Category: Uncategorized

Princeton quarterback Gavin Lanham tries to stay ahead of a crowd of Rockridge defenders earlier this season. (Mike Vaughn)
The Princeton Tigers will have an unexpected Friday night off.
Princeton athletic director Jeff Ohlson said he has been informed by Sherrard High School that it must forfeit Friday’s scheduled Three Rivers East opener at Sherrard due to an outbreak of illness.
Monday’s frosh/soph game will also be forfeited, Ohlson said.
Princeton has released the following statement:
“Sherrard has forfeited the varsity and sophomore games on Friday, Sept. 12, and Monday, Sept. 15, due to an outbreak of illness among players on their team. We are disappointed to lose the games, but do appreciate [Sherrard] for thinking of the health and well-being of our athletes.”
With the forfeit, Princeton picks up its first win of the season to stand at 1-2. They will host longtime rival Kewanee next week, Friday, Sept. 19.
Sherrard falls to 0-3.
Princeton coach Ryan Pearson was disappointed about the news.
“I feel bad for our kids. They had a great week of practice and now don’t get to play,” he said. “It just stinks. As a coach you hate to lose a game like that because it does make you rusty the following week.
“We’re just going to have to practice like normal, but you you lose that valuable game experience with a very young team. You lose that coaching time because you don’t have film to evaluate to see if you’ve corrected some of the mistakes from the previous two weeks that we made.
“Bottom line, I just feel bad for our kids, especially our seniors because that’s a game that they don’t get to play in their final year as a Tiger.”
Pearson said he will give the team the day off for a night of team-bonding. He and his staff may go to the Monmouth-Roseville at Kewanee game to scout their next two opponents.
This is the second time in 20 years that Princeton will have Week 3 off. In 2005, Chicago Collins elected not to make the trip to Princeton and the Tigers could not find a replacement. They did not receive a forfeit, however, because there was no signed contract. Princeton had played at Chicago Collins the year before and it was planned for Collins to make the trip south in 2005.
Kevin has been sports editor of the BCR since 1986 and is Sports Editor of Putnam County Record. Was previously sports editor of the St. Louis Daily News and a regular contributor for the St. Louis Cardinals Magazine. He is a member of the IBCA and Illinois Valley Hall of Fames. He is one of 4 sportswriters from his tiny hometown Atlanta, IL

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Burn Ban
Due to persistent drought conditions, the Princeton Fire Department has imposed an open burn ban across all areas it protects, including the City of Princeton and the Princeton Rural Fire Protection District.
The ban, effective immediately, prohibits all outdoor burning activities such as landscape waste, garbage and recreational fires. It will remain in place until sufficient rainfall alleviates the dry conditions.
This ban also overrides the city’s fall landscape waste burning period, which was scheduled to begin Oct. 1, under city ordinance Sec 10-231. At this time, no landscape waste burning is allowed. Officials will reassess the situation later to determine whether the Nov. 30, deadline for landscape waste burning will be extended.
Residents are urged to comply with the burn ban to prevent fire hazards during this dry spell. The Princeton Fire Department will announce when the ban is lifted through the same media channels.
For questions or more information, contact the Princeton Fire Department at 815-875-1861.
Shaw Local News Network provides local news throughout northern Illinois

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OSF HealthCare in Princeton is expanding access to primary care in Princeton with the addition of Dr. Adam Kress, who began seeing patients on Sept. 14. (Photo provided by OSF)
OSF HealthCare in Princeton is expanding access to primary care in Princeton with the addition of Dr. Adam Kress, who began seeing patients on Sept. 14.
Kress joins OSF Medical Group, Primary Care at 535 Park Ave. E., offering services that include well-child and pediatric care, addiction medicine, and chronic disease management.
He earned a Bachelor of Science from Loyola University and his medical degree from Midwestern University’s Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine.
Patients, new and existing, can schedule appointments with Dr. Kress or his care team by calling 815-875-4531.
Shaw Local News Network provides local news throughout northern Illinois

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(File photo)
A motorcyclist died after a single-vehicle crash on Route 6 east of the Interstate 180 overpass Thursday night, according to a news release from the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office responded at 11:38 p.m. Oct. 2 to the crash involving a 2011 Harley-Davidson traveling west, Sheriff James Reed said in the release. The motorcycle left the road, causing the rider to lose control and be ejected from the bike.
The rider was taken from the scene and later pronounced dead at OSF St. Clare Hospital in Princeton by Bureau County Coroner Kurt Workman. The coroner’s office is withholding the rider’s name pending family notification.
Agencies responding to the crash included the Bureau County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau County Coroner’s Office, the Princeton Fire Department, Princeton emergency medical services, the Princeton Police Department, the DePue Police Department and Senica Towing.
Shaw Local News Network provides local news throughout northern Illinois

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A Princeton man was found deceased on Sunday after entering the Illinois River, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said in a Monday news release.
A Princeton man was found dead in the Illinois River on Sunday, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Monday. Witnesses said he went under the water while swimming on Saturday and did not resurface.
According to the release, witnesses said Joshua A. Ellis, 48, on Saturday, entered the river on the Marshall County side of the river and was swimming toward the Putnam County side when he went under the water and did not come back up.
According to the release, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office notified the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office at 7:03 p.m.
The Peoria Fire Department Dive Team found Ellis on Sunday, Oct. 5. He was pronounced dead at the scene by the Putnam County Death Investigator, Robert Cofoid, according to the release.
The Putnam County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Illinois Department of Conservation, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, the Henry Fire Department, the Lacon Sparland Fire Department, the Peoria Fire Department Dive Team, the Henry Police and the Putnam County Death Investigator.
Maribeth M. Wilson has been a reporter with Shaw Media for two years, one of those as news editor at the Morris Herald-News. She became a part of the NewsTribune staff in 2023.

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Protesters yell at a Trump supporter while driving past Rotary Park during the No Kings protest on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Princeton. (Scott Anderson)
Over 15 years covering news, sports and events in the Illinois Valley. Support my work with a digital subscription.

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The Bureau County Christmas For Kids is collecting toys and donations for its annual holiday drive. (Photo provided by Gale Hart)
Bureau County Christmas For Kids is collecting toys and donations to support families in need this holiday season.
Since 2013, the Princeton Wesleyan Church has hosted and supported this all-volunteer nonprofit group.
The organization provides gifts to families with children in eighth grade and younger across multiple communities, including Princeton, Malden, La Moille, Ohio, Van Orin, Walnut, Manlius, Sheffield, Neponset, Buda, Tiskilwa and Wyanet.
Donations can be made by mailing checks to Princeton Wesleyan Church or by depositing funds directly at Heartland Bank in Princeton.
Volunteers will hold public toy drives from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 8 and Nov. 22 in Princeton. The first event will be in front of the Princeton Fire Department, and the second will take place outside the Apollo Theater.
Residents also can drop off new toys at designated collection boxes placed throughout western Bureau County. In Princeton, boxes are located at places including the Bureau County Metro Center, Central Bank, Dollar General, Douglas School, Evangelical Covenant Church, First Christian Church, First State Bank, First United Methodist Church, Heartland Bank (North and Main branches), Jefferson School, Jillian’s Hair Salon, Lincoln School, Logan Junior High, Midland Bank, MTM Recognition, New Hope Church, OSF St. Clare Hospital, Princeton High School, Princeton Public Library, Princeton Wesleyan Church, Rustique Hair Salon, St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church and TSC.
Additional collection points outside Princeton include Bureau Valley High School, Community State Bank in Neponset, First State Bank branches in La Moille and Van Orin, La Moille High School, the Malden Banking Center, the Manlius Banking Center, Mason Memorial Public Library in Buda, Ohio School, the Sheffield Banking Center, Socks Place in Wyanet, and Tiskilwa Public Library.
Bureau County Christmas For Kids encourages community members to contribute and help ensure children in the area have gifts this holiday season.
Shaw Local News Network provides local news throughout northern Illinois

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A Blue Margaritas Restaurant will be opening in Princeton at 105 Ave Road. (Stephanie Jaquins)
A Blue Margaritas Restaurant will be opening in Princeton at 105 Ave Road.
Established in 2015, Blue Margaritas specializes in serving traditional Mexican dishes inspired by the cuisine of different parts of Mexico, according to its website.
“In our menu, you can find food that is as varied as the country it comes from. With our chips and salsa, steak fajitas, taco salads, and much more, we have an authentic Mexican taste for every palate,” read the website.
Its signature Blue Margaritas is made with its own special Blue Margarita blend.
Blue Margarita’s opened a location in Oglesby in June 2023. The restaurant also has locations in Germantown Hills, Peoria, Springfield and Washington.
For more information, visit bluemargaritas.com or find Blue Margaritas Mexican Bar & Grill Princeton on Facebook.
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.

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(File photo) Princeton Community Band will join Bureau County Chorus for a performance on Dec. 6 at Evangelical Covenant Church in Princeton
The Bureau County Chorus and the Princeton Community Band will perform a joint Christmas concert at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Community Life Center at Evangelical Covenant Church in Princeton.
This is a new location for the free event.
The Bureau County Chorus, directed by Megan Olson with accompanist Charlie Gebeck, will perform Christmas selections including “Jingle Bells,” “Il Est Né (He Is Born)” and “Silent Night.”
The Princeton Community Band, under director Ann MB Lusher, will play holiday music including “Celtic Holy Night,” “The Polar Express” and “Silver Bells.”
Both groups will conclude the concert with a combined performance of “Holiday Sing-Along.”
Donations will be accepted for both ensembles. The Princeton Community Band is a nonprofit organization.
Evangelical Covenant Church is located at 24 N. Main St.
Shaw Local News Network provides local news throughout northern Illinois

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Pastor Michael Hickok presents a $7,000 check to Gale Hart of Christmas For Kids on Dec. 9. (Photo provided by Gale Hart)
Christmas For Kids received a $7,000 donation from First United Methodist Church in Princeton on Dec. 9.
The donation came through the church’s “Change The World” program, which collects monthly donations and selects different recipients each month. Christmas For Kids was chosen as the November recipient.
Pastor Michael Hickok presented the check to Gale Hart, who represents the Christmas For Kids program.
The “Change The World” program allows church members to contribute to community outreach efforts throughout the year.
Christmas For Kids provides holiday assistance to families in need.
Shaw Local News Network provides local news throughout northern Illinois

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