School Board Approves New Hires, Accepts Resignations and Retirement
Article Summary: The Casey-Westfield Board of Education approved several staffing changes Monday, including hiring a new elementary interventionist and filling...
Lake Land College Board Approves $117.7 Million Operating Budget for FY 2026
Article Summary: The Lake Land College Board of Trustees unanimously approved a $117.7 million operating budget for the 2026 fiscal...
District Lands $98,950 Grant for New Student Chromebooks
Article Summary: The Casey-Westfield school district has been awarded a $98,950 state grant to purchase new Chromebooks for Monroe Elementary...
Wilford “Rex” Hickox, 98
Wilford "Rex" Hickox, 98, of Yale, Illinois, passed away at 6:40 a.m. on Wednesday, September 17, 2025, at Simple Blessings,...
Richard Alan Darr, 50
Richard Alan Darr, fondly known as Rick, 50, passed away peacefully in his sleep on September 14, 2025. Born on...
Resident Raises Concerns Over Sunday Youth Football Games
Article Summary: A local resident addressed the Casey-Westfield school board to discuss the scheduling of Junior Football League (JFL) games...
Casey-Westfield School Board Unanimously Adopts FY 2026 Budget
Article Summary: The Casey-Westfield Community Unit School District C-4 Board of Education unanimously approved the fiscal year 2026 budget during...
First Grade Reading
Look at these amazing readers! There was a lot of excitement in Mrs. Davis's first-grade class this week as students...
Events
Education
Casey-Westfield Schools Showcase Student Success in Academics, Athletics, and Arts
Casey-Westfield School Board Meeting | October 20, 2025 Article Summary: Administrators from Monroe Elementary and the Jr./Sr. High School presented reports highlighting a wide range of student achievements, from state-level...
A Week of Warrior Pride: Homecoming at Monroe Elementary
School spirit was at an all-time high as Monroe Elementary students dove into a fun and festive homecoming week. The school’s youngest learners were made a special part of the...
Lake Land College to Invest $195,000 in Advanced Farming Equipment
Lake Land College Board of Trustees Meeting | September, 2025 Article Summary: The Lake Land College Board of Trustees has approved the purchase of a new Strip-Till Bar for $195,000 to...
Beyond the Gridiron: Warriors Celebrate Seniors and Rally for Pink-Out Night
Featured image caption: Wyatt Erickson wears a special jersey honoring Vicki Yates during Friday night's "Pink-Out" game. Before the first whistle blew in Friday night’s football game, the lights at...
Lake Land College Extends President Bullock’s Contract to 2028, Sets New Strategic Goals
Lake Land College Board of Trustees Meeting | September, 2025 Article Summary: The Lake Land College Board of Trustees unanimously approved a three-year contract extension for President Dr. Jonathan "Josh" Bullock,...
Lake Land College one of 10 national recipients of the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Scaling Apprenticeship grant
Lake Land College was recently named one of 10 recipients of the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) Scaling Apprenticeship grant. With funding from Ascendum Education Group and in partnership...
Illinois News
WATCH: GOP leader calls Pritzker’s accountability commission a ‘political stunt’
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has created a new government commission to document the conduct of federal law...
Battery storage financials remain in question as lawmakers consider energy omnibus
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – State lawmakers are expected to include battery storage as part of an energy omnibus bill at the...
Illinois quick hits: Pritzker praises credit upgrade; Cook County approves $20M quantum grant
By Jim Talamonti | The Center SquareThe Center Square Pritzker praises credit upgrade Moody’s Investors Service has upgraded Illinois’ credit rating to A2 for the state’s general obligation bonds. Gov....
Op-Ed: Main Street businesses, customers would bear brunt of a tax on services
By Noah Finley | National Federation of Independent BusinessThe Center Square Even as lawmakers reconvene in Springfield for the fall veto session, special interest groups continue to press for higher...
WATCH: Illinois leaders on both sides send Bailey family condolences for loss of 4
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Leaders on both sides of the political aisle are sending condolences to former state Sen. Darren Bailey’s...
WATCH: Pritzker to sign exec. order to ‘pursue accountability’ amid federal deployments
By Greg Bishop | The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – In today's edition of Illinois in Focus Daily, The Center Square Editor Greg Bishop starts the program...
Helicopter crash claims lives of Bailey’s son, daughter-in-law, grandchildren
By The Center SquareThe Center Square (The Center Square) – Illinois Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey’s campaign has released a statement following the death of Bailey’s son Zachary and his...
National News
WATCH: Trump touts counter-narco operations during law enforcement roundtable
By Sarah Roderick-FitchThe Center Square In the midst of the U.S. counter-narcotics measures in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean and a major crime crackdown, President Donald Trump hosted a...
Unions sue Trump over immigrant drivers license crackdown
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square Two national public employee unions sued the Trump administration over its restrictions preventing illegal immigrants from obtaining commercial drivers licenses. The American Federation of Teachers...
Supreme Court grants extra time for arguments in tariff case
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square The U.S. Supreme Court will grant some additional time for oral arguments in a case challenging President Donald Trump's tariff authority, but won't let tribal...
WATCH: White House vows to ‘fight’ lawsuits over $100,000 H-1B visa fee
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square The White House on Thursday vowed to fight legal challenges to President Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters...
Democrats tank GOP bill to pay troops, essential workers during govt shutdown
By Thérèse BoudreauxThe Center Square Republicans’ attempts to avert the worst effects of the ongoing government shutdown failed Thursday after Senate Democrats blocked a bill that would ensure essential federal...
Texas lawmaker introduces agricultural visa reform
By Andrew RiceThe Center Square A Texas lawmaker introduced legislation to reform the H-2A visa program for agricultural workers. U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Texas, introduced the Bracero Program...
Home sales rise 1.5% in September as mortgage rates dip
By Brett RowlandThe Center Square Home sales increased 1.5% in September as mortgage rates dipped, according to the National Association of Realtors. The group said September's 1.5% increase in existing-home...
