Rockford IL

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - More than 30 Rockford restaurants, bars and businesses receive the last chunk of change to help recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of $427,631.17 in state funding is distributed to 34 businesses in the region in the fifth and final round of the Restaurant Relief Grant...

The city of Freeport is accepting applications for its 2026 Façade Improvement Program, which offers grants to building owners in the downtown area, according to a community announcement. The program, funded by the Downtown Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district, has a proposed budget of $30,000 for 2026. The...

Some restaurants pour money into ads, giant roadside signs, and carefully planned social media campaigns just to convince people to give them a try. Others build a reputation the slow way, one satisfied diner at a time. These are the kinds of places where a good meal turns a first-time...

Of the 2.2 million men who fought for the North in the Civil War, most were indeed male. Some only pretended to be. A few women made their way into Civil War ranks, and the best-known example in Illinois is Jennie Hodgers, who enlisted in Company G of the 95th Illinois under the name “Albert D.J. Cashier.”

Rockford pizza lovers are divided on the best thin crispy crust. Maciano's and Gerry's lead local rankings, but the debate is far from settled.

4:41 PM (TUE MAR 10 2026) ... Byron Fire Protection District firefighters and paramedics working at the scene of a mass casualty chemical exposure at 4450 North German Church Road Byron. Report of a mass casualty chemical exposure at the Exelon Byron Generating Station in Byron, Illinois. Six patients as...

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WIFR) - Almost five years after a man was shot and killed in Rockford, police identify two people they believe are responsible. Isaiah Rucker, 29, of Freeport, and Xzavior Smith, 26, of Roscoe, are charged with first-degree murder. On May 23, 2021, police responded to a shooting investigation...

GRAMMY-winning country artist Ashley McBryde has been announced as the next major headliner for Old Settlers Days, organizers confirmed this week.

David Spade, comedian and SNL alum, is bringing his stand-up comedy show to Rockford's Coronado Performing Arts Center on May 29th.

CHERRY VALLEY — The former Sweet Basil Cafe is expected to be demolished this spring to make way for a new Club Car Wash at the corner of Harrison Avenue and Perryville Road. The company is awaiting an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency inspection for asbestos before moving forward with...