GIBSON CITY — Exactly 104 days after Alamo Group Inc. acquired the Dixie Chopper business, its manufacturing plant in Gibson City built its first Dixie Chopper zero-turn lawn mower.

PAXTON — A popular restaurant and bar in downtown Paxton has shut its doors and been put up for sale after two-plus years in business.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — George and Harry Tjardes of Gibson City were inducted into the Hereford Hall of Fame during the Hereford Honorees awards ceremony at the American Hereford Association’s annual membership meeting and conference on Oct. 25 in Kansas City, Mo.

PAXTON — There will be three more meetings — at least — before the Ford County Board is ready to vote on changes to the county’s ordinance regulating wind farms.

RANKIN — A man considering opening a cannabis business in Rankin is asking village board members to decide within the next month if they will allow his business in town or if he will instead need to explore alternative locations.

THAWVILLE — A rural Thawville couple plan to soon begin construction of a brewery on their farm, which they hope will eventually become a destination for ag-tourism.

PAXTON — While visiting the U.S. to sign notices of intent to buy $2.1 billion in corn and soybeans from American farmers, a delegation of Taiwanese government officials and agricultural business leaders stopped by a Ford County farm to see first-hand how crops are produced here.

PAXTON — The city is inviting business owners, residents and anyone else interested to attend a public open house regarding the first phase of downtown Paxton’s streetscape improvement project.

PAXTON — A rural Rankin man planning to open a cannabis business in the area said he feels people need to be better educated about the marijuana industry before it becomes a legal reality in Illinois on Jan. 1.

GIBSON CITY — From its 20-foot bar made out of reclaimed fence panels to the high school football jersey hanging on one of its walls, the bar opening this weekend in downtown Gibson City is a tribute to the life of Jay Caviness.

GIBSON CITY — Mayor Dan Dickey expects an improved shopping experience in downtown Gibson City with the addition of a free public Wi-Fi network that business patrons can use and a speaker system that will play background music and broadcast advertisements outside businesses’ front doors.

RANKIN — Daiven Kayne Michael Emling fielded what he termed a “healthy mix” of both concerns and positive feedback about his plans to locate a cannabis cafe, bakery and dispensary in the Vermilion County village of Rankin during a public hearing last week.

GIBSON CITY — Robin Rose, Gibson Area Hospital & Health Services’ chief clinical officer and chief operating officer, was recently named the 2019 Illinois Rural Health Association’s administrator of the year.

PAXTON — If assisted living would have been an option in Paxton for Deane Geiken’s mother, she would not be where she is today — in the unfamiliar city of Rantoul, miles away from her family.

PAXTON — Central Lean's retail store in downtown Paxton is closing after eight years in business, but the company stressed that it will continue its home delivery and direct/route sales of locally produced pork, beef and poultry.

RANKIN — When people visit The Garden of Eatin’, they will be able to do more than just buy marijuana there.

GIBSON CITY — Ford County will soon be left with only one John Deere dealership.

PAXTON — Family nurse practitioner Melanie Thopiah has joined the staff of The Paxton Clinic.

WATSEKA — Big R Stores announced July 17 that it is changing its name to Stock+Field.

PAXTON — Paxton’s tax-increment financing (TIF) district — spanning from west of the Interstate 57 interchange to the city’s downtown — has been financially underperforming in its six-plus years in existence, despite coming close to meeting expectations in terms of development, the city’s TI…

SPRINGFIELD — Ford County residents can proudly say they still have the best small, weekly newspaper in Illinois.

GIBSON CITY — With brown paper and a “coming soon” message covering its front windows, the intrigue has been growing for weeks about the upcoming opening of Syd & Sadie’s Boutique at 102 N. Sangamon Ave. in downtown Gibson City.

PAXTON — Pizza Palace is expected to open later this month in Paxton, giving owner Eric Bull his third such restaurant along a 32-mile stretch of Interstate 57.

PAXTON — The restaurant building in Paxton that once occupied a Pizza Hut and has seen two diners open there since then, only to close months later, is getting ready to welcome a new tenant.

GIBSON CITY — When Jeanine Litwiller opened Strictly Kids Resale Shop in downtown Gibson City 25 years ago, she was a stay-at-home mom hoping to build a business that other mothers like herself could use to clothe their children with gently used, brand-name apparel at an affordable price.

GIBSON CITY — A women’s clothing boutique opened last Thursday in downtown Gibson City and held a grand opening event two days later.

GIBSON CITY — Members of the Gibson Area Chamber of Commerce heard Thursday about two new businesses that recently set up shop at 113 E. 9th St. in downtown Gibson City.

PAXTON — The voter turnout in Ford County for last Tuesday’s consolidated election was lower than in any other election in at least 15 years, as 886 of the county’s 9,366 registered voters — 9.46 percent — cast a ballot.

PAXTON — Before giving the go-ahead to a local restauranteur to offer outdoor dining by one of his downtown Paxton establishments, members of the Paxton City Council would like him to clearly outline his plans.