Highland Community College ranked No. 76 for student athletic participation in the state, according to a NW Illinois News analysis of college sports participation.

In a list of the 30 most populous counties in Illinois, Ogle County ranked No. 24 for the rate of abortions performed there in 2017, according to an Illinois Department of Public Health report issued in December, which tracks abortions performed on an annual basis.

Ogle and Whiteside counties accounted for 51 of the 39,329 abortions performed statewide in 2017, according to an Illinois Department of Public Health report issued in December, which tracks abortions performed on an annual basis.

Sauk Valley Community College volleyball brought in $6,189 per athlete in revenue in 2016, making it among the highest-grossing volleyball programs in Illinois that year, according to a Northwest Illinois News analysis of U.S. Department of Education data.

Men’s head coach salaries at Sauk Valley Community College outpace women’s team coaches by 25 percent, according to an NW Illinois News analysis of recent U.S. Department of Education data.

Illinois received a score of 72 on making key financial information accessible and understandable to the public, according to a new report from Truth in Accounting (TIA), a Chicago-based policy institute.

The number of competitive Illinois state legislative races in the Nov. 6 midterm elections will be 18 more than what it was four years ago as more major-party candidates go head-to-head is districts across the state.

Unlike the dynamic four years ago, a majority of the Illinois House races – 56 percent – will be competitive contests pitting major party candidates during the Nov. 6 midterm election.

An annual Illinois assessment of student, school and school district performance labels more than 77 percent of K-12 schools as exemplary or commendable, even though students' academic test results appear static and sub-par in many instances

The number of Illinois House races being contested by major-party candidates on Nov. 6 is up 13.6 percent over the last midterm election in 2014, according to a Prairie State Wire analysis.

Head coaches of Highland Community College women’s teams earn an average of $32,178 annually – the 74th highest average salary in the state – according to a NW Illinois News analysis of federal education data.

Highland Community College, Sauk Valley Community College and Morrison Institute of Technology are among two-year universities in Illinois that reported borrowers defaulting on school loans they started repaying in 2014, according to a Higher Education Tribune analysis of federal data.

Highland Community College football brought in no revenue in 2016, making it the lowest-grossing football program in the state that year, according to an NW Illinois News analysis of U.S. Department of Education data.

Apple River in Apple River State Park will be one of 57 locations that will be open for the Illinois Fall Trout Fishing Season beginning on Oct. 20.

Head coaches of Highland Community College's men’s teams earn an average of $32,291 annually – the 80th highest average salary in the state – according to an NW Illinois News analysis of federal education data.

Illinois House Speaker and Democrat Party Chief Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) gave $750 to Dixon State House candidate Amy Davis between July 15 and Aug. 15, state filings show.

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The Rock Falls Fire Department was among two firefighting agencies in Northwest Illinois to receive state grants this week for safety equipment.

Among Illinois’ most populous urban centers, the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Metro East, posted the highest percentage of mortgages that owe at least 25 percent more on their loans than their property is worth, according to a home equity analysis by ATTOM Data Solutions.

Three colleges in Chicago had the highest default rates among private colleges in Illinois for borrowers who started repaying student loans in 2014 and defaulted on those loans by the end of 2016, according to a Higher Education Tribune analysis.