Since Prohibition ended, Mary’s Place has been serving customers at its humble location on the Rock River. Owner Becky Haddad and her son, Jason, have a plethora of tales to tell about the storied history of making it Rockford’s oldest continuously operated bar. ...

In the shifting reality of this new economy, regional leaders are embracing the uncertainty and doubling down on the strategies and mindsets that have led to serious growth over the past decade. ...

The “Reach for the Stars Project” brings every fourth-grade student in the Rockford Public Schools system to one performance a year at the Coronado Performing Arts Center. ...

It's been a storied 50 years for Merlin's Greenhouse & Flowers. See how the Hagemann family keeps this business thriving into a new generation. ...

As Illinois and Wisconsin raced to be the first states that enshrined women’s voting rights in the Constitution, a wider movement was also being led by women in our region. Learn how their work impacted life as we know it today. ...

Started as a way of honoring a Belvidere mother's late son, Andy's Books for Kids has become a fixture in classrooms all over our region, and beyond. This is the real power of books. ...

As one of the nation's longest-running music clubs, the Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center has been a home for Rockford-area musicians and a community support in many ways. ...

New construction and expanding redevelopment opportunities – coupled with investment in workforce development – have kept the region humming. Experts in Beloit, Freeport and Rockford sound off on the big ideas for the year ahead. ...

Even though she didn't like poetry in her younger years, Rockford-native Christine Swanberg developed a passion for the craft later in life. Step into her journey from novice to award-winning poet. ...

When First Presbyterian and Second Congregational UCC in Rockford banded together, members discovered just what it means when two are better than one. ...