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ON THE COVER
Ash Rootes, director of the overnight warming center at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of DeKalb, talks Jan. 23 at the church, about the main eating and sleeping area at the facility.
See story, page 6.
DeKalb opens satellite training for pilot academy
By DAVE OBERHELMAN doberhelman@dailyherald.com
DeKALB – An aviation school based at the DuPage Airport in West Chicago has opened a new satellite training base in DeKalb.
The Illinois Aviation Academy, operated by Chicago-based Spartan Education Group, celebrated the Jan. 18 opening of the FAA-approved satellite location at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport.
“We’ve received a lot of interest farther west, and this obviously is why we are expanding out to DeKalb,” said Robert Werderich, executive vice president of flight operations for Spartan and campus president at the Illinois Aviation Academy.
The grand opening event drew about 60 people from as far away as Minnesota and Indiana.
The opening of the satellite location comes about five months after the IAA started enrolling students for its new Atlas Cadet Academy.
The Atlas Cadet Academy is a training program for pilots seeking professional aviation careers. It was launched in August in partnership with Atlas Air Inc., which operates cargo and passenger aircraft.
More than 40 students have since enrolled in the program.
Focused on professional careers, these pilots are among more than 400 students in various stages of training through the Illinois Aviation Academy.
As part of their flight training, students can take classes at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn through an academic partnership. After completing their initial training, pilots work to gain experi-
DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes addresses people from as far away as Minnesota at the Jan. 18 announcement of the Illinois Aviation Academy’s new pilot training program at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport. Robert Werderich, Illinois Aviation Academy campus president and executive vice president of flight operations for Spartan Education Group, joins Barnes at the podium.
ence on larger aircraft so they ultimately can take a job with Atlas Air.
Werderich said the goal is to produce pilots qualified to work for Atlas Air in three to four years.
“It’s one thing to train people,” Werderich said. “But it’s even nicer to see people get a job. It’s a tangible, applicable dream.”
The Illinois Aviation Academy’s expansion to DeKalb brings an enhanced fleet of planes, expanded staffing that benefits maintenance, a hangar for three planes and an FAA-approved advanced training device that supports instrument training for students.
Additionally, the site serves as a sec-
ond location for the Atlas Cadet Academy that is farther west, with low-traffic density, multiple runways and towered airport operations as students’ training progresses.
“The part I like the most about the program is what we’re trying to do is provide the best value and opportunity for people who want to get started,” Werderich said, expressing appreciation for support from the Taylor Municipal Airport Advisory Board and DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes. “There’s a lot of places where you don’t have support, and it’s a fight to do things. DeKalb is the complete opposite, and the same for DuPage. We have a very proactive airport in both regards.”
Accuracy is important to The MidWeek. Please call errors to our attention by phone at 815-526-4411 or email at readit@midweeknews.com.
Photo by Mark Busch
Photo provided by Illinois Aviation Academy via the Daily Herald
LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS
DeKalb library to hold blood drive Jan. 29
DeKALB – The DeKalb Public Library will partner with the American Red Cross to host a blood drive to strengthen its blood supply.
The drive will be held from 1 to 6 p.m. Jan. 29 in the library’s lower-level Yusunas Meeting Room, 309 Oak St. Donations of all blood types will be accepted. Appointments are encouraged. To schedule an appointment, call 800-7332767 or visit the American Red Cross website.
For information, email chelsear@dkpl.org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 1700.
DeKalb library to host civil rights leaders program Feb. 4
DeKALB – The DeKalb Public Library will hold a program discussing Civil Rights Movement leaders Ferdinand Lee Barnett and Ida B. Wells.
The free program will begin at 6 p.m. Feb. 4 in the library’s lower-level Zimmerman
Meeting Room, 309 Oak St. It intended for teens and adults.
The couple was married in 1895. Barnett became Illinois’ first black assistant state’s attorney. Wells was an NAACP founder and a women’s suffrage movement member. No registration is required.
For information, email thomask@dkpl. org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 2150.
Sycamore Rotary Club to hold wine tasting fundraiser Feb. 1
SYCAMORE – The Sycamore Rotary Club will hold an “Indulge a Little, Support a Lot” wine tasting fundraiser to support the club.
The event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 1 at St. Mary’s Parish Center, 244 Waterman St., Sycamore. Wine, spirits and beer vendor samples will be featured. Attendees also can view jewelry, crafts and Valentine’s-themed product and service vendors. Appetizers and a “bottle pull” will be provided.
Tickets cost $40 a person or $75 a
couple. To buy tickets, email sycamorerotary6420@gmail.com or contact a Sycamore Rotarian. Tickets also will be available at the fundraiser.
‘Glidden’s
1873 Date Night’ set for Feb. 7 in DeKalb
DeKALB – The J.F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center will host a “Glidden’s 1873 Date Night” for residents to enjoy 1870 courting traditions.
The event will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 7 at the homestead’s second floor, 921 W. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb.
The event will feature period parlor games, music, desserts and tea. Attendees also can hear about Joseph and Lucinda Glidden’s love story and write love notes. Door prizes will be provided. Period dress is not required.
Joseph Farwell Glidden invented “The Winner” barbed wire in 1873. The homestead was preserved and restored by a nonprofit organization founded in 1995.
Tickets cost $65 per couple and are limited. Proceeds from the event will support the homestead’s preservation and operations. To buy tickets, visit GliddenHomestead.org.
For information, email jessi@gliddenhomestead.org or call 815-756-7904.
Learn how to digitize old media at DeKalb workshop
DeKALB – The DeKalb Public Library will host a live demonstration of available technology for digitizing and scanning old media.
The program will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 31 in the library’s Nancy D. Castle Collaboration Studio, 309 Oak St. It is intended for teens and adults.
Participants can learn how to digitize and scan 35mm slides, photographs, VHS tapes and 8mm reels.
No registration is required.
For information, email patrickc@dkpl.org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 2115.
– Shaw Local News
KVAL February activities include Paint and Sip Night
SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com
SYCAMORE – The Kishwaukee Valley Art League will host several events and programs in February at Gallery on State, 322 W. State St., Sycamore.
The league’s next general meeting is set for 7 p.m. Feb. 6. Members will present art pieces created for the Secret Subject challenge. The members made artwork featuring subjects related to words written on challenge cards.
KVAL will host a Paint and Sip Night from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 7. Attendees can create Valentine’s Day art pieces. The event will be led by KVAL artist Sharon Saponari. Art supplies will be provided. Participants also can bring their own drinks. Registration is required to attend and due by Feb. 5. To register, visit kval-nfp.org or the gallery.
The Second Saturday series is set from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 8. The pro-
gram will be hosted by KVAL artist Rick Borrett. Participants are encouraged to bring their own supplies.
The league will host a Sycamore schools kindergarten through 12th grade 4-by-5-inch art exhibition Feb. 19 and 20. A reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Feb. 20. The Sycamore High School art exhibit also is on display in the gallery’s east window through February.
The gallery’s new art rotation began Jan. 13. It includes 2D and 3D art pieces. The artwork will be displayed for upcoming exhibitions and sales.
KVAL’s 54th annual Northern Illinois Art Show is scheduled for May 31 and June 1 on the front lawn of the DeKalb County Courthouse, 133 W. State St., Sycamore. The show will feature up to 70 artisans exhibiting various fine arts and crafts mediums. To apply for a spot, visit kval-nfp.org or the gallery.
Kishwaukee Valley Art League’s next general meeting will be held
Rooted For Good lists
February Grow Mobile food pantry dates
SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com
DeKALB – Rooted For Good released a list of February locations for Grow Mobile, a mobile food pantry that offers free food and household items to all who visit, no requirements necessary.
Rooted For Good is working to ensure the well-being of residents, staff and volunteers. Organizers ask that people practice good hand hygiene and stay home if they are ill.
To receive Grow Mobile alerts, text FreeGroceries to 844-727-2012.
Grow Mobile dates in February:
• 3:30 to 5 p.m. Feb. 4 at the Malta Historical Society, 127 N. Third St., Malta.
• 4 to 5 p.m. Feb. 4 at Hinckley First United Methodist Church, 801 N. Sycamore St., Hinckley.
• 3 to 5 p.m. Feb. 6 at University Village Apartments, 722 N. Annie Glidden Road, DeKalb.
• 3 to 5 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Cortland Lions Club Shelter, 70 S. Llanos St., Cortland.
• 11 a.m. to noon Feb. 13 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 830 N. Annie Glidden Road, DeKalb.
• 3 to 5 p.m. Feb. 18 at University Village Apartments, 722 N. Annie Glidden Road, DeKalb.
• 3:30 to 5 p.m. Feb. 20 at the Malta Historical and Genealogical Society, 127 N. Third St., Malta.
• 4 to 6 p.m. Feb. 25 at St. Paul the Apostle Parish, 340 W. Arnold Road, Sandwich.
• 11 a.m. to noon Feb. 27 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 830 N. Annie Glidden Road, DeKalb.
LOCAL NEWS BRIEF
DeKalb library to screen
‘Alice’s Ordinary People’ Feb. 1
DeKALB – The DeKalb Public Library will host a screening of the documentary
“Alice’s Ordinary People” on Feb. 1.
The free showing will begin at 11 a.m. in the library’s lower-level Yusunas Meeting Room, 309 Oak St. It is intended for adults and teens.
“Alice’s Ordinary People” tells the story of Alice Tregay, a Civil Rights Movement
heroine. The documentary follows Tregay’s story from Martin Luther King Jr.’s marches through Barack Obama’s election and her political field contributions.
A discussion is planned after the screening. It will be led by Craig Dudnick. No registration is required. For information, email samanthah@dkpl. org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 1701.
– Shaw Local News Network
‘I’m sure that we’re saving lives’
DeKalb church volunteers find community in overnight warming center
By CAMDEN LAZENBY clazenby@shawmedia.com
DeKALB – For the past two winters, volunteers with a DeKalb church have been giving those without anywhere to go another option to stay warm during cold nights.
Marreen Buntaine, director of the community empowerment campaign with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of DeKalb, and Dan Kenney, founder of Rooted for Good and a fellow church member, gained permission for church leaders to host an overnight warming center in January 2024.
Their efforts continue this winter.
The overnight warming center, which is inside the Locust Street entrance of Unitarian Universalist Congregation of DeKalb, 158 N. Fourth St. opens at 6 p.m. every night for a free meal and shelter.
Kenney said they average about 12 overnight guests, and have in total provided 152 nights of comfort to people who otherwise wouldn’t have had it.
Buntaine said she believes their efforts are having profound impacts.
“I’m sure that we’re saving lives,” Buntaine said. “We’re also giving them the opportunity to hang out with other people, instead of staying in isolation.”
Kenney said aside from the life-saving benefits of a warming center he thinks providing a place to socialize is something people without homes need.
“They’re more cut off from community, more cut off from other people, many of them are cut off from their families,” Kenney said. “I think that just by providing this spot for them to gather has helped with that sense of community.”
As many as 18 people stayed in the overnight warming shelter on one night in 2024. So far in 2025 that total has topped out at 17.
In 2024, Buntaine was often staying at the warming center six nights a week, but this year she’s slowed down to a more pragmatic pace thanks to Ash Rootes, who has taken over as director of the overnight warming center.
“It’s definitely making it a more sus-
tainable system, and that means we can repeat it every year,” Buntaine said. “We were pretty much winging it last year.”
Rootes has been organizing a group of about 100 volunteers that make sure the overnight warming center has a free meal and resources for anyone using their service. This year, volunteers have managed to get local musicians to play for their guests during some of the evening meals.
David Diaz, a longtime member of the congregation, who years ago helped the church buy and maintain the building that’s currently used for the overnight warming center, decided to volunteer with the center this year.
“I have enjoyed it,” Diaz said. “It has brought me a lot of joy to be helpful. I was always that kind of a person but I never really had the opportunity, other
than individual one-on-one things.”
At the end of 2024, Rootes was in contact with the Red Cross about organizing training opportunities for the warming center volunteers. So when the Hillcrest apartment fire displaced about 60 DeKalb residents on Dec. 22, Rootes decided to ask the Red Cross how their warming center could help.
“They asked us to become a temporary shelter,” Rootes said. “They approved us for 30 people, but they ended up needing shelter for more than that.”
Many of the DeKalb residents displaced by the fire were given temporary shelter on Northern Illinois University’s campus, Rootes said. However, when the church opened up their overnight warming center on Jan. 6 and started offering free meals each night,
volunteers found they were able to aid the Hillcrest fire victims.
“We offered those to the Hillcrest fire as well,” Rootes said. “We had several of them joining with us for quite a few nights.”
For Rootes, making sure those impacted by the Hillcrest fire were given support and resources was personal.
In January 2024, Rootes, then a Rockford resident, was herself the victim of a residential fire.
“It was 3 in the morning and I woke up and I didn’t know why I was standing up,” Rootes said. “I just was standing up next to my bed. So I tried to lay back down and something said ‘No, get up.’ And I realized there was a glow coming from my living room.”
Mark Busch
Marreen Buntaine, director of the community empowerment campaign with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of DeKalb, talks Jan. 23 at the church, about the need the warming center fills for community members. The warming center, which is open nightly during the winter months, offers free hot meals to all and a warm, safe place for those who need a refuge from the cold.
• American Realty
FRIDAY, JANUARY 31
NIU CONVOCATION CENTER
• Banner Up Signs
VS. SYCAMORE SPARTANS BASKETBALL
GIRLS VARSITY / 6:00 PM BOYS VARSITY / 8:00 PM
Advance tickets can be purchased for $8 until 1/31/25 at 4:30 p.m. online at fnbochallenge.org
Tickets purchased after 4:30 p.m. on 1/31/25 online or at the Convocation Center will be $10.
High School Students must have their school I.D. to enter. All other students must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
• Ecowater Systems
• Associates In Counseling
• Blackhawk Moving & Storage
• Blumen Gardens Inc.
• Bob Armstrong - Meridian Print
• Brad Manning Ford
• Brown Law Group, LLC
• Century 21 Circle
• Christ Community Church
• Chuck Rose For State's Attorney
• Crum-Halsted | ONEDIGITAL
• Curran Contracting Company
• DCTA - DeKalb Classroom Teachers Association
• DeKalb Barb Boosters
• DeKalb Chamber of Commerce
• DeKalb Firefighters Local 1236
• ENCAP, Inc.
• FNBO
• Gray Hunter Stenn LLP
• Heartland Bank and Trust Company
• Hometown Realty Group
• Hy-Vee
• Joanna Gautcher w/Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group
• Kishwaukee College
• Kishwaukee Family YMCA
• Klein, Stoddard, Buck & Lewis, LLC
• Larson & Darby Group
• Lehan's
• Liz Bishop for State Representative
• Lynn and Chuck Shepard
• Maria Pena-Graham/Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group
• Mason Properties
• Medical Outsourcing Solutions, Inc.
• NECA - IBEW 364 Power Connection
• Northern Rehab Physical Therapy Specialists
• Northwestern Medicine Orthopaedics
• OC Creative
• OLT Marketing
• Oncken Family
• Oral and Maxillo Facial Surgeons for Northern Illinois
• Pappas Development
• Pardridge Insurance, Inc.
• Pest Control Consultants
• Pizza Pro's
• Planetree Wealth Advisors of Raymond James
• Prairie View Animal Hospital
• Provident Direct Mailing & Printing Services
• Radiant Dermatology a Forefront Practice
• Ringland-Johnson Construction
• Shaw Media
• Shepard Construction, LLC
• Sisler's Ice
• Soft Water City, Inc.
• State Representative Jeff Keicher
• Steve & TJ Irving
• Stran's Garden Center & Landscaping
• Swedberg Electric, Inc.
• Sycamore Chamber of Commerce
• Sycamore Family Sports Center
• Sycamore Park District
• Sycamore Sports Booster Club
• Syco Escape Rooms
• The Armoloy Corporation
• The Carlson Family
• The Doherty Law Firm, LLC
• The Suter Company
• Toyota of DeKalb
• Visual Image Photography (VIP)
• XCEL Orthopedics
LOCAL NEWS BRIEF
DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office to offer students $500 scholarship
DeKALB – The Illinois Sheriff’s Association is awarding more than $58,000 in college scholarships to Illinois students pursuing higher education.
DeKalb County Sheriff Andy Sullivan will award one $500 scholarship to a DeKalb County student for the 2025-26 academic year. The recipient will be selected by a scholarship committee comprising of citizens and education professionals. The scholarship can only be applied to fees, tuition and books.
Application requirements include:
• Applicants must be a permanent Illinois and DeKalb County resident.
• Scholarships must be used at institutions of higher learning within the state of Illinois.
• Students must be enrolled as a full-time student during the 2025-26 school year, excluding summer sessions. Scholarship applications are available at the local sheriff’s office or online at ilsheriff.org/youth-2/. All completed application materials and documents must be returned by March 14 to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, 150 N. Main St., Sycamore.
For information, call 815-895-7260 or visit a college financial aid office or high school advising center.
– Shaw Local News Network
Mark Busch
Dan Kenney, with the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of DeKalb, talks Jan. 23 at the church about the need the warming center at the facility fills for community members. The warming center, which is open nightly during the winter months, offers free hot meals to all and a warm, safe place for those who need a refuge from the cold.
• WARMING CENTER
Continued from page 6
After getting back out of bed to investigate, Rootes realized her curtains, record player and bookshelf were on fire.
“I tried to throw water at it and it spat back at me, so I knew it was an electrical fire,” Rootes said. “I decided to get out of my apartment and wake up the neighbors because there was a baby across the hall from me.”
After alerting her neighbors and the appropriate authorities, Rootes said she spent the next four hours watching her apartment burn down.
She then spent almost two months in a hotel.
“That’s what brought me to DeKalb. I had been living in Rockford at the time. I ended up moving to DeKalb to get a fresh start and its been wonderful. I’ve been able to make wonderful connections and really build a new life here.”
Rootes said her experience has reshaped how she looks at life, giving her the ability to appreciate the small things that are often left unnoticed.
“Losing everything, literally everything except for the clothes on my back, taught me the value of life,” Rootes said. “And just how important it is to be grateful for what you have, and how to make the most out of nothing because I have nothing.”
LOOKING BACK
1925 – 100 YEARS AGO
Members of the fire department were called out at 7:30 o’clock this morning to extinguish a blaze at the L. A. Hudson home on Sycamore Road. The fire department was not at the scene of the fire very long as very little damage was done to the home. When the fire department arrived, the roof was on fire, thought to have been started by sparks flying from the chimney. No damage was done to the interior of the home.
Losing his control of the auto in making a turn on the slippery pavement, a Milan resident driving on College Avenue yesterday afternoon skidded and smashed into a tree on the curbing, breaking a wheel, his windshield, and doing much damage to the front of his car. It had to be hauled to a garage for repairs. Several minor accidents have been reported the past several days because of the slippery pavement. One automobile skidded into the curbing on North Fourth Street yesterday, breaking a wheel and doing damage to one fender.
According to E. E. Becker of the Pierce Trust & Savings bank, elaborate plans are being made at this time for the formal opening of the institution following several months of alterations and improvements. The bank has undergone considerable improvement within the last few months and while many people have gone over the place the officials feel that everyone interested in a first-class bank should be invited.
Mayor J. J. Kingsley, answering requests to have the Normal pond given attention so that skaters could use it, has announced that at the present time the pond is in such a condition that it would be impossible to make it fit for skating without using thousands of gallons of water, which the city cannot do at this time. The pond is rough and mushy, stated the mayor, and under the present condition it would not pay to clean it. The mayor also voiced the opinion that the community swimming pool be changed to Pershing Park, and in the winter flooded so that skaters could use it.
Cortland, laboring for many years under poor electric light service, now has a ser-
decisions before you retire. First, decide how you want to spend your time. Then decide where you want to live and finally, decide whether you will change your type of housing.
A DeKalb man told police someone broke into his home Friday night and took $60 in coins and bills. M.P. of 408 S. Eighth St., said entry was made through a bedroom window.
The Sycamore City Council will address itself to two off-street parking issues Monday night. An ordinance to prohibit people from parking their cars in their front yards will go up before the council. The council will also consider giving parked motorists more time for their money in the State and Somonauk street parking lots.
2000 – 25 YEARS AGO
vice that can be compared with cities of the size of DeKalb and much larger.
1950– 75 YEARS AGO
A number of new students who came to the Illinois State Teachers College this fall with the scholarships provided by the Legislature, were those interested in preparing to teach by studying at one of the five schools at Carbondale, Charleston, DeKalb, Macomb and Normal. This was more than 40 percent greater than last year.
On Thursday and Friday, the DeKalb police enjoyed a couple of days of quiet with but little activity being recorded on the blotter. Three ambulance calls, two minor complaints and an escort completed notations on the police book.
Pins placed on a large map of the City of DeKalb are used to record locations of traffic accidents which occur throughout the year as reported to the police department. At the close of a year the map is photographed and becomes a permanent record.
Sycamore’s veterans’ organizations have agreed to pool their efforts and resources toward the building of a Sycamore Veterans Memorial Home. Both
organizations, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, have voted unanimously at recent meeting to combine their efforts in this direction.
Cora Miner, art instructor, supervised the first meeting of the newly organized art classes Wednesday evening. At present there are 18 members in the class and instructions were given from 7:30 to 9:30 o’clock.
Clare Koch of Fairdale is having a bathroom installed in his home.
1975 – 50 YEARS AGO
An issue which led to a 1971 teacher’s strike will be considered again by the DeKalb Board of Education Monday night. At issue is what role teachers should play in the hiring, firing and reassignment of other teachers. A teacher was added to an organized team at the middle school without the prior approval of team members. The other teachers do not dislike or disapprove of the new teacher. But the team members question why they were not consulted before she was assigned to their team.
If you’re about to enter the golden years retirement, you’ll find the entry much more pleasant if you make three
The DeKalb County Rehab and Nursing Center will be reinspected by the Illinois Department of Public Health within the next week or two, according to the DeKalb Couty Building Commission. The building failed the state department’s first architectural inspection late in 1999 due to a short punch list of minor items.
Illinois State Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka toured Hope Haven’s newly expanded homeless shelter Monday morning. The shelter benefited from a $340,000 loan through the treasurer’s Target Initiative Program. Hope Haven, with a capacity of 72 people, is the only homeless shelter in DeKalb County.
I’d like The Chronicle to take notice and the people to congratulate Sheriff Scott and his deputies for the way they do not engage in high-speed chases but use common sense and good police work. This has happened twice in the last three months where officers were able to get the bad guy, basically, without causing danger to the citizens of this county. It is good judgement and it is good police work. It’s the responsible action and I think Sheriff Scott has once again shown the quality of himself and his staff. I for one appreciate the fact that he doesn’t endanger other people’s lives.
– Compiled by Sue Breese
Photo provided by the DeKalb County History Center Archives
The old Sycamore Hospital and the Methodist Church on Elm Street are seen looking northwest toward Somonauk Street, circa 1912.
Childhood literacy group collecting books
SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK
contact@shawmedia.com
DeKALB – A local group that supports early childhood literacy is collecting book donations through the new year.
The DeKalb/Sycamore Bookcase Project has partnered with the Two Rivers Head Start Agency of Sycamore to accept book donations. The books will be used with personalized bookcases that the group will build and then distribute to area children, according to a news release. The group expects to build 50 bookcases for children ages 3 to 5.
Donations can be dropped off at the DeKalb County Housing Authority, 310 N. Sixth St., DeKalb. Monetary donations to buy bookcase materials also are welcome. To donate, send via mail to P.O. Box 1174, DeKalb.
The bookcases will be filled with new or gently used books. The bookcases will be built off site and filled at Northern Illinois University’s Founder’s Library in April.
LOCAL NEWS BRIEF
DeKalb Township AARP Smart Driver Courses begin Feb. 5 DeKALB – The DeKalb Township will host a series of AARP Smart Driver Courses to teach residents defensive driving strategies and provide a road rules refresher.
The courses will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 5, 6, 19 and 20, and May 5 and 6 and noon to 4 p.m. March 11 and 12 at the township, 2323 S. Fourth St. Attendees can learn the most up-todate Illinois driving information. Participants who complete the course can qualify for a multi-year automobile insurance discount. Attendees interested in the discount should contact their automobile insurance provider.
The DeKalb/Sycamore Bookcase Project has promoted preschool-age childhood literacy by building hand -
The bookcases will be presented at an awards ceremony May 3 at Faranda’s Banquet Center, 302 Grove St. in DeKalb.
made bookcases, filing them with books, and donating the bookcases to the Two Rivers Head Start Agency since 2011. For information, call 815-762-9660 or visit the project’s Facebook page.
The course costs $20 for AARP members and $25 for nonmembers. Financial assistance will be available for qualified DeKalb Township residents. Because of limited space, registration is required to attend. To register, call 815-758-8282.
For information, call 815-758-8282. – Shaw Local News Network
Photo provided by the DeKalb County Community Foundation
Bookcase Project Steering Committee member Mark Mattson (left), Teri Spartz and John Rey stand next to a completed bookcase in 2022.
DeKalb mayor recognizes car dealership employees after October stabbing incident
You all focused on working with our officers when they rolled up into Brian Bemis. I can’t say enough about the amount of courage something like that takes.”
By MEGANN HORSTEAD mhorstead@shawmedia.com
DeKALB – DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes joined members of the City Council this month to recognize staff from Brian Bemis Toyota car dealership for how they handled themselves during an October 2024 stabbing incident.
Police responded to the dealership, 1890 Sycamore Road, about midday after multiple employees called 911 to report a man attacking them with two knives. One employee suffered a stab wound. Police Chief David Byrd and officer Brian Bollow arrived first to the dealership and shot the man, Charles M. Tripicchio, when he refused to comply with multiple orders to put the knives down, according to court records and body-camera footage released by Illinois State Police.
“I know it had to be pretty chaotic, but you all focused on each other,” Barnes said during a Jan. 13 City Council meeting. “You all focused on trying to de-escalate.
Barnes commended what he called the police department’s fast response, which came hours after authorities responded to a fatal police shooting in rural DeKalb Township that morning. Byrd and Bollow’s actions were ruled justified by former DeKalb County State’s Attorney Rick Amato, who declined to file charges.
Tripicchio, who survived the shooting and has been released from the hospital, faces criminal charges in the attack, including armed violence and attempted armed robbery. He pleaded not guilty to the charges this month, and his case remains pending trial, court records show.
At the meeting, Barnes also commended Brian Bemis staff for maintaining their composure.
“I think the situation probably would have been much worse if not for the staff at Brian Bemis and how well you all conducted yourselves in an event like that to try and, again, protect each other, to try and de-escalate, and try and make sure that no one else in the organization was hurt,” Barnes said.
Collins Dental Group is pleased to announce
will be joining our team as a Licensed and Board Certified Orthodontist
Dr. Ito was born and raised in Naperville, Illinois. He did his undergraduate studies at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Doctorate of Dental Surgery from Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine in Downers Grove, IL. Master of Science and certificate in orthodontics from Marquette University School of Dentistry
Dr. Ito has presented and received numerous awards for his research projects regarding orthodontics, which minimize the length required for active orthodontic treatment. He is also highly trained in Invisalign treatment.
Please call our office at 815-758-3666 to schedule a complimentary no charge orthodontic consultation.
Photo provided by city of DeKalb
Staff from Brian Bemis car dealership pose for a photograph during the Jan. 13 meeting of the DeKalb City Council.
Genoa Chamber welcomes Cougars
Photo provided by the Genoa Area Chamber of Commerce
