An educational spotlight was provided for Prairie Central Junior High School during Thursday’s regular meeting of the PC Board of Education in Fairbury. Principal Amy Bachtold was joined by staff members Jenny Deschepper, Baylee Ritter and Angie Kratochvil. Junior High staff provided updates to the board on their school improvement goals for the current year. Deschepper discussed a number of interventions the building is conducting to assist students considered to be chronica

Current and previous Prairie Central graduates who will be attending or who currently attend University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have a scholarship opportunity. The Donald and Millie Joda Scholarship is open to any PC senior or graduate which meets these qualifications. There have been very few applicants for the award over the past couple of years. The scholarship committee would like to see more interest which is why they are reaching out to the entire Prairie Central c

130 Years Ago April 11, 1896 At the town meeting on election day Supervisor Brownson reported the payment of the last of the old Paducah Railroad bonds and the receipt of the bond from Springfield duly cancelled. He was authorized to burn the same. One of the finest displays of buggies in Livingston County is being exhibited by A. E. Chapman in the Fawkner building. Charles Sutton is in charge of the department. Conrad Munz, living a half mile south of Fairbury, was over to F

The intersection of Ash and Sixth streets is shown Wednesday evening in Fairbury looking west. Safety concerns were brought before the Fairbury City Council Wednesday night over the intersection of Ash and Sixth streets which has no stop signs. Local resident Patrick Chambers suggested putting a stop sign on Ash which travels east and west. “It’s just a high traffic area for the most part when school is getting out,” he explained. Chambers said they have three young children

Most area people know that the village of Cropsey and Cropsey Township are named after A. J. Cropsey. What is not widely known is the colorful, sometimes turbulent life he led after leaving the Fairbury area. Cropsey played an important role in the early development of Fairbury. In the late 1850s, he arrived among the early settlers as the town was beginning to take shape on the prairie. At that time, the town site belonged largely to Caleb Patton, the man who had laid out t

130 Years Ago April 4, 1896 Rev. Charles S. Davies, of McCormick Theological Seminary, who received a call from the Presbyterian Church of this place, has notified the session that he will accept the same. The Presbyterians are well pleased and there is every indication that Rev. Davies will make a successful and popular pastor. He will occupy the pulpit next Sabbath morning and evening. "The Order of the Resurrection" will be the theme of the morning sermon. Col. A. J. Crops

As the Fairbury Fair celebrates its 150th anniversary, it is easy to think first of harness racing, Floral Hall exhibits, or the carnival midway. But in the late 1800s, one of the biggest draws was not on the ground at all. The real excitement was hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of feet above the fairgrounds, where daring aeronauts rose into the sky in fragile balloons, often finishing their flights with a parachute drop that left fairgoers staring upward in awe.   The 188

Fairbury City Council members Wednesday night approved a supplemental appropriation ordinance for the fiscal year ending April 30. “It was basically some purchases that came up through the year that we hadn’t had money appropriated for specifically, so we had to adjust the appropriation to allow for the spending of that money,” explained Mayor David Slagel. May 1 will mark the new fiscal year for the city and the council is expected to approve the new budget later this month.

A radio model, called "The Fairbury," was recently discovered. Some immediate questions that came to mind were, "Was this radio model named after Fairbury, Illinois, or Fairbury, Nebraska?" Fairbury native Carl Eilers was a world-renowned inventor and developer of radio, stereo, and television technology. Was this radio named in honor of Carl Eilers? Three Eilers brothers attended Fairbury Township High School. Paul and Carl were World War II veterans. Both Paul and Carl serv

Join the Friends of the Dominy Library for a comprehensive educational event exploring our community. Patty Haberkorn, executive director of Futures Unlimited, will provide a look inside Futures during the program on Saturday (March 28) starting at 1:30 p.m. in the White Community Room in the basement of Dominy Library. Haberkorn will explore the organization's history, provide an overview on programs, spotlight transportation and the behavioral health clinic and will take qu

130 Years Ago March 21, 1896 C. E. Amsler, of Remington, Ind., made a trade this week whereby he becomes owner of the Swing & Steidinger stock of implements, hardware, etc. also the two-story brick business building and Mr. Steidinger's residence, formerly owned and occupied by T. S. O. McDowell. Swing & Steidinger receive in return Mr. Amsler's farm of 307 acres located near Remington, Ind. A juvenile band of ten pieces has been organized and is under the tutorship of James

Nathian Ray Harris, 67, of Florence, Missouri, passed away Thursday, March 19, 2026, at his home, surrounded by his family. He was born February 14, 1959, in Fairbury, Illinois, the only child of Bernard and Viola (Wessel) Harris. Nathian graduated from Fairbury-Cropsey High School in 1977. On June 9, 1979, he married Judith A. VanAntwerp in Fairbury, and they shared 46 years together. In the late 1970s, he moved to Missouri with the goal of owning land. There, he built a lif

The recent advent of AI (Artificial Intelligence) technology is giving the average user new capabilities. A couple of years ago, when he was still Fairbury Postmaster, Mike Maffett suggested the author do a Fairbury history story about all the postmasters Fairbury has ever had. That idea was recorded in a growing list of potential future stories. However, one major problem quickly became apparent—how to actually develop a complete and accurate list.   Searching through nearly

A portrayal of The Last Supper will be presented by the Fairbury United Methodist Church on April 2. The solemn portrayal on Maundy Thursday starts at 8 p.m. and also includes Holy Communion. The performance is directed by Shannon Brown. For more information, call 309-377-3451.

130 Years Ago March 13, 1896 The protracted meetings at the Baptist Church closed Monday evening. These services resulted in thirty-two additions to the church, 29 of which were by baptism. Frank Wharton and George Tate were introduced to the Woodman goat Thursday evening. A. L. McKee, of Roberts, was in town Monday. He has almost recovered from his injuries received some time ago when he was kicked in the face by a horse. Married at the residence of the bride's parents, Wedn

Melissa Cooper with CARE Charity speaks to the Fairbury City Council Wednesday night. Melissa Cooper with the local CARE Charity appeared before members of the Fairbury City Council Wednesday night seeking permission to hold a Fall Fling event featuring vendors, a car show, food trucks and kid activities. They would like to reserve North Park from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 19. “We are always taking donations,” Cooper explained. Mayor David Slagel told Cooper Larry Ray, who ha

Students at Prairie Central High School in Fairbury will transition into a modified block schedule in the fall of 2027. “This is a process that has taken a long time,” PCHS Principal Wade Czerwonka told members of the PC Board of Education Tuesday night. Czerwonka refers to the new schedule as a positive for both students and teachers, saying the current system puts kids at a disadvantage when it comes to testing. He feels this would be a more natural pace for everyone involv

Residents of Fairbury and surrounding locations now have another option for local information and sports coverage, in addition to FairburyNews.net . Casson Media has purchased local radio station 93.7 FM, now known as Route 24 Radio, with the call letters of WPOK. The station is licensed to Pontiac and has a strong reach throughout all of Central Illinois. This is an expansion of the current Route 24 Radio online radio programming which adds the over-the-air component for sho

Many of us remember our grandparents having a hand-cranked Victrola record player in their homes. It is hard to imagine everyday life in America in the early 1920s. Radios were just being introduced, and there was no television or Internet. For home entertainment, many families read books, magazines, and local newspapers. Wealthier families might have an upright piano to play or sing along with. Card games and parlor games like checkers and dominoes were standard evening ente

130 Years Ago March 7, 1896 The framework of the new residence being built by J. K. Shook for C. W. Neitz on Ash Street is raised. The lady clerks of W. J. Bethard's east end emporium are taking their turns in enjoying their vacations nowadays. Grace Zehr was absent from her place last week, while this week Mattie Henry is absent. Miss Mayme Phillips closed a very successful term of school in district No. 6 last week. Belle Prairie — The Freeman land tenants are putting up "n