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ON THE COVER
Victor Gensini, an associate professor at Northern Illinois University, this spring will be one of the project leaders on the first large-scale hailstorm research projects in the U.S. in the past 40 years. See story, page 6.
Rooted For Good lists April Grow Mobile food pantry dates
SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com
DeKALB – Rooted For Good released a list of April 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 April:
• 4 to 5 p.m. April 1 at Hinckley First United Methodist Church, 801 N. Sycamore St., Hinckley
• 3:30 to 5 p.m. April 1 at the Malta Historical Society, 127 N. Third St., Malta
• 3 to 5 p.m. April 3 at University Village Apartments, 722 N. Annie Glidden Road, DeKalb
• 3 to 5 p.m. April 8 at the Cortland Lions Club Shelter, 70 S. Llanos St., Cortland
• 11 a.m. to noon April 10 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 830 N. Annie Glidden Road, DeKalb
• 3 to 5 p.m. April 15 at University Village Apartments, 722 N. Annie Glidden Road, DeKalb
• 3:30 to 5 p.m. April 17 at the Malta Historical and Genealogical Society, 127 N. Third St., Malta
• 4 to 6 p.m. April 22 at St. Paul the Apostle Parish, 340 W. Arnold Road, Sandwich
• 11 a.m. to noon April 24 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 830 N. Annie Glidden Road, DeKalb
• 2:30 to 4 p.m. April 29 in the Windmill Building parking lot, 2733 Sycamore Road, DeKalb
DeKalb County role in slavery fight subject of next lecture in history center series
SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com
DeKALB – The April hybrid Brown Bag
Lunch and Local Lore series at the DeKalb County History Center will feature a program on the role of DeKalb and Kane counties in fighting slavery from 1836 to 1860.
The free program will be held at noon April 3 at the history center, 1730 N. Main St., Sycamore.
During the program, St. Charles History
ANSWERS puzzlesonpage16
Museum archivist Eric Krupa will share historical research featuring untold stories about how the counties contributed to the abolitionist movement. Participants also can explore the politics, strategies and people who fought to free enslaved individuals.
“Many people are unaware of the pivotal role that Kane and DeKalb counties played in the anti-slavery movement,” Krupa said in a news release.
The “The Precipice of Freedom: The Roles of DeKalb and Kane County during
the Anti-Slavery Movement” program is part of Brown Bag Lunch and Local Lore, a free lecture series offered as part of a collaboration between the DeKalb County History Center and the Ellwood House Museum.
Brown Bag Lunch and Local Lore is funded in part by the Mary E. Stevens Concert and Lecture Fund.
To register or for more information, visit dekalbcountyhistory.org or call 815895-5762.
from you. Email us your thoughts at feedback@ shawmedia.com.
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 provided by Northern Illinois University
Artifex Studio to host grand opening on March 28
SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com
DeKALB – Artifex Studio will host a grand opening event featuring the artwork of gallery owner Elisa Boughner.
The event will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. March 28 at the gallery, 235 E. Lincoln Highway, DeKalb.
Attendees can meet Boughner and view her work. Pieces include oil paintings, sculptures, clay works and fused glass.
Refreshments will be served. Music will be performed by the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra Student String Quartet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. A ribbon-cutting also will be held at noon.
Boughner earned a printmaking degree and a master’s in drawing and painting from Northern Illinois University. She also studied art for one year in Salzburg, Austria. Boughner opened her first gallery 25 years ago in Glenview. She bought the Artifex Studio’s building in 2023 and relocated her gallery to DeKalb in April 2024.
Photo provided by Martin Boughner
Artifex Studio, 235 E. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb, will host a grand opening event from 6 to 10 p.m. March 28.
Kishwaukee Valley Art League events set for April
SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com
SYCAMORE – The Kishwaukee Valley Art League will host several events and programs in April at the Gallery on State, 322 W. State St., Sycamore.
The league’s next general meeting is set for 7 p.m. April 3 at the gallery. KVAL will present awards to three students from DeKalb and Sycamore high schools as part of its “Art of Giving” program. The students were nominated by their teachers for their artwork.
The gallery’s new art rotation will begin April 7. It includes 2D and 3D art pieces. The work will be displayed for upcoming exhibitions and sales.
The next Second Saturday series workshop is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 12. It will be led by KVAL artist Rick Borrett. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own supplies.
KVAL will participate in Sycamore’s “Taste of Spring” event from 4 to 8 p.m. April 10. The evening will feature wine, non-alcoholic beverages, and trivia
questions for participant’s bingo cards. Attendees who register also will receive an art supplies gift basket. Tickets cost $15. To buy tickets, visit Discoversycamore.com.
The league will host a paint and sip class from 6 to 8 p.m. April 11. Attendees can create spring-themed artwork. The class will be led by KVAL artist Anthony Nelson. Participants can bring their own alcohol. Art supplies will be provided. Registration is required; visit kval-nfp.org.
KVAL’s 54th annual Northern Illinois Art Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 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.
The featured artists of the month at Gallery on State for April are Pam Bradford and Tamara Shriver. Bradford will display acrylic paintings and wood burning art pieces. Shriver’s artwork includes watercolor painting.
For information, visit kval-nfp.org or the gallery.
Photo provided by the Kishwaukee Valley Art League
Kishwaukee Valley Art League’s next Paint and Sip
LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS
Irish band Celtic Angels to perform April 6 in DeKalb
DeKALB – Irish band Celtic Angels will perform at the Egyptian Theatre in downtown DeKalb at 3 p.m. April 6.
The group will perform more than 30 contemporary and traditional Irish songs. The show also will feature performances by the Celtic Knights Dancers and Trinity Ensemble musicians.
The performances includes clapping, stomping and storytelling through movement and music, according to a news release from the theater.
Ticket prices start at $38 with a $5 discount for children ages 12 and younger.
To buy tickets, visit the Egyptian Theatre box office, call 815-758-1225 or visit egyptiantheatre.org.
The theater is located at 135 N. Second St., DeKalb.
Liverpool Legends headed to the Egyptian Theatre
DeKALB – Liverpool Legends, a Beatles tribute band, will take the stage at the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb on March 28.
The show will begin at 8 p.m. at the theater, 135 N. Second St., DeKalb.
The group features four musicians and actors hand-picked by Louise Harrison, George Harrison’s sister, according to a news release.
The band received a Grammy nomination for the album “Fab Fan Memories – A Beatles Bond.” The Liverpool Legends headlined at the Rose Bowl and performed at Carnegie Hall. The band also was
awarded TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Award in 2023.
Ticket prices start at $39. To buy tickets, visit egyptiantheatre.org, call 815-7581225 or visit the Egyptian Theatre box office.
The Egyptian Theatre is owned and operated by Preservation of Egyptian Theatre Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
DeKalb library to host World of Reading event March 29
DeKALB – The DeKalb Public Library will host a World of Reading event for residents to explore literature.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 29 at the library, 309 Oak St. Participants will learn about books through various activities and crafts. The books include “The Wizard of Oz,” “Dune,” “Cujo” and “The Hobbit.”
No registration is required.
For information, email theresaw@dkpl. org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 3350.
Lightbeam Players to perform ‘Cowardly Lion’ in DeKalb
DeKALB – The DeKalb Public Library will host a performance of the Lightbeam Players’ production of “The Cowardly Lion and the Quest for Oz” as part of its World of Reading event.
The performance will be held at 1 p.m. March 29 in the library’s lower-level Yusunas Meeting Room, 309 Oak St.
For information, email theresaw@dkpl. org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 3350. – Shaw Local News Network
ALL YOU CAN EAT BREAKFAST
with
Photo provided by the Egyptian Theatre
Celtic Angles will perform April 6 at the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb.
A CLOSER LOOK
‘Once
in a career’ project
Hail research could help scientists understand impact, severe weather patterns
By CAMDEN LAZENBY clazenby@shawmedia.com
DeKALB – A Northern Illinois University weather researcher, whose forecasts are regularly used by storm chasers across the U.S., will help lead a study for scientists to better understand hailstorms, impacts and their role in severe weather patterns.
Victor Gensini is a certified consulting meteorologist at NIU’s Department of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment in DeKalb. He regularly teaches a mixture of meteorology courses as an associate professor at NIU. Come mid-May, he’ll trade the classroom for a hand in an $11 million National Science Foundation-backed field study. He won’t be alone either.
“These types of experiments for scientists are generally once in a career,” Gensini said. “This will be certainly a career defining experiment for me, but also for many of the participants that will be taking part in it, including NIU students and almost a dozen other universities.”
The research project is called “In-situ Collaborative Experiment for Collection of Hail In the Plains,” or ICECHIP. The work will send about 100 researchers into severe weather with the hope of better understanding hailstorms.
The collaboration is expected to be the first large-scale, U.S.-based hail research project recorded in more than 40 years. While overall project costs top out at $11 million, NIU was awarded $3.8 million for the project in 2024, according to the National Science Foundation.
U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, helped researchers secure the federal funding for the project. In 2024, she was the ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security. In that role, she was partially in charge of distributing funds to agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which responds to extreme weather events.
Gensini and NIU aren’t the only project leaders.
Becky Adams-Selin, a hail scientist at Atmospheric and Environmental Research; John Allen of Central Michigan University; and Andy Heymsfield of the National Center for Atmospheric Research also will lead the team of about 100 researchers into the field.
But why study hail? Gensini said he thinks hail is an underrated peril of a severe thunderstorm.
“I think perhaps the ‘sexiest’ peril from thunderstorms would be a tornado,” Gensini said. “I think that’s the peril that many people are probably most scared of or worried about, but hail causes way more damage than tor-
nadoes across the continental U.S. every year.”
Hail damage has caused an estimated $10 billion in insured losses annually over the past 14 years before accounting for agricultural losses, according to NIU.
Project researchers also hope to better understand five key components of hailstorms: hailstone growth and fall behavior; in-storm hail trajectory and convective updraft relationships; environmental impacts of hail processes; the dynamic between the surface properties of hailstones and storm characteristics; and the relationship between hailstone
growth and radar observations.
Research will last six weeks, from the middle of May until the end of June. But where exactly Gensini will be is still up in the air, he said.
“[We’ll] be roaming all over the Great Plains, or even the Midwest, potentially Illinois, wherever thunderstorms are, wherever we think the conditions are going to be favorable for hail,” Gensini said.
Researchers will have a slew of equipment to work with while storm chasing, including mobile doppler
HAIL STUDY, page 8
Mark Busch file photo
A brief afternoon thunderstorm pelted parts of DeKalb County, including this Sandwich home, with rain and hail during a severe thunderstorm warning April 19, 2023, that lasted about an hour.
By KELSEY RETTKE krettke@shawmedia.com
SYCAMORE – When U.S. Army veteran Tom Campbell was drafted into the Air Cavalry Regiment in Fort Hood, Texas, during the Vietnam War, he said he felt a call of duty to his country.
Now, he’s asking for others to join him to return that favor, advocating for veterans’ rights as uncertainty surrounding the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grows amid President Donald Trump’s second term in office.
“The VA is so understaffed, even before the cuts, that it was hard to get timely care when it was needed,” said Campbell, who served from 1966 to 1968. “This is going to make it so much worse. There’s lots of veterans that have ailments from when they served, and it’s an ongoing thing, and it only gets worse as you age. And to be put on hold or not get care at all is just unconscionable.”
Campbell, of Sycamore, gathered with fellow veterans on March 14 as dozens crowded at State and Main streets in
that are doing the work of keeping America going,” Campbell said.
An internal memo obtained by The Associated Press in early March showed the VA under Trump’s direction is planning an “aggressive” reorganization to the agency that provides health care and other services to about 9 million veterans.
front of the DeKalb County Courthouse in downtown Sycamore. Demonstrators
said they were rallying against the Trump administration, which is considering plans to cut 80,000 VA jobs.
Just months into his term, Trump has laid off tens of thousands of federal workers. Trump’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, headed by billionaire Elon Musk, has targeted a slew of agencies, including those that provide services to millions of Americans; oversee federal regulations and federal tax collection, education and veteran health care; track and issue warnings for life-threatening weather patterns; manage the country’s fisheries and marine sanctuaries; and administer civilian foreign aid.
“This is just a small part of the greater injustice being done to America by those that don’t care for the people
More than 25% of the VA’s employees are veterans themselves. That includes Sycamore resident Thecla Cooler’s sonin-law.
Cooler joined the dozens of demonstrators and said she wanted to talk about her son-in-law, a veteran who worked for 20 years as a nuclear scientist and, as of 18 months ago, oversees a VA facility as chief scientist in a different state. She didn’t want to identify him or the state but shared deep concerns she has for his ability to provide needed care for the people in his charge.
“He’s responsible for the lives of all of the veterans who are in that facility,” Cooler said. “He is having an extremely difficult time passing all of the things that are supposed to be happening that were promised that would happen. It’s a tragedy, and it’s just about killing him.”
Mark Busch Protesters voice their displeasure with President Donald Trump in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore on March 14. The group was protesting recent cuts by the Trump administration to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Continued from page 6
radars, weather balloons, drones, surface hail pads and other instruments that can help them understand the kinetic energy of falling hail.
While researchers will have modern gadgets to gather data with, Gensini said he’s been working with the NIU College of Engineering and Engineering Technology to make a truck hail resistant.
“We’re trying to build a cage around the windows to be able to protect it from large hail, and just make it sort of tougher when we get closer to these storms,” Gensini said.
[We’ll]
be roaming all over the Great Plains, or even the Midwest, potentially Illinois, wherever thunderstorms are, wherever we think the conditions are going to be favorable for hail.”
Victor Gensini , certified consulting meteorologist at NIU’s Department of Earth, Atmosphere and Environment in DeKalb
Photo provided by Northern Illinois University
Victor Gensini, a nationally recognized weather researcher will soon take part in what he calls a once-in-a-career experiment to better understand hailstorms.
LOOKING BACK
1925 – 100 YEARS AGO
Workmen employed at the DeKalb County Tuberculosis Sanitorium were busy today burning rubbish and leaves on the south side of the barn, when sparks were carried to a straw pile nearby. The straw pile blazed furiously and to play it safe, the fire department spent but little time there, as it took but a little chemical to get the blaze under control.
An aggregation of girls in Sycamore certainly invoked considerable discussion among many people of town today, following the report that last night they were using the pavement between here and DeKalb for roller skating purposes by handing onto automobiles. After accidents have been reported from all sources due to this practice, it seems impossible that girls old enough to know better would become involved in such a dangerous practice.
Flying directly above DeKalb several times, an aviator yesterday afternoon furnished a thrill for many people in the downtown district. The plane at times was very low and all indications were that the person acting as pilot either was an experienced flyer or a daredevil. Once in passing over the city the plane took a sudden drop, coming down within easy seeing distance in a tail spin that caused more than one person to gasp. This form of entertainment was tried twice directly over the post office. Who the pilot of the place was is not known.
Much interest is being taken in the new postal rates that will be effective at the DeKalb post office on April 15. The rate changes are not many, but are such that two new stamps will be placed on sale at the postage window of the post office here when the changes are made. The two new stamps will be one and one-half cents and one-half cent in denomination.
1950 – 75 YEARS AGO
The DeKalb Division of the Rudolph Wurlitzer Company shipped 3,312 Wurlitzer pianos during the month of November 1949. This is a world’s record for piano shipments in one month by one piano factory. The achievement is considered all the more remarkable inasmuch as every
piano went out with the name of Wurlitzer on the name board.
With the ground exceptionally muddy at this time, complaints of dogs running at large continue to pour in at the police station. The complaints have been received from all sections of the city. Although a number of dogs have been picked up by the dog catcher and each month many are disposed of, the problem is one which becomes more evident every spring.
Sycmore’s revival of its Mid-Winter Fair was history today, but it left a pleasant memory. A huge throng jammed the Armory and tent again last night to bring the crowd for the three-day Fair to well over 10,000 persons.
Residents of DeKalb County are still preparing for their future through regular buying of United States savings bonds. Last month residents of this county invested $93,993 in Series “E” bonds as compared to $117,392 in February 1949.
Carrying on the policy of providing Scotchlite for bike riders of the DeKalb area, The Chronicle has made available another supply at the DeKalb fire station. Members of the platoons of the DeKalb fire department have cooperated for several years in seeing that the reflective material is applied to new bicycles or to bikes where it has been worn off. The Scotchlite reflects the light of approaching
cars and provides some safety factor for the youngster who is on the bicycle during the early evening.
Persons willing to help in the financing of the proposed Sycamore Veterans Memorial Home, either with cash donations or purchasing interest-bearing bonds, are being sought today by the two veterans’ organizations. Post 5768, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Post 99, American Legion, working hand in hand to provide a suitable memorial for men who died in World Wars I and II, are now seeking the aid of the pubic.
1975 – 50 YEARS AGO
Keith Dillenback of Pack 337, Hinckley, beat out 63 other finalists to win the third annual Kishwaukee District Pinewood Derby staged Saturday at Chick Evans Fieldhouse on the Northern Illinois University campus.
Annexation of a 122-acre south side industrial park was approved by the DeKalb City Council last night. The site includes 47 acres of undeveloped property and the 75-acre A.O. Smith factory which is expected to pay more than $100,000 annually in city utility taxes.
Hospital room costs in DeKalb County jump to $8 per day this spring. A committee at DeKalb Public Hospital Monday endorsed an increase from $54 to $62 per day.
Intruders broke into both of DeKalb’s middle schools last weekend, but the losses were minor. The break-ins were discovered and reported to DeKalb police Monday. Nothing was taken from the athletic storage area at the Huntley Middle School, Seventh and Taylor streets. Both the coaches and main offices at the Clinton Rosette Middle School, 125 Sycamore Road, entered by breaking a window in a locker room. Nothing appeared missing.
The Sycamore Policeman’s Ball will be held April 12 at the Sycamore Veterans Memorial Home. The 15th annual ball is sponsored by the Sycamore Policeman’s Association.
2000 – 25 YEARS AGO
The Genoa City Council rejected a recommendation by its Plan Commission that it approve the concept plan for Prairie Ridge Pointe commercial and industrial park at Route 23 and Derby Line Road south of Genoa.
A bar owner has dropped plans to offer topless dancing near the University of Illinois, saying the City Council made the move unprofitable by amending its liquor ordinances.
Creatings, 1600 E. Lincoln Hwy., has announced that its web site, www.creatings.com, is up and running. Creatings, which expanded last summer to its current 10,000 square feet, carries everything from collectibles such as Walnut Ridge and Christopher Radko to upholstered furniture, framed artwork in various sizes and gourmet food.
John G. Peters, provost and chief operating officer at the University of Tennessee, has been named the 11th president of Northern Illinois University.
The Landmark Commission met Thursday night to plan National Historic Preservation Week activities in DeKalb. The major activity will be local historic preservation awards. Residents who kept history in mind as they fixed up older property during the past several years are eligible for public recognition and appreciation of their efforts. – Compiled by Sue Breese
Photo provided by the DeKalb County History Center
The DeKalb Savings and Loan building at Third and Locust streets is pictured in 1959.
Kishwaukee College creates Artificial Intelligence Implementation Playbook
SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com
MALTA – Kishwaukee College recently created an Artificial Intelligence Implementation Playbook to address higher education’s changing technology advancements.
The playbook was unveiled at the college’s board of trustees meeting on March 11.
The guide offers goals and steps to use artificial intelligence and explore new technology at the college. Kishwaukee College will use the playbook’s tools to improve student experiences, teaching and learning, and organizational effectiveness through a planned and collaborative approach.
“The AI Implementation Playbook is a responsive and evolving resource that reflects Kishwaukee College’s commitment to innovation and excellence in education,” Kishwaukee College President Laurie Borowicz said in a news release. “This plan is very adaptable and will be updated to address changes
LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS
Sycamore Veterans Club to host Memorial Day program May 26
SYCAMORE – The Sycamore Veterans Club will host a Memorial Day program to remember and recognize deceased veterans.
The program will begin at 10:30 a.m. May 26 at the Sycamore Veterans Home Association, 121 S. California St. The program will feature a parade that will travel from Somonauk to Charles streets, ending at Elmwood Cemetery. The American Legion Riders will lead the parade feating veterans and local scout units. Music will be performed by the Sycamore Middle School band, directed by Scott Mertens.
The Elmwood Cemetery ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. and include a flag-folding ceremony by local scout units. The Sycamore Veterans Club also will hold a ceremony for deceased veterans.
in technology and the needs of our students.”
The college developed the plan with industry leaders, organizations and colleges. Kishwaukee College outlined a four-step approach to implement artificial intelligence. The steps include tracking artificial intelligence-related activities; researching industry best practices; developing a technology integration and product development process; and fostering an experimentation, awareness, literacy and adoption culture.
The college’s departments began using artificial intelligence tools to improve workflows. Faculty members also are integrating artificial intelligence to enhance student learning. The enhancements will offer personalized writing feedback, foster critical analysis of artificial intelligence-generated content and support research. Kishwaukee College also provided employees professional development opportunities to utilize artificial intelligence technologies.
For information, visit kish.edu.
Roy Orbison tribute concert set for March 30 in DeKalb
DeKALB – The Egyptian Theatre will host a concert featuring 1950s and ’60s tribute band Rick Lindy and The Jukebox Legends.
The show will be held at 2 p.m. March 30 at the theater, 135 N. Second St., DeKalb. Rick Lindy and The Jukebox Legends will perform Roy Orbison songs including “Oh, Pretty Woman,” “Crying” and “Only the Lonely.”
Lindy has performed in the U.S., Europe and Canada for the past 20 years.
Ticket prices begin at $27.
To buy tickets, visit egyptiantheatre.org, call 815-758-1225, or visit the Egyptian Theatre box office.
The Egyptian Theatre is owned and operated by the Preservation of Egyptian Theatre Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. – Shaw Local News Network
The DeKalb Corn Fest board awarded $2,500 to Elder Care Services in DeKalb, part of the end-of-summer festival’s annual way to
Pictured (from left) are Sara Myers, Brian
festival
Lisa Angel, Colleen Parks, John Rey, Christi Coulter, Jessica Dewey, Shawn Lowe, Brian Oster and Kelsey Van Vlerah.
ROCK RIVER VALLEY TRAIN SHOW
Photo provided by Lisa Angel
Reynolds,
IVT announces cast for ‘Charlotte’s Web’
SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com
SANDWICH – Indian Valley Theatre recently announced the cast for its production of “Charlotte’s Web.”
Performances will be at 7 p.m. April 4 and 7 and 2 p.m. April 6 at the Sandwich Opera House, 140 E. Railroad St.
“Charlotte’s Web,” based on the book by E.B. White and the play by Joseph Robinette, tells the story of Wilbur, a young pig who wants to avoid the butcher. Wilbur befriends Charlotte, a spider that becomes determined to save him. She begins the campaign by writing “Some Pig” on her web. The campaign ends with Wilbur doing what’s most important to Charlotte.
The cast includes Ember Meyn as Wilbur; Michelle Hainline as Charlotte; Clara Snider as Fern Arable; Nick Bantz-Beaty as John Arable; Lisa Branning as Martha Arable; Jacob Baumet as Avery Arable; Logan Hane as Templeton; Brian Hensley as Lurvy; Robert Fye as Homer Zuckerman; and Brittany Favia as Edith Zuckerman.
LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS
Magician and comedian Michael Carbonaro to perform March 29
DeKALB – The Egyptian Theatre will host a “Carbonaro: Lies On Stage” show featuring magician, comedian and TV star Michael Carbonaro.
The performance will be at 7 p.m. March 29 at the theater.
The performance will feature audience participation, twists, comedy and illusions. Carbonaro is the executive producer and star of the TV show “The Carbonaro Effect.”
Ticket prices start at $39. To buy tickets, visit the Egyptian Theatre box office, call 815-758-1225 or visit egyptiantheatre.org.
The Egyptian Theatre is located at 135 N. Second St., DeKalb.
The rest of the cast features Jayce Malone, Caitlyn Roberson, James Troutman, Hannah Troutman, Adeline Galles, Anya Galles, Stella Petritsch, Lydia Petritsch, Heather Van Doozer, Johana Troi, Sofia Difaggio, Karen Leifheit, Olivia Messer, Asher Munar, Beatrice Wood, Katya Anshakov, Abbi Farley, Debbie Keele, Eliza DeLoach, Evan Beverage, Sami Beverage, Grace White, Gracie Bee, Taylor Bee, Hannah Koesler, Lucy Koesler, Kartharina Beager, Madelyn Bryan, Maverick Leitner, Olivia Ramirez, Emma Johnson, Giavanna Sprinkle, JJ Plant, Kinsley Anderson, Stella Valdez, Addison Valdez and Vivian Brandt.
The IVT production will be directed by Kathie Hart and produced by Darren Whaley. Tickets are on sale at indianvalleytheatre.com.
Indian Valley Theatre is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the appreciation and development of the performing arts in the Fox Valley area.
For information, email info@indianvalleytheatre.com or send a message on the IVT Facebook page.
Landscape waste collection to resume April 1 in DeKalb
DeKALB – Lakeshore Recycling Systems will resume its regularly scheduled seasonal landscape waste collection pickup days for DeKalb residents starting April 1.
Resident guidelines are as follows:
• Waste must be place in approved biodegradable landscape waste bags or open garbage cans nor larger than 32 gallons.
• No boxes or plastic bags.
• Brush must be bundled in string or baler’s twine, weigh no more than 50 pounds, and be 4 feet long.
Lakeshore Recycling Systems also will offer yard waste carts for an additional monthly fee. To request a cart, call 815-7707550. For information, call 815-748-2040.
– Shaw Local News Network
Michael Carbonaro
Author and journalist Naomi Klein to join NIU lecture series April 2
SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com
DeKALB – The Northern Illinois University College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will host a discussion featuring journalist and author Naomi Klein as part of its final Rebuilding Democracy Lecture Series for the season.
The lecture will be held at 5 p.m. April 2 online via Zoom. Registration is required to attend and due before April 2. To register, visit go.niu.edu/Rebuilding-Democracy-RSVP.
The lecture will feature a discussion between Klein and Dean Robert Brinkmann covering topics such as democracy’s current state, technology’s role in feeding polarization and spreading disinformation, civil discourse’s breakdown, challenges AI presents, and factors at the heart of dysfunction. The lecture also includes a moderated question and answer session.
Klein works as a media commentator for programs including “BBC Newsnight,” “HARDTalk,” “Democracy Now,” “The Rachel Maddow Show,” “The Colbert Report” and “Real Time with Bill Maher.” She also is a columnist for The Guardian, a contributor for Zeteo, and writes columns for
LOCAL NEWS BRIEF
Conversations About Migration program set for April 1 in DeKalb
DeKALB – A discussion of the Golden Venture cargo ship will be held at the DeKalb Public Library as part of its Conversations About Migration series. The program will be held at 6:30 p.m. April 1 in the library’s lower-level Yusunas Meeting Room, 309 Oak St. The Golden Venture ran aground outside New York in 1993. The ship was carrying 286 Chinese male asylum seekers who
The Intercept, The Nation and The Globe and Mail. Klein is the author of the books “Doppelganger,” “On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal,” “No Is Not Enough: Resisting the New Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need” and “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate.”
She also is the founding co-director of the UBC Centre for Climate Justice, an honorary professor of media and climate at Rutgers University, and the Rutgers University inaugural Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in media, culture and feminist studies. Klein currently works as a professor of climate justice at the University of British Columbia.
The Rebuilding Democracy Lecture Series showcases how the liberal arts and sciences are at the center of a healthy democracy. The series addresses various aspects of building a stronger democracy and bringing together a fractured society.
were taken into detention. A group remained imprisoned until 1997 in York County, Pennsylvania. The men created folded paper sculptures. The sculptures were exhibited and sold to raise funds for the men. Attendees will learn something about the ship and sculptures. Because of limited group space, registration is required. For information or to register, email brittak@dkpl.org or call 815-7569568, ext. 2100. – Shaw Local News Network
ShawLocal.com/ games
SECOND ANNUAL DEKALB COUNTY
EARTH FEST
• Funding decarbonization projects for businesses, nonprofits, and churches.
• Pathways to home solar.
• Meet the Northern Illinois Center for Community Sustainability.
• Environmental justice training.
• DeCarbon DeKalb and NIU present the
FESTIVE, FAMILY-FRIENDLY!
Earth Fest is a day of learning how decarbonizing our homes and towns can make us wealthier, healthier, and happier.
• Chicago’s Wild Mile: World’s First Floating Eco Park.
• City of DeKalb Sustainabilty Plan.
• Rewilding your yard.
• Sustainable food systems.
• Environmental research fair and art installations.
• Community Expo with food trucks, photo booths, live music, cash bar, sapling and seedling giveaways, a Meta VR Pollinator Park experience and fun activities for the whole family.
• NIU Campus Sustainability tour.
• Networking social hour and sustainable fashion Trashion Show.
Gardening and food preservation for families.
Decarbonizing can make us healthier and wealthier. Come learn how energy efficiency, electrification, rewilding, and sustainable food systems can earn and save you cash.
and network with your neighbors.
We’ll lean into hope to ask what we can do better, and what we can do next? Opportunities to create impactful change abound in our county, and Earth Fest is the perfect place to plug in.
Naomi Klein
Data: Robberies down, burglaries up in DeKalb
By MEGANN HORSTEAD mhorstead@shawmedia.com
DeKALB – DeKalb didn’t report any homicides in 2024, a relief to Police Chief David Byrd who said last week that downward trending violent crime was a goal for his department over the past year.
The last time the city reported a homicide-free year was in 2018, and then 2012 before that, Byrd said.
Earlier this month, Byrd highlighted DeKalb Police Department efforts over the past year to target violent crime. He said it came as a relief for him to see the city’s streets safer, he told the DeKalb City Council.
“In this country right now, the United States, we’re dealing with extensive crime, lawlessness across the country,” Byrd said March 10. “DeKalb is not immune to that. So, we have been touched by a little bit of this. However, as you can see with some of the stats here, we’ve had major drops in violent crime.”
Newly released crime data shows shots fired incidents – where police respond to reported gunfire – trended downward in 2024.
While no homicides were reported in DeKalb, police responded last year to multiple incidents where arrests lead to attempted murder charges.
Those included a June shooting, stabbings in August, September and November and a December arrest where a man was accused of attempted murder of a baby.
Notable crime also included multiple reported robberies, including a July bank robbery and a police shooting prompted by a stabbing at a DeKalb car dealership in October.
Byrd himself was involved in the Brian Bemis Toyota of DeKalb stabbing, after body camera footage released by authorities showed him and another officer shoot an alleged attacker inside the dealership midday on Oct. 23.
Former State’s Attorney Rick Amato declined to bring charges to Byrd or officer Brian Bollow in the stabbing, ruling their use of force justified, records show.
By the numbers
Byrd oversees an almost $18 million budget, which includes 54 sworn officers, a deputy chief, four police commanders, 13 sergeants and five community service officers. The majority of the department’s budget goes to its patrol division, records show.
February to first-degree murder in the May 2023 attack and is expected to be sentenced on April 30.
“The zero murders happened because we had police officers who were welltrained,” Byrd said. “They were able to tend to serious injuries where they had to triage patients, and they were able to transition patients from the police department to the DeKalb Fire Department. We did an excellent job of helping save lives.”
Crime data published by the department shows police responded to 24 confirmed incidents involving gunfire in 2023, compared to 16 in 2024.
Officials have said they believe fewer shots fired calls and less alarm swirling around the community about shots fired is a positive development for DeKalb.
Technology also proved to have its share of benefits at the DeKalb Police Department in 2024, according to the report.
Byrd said the use of cameras on the Huskie line buses was beneficial when police had little to no evidence. In February, the city instituted a new measure to allow DeKalb police to patrol buses.
Byrd touted the license plate reader technology, which he said has been helpful in thwarting cases. License plater readers record about 50,000 plates per day, according to the report. The department in 2023 expanded its license plate reader program with additional locations meant to enhance public safety, city documents show.
The chief listed among the department’s yearly goals in 2024 increased staffing, building community trust and heightened efficiency for policing, outreach and engagement. The department hired four new officers in 2024. The City Council has already approved a fiscal 2025 budget that allows for two more officers to be hired this year, documents show.
In 2024, DeKalb police made 1,891 arrests.
DeKalb ended 2024 with 155 violent crimes, down from 170 reported in 2023, data shows. The department classifies violent crime as including homicide, aggravated assault/battery, criminal sexual assault and robbery.
Data is tracked through the National Incident Based Reporting System, which divides crimes into Group A and Group B. The following are reported crimes in Group A in 2023 compared to previous years, according to the report.
Group A includes violent crimes that may not always include an arrest, such
as a confirmed shooting with a suspect but no arrest.
Aggravated assaults are down in the city, from 127 reported in 2022 to 82 on 2024, data shows. Robberies also are down, with 14 in 2024 vs. 31 in 2022. Burglary is up, however, with 143 reported last year compared with 83 in 2022 and 92 in 2023, data shows. Larceny and theft is trending downward, as is motor vehicle theft and destruction of property. Drug violations decreased over the past year, with 330 in 2024 compared to 399 in 2023.
Group B crimes, such as disorderly conduct, DUI and trespassing, are considered less severe and also always include an arrest, according to the report.
Byrd touted DeKalb’s lack of homicides in 2024, and said he believes any homicides are unacceptable in DeKalb.
In 2023, the city reported five homicides in total, including DeKalb High School freshman Gracie Sasso-Cleveland. Timothy Doll pleaded guilty in
Mayor Cohen Barnes pointed to the number of traffic stop warnings issued by DeKalb police, saying he feels encouraged by this statistic.
DeKalb police issued 3,952 traffic stop warnings in 2024, up from 2,702 the prior year, according to the report.
“That shows you all lighting people up that are doing these traffic violations, but you’re not bringing down the heavy hammer,” Barnes said. “You’re letting them know, ‘Hey, I saw you. I pulled you over. I’ll let you go this time. But next time, maybe not.‘”
Byrd said he believes the city has what it takes to root out crime.
“The DeKalb Police Department community is vested in providing a lawful community for residents to live in,” Byrd said. “Providing a lawful community is a challenge that the DeKalb Police Department is eager to champion. Every member of the DeKalb Police Department has ascended to work diligently and ostensibly until the goal is met.”
Mark Busch file photo
Law enforcement officers gather Oct. 23, 2024, outside of the Brian Bemis Toyota car dealership in DeKalb after responding to a stabbing where an employee was injured. The incident ended after police shot the man wielding the knife, authorities said.
Continued from page 7
Broken promises were a theme expressed by many outraged veterans at the rally.
Lynn Fillmore, an Army sergeant who served at Fort Hood, Texas, and in Italy from 1978 to 1989, stood next to Shawn Rosenbaum, who served in the Marine Corps from 1992 to 1996 at Camp June in North Carolina and also deployed to Bosnia.
Fillmore said over chants of “Support our vets” and “The people united will never be divided” that it meant a lot to her to see community members rally around servicemen and women.
“It was supposed to be a guarantee for our veterans to be taken care of,” Fillmore said.
Trump’s VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a video that VA layoffs wouldn’t mean cuts to veterans health care or benefits, declaring that “this administration is finally going to give the veterans what they want.”
But DeKalb County-area veterans said access to needed care already is suffering due to overtaxed VA employees. More staffing cuts likely will mean more problems for those who need help the most.
“A lot of the people in the government consider aid of any kind to be entitlements,” Army veteran Charlie Sharp said. “And we consider aid for the veterans to be something that we earned through risking our lives for our country.”
Sharp, of Sycamore, who deployed as a staff sergeant to Vietnam from 1968 to 1970, said he depends on Social Security and has a military disability.
The plans underway at the VA showed how the Trump administration’s DOGE initiative is not holding back on an all-out effort to slash federal agencies, even for those who have traditionally enjoyed bipartisan support.
Su Willey of Sycamore, organizer with a local primarily women-led group calling themselves the “ReSisters,” said they’ve been rallying against Trump’s policies since 2015. Members of the DeKalb County Democratic Party and a number of local veterans also rallied on March 14.
Willey held a sign that said, “They fought for us, we’re fighting for them.” What message did she hope to convey to people?
“They should pay attention to what’s going on in our world right now,” Willey said. “A lot of people are about to be hurt drastically, which includes the veterans, children, the elderly.”
March
was protesting recent
I think from a vet perspective, for me, the worse thing is everyone who served did it primarily because they wanted to serve the country, something beyond themselves. And what we’re seeing now is people doing things that have nothing to do with service and has everything to do with self-service.”
Married couple Bruce and Silvia Dunton of Sycamore met while in the U.S. Air Force in New Mexico. Bruce, a major, served for 11 years. Silvia, a captain, served for seven. They gathered because they said they’re angry that federal cuts will affect the needed services that active and retired military personnel rely on to survive.
Silvia Dunton said she recently saw on television a news story about how cuts would affect support for veterans undergoing experimental cancer treatment. She said she’s also heartbroken about cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development, which provided needed food to hungry children across the world.
“This is their last chance to stay alive, and Trump cut those programs,” Silvia Dunton said. “It’s one thing to try and cut fat, it’s another thing to just take a sledge-
hammer to everything and not care at all about people’s lives. And that’s exactly the feeling we have, is that Trump doesn’t really care about you, he doesn’t care about me. He just is going to do what he does.”
The Duntons said they wanted to rally not only for veterans, but for all who will be affected by Trump’s slashing of federal agencies.
“I think from a vet perspective, for me, the worse thing is everyone who served did it primarily because they wanted to serve the country, something beyond themselves,” Bruce Dunton said. “And what we’re seeing now is people doing things that have nothing to do with service and has everything to do with self-service.”
Demonstrators held signs with pro-veteran messages, calling Trump’s
actions unconstitutional. Some signs criticized Trump himself, who notably was given a doctor’s deferment from Vietnam War-era service due to a diagnosis of bone spurs in his feet. Messages read “Trump never served. You vets did. Thank you!” and “We support our vets, unlike Private ‘Bone Spurs.’”
Jan Loomer of Sycamore has been a part of the ReSisters group for six years and said her father was in the Navy. She voiced strong opposition to intended staffing cuts to VA facilities, saying it shows the Trump administration doesn’t care about veterans once they come home.
“Everything [Trump] does is anti-American,” Loomer said.
• The Associated Press contributed to thisreport.
Mark Busch
Protesters gather
14 on the corner of State and Main streets in Sycamore to voice their displeasure with President Donald Trump. The group
cuts by the Trump administration to the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Bruce Dunton, U.S. Air Force vetaran
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opment; Unknown Owners and Nonrecord Claimants
NOTICE BY PUBLICATION
NOTICE IS GIVEN TO YOU: Eugene Wendt Unknown Owners and Nonrecord Claimants
That this case has been commenced in this Court against you and other defendants, praying for the forecl osure of a certain Mortgage conveying the premises described as follows to-w it: COMMONLY KNOWN AS: 337 W Third Street Sandwich, IL 60548 and which said Mortgage was made by: Eugene Wendt the Mortgagor(s), to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as mortgagee, as nominee for Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp., as Mort gagee, and recorded in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds of DeKalb Co unty, Illinois, as Document No 2008008452 modified with 2024001349;
PUBLIC NOTICE IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR THE 23RD JUDICIAL CIRCUIT DEKALB COUNTYSYCAMORE, IL LINOIS Selene Finance LP PLAINTIFF Vs Eugene Wendt; United States of America - Secretary of Housing and Urban Development; Unknown Owners and Nonrecord Claimants
DEFENDANT S No 2025FC000006 NOTICE BY PUBLICATION NOTICE IS GIVEN TO YOU: Eugene Wendt Unknown Owners and Nonrecord Claimants That this case has been commenced in this Court against you and other defendants, praying for the forecl osure of a certain Mortgage conveying the premises described as follows, to-w it: COMMONLY KNOWN AS: 337 W Third Street Sandwich, IL 60548 and which said Mortgage was made by: Eugene Wendt the Mortgagor(s), to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc., as mortgagee, as nominee for Taylor, Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp., as Mort gagee, and recorded in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds of DeKalb Co unty, Illinois, as Document No 2008008452 modified with 2024001349; and for ot her relief; that summons was duly issued out of said Court against you as provided by law and that the said suit is now pending. NOW, THEREFORE, UNLESS YOU file your answer or otherwise file your appearance in this case in the Office of the Clerk of this Court, Lori Grubbs Clerk of the Circuit Court 133 W. State Street Sycamore IL 60178 on or before April 11, 2025, A DEFAULT MAY BE ENTERED AGAINST YOU AT
this Court, Lori Grubbs Clerk of the Circuit Court 133 W. State Street Sycamore, IL 60178 on or before April 11, 2025, A DEFAULT MAY BE ENTERED AGAINST YOU AT ANY TIME AFTER THAT DAY AND A JUDGMENT MAY BE ENTERED IN A CCORDANCE WITH THE PRAYER OF SAID COMPLAINT.
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Attorneys for Plaintiff 15W030 North Frontage Road, Suite 100 Burr Ridge, IL 60527 (630) 794-5300
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NOTE: This law firm is a debt collector I3262298 (Published in The MidWeek, Mar. 12, 19, 26, 2025)
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