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Local news is dying. That’s the headline we see everywhere, right? But if you spend ten minutes in the Illinois Valley, you realize that's not the whole story. The La Salle IL News Tribune—or just the NewsTrib to anyone who’s actually from around here—is a weird, stubborn, and essential beast. It has survived the collapse of print, corporate handovers, and the rise of social media rumor mills. Honestly, it’s one of the few things still holding the fabric of La Salle, Peru, and Oglesby together.
It’s about local accountability.
Most people think local papers are just for high school sports scores and obituary clippings. While those are huge, the real value is in the stuff that doesn't get clicks on a national level. Who else is sitting through a four-hour Peru City Council meeting on a Tuesday night? Nobody. Except the reporter from the News Tribune.
The Shift from Family-Owned to Shaw Local
For a long time, the Miller family ran the show. It was local. It felt local. Then, back in 2019, Shaw Media stepped in and bought the paper. People were worried. Usually, when a big chain buys a small-town paper, the first thing they do is gut the staff and move the printing press three counties away.
Shaw did some of that, sure. They integrated the La Salle IL News Tribune into their "Shaw Local" network. If you go to their website now, it looks a lot like their sister papers in Joliet or Dixon. It’s cleaner, honestly. But the soul of the paper stayed mostly intact because the reporters still live in the 815. They shop at Hy-Vee. They know the history of the Hegeler Carus Mansion. You can't fake that kind of institutional knowledge with an algorithm or a remote writer living in a different time zone.
What happened to the physical building?
This is a sore spot for some. The iconic building on Joliet Street? Yeah, that’s not the hub it used to be. The paper sold the building a few years back. It was a sign of the times—a massive space built for a massive printing operation that just wasn't needed anymore. It felt like the end of an era. But the news didn't stop. It just moved to laptops and smaller offices.
High School Sports: The Lifeblood of the NewsTrib
Let's be real. If the News Tribune stopped covering L-P (La Salle-Peru) athletics, there would be a riot.
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High school sports are the primary driver for a lot of their digital subscriptions. When the Cavaliers are on a winning streak, the La Salle IL News Tribune sports section is the only place to get the granular detail people crave. We’re talking about play-by-play breakdowns that you won't find on a Facebook fan page.
- Football Fridays.
- Regional basketball tournaments at the "Old Gym."
- Track meets where the wind off the Illinois River ruins everyone's time.
The photography team—historically guys like Scott Anderson—set a standard that most small-town papers couldn't touch. They didn't just take pictures; they captured the grit of the Illinois Valley. That legacy continues even as the staff sizes have shrunk. You can see the difference between a pro shot in the NewsTrib and a blurry iPhone photo from a parent in the stands.
Covering the Illinois Valley’s Unique Challenges
The Illinois Valley isn't just any rural area. It's a corridor of industry, tourism (Starved Rock is right there), and deep-seated political rivalries between the "Twin Cities" of La Salle and Peru.
The La Salle IL News Tribune has to navigate these waters carefully. When a major employer like Carus Chemical has a fire—which happened in early 2023—the community doesn't turn to Chicago news. They turn to the NewsTrib. People needed to know if the smoke was toxic. They needed to know which roads were closed. That day, the paper's digital traffic spiked because, in a crisis, local beats global every single time.
The Starved Rock Factor
Being the paper of record for the area near Starved Rock State Park brings its own set of problems. Millions of tourists flood the area. Accidents happen. Rescues are common. The News Tribune acts as a bridge between the local residents who are annoyed by the traffic and the tourism industry that keeps the region’s economy breathing. They cover the DNR updates and the park safety warnings with a level of urgency that makes sense for people living in Utica or Tonica.
Why People Still Complain (And Why They Still Pay)
If you look at the comments on their social media, people love to complain. "Too many ads!" "The paywall is too high!" "The paper is too thin!"
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It's sort of a local pastime.
But here’s the kicker: they’re still reading. They complain because they care. They want the La Salle IL News Tribune to be the 50-page daily it was in 1995. It won't be. That world is gone. The costs of paper and ink have skyrocketed, and the advertising dollars that used to go to the NewsTrib now go to Meta and Google.
The transition to a digital-first model was bumpy. There was a period where the website was almost unusable due to pop-up ads. Shaw Local has cleaned that up significantly, but the paywall remains a point of contention. However, if you want local journalists to investigate why your property taxes just jumped or what happened to that new development project on Route 251, someone has to pay their salary.
Navigating the Politics of La Salle County
The Illinois Valley is a politically complex place. It’s got a blue-collar, union history that often clashes with more conservative rural values. The La Salle IL News Tribune tries to play it down the middle, which usually means they get yelled at by both sides.
They cover the local election cycles with a focus on the issues that actually hit the dinner table.
- Bridge repairs (the perpetual saga of the Shippingsport Bridge).
- School board curriculum debates.
- New business permits in the North Peru shopping district.
This isn't glamorous "prestige" journalism. It's plumbing. It’s the essential work of keeping the pipes of democracy clear at the local level. Without the NewsTrib, the only information people would have is what they hear from "a guy who knows a guy" on a community Facebook group. And we all know how reliable those are.
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Practical Steps for Getting the Most Out of the NewsTrib
If you’re living in the area or moving there, don't just rely on the free snippets you see on social media. You’re missing about 80% of the context.
Go Digital-First
The print paper comes out less frequently now, and it's often a day "late" compared to the website. If you want the news when it happens, the Shaw Local app is actually decent. Set your preferences to the News Tribune specifically so you don't get flooded with news from Crystal Lake or DeKalb.
Use the Archives
One of the most underrated features of the La Salle IL News Tribune is its archive. If you're doing genealogy or researching the history of a property in La Salle, their records are a goldmine. You can often access these through the local libraries (Reddick in Ottawa or the La Salle Public Library) if you don't want to pay for a historical subscription.
Engage with the Reporters
These aren't faceless entities. Most of the reporters have their emails listed at the bottom of their stories. If you see something happening in Peru or Oglesby that isn't being covered, tell them. Small newsrooms rely on tips more than ever. They can't be everywhere at once.
Support Local Advertisers
The reason the paper exists is because local businesses buy ads. When you see a coupon or a promotion in the NewsTrib for a local restaurant or hardware store, use it. It keeps the ecosystem alive.
The La Salle IL News Tribune isn't perfect. It’s a leaner, hungrier version of its former self. But in an age of "fake news" and massive information gaps, having a dedicated team of people whose only job is to watch over the Illinois Valley is a luxury we shouldn't take for granted. If the paper went away tomorrow, we'd realize within a week just how much we didn't know about our own backyard.
To stay properly informed, subscribe to the daily newsletter. It’s the fastest way to scan the headlines without fighting the social media algorithms. Also, make sure to follow their specific sports beat writers on X (formerly Twitter) for real-time scores during playoff seasons, as the website can sometimes have a delay in posting full game summaries.