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Natalie Pratt, Amboy High School junior and president of the Illinois Association FFA Section 2, displays a corn cob as she teaches a group of Amboy fifth graders during the Lee County Ag Expo on Friday, April 19 at the Lee County 4-H Center.

Local news
SUBLETTE – The Sublette Fire Protection District is set to receive $25,200 after being named a recipient of the Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal 2024 Small Equipment Grant Program.
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Amboy Junior High School learns at Maria’s Pizza

What is the most fitting environment for the last lesson in Ag in the Classroom’s pizza unit?

Three AHS students named to the Illinois Association FFA Section 2 Officer Team

On Wednesday, April 17, the officer team was elected for Illinois Association FFA Section 2.

Lee County Ag in the Classroom names Coloring Contest winners

DIXON – To celebrate National Ag Week this past March, Lee County Ag in the Classroom sponsored a coloring contest. More than 215 students from seven Lee County representing grades Kindergarten through eighth entered. 

Dinges Fire Company hires retired Byron Fire Deputy Chief as Fire Apparatus Specialist

AMBOY – Dinges Fire Company is pleased to announce it has hired Tim Salo as Fire Apparatus Specialist. Tim recently retired from the Byron Fire Protection District (BFPD) in Byron, Illinois as Deputy Chief. He spent 32 plus years of service at BFPD. Tim will work alongside Orin Snodgrass, who he worked with at BFPD for 24 years, selling fire trucks throughout the Midwest.
Obituaries
OBITUARIES
Gordon Meyer
Gordon Meyer, 89, of Dixon passed away on April 23, 2024 at his home.
James (Jim) D. Donoho
WAYZATA, Minn. – James (Jim) Dean Donoho, 85, beloved husband, father, brother, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away on April 10, 2024, in Wayzata, Minn.
Joan A. Christoffersen
DIXON – Joan A. Christoffersen, age 88, of Dixon died Sunday April 21, 2024. 
Edward Wayne Erbes
SUBLETTE – Edward Wayne Erbes, 85, of Sublette, passed away on April 19, 2024, at Allure of Mendota after a brief illness and declining health.
Harold Becker
AMBOY – Harold (Junior) Becker, 83, died Sunday, April 21, 2024, after a brief battle with cancer.
William "Bill" Kirchhofer
Bill Kirchhofer passed away on December 24, 2023.  He requested not to have an immediate funeral, but wanted to simply have his ashen remains buried next to his wife, Ann, in the Ashton Cemetery at a time most convenient for his family.
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Community
local news/COMMUNITY
Rep. Fritts honors Candlelight Inn Restaurant for December Local Business Highlight
DIXON – For his December 2023 local business highlight, State Representative Bradley Fritts (R-Dixon) chose to highlight Candlelight Inn Restaurant in Rock Falls.
School events clicking on all cylinders; Electric school buses on the road
AMBOY – The Amboy School Board met in regular session on Thursday, December 14 and opened the meeting with a public hearing on the 2023 tax levy.
Lee County Sheriff’s Office K9 Henry to get donation of body armor
DIXON – Lee County Sheriff’s Office K9 Henry will receive a bullet and stab protective vest thanks to a charitable donation from non-profit organization Vested Interest in K9s, Inc.
Gingerbread realty best at FFSB
The First Federal Savings Bank in Amboy won the FFSB Gingerbread House Contest as all branches battled each other for prime Christmas treat real estate. Photo contributed
The Pratt family is known for its volunteering. Katie Pratt (far right) learned from her parents and now shares the love of community involvement with, left to right, husband Andy, daughter Natalie, and son Ethan. George Howe/Amboy News
Meet Your Neighbor: Katie Pratt
AMBOY – It takes a special kind of person to dedicate a good part of their life to help serve others.
Sports

Softball: Lady Clippers move above .500

The Amboy softball team enters the last three weeks of the regular season with an above .500 record as the Lady Clippers are 8-7 overall and 5-3 in the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference.

Girls Track & Field: Amboy girls track to compete at Bureau Valley Sectional

MANLIUS – The Amboy Lady Clippers will compete in the Manlius (Bureau Valley) Class 1A Girls’ Sectional Track Meet to be held on Wednesday, May 8 in Manlius. Field events start at 4 p.m. and running events will kick off at 6:30 p.m.

Opinion
Special Sections
Web Extras

Ranking the biggest NFL Draft busts of the last 30 years

BestOdds.com ranks the 10 biggest NFL Draft disappointments of the past three decades.

How bird flu virus fragments get into milk sold in stores, and what the spread of H5N1 in cows means for the dairy industry and milk drinkers

The discovery of fragments of avian flu virus in about 20% of milk samples from stores in initial testing across the U.S. suggests that the H5N1 virus may be more widespread in U.S. dairy cattle than previously realized. …

How the pretzel went from soft to hard – and other little-known facts about one of the world’s favorite snacks

The pretzel, one of the fastest-growing snack foods in the world, recently crossed a billion dollars a year in sales. It has its own emoji, comes in flavors like pumpkin spice, mocha and banana, and is now available as an aromatherapy scent. …

Gen Z is averaging higher credit scores than millennials: Is it financial competence or just good timing?

Rocket Loans analyzed its own data to see which generational group is faring better financially than the others.