South Beloit, IL Events and More

Rock County District Attorney's office launches court case database in statewide transparency initiative

JANESVILLE — The Rock County District Attorney’s office is now part of a statewide project to give the public data on court cases, a move that’s aimed at boosting transparency. District Attorney Jason Sanders introduced a new database Thursday that he believes serves transparency for the public. The database operates within the bounds of strict rules around prosecutors publicizing individual court cases before resolution. He also pointed out that balancing transparency with the privacy of victims can be difficult as well. “For example, I should not and will not, tell anyone that a particular case did not go to trial on the most severe charge because the victim begged us to resolve it so they did not have to testify and relive their trauma in open court,” he said. He said that’s where the data dashboard comes in handy because it allows information to be released about the number of cases, types of cases, and outcomes of cases within Rock County. He said this will help not only the public, but the county, learn about how cases are handled. “We want to use every tool available to us, including taking a comprehensive look at what the numbers show, to reach

Rock County, WI · 20h

sevenlakes.news

Severe Storms With Damaging Winds Near Davenport Push Toward Chicago, Joliet and Rockford Around Noon as Strongest Cells Hug the I-80 Corridor

CHICAGO — Showers and thunderstorms moving toward northern Illinois Wednesday morning are tracking farther north than expected. Some storms on the southern end of the system have already turned severe, with damaging winds reported near the Quad Cities. The rain is expected to reach Chicagoland around noon, and the strongest storms should stay near and south of the Interstate 80 corridor.

GazetteXtra

Norovirus closes Consolidated Elementary doors until at least Nov. 16

JANESVILLE — The Milton School District closed one of its elementary schools for the rest of the week because of a norovirus outbreak. Norovirus is more commonly known as the stomach flu. Late Wednesday, the district announced the closure of Consolidated Elementary because “more than 35%” of its student population had been sickened by norovirus. The District decided on this course of action after consultation with District Nurse Melissa Forrett and the Rock County Health Department. No other schools have been affected yet, according to the district. The district plans to open the school Monday. Superintendent Jeremy Bilhorn said that at the start of Wednesday, there were 30 students who were absent from the illness. Throughout the day, that number continued to climb as more students were sickened with the norovirus and were sent home. Bilhorn could not confirm the exact total at the end of the school day. “We noticed the numbers rose pretty high today,” Bilhorn said. The district will monitor reported absences at other schools and any ahead of Monday at Consolidated. “The idea is to take in account student safety, and best practice and guidance from our county health department,” Bilhorn said. Consolidated Elementary, the district’s

Janesville, WI · 1d

rockrivercurrent.com

Free furnace from Pearson felt like ‘divine intervention’ for Rockford-area veteran

ROCKFORD — An Air Force veteran who was one of two local military members to win a free furnace from Pearson Plumbing, Heating & Pest Control said the gift was much-needed with winter approaching. Chantyl Outzen of Machesney Park will be able to replace her aging and unreliable furnace...

GazetteXtra

Rock County aims to ease nursing home subsidies by opening Rock Haven to residents outside county

JANESVILLE – Natalie Rolling-Edlebeck acknowledges that opening up Rock Haven to out-of-county nursing home residents could come at a cost, but she's not yet sure how much. Rolling-Edlebeck's reason behind a shift to accepting out-of-county and even out-of-state residents is to try to create maximum use Rock Haven's 120 beds. Right now, the nursing unit can staff for 112 beds, a formula based on available nurses and the needs of patients now at Rock Haven. But a low tide in residents creates a capacity and staffing cycle that limits the amount Rock Haven can get reimbursed for residents, how many nurses it can hire, and how it can offset operating costs — all factors that drive a subsidy that the county said in its last budget wound up being $750,000. That's down from Rock Haven being more than $2 million underwater in recent past years, in part because Medicaid reimbursements have increased in Wisconsin. But officials argue the ceiling for Rock Haven, which is county run, is low because of how it operates. Rock Haven is one of 10 skilled-care nursing homes in Rock County, but of those 10, Rock Haven is the only one that does not allow out-of-county

Rock County, WI · 2d

royalpurplenews.com

partner publisher · 14.4K followers

Citizens vote down school district referendum

*Editor’s Note: Percentages are rounded to the nearest tenth and write-ins are excluded. Whitewater Unified School District $5.5 million four-year non recurring referendum. In addition to political government races, the Whitewater community voted on the Whitewater Unified School District’s (WUSD) $5.5 million four-year nonrecurring referendum. With 47.5% voting...

Whitewater, WI · 4d

967 The Eagle

Three Magical Christmas Light Displays to See in Rockford

From Sinnissippi Park to Anderson Japanese Gardens, discover three Rockford holiday light displays worth visiting this Christmas.

partner publisher · 17.1K followers

KFIL Radio

Put These Rockford Events on Your Calendar This Month

Need plans this month? Check out these upcoming Rockford-area events.

Rockford, IL · 2d

MyStateline.com WTVO WQRF

partner publisher · 73.8K followers

YMCA of Rock River Valley names two new executive directors

The YMCA of Rock River Valley has appointed Kerek Jenkins and Antonio Ramirez Jr. as new executive directors to lead its branches and early learning programs.

GazetteXtra

partner publisher · 45.6K followers

Boys basketball: Parker picked to finish seventh, Craig ninth in the Big Eight

The 2026-27 boys basketball season is right around the corner, and the upcoming season is already shaping up to be a wide open year, especially for the Big Eight Conference. Janesville Parker was ultimately picked to finish seventh while Janesville Craig was picked to finish ninth this season by Bound Wisconsin in their preseason conference preview series. Bound Wisconsin boys basketball staff writer Colton Wilson is reaching the conclusion of his preseason series of conference previews for the state of Wisconsin. Each preview includes projected 2026-27 standings, a sleeper team to watch out for, top players to watch as well as conference break out candidates. Parker enters its 2026-27 season with a senior-loaded team, something that will be a huge plus and advantage for the Vikings in an already difficult conference. Javonte Johnson, who was labeled as a player to watch by the outlet heading into the season, is one of the several returners primed to make a jump up this year. The Vikings faced some tough sledding last season, finishing 4-21 (1-17 Big Eight) and last place in the league. However, their returning senior talent and particularly Javonte Johnson’s 14.6 points/game and 7.9 rebounds/game have Parker poised to leap

Janesville, WI · 19h

We Are Rockford

Rockford Store Left Baffled After Man Buys 50 Atari Games

Why would someone buy every copy of a nearly 50-year-old Atari game? A Rockford shopper did exactly that at Disc Replay.

Rockford, IL · 2d

Rockford Register Star

partner publisher · 11.4K followers

Backyard celebrates 30 years with public party

Backyard in Loves Park will mark its 30th anniversary Nov. 14 with a celebration featuring an anniversary toast, cake and live music. The event will take place at Backyard, 6473 N. 2nd St., according to a community announcement. The business has been part of the community since 1996. Organizers thanked longtime customers, past and present employees and others who have made memories at Backyard over the years. They also invited people who have never visited the business to attend the anniversary celebration. The event is open to everyone. Toast, cake and live music planned An anniversary toast and cake are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The Shifty Boys will perform at 7 p.m. Organizers are encouraging attendees to bring friends and share their memories of Backyard. This story was produced by reporter Nida Tazeen, NTazeen@usatodayco.com , with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct . This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: Backyard celebrates 30 years with public party

Loves Park, IL · 2d

wisbusiness.com

ABC Supply: Announces Midwest region leadership transition

BELOIT, Wis. – November 12, 2026 – ABC Supply Co., Inc., the largest wholesale distributor of roofing, select exterior and interior building products, and outdoor solutions in North America, has announced that Joe Small, Midwest Region vice president, will retire at the end of the year following a career spanning nearly 40 years in the building materials industry. Brad Messer has been appointed Midwest Region vice president and will assume the role on January 1, 2027.

Beloit, WI · 1d

rockrivercurrent.com

partner publisher · 73.8K followers

Save A Lot in west Rockford kicks off annual holiday hunger relief initiative

ROCKFORD — Save A Lot on Thursday kicked off an annual holiday hunger relief initiative to support local families dealing with food insecurity. The grocery store, 1701 W. State St., kicked off its Bags for a Brighter Holiday campaign with 13th Ward Alderman Tamir Bell and two nonprofits that will benefit from this year’s drive: the Rock River Valley Food Pantry and the Boys & Girls Club of Rockford – Stenstrom Unit.

Rockford, IL · 21h

MyStateline.com WTVO WQRF

Traffic over I-90 will be reduced to one lane Friday for Riverside Boulevard bridge repairs

Traffic over I-90 will be reduced to one lane on Friday as crews work to conduct repairs to the Riverside Boulevard bridge.

Winnebago County, IL · 18h

rockrivercurrent.com

The new Cheezy’s at Victory is more than grilled cheese. Here’s what’s different in Loves Park

LOVES PARK — The new Cheezy’s at Victory represents an expansion of the local brand beyond the hearty grilled cheese sandwiches served up on its food truck. Owners Josh Wilson and Dustin DiBenedetto, who just wrapped up their fourth food truck season with Cheezy’s Grilled Cheese, cut the ribbon on Wednesday on their second physical location. It’s on the second floor inside Victory Pickleball, 7003 N. Alpine Road. They also continue to operate Cheezy’s Grilled Cheese inside BJ’s Place at at 2842 11th St. on Rockford’s south side.

Loves Park, IL · 1d

GazetteXtra

Janesville teachers' union not thrilled with pay arrangement, seeks district revamp of wage schedule

JANESVILLE — The Janesville School District’s teachers union is not thrilled with the wage agreement it has reached with the district the last few years, and the union is now calling the district to resume substantive talks on a new compensation schedule. The message comes via a public statement the Janesville Education Association released this week following the Janesville School Board approving a certified staff wage increase for union members of 2.63% — a “cost of living” increase in the coming budget year. The pact came out of the lack of a formal agreement between the two sides after three bargaining sessions. JEA President Laura Mattison said that for some teachers, that equates to a cost-of-living increase that leaves them with a salary that’s less than what they earned last year if they factor in the increase they’re also paying for health care costs. Some district employees, like Mattison, a foreign languages teacher with 21 years of educational service, find themselves working second jobs to make extra money — all while working more hours with larger classroom loads and a growing load of professional development responsibilities. “Three negotiation rounds and they didn’t bring a different offer to any of the

Janesville, WI · 1d

rockrivercurrent.com

2026 Excalibur and Excelsior award finalists announced

ROCKFORD — The Community Foundation of Northern Illinois announced on Wednesday the finalists for this year’s Excalibur and Excelsior awards, a 55-year tradition that recognizes people and organizations for their service to the region. The finalists for the Excalibur Award, which recognizes an individual who exemplifies excellence in...