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ON THE COVER

Katie Krupa of DeKalb (front) and her mother Heather Krupa (back right) try to find the sun through the clouds using solar eclipse glasses on Aug. 21, 2017, at the DeKalb Public Library in DeKalb. See story, page 6. Shaw Local News Network file photo

DeKalb awards $25K grant to NuEra Cannabis

Dispensary among latest recipients of city’s Architectural Improvement Program

By MEGANN HORSTEAD mhorstead@shawmedia.com

DeKALB – The DeKalb City Council has awarded $25,000 to NuEra Cannabis to help offset costs for some building upgrades underway at the dispensary, 818 W. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb.

The grant was awarded as part of the city’s Architectural Improvement Program, meant to incentivize private redevelopment in commercial areas outside the boundaries of the downtown tax increment financing district.

Laura Jaramillo Bernal, the dispensary’s chief operating officer, said having the city’s support means a lot to NuEra Cannabis, which had a groundbreaking in the Junction Shopping Center in November.

“The construction and structural improvements that have to happen to a building in order to make a dispensary – a highly regulated building, a lot of specific security requirements – it’s a very specific monetary investment,”

LOCAL NEWS BRIEF

Lecture to discuss Smithsonian food exhibit at History Center

SYCAMORE – The April hybrid Brown Bag Lunch and Local Lore Series at the DeKalb County History Center will feature a program about the center’s “Food: Gathering Around the Table” exhibit.

The free program will begin at noon April 4 at the center, 1724 N. Main St. in Sycamore.

DeKalb County History Center executive director Michelle Donahoe will walk attendees through the exhibit’s main

PUZZLE ANSWERS

Jaramillo Bernal said. “Being able to have the support of the city so we can make the best, most attractive, most functional space possible for the city is fantastic. It really also allows us to improve that entire building in a longterm way that even outside of its use as a dispensary is an asset to the city generally.”

Jaramillo Bernal said the city’s grant will be a big help to NuEra Cannabis in meeting its timeline.

The dispensary has an anticipated opening date set tentatively for April 20, project leaders said.

“We are in the process of making major capital improvements in the building that will house our dispensary,” Jaramillo Bernal said. “The funds from this grant, in particular, will help us improve accessibility, including restrooms and entry doors, make electrical, mechanical and plumbing upgrades, and finance facade renovations which will include new doors and windows, improved lighting and a completely fresh look for the building. The improvements will be a long-term improvement to the value, longevity and aesthetics of the building.”

Once it opens, NuEra Cannabis will

sections and highlight images and objects, according to a news release. Attendees also can view objects on display, hear countywide stories and learn about program ideas.

“Food: Gathering Around the Table” is a Smithsonian exhibit that uses text and provides DeKalb County examples of recipes to connect visitors to national experiences. Visitors can bring recipes to be included in the exhibit.

The history center is one of five organizations to host the exhibit, which opens

be the second dispensary operating in DeKalb and DeKalb County.

“The process of getting these dispensaries going has been extremely slow, fraught and difficult,” she said. “[It’s] not just for NuEra but for every single operator trying to get up and running for the last three years. There have been regulatory delays. There has been changes in the marketing [of] cannabis that has made fundraising very, very difficult. … Setting up cannabis operations is a very major monetary investment. Being able to operate in a community and in a city like DeKalb that has been supportive, flexible, patient for that process has been extremely valuable for NuEra. We really truly appreciate it.”

NuEra Cannabis runs and operates several dispensaries in Illinois, including locations in Aurora, Chicago, East Peoria, Pekin, Urbana and Champaign.

“The existence of grants like this in the supportive business-friendly environment in the city of DeKalb is one of the things that really attracted us to want to operate in this community,” Jaramillo Bernal said. “We’re excited to join the business community in DeKalb because of that.”

June 1.

The “Food: Gathering Around the Table” program is part of Brown Bag Lunch/Local Lore, a free lectured 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.

For information, call 815-895-5762 or visit dekalbcountyhistory.org.

– Shaw Local News Network

WHERE IT’S AT

HOW ARE WE DOING?

CORRECTIONS

Community mourns fallen deputy

DeKalb County Sheriff’s deputy, veteran killed in crash near Waterman

By CAMDEN LAZENBY clazenby@shawmedia.com

WATERMAN – A DeKalb County Sheriff’s deputy and veteran who served in Afghanistan was killed while on duty Thursday after the deputy’s parked vehicle was rear-ended by a commercial truck, authorities said.

Deputy Christina Musil, 35, died while working a shift for the sheriff’s office Thursday night, according to a statement Friday from DeKalb County Sheriff Andy Sullivan.

“[Musil] passed at the hospital,” Sullivan said in an emotional interview Friday morning.

In a follow-up statement put out later Friday, Sullivan identified Musil “with a heavy heart and deep sadness.”

“Deputy Musil is a five-year veteran of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s

Office who courageously served in the corrections and patrol divisions,” Sullivan said in his statement. “Deputy

Musil also proudly served her country in the Army National Guard as a military police officer for four years and

Booked and Blessed... or BUST!

by Alexander Perez

Directed by Frankie DiCiaccio

Black Box Theatre

April 5-7, 11-13

served in Afghanistan from 2008 to 2009.”

A bundle of flowers had been placed about 11 a.m. Friday near the crash location in Waterman. A squad car draped in purple cloth with flowers also was set up by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, memorializing the deputy on the DeKalb County Courthouse lawn Friday afternoon in downtown Sycamore.

As word of Musil’s death spread, online tributes from local officials and area law enforcement agencies did, too.

State Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, offered his condolences through a social media post.

“My heart is broken. God bless [the] DeKalb [County] Sheriff’s Office and our first responders everywhere for the work they do that puts them in the face of dangers known and unknown,” Keicher wrote.

Posts from Shabbona, Genoa, DeKalb and Sycamore law enforcement agencies, including fire depart-

See DEPUTY, page 4

March 30 Chamber Music Competition, 1 p.m.

April 5 NIU International Guitar SeriesBokyung Byun, 5 p.m.

April 5 Opera Theatre - Die Fledermaus, 7 p.m.

April 7 Opera Theatre - Die Fledermaus, 3 p.m.

April 8 World Music - “Traveler”, 7 p.m.

April 9 Middle Eastern Music Ensemble, 7 p.m.

April 10 Music of East Asia, 7 p.m.

April 11 Thai Music Ensemble, 7 p.m.

April 12 World Music Fusion, 7 p.m.

April 13 World Music Festival, 3 p.m.

April 14 NIU Percussion Ensemble, 3 p.m.

NIU Art Museum

Making Our History

Artists Render Lincoln’s Legacies

March 26 - May 11

Altgeld Hall - First Floor

NIU School of Art and Design

Blick Art Materials Ars Nova Exhibition

April 1 - 18

Jack Olson Gallery

Jack Arends Hall

Avalon String Quartet

Christina Musil

Mark Busch

A DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office vehicle with black and purple bunting sits in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore on Friday, March 29, as a memorial to DeKalb County Sheriff’s Deputy Christina Musil, 35, who died in a crash while working a shift Thursday night.

Continued from page 3

ments, offered condolences to the sheriff’s office.

“We stand with you during this difficult time,” DeKalb fire officials wrote in a Friday Facebook post to their “brothers and sisters.”

Photos of Musil’s sheriff’s deputy badge, No. 42, were posted online.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Deputy Musil’s family, friends, law enforcement and military colleagues. Deputy Musil’s dedicated service and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Sycamore police officials wrote.

“She will be missed by many,” Genoa police wrote.

Sullivan said Friday that funeral arrangements were pending, and more details will be announced once they were confirmed.

The crash occurred about three-quarters of a mile south of the intersection of Perry Road and Route 23, Sullivan said.

Illinois State Police were requested by the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office to the scene of the crash Thursday night.

The crash remains under investigation by state police and the DeKalb County Coroner’s Office.

About 10:39 p.m. Thursday, a

DeKalb County sheriff’s deputy was sitting inside a parked squad car on the shoulder of Route 23, “when for an unknown reason,” a single-unit Kenworth truck ran off the road to the right and rear-ended the deputy’s car, according to an email from state police public information officer Melissa Albert-Lopez.

Musil was taken by paramedics to a nearby hospital with injuries that

were life-threatening. She died soon after.

Authorities had not yet publicly identified the driver of the truck as of Friday afternoon.

“The Illinois State Police sends its condolences and support to the family and friends of the deputy killed in the line of duty, as well as to our brethren at the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office,” Illinois State Police wrote in a

news release.

The area just north of Thursday’s deadly crash has seen other severe collisions.

In December, Sullivan told the Daily Chronicle that his office had taken notice of the deadly reputation of the Route 23 and Perry Road intersection in rural Afton Township, south of DeKalb and north of Waterman.

That intersection is expected to undergo updated safety features, including flashing red lights on top of the intersection’s stop signs and flashing yellow lights on Route 23 at the intersection ahead signs, county engineer Nathan Schwartz told the DeKalb County Board in February.

The intersection for years has faced criticism spawned by what some have called a trend of severe traffic crashes.

On Nov. 4, a 22-year-old woman died and three others, including a child, suffered injuries after a two-vehicle crash near the rural intersection.

Two people had to be extricated from their vehicles by first responders in March 2018 and were taken by paramedics to Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital after a two-vehicle crash there.

Three others were hospitalized after a crash at the same location in October 2022.

Mark Busch Ruts in the grass and skid marks can be seen near a memorial Friday, March 29, at the site on Route 23 three-quarters of a mile south Perry Road, near DeKalb where a DeKalb County Sheriff’s deputy was killed in a crash early Friday morning, March 29.

SYCAMORE

Alderwoman seeks support for downtown mural

By CAMDEN LAZENBY clazenby@shawmedia.com

SYCAMORE – Murals have become a common cityscape attraction, including in DeKalb and Malta, and now a Sycamore alderwoman wants to see a large mural created in downtown Sycamore.

First Ward Alderwoman Alicia Cosky, a member of the city’s Beautification Committee, said the committee wants to spruce up the art deco in downtown Sycamore.

“We would like to, in the near future, install a mural in the downtown Sycamore area,” Cosky said. “As with any business or real estate venture, location, location, location is critical.”

Initially, state Rep. Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore, considered working with the committee on a downtown mural, Cosky said during a Sycamore City Council meeting this month.

Now, the beautification committee is looking for a new wall for the mural. Cosky said the committee has reached out to multiple downtown business owners, some receptive and some not.

“We are currently pursuing another downtown business, but I’m not at liberty to disclose the party until we have definitive information to share. But we are moving forward

with it,” Cosky said.

The creative design for the potential Sycamore mural is still up in the air.

Cosky said the first mockups were influenced by Keicher and featured trees and butterflies, but considering Keicher is no longer tied to the project she said that could change.

“It may not look like this, depending on where we end up with the location, and what the business might want to have reflected,” Cosky said.

The Sycamore Beautification Committee has begun conversations with Danielle Casali, the artist behind the DeKalb City Hall mural, and learned what a mural could cost to produce.

A 144-square-foot mural – the smallest option Cosky presented – would cost $20,000 and the largest option, 243 square feet, would cost $30,000, Cosky said.

The alderwoman, alongside two other committee members, are working to complete an application for the T-Mobile hometown grant, worth up to $50,000. T-Mobile is investing $25 million in 500 rural towns over 5 years through the grant, according to the company.

“[The T-Mobile hometown grant] would be enough to cover whichever mural, whichever size we eventually decide upon,” Cosky said.

Camden

Sycamore 1st Ward Alderwoman Alicia Cosky talks to the Sycamore City Council on March 18 about creating an outdoor mural in downtown Sycamore.

A CLOSER LOOK

Following the moon’s shadow

Here’s what you need to know about viewing the April 8 solar eclipse

Although its peak is expected to last about four minutes, the April 8 total solar eclipse could be the talk of the town in DeKalb County.

The total solar eclipse – when the moon passes between the sun and the Earth during daytime hours, blocking out the light and casting a shadow on what otherwise might be a sunny day – will be visible in North America on the afternoon of April. As the moon blocks sunlight and the earth rotates, the moon’s shadow creates a path called the totality, according to NASA.

Those in that 115-mile area of totality might expect to see full darkness for a few minutes, as if it’s nighttime in the middle of the afternoon.

The eclipse’s path will head north from Mexico and Texas, and then travel through Oklahoma, Arkansa, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine, according to an eclipse tracker produced by NASA scientists. Those outside the 115-mile-wide path will get a partial eclipse.

In Illinois, totality will be reached in Carbondale and Evansville between 1:59 p.m. and 2:05 p.m. depending on the exact location, according to NASA’s predictor. To see other viewing areas, visit www.science.nasa.gov.

DeKalb County and much of northern Illinois is expected to be north of the totality, although folks wanting a glimpse of the sky during the event still will be able to see what’s known as a partial eclipse.

This part of the world hasn’t seen a total solar eclipse since Aug. 21, 2017. The U.S. won’t see another total solar eclipse on this scale until 2045, The Associated Press reported.

Many area organizations and groups are planning eclipse watch parties for the day.

Here are some places you can join in on the fun in DeKalb County and how to watch the phenomenon safely:

From home

For those wanting to watch from home, the Northern Illinois University Observatory will host a live feed from its solar telescope. For more information, visit facebook.com/NIUObservatory/.

NASA also will host a live feed at

science.nasa.gov/eclipses/futureeclipses/eclipse-2024/live.

NIU Observatory

The NIU Observatory, 218 Normal Road in DeKalb, will host a solar eclipse party from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. April 8. Organizers will have eclipse

glasses on hand, DIY eclipse viewers, games and activities. They also will provide a livestreaming feed from the observatory’s solar telescope.

The party will be in the courtyard outside of the observatory.

For more information, visit tinyurl. com/NIUEclipse.

Total Eclipse of the Park event in Sycamore

All are welcome to gather from 1 to 2:30 p.m. April 8 at the Sycamore Park District Community Center, 480 Airport Road, to view the eclipse, hosted by the Sycamore Park District and Sycamore Public Library.

The event will feature family-friendly activities, including learning more about solar eclipses, a chance to grab a free eclipse viewer while supplies last, and watch a safety talk from the Fox Valley Astronomical Society on safe solar eclipse viewing, organizers said. Participants will get to look into a solar telescope.

For more information, visit tinyurl. com/SycamoreEclipse.

Learn more ahead of time

DeKalb Public Library will host a solar eclipse party the Saturday before April 8.

“Who Turned Out the Lights? Preparing for the Eclipse” will be presented by NIU Observatory’s Jeremy

Shaw Local News Network file photos

Hundreds of people came out to the DeKalb Public Library in DeKalb for a solar eclipse program on Aug. 21, 2017.

On March 20, the DeKalb County Board voted in favor of a resolution fully endorsing a federal or state funded feasibility study examining the economic viability of reviving the Twin Cities Zephyr passenger rail service.

County Board backs regional Amtrak feasibility study

By CAMDEN LAZENBY clazenby@shawmedia.com

SYCAMORE – The DeKalb County Board last month voted in favor of supporting a regional study that would look into the feasibility of returning passenger rail service to DeKalb County.

DeKalb County officials said they were recently approached by representatives of a group seeking to revive the Twin Cities Zephyr Amtrack route, which previously ran through DeKalb County, between Chicago and East Dubuque, more than four decades ago.

DeKalb County Board Chairman Ellingworth Webb said he likes the idea of passenger rail service returning to DeKalb County, but he doesn’t know if northern Illinois could sustain the old route.

“I think [passenger rail] would be a good idea,” Webb said. “First, I think we need to do a feasibility study to look at costs, and the viability of how it would work.”

With a voice vote, the DeKalb County Board fully endorsed a federal or state funded feasibility study examining the

• ECLIPSE

Continued from page 6

Benson to help participants learn more about a solar eclipse.

The free presentation will be held at 1 p.m. April 6 in the library’s Story and Activity Room, 309 Oak St.

At 1:30 p.m., participants will get the chance to make their own solar eclipse scene with provided crafts. Eclipse glasses also will be handed out while supplies last.

For information, email chelsear@ dkpl.org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 1700.

economic viability of reviving the Twin Cities Zephyr, a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway passenger rail service with stops in Chicago, DeKalb, Rochelle, Oregon, Savanna, West Galena and East Dubuque.

Vice Chair John Frieders, a Republican County Board member from District 12, cast the lone dissenting vote.

In January, the DeKalb City Council also affirmed the city’s commitment to supporting the same feasibility study.

There was no county funding tied to the March 20 vote on the feasibility study, according to DeKalb County documents.

Webb said he’s taken long-distance passenger rail services a variety of times in his life, and is a fan of the mode of transportation.

“I’ve taken rail services from Chicago to New York, to Atlanta, to Washington, D.C., so I think it’s a good way to get from point A to point B. Also, it’s nice and scenic, you see the countryside and have a relaxing trip,” Webb said. “I think for right now we’re really just trying to get as much information as possible, and then we can look at what does that mean to the constituents.”

Safe viewing

The Illinois Department of Public Health reminds everyone that looking directly at a solar eclipse can cause serious and potentially permanent eye damage. Dark sunglasses are not safe for viewing the sun.

“To directly view the eclipse, people must use special safe eclipse viewers, which meet the ISO 12312-2 international standard,” the IDPH said.

You also can safely view an eclipse with a pinhole projection, according to NASA.

• The Associated Press contributed.

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Kelsey Rettke file photo

Sycamore to mail checks to residents following overtaxation

Residents should expect refund checks by mid-April

By CAMDEN LAZENBY clazenby@shawmedia.com

SYCAMORE – Residents who were collectively overtaxed nearly $120,000 on their 2022 Sycamore property tax bills should expect a refund mailed to them this spring, Sycamore officials said March 21.

The Sycamore Finance Department is preparing to mail checks to affected Sycamore taxpayers, and officials anticipate checks will be received by mid-

LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS

D-428 to host groundbreaking ceremony April 11

DeKALB – DeKalb School District 428 will host a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start a new elementary school’s construction.

The ceremony will be held from 11 a.m. to noon April 11 at the former NIU School of Nursing, 1240 Normal Road.

The event will include remarks from school district representatives, the

April, according to a city news release.

City officials have said the average rebate check for Sycamore residents is estimated to be between $10 and $20, but some business owners may be owed more.

“Thank you to the DeKalb County Illinois Treasurer’s office for providing the data necessary for our Finance Department to process the refunds,” Sycamore officials wrote in a post on the city’s Facebook page. “Further, to our residents and businesses – thank you for your patience as we worked diligently to rectify our error. Internal procedures have been implemented and fortified to ensure this error is

never repeated, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to fiscal transparency.

In November 2023, a Daily Chronicle review of city records discovered the city of Sycamore overtaxed residents almost $120,000.

The review found the 2022 city property tax levy the Sycamore City Council approved in December 2022 was not the same levy that went out to taxpayers for 2022 bills payable in 2023, according to multiple public documents including DeKalb County tax records from the DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder’s Office, various city documents and Sycamore City Council minutes.

Sycamore officials initially called the issue a “clerical error” in a November statement released after the Daily Chronicle began asking about its findings. In December, after some residents said the city should pay back the overtaxed money, Sycamore City Manager Michael Hall said stuffing envelopes with rebate checks could cost the city more in labor and materials than the $120,000 overtaxed amount.

Weeks later, after talking to lawyers representing the city, Hall said the overtaxation was an administrative issue and the city would mail checks to all land owners who paid the 2022 property tax, however.

school’s name unveiling and a shovel ceremony.

The 70,000-square-foot school will serve 450 to 500 kindergarten through fifth grade students. It will feature dedicated music and art classrooms, a STEAM classroom, spaces designed to accommodate services for special needs students, outdoor learning and innovation pods and staff spaces to hold restorative conversations.

DeKalb library to hold sound studio training classes

DeKALB – The DeKalb Public Library will offer sound studio equipment training classes for patrons to receive hands-on multimedia program experience.

The classes will be held at 3 p.m. April 5 and 19 in the library’s Sound Studio, 309 Oak St.

The classes are free and intended for

ages 12 and older.

Participants can learn about podcasting, video production and music creation.

Attendees will be allowed to book the studio for one-on-one or private sessions.

No registration is required.

For information, email anthonys@dkpl. org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 2115.

– Shaw Local News Network

LOOKING BACK

1924 – 100 YEARS AGO

Workmen employed at tearing down the old buildings at Fourth street and Lincoln Highway in DeKalb, have been hard at the task for several days and hope to get most of the buildings down within the next few days. The men have the interior well cleaned out and the material has been hauled away as rapidly as it has been taken out. The roof was removed today and it is expected the four walls will be the next to drop before the onslaught of the axes, sledges and bars. The Independent Oil Company is anxiously waiting for the ground at this intersection to be cleared, that work on the new filling station may be started and rushed to completion.

Frank Shoemaker, who has been operating the shoe repair shop on South Fourth Street in DeKalb next to the Thompson plumbing shop, has gone to Earlville, where he expects to establish a similar business. Shoemaker was in DeKalb yesterday, stating he expected to go to Earlville during the day and get his shop opened and ready for business and believes he will be kept busy most of the time.

Workmen have been busy for several days rebuilding the large stack at the Nehring Electrical Works, which was damaged late last fall during a windstorm. Previous to the work of the bricklayers it was necessary for the carpenters to erect a large scaffold on all sides of the stack that the brick work might be accomplished with more ease. Laying of the brick started yesterday and it is expected that within the next two or three days the construction of brick will be more serviceable than the one of sheet iron that was blown down last year.

The automobile belonging to Bernard D. at the Fred Diedrich home on North Seventh Street caught fire in some unaccountable manner just before noon today, necessitating the calling of the fire department. When the firemen arrived, the owner of the machine was applying considerable flour, but when the flames crept between the dash and the body of the machine, it got beyond control. The use of chemicals quickly quieted the trouble and not a great amount of damage was done to the automobile.

County road men were today placing a carload of gravel on the road leading past Electric Park to DeKalb. South of the bridge

the road has never been in excellent condition and efforts are being made by the county authorities to have the drive put in the best possible shape. On account of the ever-increasing traffic on the regular route between DeKalb and Sycamore it is thought that the side road will receive its share of travel during the coming summer by those who know of the road.

1949– 75 YEARS AGO

The Flying Farmers will meet at the Kishwaukee Airport Tuesday night at 7:30 o’clock. Joe Salkawske will speak on the maintenance of airplane engines and Bill Turner of Lily Lake will talk on his recent trip to Florida. All members are urged to attend as final arrangements will be made for the summer’s activities. Refreshments will be served at this meeting with the women in charge.

Lt. Ruth Ashelford of Clare, who has been on duty as army nurse in Ft. Riley, Kansas, was transferred last week to Ft. Sheridan, Chicago. Ruth came home from Chicago Tuesday and was honored at a birthday celebration that day in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Tom Rich.

Mrs. William Staack of Sycamore, teacher of the sight-saving class at the Glidden School in DeKalb, will be the guest speaker at the Hinckley Mothers Study open meeting Wednesday, April 13, at the Community Building. A potluck dinner is scheduled for one o’clock and each member is asked to bring a guest.

officials have been warned of its poor structural condition several times by state officials.

The DeKalb County Highway Department this morning voted to recommend that two and one-half miles of Glidden Road, from Cherry Valley Road to Illinois 72, become part of the county road system. It is now a township road. The committee called the stretch of road “a main line” to Rockford.

The DeKalb School Board finally resolved the issue of what to name the southeast school. It will be called the Hattie Chesebro School. The school will be the first one the district named after a woman. Two weeks earlier, the board debated for more than an hour before deciding on a name for the new northwest school. It will be named for Thomas H. Roberts, the founder of DeKalb AgResearch.

Today was a field day for the practical joker who took advantage of the All-Fool’s Day observance. Those failing to remember that today was April 1 found themselves the brunt of the jokers. Most of the pranks brought many laughs and those caught early were a bit wary for the remainder of the day. While most of the pranks were of playful nature, some of the jokesters carried their fun a bit too far. The origin of All Fool’s Day is unknown but has been observed on April 1 for many years.

Tuesday night, March 22, the Malta Future Farmers sponsored a donkey basketball game. The evening started with a Honky Donkey Derby and Ronnie Rumpf got first prize. At the half of the basketball game, the donkeys put on a trick donkey show.

At the election for consolidation of schools held at the school house in Fairdale Saturday night, 258 votes were cast. There were 246 for and 12 against the consolidation.

1974 – 50 YEARS AGO

DeKalb Park District voters, by a 2-1 margin, approved construction of a new swimming pool and playground development Tuesday. The $600,000 Hopkins Park swimming pool and playground development was approved in all three precincts and totaled 1,610 “yes” votes. There were 715 “no” votes. The current pool was built in 1935 and district

1999 – 25 YEARS AGO

Families on midwestern roads this holiday weekend should pay particular attention to where they are driving. Dramatic shifts in road temperature over the winter have created an abundant early crop of potholes, ruts and work spots on roads now in need of substantial repairs. As temperatures rise, however, the bumps in the road may also smooth out.

A new agreement between DeKalb County and the City of Sycamore is near completion regarding access to busy Peace Road. The deal between Sycamore and the county developed last month after the city annexed lands to make way for the new Heron Creek Subdivision. To ease congestion for the mixed-use subdivision, the city requested a handful of access points between Route 64 to the south and Plank Road to the north.

After years of trying, Northern Illinois University is finally moving forward with plans for a $35.8 million arena on its west campus. The project includes 3,000 parking spaces, a 10,000-seat arena and an adjacent support building which would house the Athletic Department offices.

A vicious virus which has been inundating computers with bogus e-mail messages had many DeKalb County operators on alert. But causing little reported damage.

– Compiled by Sue Breese

Photo provided by DeKalb County History Center

The interior of the newly opened Four Seasons Sports bowling alley in Sycamore is pictured in July 1977. The first advertisements for Four Season began appearing in the spring of 1977.

Group advocates for wider use of opioid antagonist

By CAMDEN LAZENBY clazenby@shawmedia.com

SYCAMORE – Should a medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose become more accessible in public places in DeKalb County?

The head of a northern Illinois organization supporting addiction recovery thinks so.

At one point in time, Gerald Lott couldn’t stay sober for a day. But he recently told a DeKalb County Board committee that he hasn’t had an illegal drug or swig of alcohol since April 17, 2008.

“And that’s a long time for a guy like me,” said Lott, executive director of Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery, an organization dedicated to helping those suffering from addiction seek recovery that is at least partly funded by the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery.

Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery is a nonprofit organization that hosts sober events in an effort to show that sobriety can be fun, and helps people suffering from addiction find treatment centers.

DeKalb County was the group’s latest visit this month, where it presented

its mission.

Lott was joined by fellow Sauk Valley Voices of Recovery worker Heather Tomlinson on March 13 as they spoke about the nonprofit. They told the DeKalb County Board Committee of the Whole that they believe naloxone, commonly called Narcan, should be widely available in public schools and other public places, complete with instruc -

tions on how to use the lifesaving drug.

When given quickly, naloxone can reverse an overdose from opioids, including heroin, fentanyl and prescription opioid medication, according the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lott said the addiction recovery organization has placed an order for 55 boxes of naloxone with audio instruc-

tions, which can be mounted on a wall similar to some automated external defibrillators.

“That should be in every classroom in our counties,” Lott said. “I don’t ever want to hear that somebody died because ‘I had the Narcan, but I didn’t know how to do it right.’ This will stop it.”

Although Sycamore School District 427 does not have naloxone in every classroom, Superintendent Steve Wilder said the drug has been kept on all school district properties for seven years.

“Philosophically, I wish we didn’t even need to consider having Narcan in our schools. But because it can be lifesaving, I’m glad that we have it in all of our schools. In the event that an individual needed it in our schools, we have the means to provide it,” Wilder wrote in an email to Shaw Local News Network.

Despite stocking the anti-overdose medication since 2017, Sycamore schools have never had to use it, Wilder wrote.

Dr. Lewis Nelson, a professor and chairman in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Rutgers University, said naloxone is a reversal agent for opioids, a big class of drugs and medications that stimulate certain receptors

See NARCAN, page 11

Mark Busch

DeKalb County sheriff’s deputy Doug Brouwer shows one of the Narcan sprays he carries at all times.

Continued from page 10

in human brains.

“The way naloxone works is it competes for that receptor with opioids,” Nelson said. “Despite its similar shape – and if you saw them drawn on paper, they’d look very similar – opioids stimulate that receptor. Naloxone is what we call the antagonist. It inhibits those other medications and drugs from stimulating that receptor. They compete for the same receptor but have opposite effects.”

Between October 2022 and October 2023, there were 3,702 overdose deaths in Illinois and 105,303 across the U.S., but those numbers likely are underreported because of incomplete data, according to the CDC.

DeKalb County Sheriff Andy Sullivan said law enforcement personnel often are the first to arrive at the scene of an overdose. Since 2017, his deputies also have carried the nasal spray form of Narcan.

“[In 2017], there was an increase in overdose cases or potential overdose cases, so I think it brought a lot of light to the forefront in being able to try and prevent people from dying from an overdose,” Sullivan said. “Unfortunately, there’s a lot of illicit drugs on the street, and so police officers are often the first on the scene, and then you have to wait for [emergency medi-

cal services] to arrive, so this just gives another avenue, another angle for us to be able to try and help someone.”

Every patrol deputy carries two cans of naloxone, and a third, spare dose with an automated external defibrillator is kept in their patrol vehicles. Sheriff’s deputies have used the medication 24 times, and 22 of those instances were deemed successes, Sullivan said.

One of the sheriff’s deputies who’s administered the drug to individuals experiencing an overdose is Doug Brouwer.

“I have used it several times,” Brouwer said. “In one case, I actually did bring someone back that had overdosed. Between the Narcan and CPR, we were able to save his life and bring him back.”

Deputies used to have to assemble vials and put on foam nose cones before they could use a nasal spray version of the medication on a person experiencing an overdose.

Now, deputies carry a version of the drug that has streamlined its administration, Brouwer said.

Naloxone dispensers recently were installed in the lobbies of the DeKalb County Jail and the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore, made possible by grant funding secured by the director of DeKalb County court services Michael Venditti, Sullivan said.

When asked what he thinks of naloxone being stocked in schools and

I have used it several times. In one case, I actually did bring someone back that had overdosed. Between the Narcan and CPR, we were able to save his life and bring him back.”

Doug Brouwer, DeKalb County sheriff’s deputy

public buildings, and given to law enforcement officials, Nelson said he thinks “it’s a great policy.”

“When you die of an opioid, you die of respiratory depression, meaning your breathing slows – it stops,” Nelson said. “So, in theory, you don’t need naloxone to save somebody’s life. All you need to do is help them breathe, but that’s more complicated than it sounds unless it’s a loved one, for example.

“For a loved one, you might be able to do mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. I mean, we give people high-dose opioids all the time in the hospital, but we put a breathing tube in and help them breathe, and they do fine when they wake up.

“But that’s not an option for most people in the field – certainly not for lay people – so rather than expect people to do rescue breathing, particularly on people they don’t know, you can give this medication, and you can start their

breathing again.”

Nelson said one of the best aspects of naloxone is that it can’t be abused, meaning it can be given to an individual multiple times without negative medical effects.

That’s good news for first responders because it means they can administer a dose of naloxone to an unconscious individual knowing the drug can only help them, Sullivan said.

Sullivan said individuals who received a dose of naloxone can sometimes become combative “because it’s a sudden awakening.”

Nelson said that’s not a guaranteed, telltale sign of the drug working, however.

Nelson said it’s worth remembering that deaths from opioid overdoses result from slow and stopped breathing, and naloxone prevents that from happening.

He said although naloxone reverses the effects of an opioid, it doesn‘t reverse the effects of any sedative drugs a person may have in their system.

“There are even things in the drug supply that people use regularly – in the fentanyl drug supply, which is the new form of heroin we talk about –there are drugs like xylazine in it that are associated with sedation but not reversed by naloxone,” Nelson said. “So if I give you naloxone and you don’t wake up but you start breathing, that’s totally fine.”

Council votes to raise fees on tobacco, video gaming licenses

By ERIC SCHELKOPF eschelkopf@shawmedia.com

License and permit fees are on the rise in Sandwich.

At the March 18 Sandwich City Council meeting, the majority of council members voted to increase certain fees. The increases will go into effect May 1, which is when the city’s new fiscal year starts.

That includes the annual fee for a tobacco license, which is increasing from $50 to $300. A store must have a license to sell cigarettes.

Sandwich Mayor Todd Latham said that fee has not been increased in a long time.

“The cigarette license fee we think probably hasn’t been updated since there were cigarette vending machines,” he said. “So we increased that.”

As Sandwich City Administrator Geoff Penman noted, “now we’ve got gas stations that sell cartons and car-

LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS

Glidden Homestead to offer blacksmithing classes

DeKALB – The J.F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center is offering one-onone introduction to blacksmithing classes.

The four-hour hands-on classes will be held Sundays at the homestead, 921 W. Lincoln Highway in DeKalb.

Participants can keep their first forged piece. Attendees can volunteer at the homestesd after completing two classes.

The class schedule includes:

• Intro to blacksmithing skills

• Blacksmith safety

• Decorative twists

• Coal fire management

• The homestead and Phineas Vaughan’s story

The classes cost $75. Proceeds will support homestead operations.

For information, email jessi@gliddenhomestead.org, visit gliddenhomestead. org/blacksmith/history or call 815-7567904.

Lightbeam Players to perform ‘The Wizard of Oz’ April 6

DeKALB – The DeKalb Public Library will host two performances of the Lightbeam Players’ production of “The

tons of cigarettes.”

“So we just felt it should be a little bit higher,” he said.

The annual fee for each video gaming terminal in operation in the city increased from $75 to $125. Penman said quite a few businesses in Sandwich offer video gaming.

The city requires that the fee be shared equally between the terminal operator and the licensed establishment. The annual fee must be paid at the time of application for a video gaming terminal license and every year after that.

The fee for nonprofit organizations to sell beer and wine during a live performance or an event will increase from $10 to $50. In addition, the annual license fee for garbage haulers will increase from $200 to $300.

City officials have been studying the fee issue for the past two months.

“The City Council had some recommendations from what we reviewed,” Latham said.

Harvey’s

Wizard of Oz.”

The performances will be at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. April 6 in the library’s lower-level Yusunas Meeting Room, 309 Oak St. Admission is free.

“The Wizard of Oz” tells the story of Dorothy and her companions, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow and Tin Man, as they unravel mysteries while traveling down the Yellow Brock Road. No registration is required.

For information, email theresaw@dkpl. org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 3350.

Genoa America Legion Riders to meet April 13

GENOA – The Genoa American Legion Riders Post 337 will hold its next monthly meeting on April 13.

The meeting will be held at 2 p.m. at the Genoa Veterans Home, 311 S. Washington St.

The group is planning three Memorial Day Parade Escorts leaving from the DeKalb Elks Lodge 765, 209 S. Annie Glidden Road, at 8 a.m. May 27.

A ride is planned after the April 13 meeting at 2:30 p.m., weather permitting. Lunch will be available from noon to 2 p.m.

– Shaw Local News Network

Nathan’s

‘Man of steel’

DeKalb High student takes top honors in Chicago Symphony Orchestra competition

By MEGANN HORSTEAD mhorstead@shawmedia.com

DeKALB – One high school student has caught the attention of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and has earned the right to the moniker “man of steel” for playing a musical instrument unique to many: the steelpan.

DeKalb High School student Jaden Teague-Núñez recently was recognized with top honors in the 2024 Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition.

“It’s a really cool feeling, not just for myself – of course I want to win it for myself – but also for the steelband fraternity because this is the first time that a steelband player has not just entered the competition but actually won it,” Teague-Núñez said. “Now that I get to perform in such a legendary orchestra, I hope that this will expose more people to the instrument. And also, being able to perform with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago – which I did in the final round – should expose the instrument to more classical fans and, hopefully, have it more respected to the different crowds.”

As the winner, Teague-Núñez stood out among fellow musicians in the final round of the competition, performing selections of a concerto with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. The runners-up, Elyse Schlesinger and Chloe Nam, performed their selections with the French horn and flute, respectively.

Steve Lundin, the high school’s director of bands, said he’s not surprised by the recognition TeagueNúñez has garnered.

“I think it goes without saying: When you’ve got a kid of that ability level, as a teacher, you feel humbled,” Lundin said. “I always tell people it’s an honor to get to work with kids who play like that. But he’s a really relaxed kid. He has a great demeanor in rehearsal.

“He’s learning how to play lots of different instruments. So we spend a lot of time trying to transfer what he knows on one instrument to another instrument. He takes all of the feedback in stride. He’s trying to be better every day. That attitude is really, really fantastic.”

Teague-Núñez said his parents instilled in him the importance of music education from an early age.

“My dad, he is the head of steel band studies at Northern Illinois University, and he’s been doing so for … I’d say close to 30 years,” Teague-Núñez said. “My mom, she was from Panama. She was a violist and a violinist. She used

“I like to think of it like a combination of that and my way. [It’s] not just the pan but also in my piano-playing. When I am performing a piece, I like to listen to what other people are doing. I usually take interpretational ideas from them as well as doing stuff that I like myself.”

to be a principal violist for the Panama National Symphony. That’s basically how they met.”

Lundin said Teague-Núñez has come a long way as a steelpan player in the many years that he’s known him.

“Sixth-grade Jaden was already playing significantly better than what we would hear really at any point in the high school experience,” Lundin said. “Most of the high school kids, they play other instruments first and pan is the second or third instrument for them. But they’re not starting until their ninth or 10th grade many times.”

Teague-Núñez said he’s enjoyed having the opportunity to learn from Lundin.

“Under Mr. Lundin, he’s been really

supportive toward me,” he said. “He’s helped me with a bunch of my percussion skills. I can really appreciate that.”

Teague-Núñez said he likes to emulate how other musicians would interpret music to perform.

“I like to think of it like a combination of that and my way,” TeagueNúñez said. “[It’s] not just the pan but also in my piano-playing. When I am performing a piece, I like to listen to what other people are doing. I usually take interpretational ideas from them as well as doing stuff that I like myself.”

Teague-Núñez said someday he would like the steelpan to become normalized like any other orchestral instrument.

“A lot of people think of the pan as something that you would play on a beach as background music, but I think it can be as respected like a violin or a piano when you’re putting it on the stage,” he said.

Teague-Núñez said he doesn’t feel limited by what he can play with the steelpan.

“The only limits I’d have is like range, but if you really want to do something, I’ll make it happen,” he said.

As the winner of the competition, Teague-Núñez is expected to perform May 2 and 3 as a soloist and with members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as part of the CSO School and Family Concerts.

Mark Busch

Jaden Teague-Núñez, 16, a sophomore at DeKalb High School, plays the steelpan March 18 in the band room at the school. Teague-Núñez won first place in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Young Artists Competition and will appear as a soloist in a CSO youth concert during the 2024-25 season.

Jaden Teague-Núñez, DeKalb High School sophomore

Photo provided by Sycamore Chamber of Commerce

The Sycamore Chamber of Commerce

Green Light Driving School to its membership. Chamber staff, community members and board members celebrated with a ribbon-cutting. Green Light Driving

Suite 2, Sycamore, provides driver’s education with an emphasis on

commitment and safety to ensure safe roads and

NOTE:

$0- $100 Dona ti on to Grange, $101- $3000, 25%, $3001-$5000 20%, $5001 and up 15% $10 Deposit each required fo r the following items : ti res, gas tanks, major a ppliances $50 Deposit requi red on t itl ed items, no sale fee on ti tled items, $50. Buy back fee on n on- t itl ed items $10.00

PUBLIC NOTICE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 23RD

JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

COUNTY OF DEKALBSYCAMORE, ILLINOIS

FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGAGE CORPORATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FREDDIE

MAC SEASO NED CREDIT

RISK TRANSFER TRUST, SERIES 2019-3, Plaintiff, vs JUSTIN JOY, ILLINOIS

COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION

UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS; Defendants, 22 FC 81

NOTICE OF SALE

PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the above entitled cause the Sheriff of DeKalb County will on Thursday May 9, 2024, at the hour of 1:00 p.m., DeKalb County Public Safety Building, 150 North Main Street, Sycamore, Illinois 60178, sell to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 03-30-20 4-002.

Commonly known as 232 South Genoa Street, Geno a, IL 60135. The improvement on the property consists of a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common inte rest community the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act.

Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance within 24 ho urs, by certified funds No refunds The property will NOT be open for inspection.

entered in the above entitled cause the Sheriff of DeKalb County will on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at the hour of 1:00 p.m., DeKalb County Public Safety Building, 150 North Main Street Sycamore, Illinois 60178, sell to the highest bidder for cash, the following described mortgaged real estate: P.I.N. 03-30-20 4-002.

Commonly known as

232 South Genoa Street Geno a, IL 60135.

The improvement on the property consists of a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common inte rest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act.

Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance within 24 ho urs, by certified funds No refunds The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Mr

John Kienzle at Pl ai ntiff' s Attorney, Marinosci Law Group, PC, 2215 Enterprise Drive, Westchester, IL 60154. (312) 940-8580 22-03239 SHERIFF I3241202

Published in The MidWeek, April 3, 10, 17, 2024

For information call Mr John Kienzle at Pl ai ntiff' s Attorney, Marinosci Law Group, PC, 2215 Enterprise Drive, Westchester, IL 60154.

WE'VE

GENOA, ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN BOOK "C" OF PLATS, PAGE 14 SITUATED IN DEKALB COUNTY, ILLINOIS. P.I.N. 03-30-20 4-002.

Commonly known as 232 South Genoa Street, Geno a, IL 60135.

The improvement on the property consists of a single family residence. If the subject mortgaged real estate is a unit of a common inte rest community, the purchaser of the unit other than a mortgagee shall pay the assessments required by subsection (g-1) of Section 18.5 of the Condominium Property Act.

Sale terms: 10% down by certified funds, balance within 24 ho urs, by certified funds No refunds The property will NOT be open for inspection.

For information call Mr John Kienzle at Pl ai ntiff' s Attorney, Marinosci Law Group, PC, 2215 Enterprise Drive, Westchester, IL 60154. (312) 940-8580. 22-03239 SHERIFF I3241202

Published in The MidWeek, April 3, 10, 17, 2024

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