side.

Rochelle Community Hospital’s wellness committee works to improve the health of its employees. The committee has been revived this year post COVID-19 pandemic to implement regular initiatives to offer staff education, events, and ideas to improve their lifestyles.

Former Rochelle News-Leader Sports Editor and Reporter Marc Marin recently published a book on his experiences during his United States Army Reserve deployments to Iraq/Kuwait and Bosnia. 

At its monthly meeting Tuesday, the Creston Village Board of Trustees discussed rust issues that have been seen in the village's water system.

Fresh off the successful 2024 Annual Lowden Day Dinner in late August, The Ogle County Republican Party will host another Presidential Debate Watch Party at Kennay Farms Distilling, 416 Lincoln Highway, Rochelle starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10.

Best of Ogle County 2024 voting is completed and winners of each category are currently being contacted. The winners section will come out in the Rochelle News-Leader on Sunday, Oct. 6 and in the Ogle County Life on Monday, Oct. 7.

This letter is in response to the article by Reed Harris in the Rochelle News-Leader on Aug. 27, 2024, entitled “Consider this: Only with Democracy can we be free.” Mr. Harris (no relation to the current Democrat presidential candidate) states, “I was a Republican,” suggesting that he is no longer a Republican. He states, “Only with Democracy can we be equal.” His support for democracy is commendable, and I also endorse democracy. However, let’s look at how we arrived with the current Democrat ticket.

Streaking through summer and just a few weeks away from Fall. Seems as I get older it takes me longer to do things but there’s less time to do ‘em in. Not sure my internal clock has caught up with real time yet.