Illinois
Illinois community recovers after factory closure
DEPUE, Ill. (KWQC) – A small community in Bureau County is recovering after the closure of a Monterey mushroom factory in January that previously employed hundreds of residents.
Back in November, one of Bureau County’s largest employers for decades announced to workers that they would be closing in January, sending the small community of DePue scrambling for solutions.
“Truthfully, I think we came out a lot better than we were probably thinking back in November when this news broke,” said Sheila Harmon, a second grade teacher in DePue.
Nearly half of the households enrolled in the DePue school district had someone employed at the mushroom factory located just a few miles outside of town.
And with the closure coming near the holidays, teachers wanted to make sure the children could enjoy Christmas without realizing the stress being dealt to their family.
Harmon said they were able to get donations from local areas, and raised a significant amount of money to purchase gifts for students. They wrapped the gifts and had them ready to go for parents to pick them up before winter break.
And upon the closure of the factory in January, school staff and local residents rallied to help those out of work by bringing in area companies for a job fair.
“The community came together, everybody came together, families came together, and we worked to find work for other people,” said Jacob Hoffert, the school board president for the DePue School District.
Hoffert said Sunday, it appears the community’s rapid response to the news of the factory’s closure may have ultimately saved the district and village.
“What I’ve seen is a lot of people are still working, so that’s good,” Hoffert said. “Nothing’s going down here, you’re not seeing the houses for sale. You’re not seeing the kids leave the school. So I think we’ve got to that point where we’re good.”
Both Harmon and Hoffert said the company was one of the largest donors in the holiday toy drive. As for the factory, the future of the property remains unclear.
The Princeton facility was one of two factories shut down in January by Monterey Mushrooms. The other was in Florida.
According to the company website, Monterey has seven factories currently running in the United States.
Copyright 2024 KWQC. All rights reserved.
Illinois
Man shot inside Springfield Mall, suspect in custody – WTOP News
A man was shot inside Springfield Mall in Springfield, Virginia, on Friday evening, and a suspect is in custody, according to police.
A man was shot inside Springfield Mall in Springfield, Virginia, Friday evening and a suspect is in custody, according to police.
The shooting happened around 5:30 p.m., Fairfax County police told WTOP. Responding officers found a man inside the mall who’d been shot in the upper body. He was taken to a local hospital with injuries police said were not life-threatening.
Police said they have recovered a gun and that a suspect is in custody.
The scene is secure and there is no ongoing threat to the public, police said.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
Illinois
Will it snow on Valentine’s Day? An Illinois forecast
How chocolate became the symbol of Valentine’s Day
Chocolate didn’t become romantic by accident. Here’s how Victorian-era marketing turned it into Valentine’s Day’s go-to gift.
Couples across Illinois will set out tomorrow for dinner dates and romantic excursions to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
But as we near the end of winter and the beginning of spring, the weather is becoming increasingly finnicky, with rain and cold one day followed by sunshine and warmth the next.
So what will the weather be like Saturday, Feb. 14? Here’s the forecast.
Chicago Valentine’s Day forecast
Saturday will be partly cloudy in Chicago with a high of 48-53 degrees during the day and low 40s near the lakeshore. The low will drop to around 32-37 at night with a chance of rain south of I-80.
Peoria Valentine’s Day forecast
Saturday will be partly cloudy in Peoria with a high of 51 degrees and a low of 31.
Springfield Valentine’s Day forecast
Saturday in Springfield will bring a high of 50 degrees and a low of 35. Sunshine will give way to increasing clouds and periods of rainfall in the afternoon.
Bloomington Valentine’s Day forecast
Sun will give way to clouds Saturday in Bloomington, with a high of 49 degrees and a low of 32.
Champaign Valentine’s Day forecast
Sun will give way to clouds Saturday in Champaign, with a high of 46 degrees and a low of 34.
Rockford Valentine’s Day forecast
Rockford will start off sunny and warm Saturday, with increasing clouds as the day goes on. The high of 55 degrees will near the city’s 2006 record of 59, with a low of 29 at night.
Galesburg Valentine’s Day forecast
Sun will give way to clouds Saturday in Galesburg, with a high of 52 degrees and a low of 28.
Carbondale Valentine’s Day forecast
Saturday will be cool with occasional rain in Carbondale, giving way to possible localized flooding. The high will be around 49 degrees and the low will be 42.
Illinois
Illinois High School Sectional Matches To Watch – FloWrestling
The Illinois high school season rolls into sectional week across the state this weekend with the top competitors in the Land of Lincoln vying to secure a spot in Champaign for next week’s state tournament. Here’s a look at some of the top potential sectional matchups on tap for this weekend.
Barrington
126 pounds — Jackson Olson (Hononegah) vs. Oleksandr Havrylkiv (Hersey)
The anticipated final features a clash between a pair of fourth-place finishers from the 2025 season. Olson placed at 120 and Havrylkiv at 113. While Havrylkiv has the more impressive record, Olson’s record reflects a tough schedule that includes tournaments such as Ironman. Placement order at this sectional will be key for Champaign, as this is one of the more open weights and a favorable seed can give a clear path to the finals at state.
Hinsdale Central
113 pounds — James Morrison (Marmion) vs. Erik Klichurov (Montini Catholic)
In a state that embraces schematics over seeding, all too often we get semifinals such as this one. Both Morrison and Klichurov are having impressive seasons and both have cracked the national rankings at various points this season. Morrison and Klichurov have met once this year with Morrison taking home a close victory. The 113-pound class in 3A is one of the deepest weights in Illinois and the winner of this one will put himself in a much more favorable position for seeding in Champaign the following week.
Hinsdale Central
138 pounds — Zach Stewart (Marmion) vs. Griff Powell (Lyons)
In yet another way-too-soon semifinal, returning state placer Griff Powell will run into 2025 state finalist Zach Stewart. Stewart will be the favorite coming in, but Powell has already found success against the Cadets with a win over Demetrios Carrera at the Flavin. This is another early sectional matchup that has potential to be repeated in next Saturday night’s state finals.
144 pounds — Demetrios Carrera (Marmion) vs. Kam Luif (Montini Catholic)
Insane semifinal matchups seem to be the norm at the Hinsdale sectional, and this one will feature Demetrios Carrera, who placed third in 2025 against returning 2A state champion kam Luif. The winner will likely still have to face multiple-time state placer Justin Williamson of Chicago Mount Carmel in the sectional finals. This is one of the deepest sectional weights, featuring three contenders for the title in Champaign, and the winner in Hinsdale will be able to push the other two across the bracket in Champaign.
Conant
120 pounds — Dom Munaretto (St. Charles East) vs. Ray Long (Niles Notre Dame)
This semifinal match is a clash between two returning state champions. Munaretto, a two-time U17 World champion and two-time Ironman champion, will be looking for his third IHSA 3A state title before continuing his career at Ohio State. Long will be looking to derail the future Buckeye’s perfect senior campaign en route to his second state title.
Antioch
190 pounds — Foley Calcagno (IC Catholic) vs. Jaxon Penovich (St. Viator)
With Jimmy Mastny up at 215 for the state series, this semifinal match up has a good probability of being repeated the following weekend in Champaign in the finals. Calcagno who placed third at 215 in his junior campaign, appears to be the biggest obstacle in front of Penovich, who will be looking for his second IHSA state championship.
Geneseo
165 pounds — Wyatt Medlin (Washington) vs.Izaac Gaines (Geneseo)
Medlin, who is highly nationally ranked and will be continuing his career at Illinois, will be a heavy favorite coming into this sectional semifinal. However, Gaines is one of the contenders at this weight, and we all know that strange things happen this time of year. Even if Gaines comes up short, the possibility of a finals rematch the following week in Champaign is definitely not out of the question.
215 pounds — Jimmy Mastny (Marian) vs. Josh Hoffer (Washington)
This is the premier matchup of this sectional and it happens in the semifinals. Both Mastny and Hoffer are returning state champions. Mastny is having a stellar season with a Super 32 championship and high placement at Ironman. Hoffer has had a few more bumps in the road, but has been high in the national rankings at points in the season and will be Mastny’s toughest test as he looks for his third state title.
Byron
106 pounds — Nate Lower (Rockridge) vs. Riley Paredes (Dixon)
This matchup makes the list because whenever you have two wrestlers with a combined 69-3 record meeting in the semifinals, someone is going to be pushed to the backside too early. Neither Lower nor Paredes qualified for the big dance last season and both will be looking to improve their seeding come the following week in Champaign.
113 pounds — Landon Near (Newman) vs. Augustus Swanson (Princeton)
This weight appears to have the marquee finals matchup between returning state placer Landon Near and state qualifier Augustus Swanson. What makes this one interesting is that Near is up from last season when he competed at 106 and Swanson is down from 120 a season ago. This is another weight where the sectional finals can be a prelude to what we will get to see next week in Champaign on Saturday.
165 pounds — Eli Burns (Mercer), Ethan Waugh (Stillman Valley), Tyler Jones (Wheaton Academy), Reily Leifheit (Marquette), Casey Etheridge (Princeton), Ryan Lower (Rockridge), Jonner Smith (Carroll).
This 1A sectional is likely the deepest weight in any class. There are at least three of the top wrestlers in this weight who will not make it out and possibly a fourth if there are any upsets. Though it’s difficult to predict how this weight will play out, the beneficiaries are the wrestlers at 165 from the other three sectionals, as the field will be significantly thinned coming into Champaign.
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