Northwest Quarterly Magazine

06/10/2026

Talk to small-business leaders from Freeport to Beloit this year and the same two words keep surfacing: cautiously optimistic.

Small businesses are a serious driver of our local economies. They have the power to attract locals and out-of-town visitors, provide employment, and support the culture and vibrancy that signal a thriving community. (Main Street Monroe photo) Economic development isn’t limited to big, multimilli

06/08/2026

What keeps local media relevant in a digital world? For Mid-West Family Broadcasting, the answer isn't just technology — it's knowing the community, telling its stories and showing up in person.

Steve Summers (left), Matt Hall (center) and Chelsea Meyer (right) are more than voices on the air. As personalities with Mid-West Family Broadcasting’s northern Illinois radio stations, they’re regulars in the community, promoting local businesses and hosting events throughout the region. (Phot...

06/05/2026

For 31 years, Steve Shannon was the sound of a Rockford morning — for the kids headed to school, the commuters, the night-shift crowd clocking out and everyone in between. He signed off 97ZOK in March, and for him, it was never really about the music.

Steve Shannon didn’t need to be the smartest or funniest DJ on the airwaves. He just wanted to spread joy. For 31 years, Shannon anchored the morning airwaves at Rockford’s 97ZOK until his final signoff on March 24. He didn’t chase awards or rankings, though he was consistently the No. 1 DJ in

06/03/2026

You don’t really plan a weekend in Lake Country — just follow the water, the trails and the towns in between.

(Visit Oconomowoc photos) Let’s be honest: Summertime is a precious resource in the Midwest. As soon as the weather flips, so does the mood. Group chats explode with ambitious plans, and everyone suddenly needs a cold drink with a water view. Luckily, finding a warm-weather high doesn’t requir

06/02/2026

At the Coronado Theatre, the experience starts long before the curtain rises and lasts well beyond the final bow.

Even before the lights go down and the curtain rises, the Coronado Theatre puts on a show. Long regarded as one of Rockford’s grand venues, the theater at 314 N. Main St. dazzles with opulent Spanish castle flourishes, Italian villa decor, oriental dragons and a ceiling alive with starlit skies. S...

05/29/2026

After losing her husband unexpectedly, Sue Rose faced a choice: walk away from the business they built together, or keep it going.

If you’re not knowledgeable about precision grinding, neither was Sue Rose when she and her husband, Gordy, started their mom-and-pop shop in 1997. Since then, Absolute Grinding and Manufacturing has become invaluable not only to Rockford but to companies around the nation. In the beginning, Gord

05/27/2026

WE’RE HIRING!
Looking for an exciting career with unlimited earning potential?

Hughes Media is looking for a motivated, people-focused individual to join our growing sales team! We publish some of the region’s most recognized magazines, including Northwest Quarterly, Smart Living Live, Northwest Living, Smart Living Lakeside, Smart Living Lake Country, and Smart Living Fort Wayne, with another new magazine launching soon!

✨ What We Offer:
✔ Base salary + commission
✔ Unlimited income potential
✔ Full-time position
✔ 401(k)
✔ Health insurance
✔ Paid time off
✔ Ongoing training & support
✔ A fun, fast-paced environment working with local businesses and marketing
✔ Excellent Work Environment

We’re looking for someone who:
• Enjoys working with people
• Is self-motivated and driven to succeed
• Has strong communication skills
• Can work independently and as part of a team
• Has reliable transportation for local sales calls

Sales experience is a plus, but not required. We’ll help train the right person!

If you’re ready to build relationships, grow with a respected local company, and create your own success; we’d love to talk with you!

📞 Call today to schedule an interview: 815-316-2300 or apply on Indeed at this link:
https://www.indeed.com/job/advertising-sales-representative-1877dc64c72e09e2

05/18/2026

They started with $1,700 and a cooler of homemade tamales. Twenty-one years later, Arturo's Mexican Restaurant packs a 1930s Poplar Grove fire station.

Arturo Torres and Zulma Rodriguez spent a year renovating an old fire station in Poplar Grove, Ill., converting the firefighters’ sleeping quarters into their kitchen. Great restaurants don’t manufacture a sense of community. They forge it through grit, personal connection and, sometimes, a smal...

05/15/2026

She grew up watching Hilary Knight play. Then they won gold together.

(Bruce Bennett's Photo) There she was, on the world’s biggest stage, and however much it felt like a dream, Tessa Janecke had just one thing in mind: going for the gold. In those final moments, just before the U.S. women’s hockey team defeated Canada 2-0 in overtime, Janecke gripped her stick a ...

05/13/2026

The Plein Air Painters of Rockford are turning local coffee shops and gardens into their studios — and they want you to pull up a chair.

The Plein Air Painters of Rockford gather year-round at local gardens, museums and coffee shops to create art on location, breathing new life into a centuries-old tradition. With no fees or skill requirements, the group invites anyone with a sketchbook to pull up a chair and join the fellowship.