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City Council approves cost overruns for Lincoln Highway improvements

By MEGANN HORSTEAD mhorstead@shawmedia.com

DeKALB – After delays cited over trench drain materials, the city of DeKalb now is on the hook for about $92,000 in cost overruns stemming from Lincoln Highway improvements in the downtown area that were completed this past summer.

Despite this development, City Manager Bill Nicklas maintains that the project originally priced at an estimated $1.7 million was a success.

“The crews helped people across the street when there was dust flying and they weren’t sure where to turn,” Nicklas said. “Some people drove through wet cement and they kept a smile.”

The City Council approved a plan this week to help pay for the cost overrun out of the city’s revenue collected through its tax increment finance district, which encompasses the downtown strip.

The $1.8 million project, which went out

NIU announces installation of Science on a Sphere

DeKALB – Northern Illinois University announced that its has completed the installation of its Science on a Sphere.

The Science on a Sphere was installed on the first floor of the NIU Founders Memorial Library, according to a news release.

The six-foot sphere is a blank canvas for images created by four laser projectors. The library has unlimited access to more than

for bid and began in the spring, spanned from First to Fourth streets downtown, according to city documents. The job consisted of pavement and sidewalk removal, drainage modifications, concrete walkway expansions and reconfigurations and asphalt lane improvements. DeKalb city leaders said they worked to find a remedy then they learned grates needed for the project were backordered, which Nicklas called critical to the reconfiguration plan.

“It didn’t affect the width of the lanes and much of the concrete work, but it was the storm channels,” Nicklas said. “Because we were not encouraged by [Illinois Department of Transportation] to

move our storm catch basins out to the curb lines, we had to bring the water inside the curb line. We had some pretty unique and creative grates, and those grates were backordered, and they were all summer.”

Nicklas acknowledged that the general contractor, Elliott and Wood, had other work it could have done, but said it didn’t pivot from the project.

“We were essentially done by Corn Fest,” Nicklas said.

Nicklas said it was early November before Veterans Day that finally the city received the grates that were on backorder.

Nicklas acknowledged the now-completed project could have left the city on the hook for more money, but said the cost overruns are legitimate.

“It cost money because it was time lost,” Nicklas said. “It was work to keep changing things and to make it safe. It came to about $92,000. That was the difference. I don’t know that there could have been any other way around this.”

700 data presentations created by NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and dozens of other agencies, museums and planetariums around the world. Presentations that can be viewed in the sphere include representations of human empires over thousands of years, an analysis of bird migration patterns and a look at global urbanization.

The library has created a flexible seating area around the sphere where students can

study, sit and enjoy whatever is being projected on the sphere, or handle a class. NIU is among the first academic libraries to install Science on a Sphere.

Science on a Sphere originally was developed by NOAA as a way to educate with 3D representations of weather events, especially climate change. For information, email ulibsysoff@niu.edu or visit library.niu.edu/university-libraries/rooms/sos/index.shtml.

–ShawLocalNewsNetwork

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ON THE COVER

Senior Pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church Rev. Joe Mitchell, seen June 16, 2021, said his congregation’s had a 16-year goal to build a gathering space and to foster community in the city’s north side. The city recently awarded $100,000 in federal pandemic-era relief funds to aid development plans.

See story, page 6. Mark Busch file photo –mbusch@shawmedia.com

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“It cost money because it was time lost.”

Bill Nicklas DeKalb city manager

The Commitment of Resource Bank

Chapter Nine Opportunity

Istarted working with Resource Bank as a part-time teller in April of 2000, just as the Annie Glidden Branch in DeKalb was opening. At the end of this year, 2022, I will be retiring as the Director of Teller Services. I’ve had several positions since I started, and they have all been a little bit different, but I’ve always stayed in the teller line – at the front line of customer service. I just like talking to people, getting to know them, listening to them, and ultimately helping to meet their needs. Plus, I run into people all the time outside of work at places like the grocery store or gas station. Many times, they will want to talk, just like we do in the teller line, and I end up having the opportunity for a lovely conversation.

As my time with Resource Bank comes to a close, I know that I am going to miss the people the most. The positive, daily interactions with my clients and colleagues have been a part of my life for so long, it will be tough to retire. It will also be difficult to say goodbye to all of the tellers that I work with each day. I have had a hand in hiring each one of them and, having been one myself, I know that our tellers are eager to provide the best customer service possible to our valued clients.

The drive to help our customers is what made me proud to work here all these years. In the teller line, almost every day, we were able to show our clients with our words and actions what Resource Bank stands for – Enriching Lives, Caring For Our Communities, and Believing in the American Dream. It was extremely gratifying to have my values align so well with the personal and professional values of those around me. For me, it was the best opportunity that I ever had, and one which I will never forget.

Mary Cipra, Director of Teller Services

Believing In The American Dream

No timeline on whether, or when, new community pool could come to Sycamore

B y CAMDEN LAZENBY clazenby@shawmedia.com

SYCAMORE – Last month, Sycamore Park District announced that its 40-year-old pool would close for good because of exorbitant repair costs and the facility has operated at a loss for a decade.

If a new pool is built, the community would prefer a waterpark-styled facility, park district Executive Director Janelle Bailey said.

Bailey said the park district asked Sycamore residents what they wanted out of repairs and upgrades to the aging pool through surveys in 2019 and 2020. Survey results showed that residents wanted a pool facility that district officials said wouldn’t be doable on the current pool’s grounds.

“And basically the results from that indicated that the community wanted more of a waterpark as a community pool, which we couldn’t build in that location due to IDNR [Illinois Department of Natural Resources] restrictions because it’s in a flood plain,” Bailey said.

This means in order for the community’s desires to be fulfilled, a new plot of land will need to be identified, Bailey said.

The land also would need to be bought before construction on new aquatic infrastructure could be started. Bailey said the park district already has started searching for usable land options.

A new pool facility would include significant costs, however. Bailey said a future aquatic facility remains a priority for the district’s strategic plans in the

next few years.

That new public pool could cost upwards of $16 million, she said.

“So we obviously don’t have that in our budget at this time, and due to the age of pool and failing infrastructure, it was costing more to try and repair and try and run the pool than to close it,” Bailey said.

Bailey credited the park district’s board of commissioners for what she called the board’s fiscal responsibility in making the tough decision to close the community pool.

“The park district – if possible –should be able to provide swim lessons and a pool space for the community in our summer months,” she said.

Considering the loss of a community amenity that supported generations of swimmers, Bailey said she understands much of the negative public response to the announcement,

“I think that people are disappointed, but most people understand why we closed it,” Bailey said.

Sycamore Park District officials had warned the community as far back as 2020 that the community pool wasn’t in a condition to last much longer.

Officials are looking at survey results to help steer future decisions.

“The questions we had on our survey for 2020 were indicating people were interested in a lazy river and just like more features than we could currently put in at our current pool,” Bailey said.

As things stand, there is not a timeline for a new community pool in Sycamore.

“We would have to find property first and then go from there,” Bailey said.

BUILDING ON H.O.P.E.

DeKalb church’s 16-year goal to build a space is aided by $100K donation

By MEGANN HORSTEAD mhorstead@shawmedia.com

DeKALB – Senior Pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church Rev. Joe Mitchell said his congregation’s had a 16-year goal to build a gathering space and foster community in the city’s north side.

That goal is a step closer to reality as the initiative – dubbed Project H.O.P.E., which stands for health, opportunity, purpose, empowerment and education – begins development plans for a community center. Mitchell recently appeared before the DeKalb City Council to ask the city to commit to earmarking $100,000 in America Rescue Plan Act federal monies to aid the plans.

The church sits at 1201 Twombly Road in the city’s Annie Glidden North neighborhood, although Mitchell said the church owns 10 acres surrounding the church, too. The plan would build a community center on the remaining land, and be governed through the creation of a new 501(c)(3) separate from the church.

For years, DeKalb city leaders, elected and unelected, have gathered to determine ways to target the north side neighborhood with more intentional development, better resources for the residents, improve landlord and tenant relations and address safety in the area.

“Our goal is to really build a space that is holistic and intergenerational,” Mitchell said. “We know what’s going on in AGN [Annie Glidden North] and as a congregation I think we’ve proven ourselves for the many years that we’ve been there that we want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. And so we are 10 toes down engaging in building this community center that would not just be for the AGN but it would be for the whole community.”

City Council action aims to help promote good on the city’s north side.

The 11,000-square-foot community center would include space for, among other things, a full-sized gym, full-sized industrial kitchen, two classrooms and 800-square-feet of space second level that could be used as a small business incubator.

Plans remain in the early stages, Mitchell said, although church leaders expect an estimated cost sometime in January. Mitchell said other developers have told him based on the plans, costs could come to between $2 million and $3 million. The church also plans to launch a capital campaign.

“We want to leave our options open for whatever the need is,” Mitchell said.

The church congregation in July celebrated 35 years of ministry in DeKalb, including 22 years in the Annie Glidden North neighborhood on the city’s north side.

Mitchell said 16 years ago, as part of the church’s strategic planning, leaders did a community needs assessment.

“And the information that came back overwhelmingly from the community was a need for additional coverage space in AGN,” Mitchell said. “At the time we were about 5 years into a $1.6 [million] mortgage to build the church so definitely we were not in the position to engage in that at the time. Three years ago we paid off the remaining balance that we owed for the mortgage and quickly started diving into the information we had as related to additional space.”

Project H.O.P.E. leaders already have entered into a pre-construction

agreement this year with St. Charlesbased Schramm Construction Corporation and Geneva-based Next Level Architects.

“To start dreaming out loud and start whittling down what we really could do in AGN to bring coverage space to the community,” Mitchell said.

DeKalb Mayor Cohen Barnes said he believes this is what the community has been wanting and what it needs.

“I thought it was a perfect opportunity for the city to be able to lean in and contribute and help with a small part of the fundraising that is going to be required,” Barnes said.

Mitchell said the church envisions the space could go a long way in promoting good in the Annie Glidden North neighborhood.

The area in question had long been subject to disinvestment by the city. Project leaders have said they would like to change that.

“When we built the church, we

bought 10 acres of land,” Mitchell said. “We’ve only developed about 3½ acres. So, we have about 6½ acres behind the church, which we rent out to a farmer that we own that we can build this community center on.”

Barnes said the idea of a community center is great, and he knows the space will be in good hands with the leaders at New Hope Missionary Baptist Church.

Barnes said it’s important that the “neighborhood knows we were out there, we listened and we heard” and the city is going to make an investment.

Fourth Ward Alderman Greg Perkins questioned what’s the project’s timeline.

Mitchell replied, saying that as a congregation and as a new nonprofit organization dubbed Project H.O.P.E., they intend to begin with a new capital campaign next year to help raise the money necessary to allow construction to proceed.

Mark Busch file photo – mbusch@shawmedia.com

Senior Pastor of New Hope Missionary Baptist Church Rev. Joe Mitchell, seen June 16, 2021, said Project H.O.P.E., an initiative of his church, plans to build an 11,000-square-foot community center on the city’s north side.

LOOKING BACK

1922 – 100 YEARS AGO

Generosity and charity were personified yesterday morning at the state teachers college when every student in the institution brought a can of food to be given to the poor. Donations ranging from a small can of corn to a half bushel of apples, were pooled on two tables in the front of the auditorium during the general exercise hour. It is estimated that there were over 400 cans of food on the table. The movement of bringing a can to give to the poor of this city was started by the Northmen club of the college. Early in the morning the students flocked the downtown stores buying a can which they exchanged for a small red tag bearing thanks and signed by Santa Claus.

Starting with two taxicabs a few months ago, but with a determination to be courteous, give the best service at all times, day or night, has brought the business of the B taxicab line up to its present high standard wherein three or four cars are operated day and night. The Bresnahan brothers recently added a Dodge taxi to the service.

A beautiful and interesting Christmas custom was inaugurated here last night when a party of boys and girls from the township high school delighted audiences at many homes and on the downtown streets by gathering and singing Christmas carols. Among other places where their music brought cheer was the home of Jacob Haish, where the aged magnate lies ill, and also the home of Frank Dadds, another invalid, on College Avenue.

Reports from the new DeKalb High School building are to the effect that the work on the new building is going along in fine shape. The building was all enclosed and the roof was on before the hard weather came and from now on the finishing will be rushed as rapidly as possible. Although no one in authority will even hazard a guess as to the completion of the work there is a feeling that it will be done in time for the holding of the commencement exercises in it next June. This will mean that the structure will be ready for occupancy next September when school starts.

1947 – 75 YEARS AGO

Employees of the L. A. Althoff Company and the DeKalb Foundry Corporation found regular pay day, Friday, Dec. 19, an unusual and profitable day. Besides receiving the regular checks, they also found an order in each envelope entitling the bearer to a twenty-pound turkey. The proverbial bird will grace many DeKalb tables this Christmas holiday through the generosity of the firm’s management.

Bus, train and automobile travel is expected to be heavy during the next several days as people travel to their homes for the Christmas holiday. Over the week end period thousands of students at colleges and universities will be returning home. Classes at the Northern Illinois State Teachers College will end this afternoon and students, whose homes are away from DeKalb, will be leaving DeKalb to spend the two-week holiday. Five special buses will assist in taking the students to their homes while others will make the trip by train or auto.

It seems that everybody must be too busy Christmas shopping the past couple of days as activity as recorded on the police blotter has been quite scarce. Two ambulance calls were answered. Shortly after midnight a complaint was received that some boys were singing and making too much noise and this morning a tire and rim found at the rear of a business house was brought to the station.

Six toboggans were donated by the Sycamore Elks at its last meeting to go with the $1,110 snow slide, also given to the Park Board by the Elks, that has been erected at the Sycamore Community Park. The slide is 75 feet in length and is 25 feet in height. It is located near the west entrance to the park and is placed so that it will take advantage of the slope on what is known as the ninth fairway.

1972 – 50 YEARS AGO

DeKalb General Electric officials Wednesday announced that the plant will go into volume production of a newly developed motor, a move that will preserve about 100 jobs.

Over 60 dozen cookies and candies were distributed to the nurses and their aides on “Christmas Cookies Treat Day.” Sponsored annually by the DeKalb Public Hospital Auxiliary to show its appreciation for the hospital staff.

The annual “Christmas” bird count conducted by the Kishwaukee Audubon Society on Dec. 17, identified 44 different species of birds. The total number of individual birds was down somewhat, no doubt due to below zero weather and an ice glaze restricting feeding activities.

During a season devoted (among other things) to trimming the Christmas tree, Glidden School students are trimming a tree for the birds. A 20-25-foot Norway pine has

been added to the school’s front lawn, and it hangs with such unusual ornaments as pine cone treats of peanut butter and bird seed, strings of popcorn, bacon fat seed cakes and corn.

1997 - 25 YEARS AGO

DEKALB Genetics Corp. announces the release of the industry’s first stacked-trait corn hybrid to include both Roundup Ultra herbicide resistance and YieldGard Bt protection of the 1998 growing season.

Construction workers dumped a load of broken rock near the site of new townhouses on the corner of Knolls Avenue and Moluf Street in DeKalb. As the City of DeKalb considers instituting impact fees, most officials from other towns with the fees say growth was not affected in the long term.

Instead of building his new hog confinement facilities a mile from St. Mary’s School on Gurler Road, Jerry Kempson will build them on his farm next to Afton Forest Preserve. While school officials who objected to the farm are relieved, future visitors to the forest preserve may notice a little stink.

Work nears completion on the new building for Al Bowne Chevrolet Oldsmobile Geo Inc., south of downtown Genoa on Route 23. The business was formerly housed at the corner of Routes 23 and 72; this spot will soon become the home of a new McDonald’s restaurant.

If you notice a few more airplanes in the skies of DeKalb County, there is a reason. After 20 years of work, the new runway at Taylor Municipal Airport is open, longer, wider and safer than the old one, the new runway will allow places that previously could not fly into DeKalb to do so.

Photo provided by DeKalb County History Center

In October 1986, DeKalb Fire Department celebrates Fire Prevention Week with a demonstration, rappelling from the bucket of snorkel number one, in the alley north of Lincoln Highway in DeKalb between Second and Third streets.

Northwestern Medicine opens new mental health facility in Sycamore

By CAMDEN LAZENBY clazenby@shawmedia.com

SYCAMORE – Northwestern Medicine recently opened a new behavioral health clinic in Sycamore meant to offer programs for area residents in need of outpatient and specialized mental health services.

Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital launched its Behavioral Health Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Treatment programs for adults at the Behavioral Health Services Sycamore Clinic in November.

The two programs bridge the gap between traditional outpatient services and inpatient hospitalization by allowing patients to live at home while benefitting from intensive behavioral health care at the Sycamore-based clinic.

Patients in both the Behavioral Health Partial Hospitalization Program and the Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program receive psychiatric support, individual counseling, family therapy and spend time in several other therapy groups.

“Access to more group therapy is especially effective as it helps assure individuals that they are not alone in their thoughts, feelings or circumstances,” said Marissa Kirch, manager of the two programs at the Sycamore clinic.

Kirch said Northwestern Medicine had been struggling to find options for outpatient clients suffering from severe

Marissa Kirch

licensed clinical social worker and manager at Northwestern Medicine Behavioral Health Services Sycamore Clinic in Sycamore

Marissa Kirch, anxiety, bipolar disorder or extensive trauma history that isn’t a long car ride away.

“We’ve been having clients having to drive about 40, 45 minutes to get to facilities like this, so it’s extremely exciting for our outpatient clients,” Kirch said.

Patients in the Partial Hospitalization Program undergo intensive treatment for up to six hours a day Monday through Friday.

The Intensive Outpatient Treatment Program, described as a step down from the other service, has patients meet for a few hours at the Sycamore clinic three or four times a week.

So far the programs only support adult patients.

Services for adolescents mirroring the adult programs is expected to begin

Mark Busch – mbusch@shawmedia.com

Cheryl Betel (left), a nurse practitioner at the new Northwestern Medicine Behavioral Health Services Sycamore Clinic, and Marissa Kirch, a licensed clinical social worker and manager, talk Nov. 30 at the facility.

“Access to more group therapy is especially effective as it helps assure individuals that they are not alone in their thoughts, feelings or circumstance.”

NIU School of Art accepting entries for art

exhibit

DeKALB – The Northern Illinois University School of Art and Design currently is accepting entries for its annual Community College Student and Faculty Invitational Exhibition.

A reception for both students and faculty will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, from in the NIU Annette and Jerry Johns Art Gallery, according to a news release.

The exhibition will run from Sunday, Jan. 15, through Saturday, Feb. 4. The student exhibit is being held online, and the faculty exhibit will be displayed at the Jerry and Annette Johns Art Gallery in NIU’s Jack Arends Hall.

Participating art students and fac -

• NEW FACILITY

Continued from page 10

at the clinic in March, officials said. Among the facility’s features that will be used for adolescent programs is the expressive therapy room, a space with desks that be tilted toward the individual occupying it.

“I think patients enjoy things like that where it’s not just your standard table or your standard circle of chairs,” Kirch said. “The more expressive therapies are pretty exciting to patients to kind of get that variety, especially if they’re here for three to six hours, you kind of have to spice it up.”

Cheryl Beutell, a nurse practitioner at the clinic, said she feels great about the new programs and believes it’s a plus for the area.

“So DeKalb doesn’t have anything like this, and as we were trying to call different areas and ... just let them know

ulty must be from an Illinois community college. Accepted artwork includes design, photography, new media, and traditional 2D and 3D artwork. Faculty artwork must be ready to hang or display. The deadline for entries to be accepted is Sunday, Jan. 8.

The student exhibit will be juried, and a virtual student reception is scheduled from 5 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1.

The exhibit is designed to showcase the work of community college students and faculty while also increasing awareness of the School of Art and Design.

For information, visit go.niu.edu/ art-exhibitions, email art-exhibitions@ niu.edu, or call 815-753-5223.

–ShawLocalNewsNetwork

that we’re here – Oh my God. It gets worse the further out you get,” Beutell said. “Psychiatric services is one of those things that’s just not as widely supported in the area so this is something that has been sorely lacking.”

Kirch said the aim of the facility is essentially to allow patients to still carry on with their everyday lives while receiving treatment at a level normally only seen through full hospitalization.

“Most people are not a huge fan of being hospitalized, so this provides a step option before hospitalization to see, ‘Can we try a day program that might help before you have to go do something where you’re out of work now for a couple of weeks,’ ” Kirch said.

Kirch said individuals who think they’d benefit from the programs at the Behavioral Health Services Sycamore Clinic can have a therapist or psychiatric provider refer them or they can personally call, self-refer and ask for an evaluation.

Mark Busch – mbusch@shawmedia.com

Marissa Kirch, a licensed clinical social worker and manager of the partial hospitalization program and intensive outpatient treatment program at the Northwestern Medicine Behavioral Health Services Sycamore Clinic, gives a tour of the new facility Nov. 30 in Sycamore.

Sycamore High agricultural program wins national award

B y CAMDEN LAZENBY clazenby@shawmedia.com

SYCAMORE – Sycamore High School’s agricultural education program and its educators received national recognition this month.

The program, which includes technology education, received the 2022 National Association of Agricultural Educators’ 2022 NAAE Outstanding Middle/Secondary Program Award, according to a news release.

Sycamore High School’s agricultural educators Christian Thurwanger and Kara Poynter led the program during 2021-22 school year and were informed of the award in August, according to the release.

The pair received the award this month at the NAAE convention. Those who bestowed the award said Thurwanger and Poynter worked diligently to develop connections and partnerships with local agribusinesses in Sycamore.

According to a Dec. 8 release from Sycamore Community School District 427, the award “highlights teachers and programs” that integrate core academic instruction into their program and use new technology to teach students.

“It also recognizes teachers who construct their programs to meet the needs of the community, school and students,” according to the release.

Qualities that organizers said set Sycamore High School’s agricultural education program apart were the avenues students received to learn. That included activities, learning opportunities in livestock facilities, a woodworking shop, a greenhouse and what officials said was a 40-acre land laboratory.

Poynter spoke to the Sycamore school board back in August and thanked them for the opportunities afford to the program. She said the new classes and programs the department has implemented during her tenure have always been created with the students in mind.

The NAAE has more than 8,000 members throughout the country and gives out annual awards to distinctive agricultural programs and educators in six different regions of the U.S., according to the release.

Those awards include the outstanding early career teacher award, the outstanding teacher award, the outstanding postsecondary agriculture program award and the outstanding middle and secondary school program award.

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Mark Busch file photo – mbusch@shawmedia.com Sycamore High School agriculture teacher Christian Thurwanger, shown here in March 14, helped his school earn the 2022 National Association of Agricultural Educators’ 2022 NAAE Outstanding Middle/Secondary Program Award.

NEWS BRIEFS

Sycamore Rotary Club member celebrated for perfect attendance

SYCAMORE – The Rotary Club of Sycamore recently awarded member Robert Wildenradt with a certificate for his perfect attendance.

Wildenradt was recognized for his upcoming 60-year support of weekly club meetings with a perfect attendance certificate, according to a news release.

The club also announced that future members who achieve perfect attendance in a year will receive a “Robert Wildenradt Fellows Society” recognition certificate.

The Rotary Club encourages regular meeting attendance to recognize the need for regular fellowship through weekly meetings and active involvement in club service projects.

Rotarians can visit other Rotary clubs or volunteer for community events to receive “make-up” credits.

The Rotary Club of Sycamore is a service organization dedicated to giving back to their community, and the world at large, through service projects.

For information, visit sycamorerotary. org.

Ukulele event to be held Dec. 22 at the DeKalb library

DeKALB- The DeKalb Public Library,

309 Oak St., will host its monthly ukulele strum and string event at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 22, in the library’s lower-level Zimmerman Meeting Room.

The program is free and intended for teens and adults.

Participants will learn how to play music from Liz and Jim Beloff’s book, “The Daily Ukulele Songbook: 365 Songs for Better Living.” “The Daily Ukulele Songbook: 365 Songs for Better Living” and ukuleles are available at the library for checkout.

No experience or registration is required to attend the event.

For information, email brittak@dkpl. org or call 8150756-9568, ext. 2100.

Genoa VFW next monthly meeting scheduled for Dec. 26

GENOA – The Genoa Veterans of Foreign War will hold its next monthly meeting at 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 26, at the Genoa Veterans Home, 311 S. Washington St.

The Genoa VFW welcomes all honorably discharged veterans and current military service members who have served in a war zone during any war.

For information, call 815-901-3834 or email ffb66@juno.com.

–ShawLocalNewsNetwork

Photo provided by the Rotary Club of Sycamore Rotary Club of Sycamore member Bob Wildenradt receives his “Robert Wildenradt Fellows Society” certificate for perfect attendance from former club president Paulette Renault.

Kishwaukee Family YMCA receives $5K donation from Comcast

Shaw Local News Network

SYCAMORE – The Kishwaukee Family YMCA recently was presented with a monetary donation of $5,000 by Comcast.

The donation will be used to support digital skills training at the organization’s Lift Zone, according to a news release.

Lift zones are Wi-Fi-connected safe spaces where students can go online to do schoolwork and adults can learn new digital skills, search for jobs and access an array of services.

Comcast also donated 20 new laptops to the Kishwaukee Family YMCA and its partner nonprofit organization, Neighbors’ House, as part of the company’s digital equity efforts in DeKalb County. The laptops were donated as part of Comcast’s Project UP, an initiative that connects people to the Internet, advances economic mobility and opens doors for the next generation of innovators, entrepreneurs, storytellers and creators. For information, visit corporate.comcast.com/ impact/project-up.

The Kishwaukee Family YMCA is a charitable organization whose mission is to enrich the spirit, mind and body of all those in the community, especially families and children, regardless of ability to pay.

For information, visit kishymca.org.

Photo provided by the Kishwaukee Family YMCA

Local families show off laptops they received from a Comcast donation to the Kishwaukee Family YMCA. Comcast donated 20 new laptops to the Kishwaukee Family YMCA and its partner nonprofit organization, Neighbors’ House, as part of the company’s digital equity efforts in DeKalb County.

PUBLIC NOTICE

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE 23RD JUDICIAL CIRCUIT DEKALB COUNTY, ILLINOIS U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, PLAINTIFF, VS. JAMI WARD, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS INDEPENDENT ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF MITCHELL WARD A/K/A MITCHELL LEIGH WARD; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND LEGATEES OF MITCHELL WARD A/K/A MITCHELL LEIGH WARD; ILLINOIS HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY; CENTRAL ILLINOIS LOANS, INC.; UNKNOWN OWNERS AND NON-RECORD CLAIMANTS; JAMI WARD NEXT OF KIN OF A.W. DEFENDANTS. NO 22 FC 000046 501 SOUTH 11TH STREET DEKALB IL 60115

JUDGE

PRESIDING JUDGE NOTICE BY PUBLICATION

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN TO YOU, Unknown Heirs and Legatees of Mitchell Ward a/k/a Mitchell Leigh Ward Unknown Owners and Non-Record Claimants defendants, th at this case has been commenced in this Court against you and other defendants, asking for the foreclosure of a certain Mortgage conveying the premises described as follows, to wit:

THAT PART OF OUTLOT 1 OF HUNT'S PLAT OF BLOCKS 12 AND 13 OF HUNT'S ADDITION TO DEKALB ACCORDING TO THE PLAT THEREOF RECORDED IN BOOK "C" OF PLATS, PAGE 59 ON SEPTEMBER 24, 1904, BEING A SUBDIVISION OF PART OF SE CTION 23 TOWNSHIP 40 NORTH, RANGE 4, EAST OF THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIAN, BOUNDED AND DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS: COMMENCING AT THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF LOT 12 IN BLOCK 12 OF AN ADDITION TO BLOCKS 12 AND 13 OF H. D. HUNT'S ADDITION TO DEKALB; THENCE SOUTH ALONG A CONTINUATION OF THE EAST LINE OF SAID LOT FOR A DISTANCE OF 50 FEET; THENCE WEST PARALLEL TO THE SOUTH LINE OF SAID LOT 12 FOR A DISTANCE OF 156 FEET; THENCE NORTH 50 FEET TO THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF SAID LOT 12; THENCE EAST ALONG THE SOUTH LINE OF SAID LOT 12, 156 FEET TO THE POINT OF BEGINNIN G, SITUATED IN DEKALB COUNTY ILLINOIS.

Commonly known as: 501 South 11th Street Dekalb IL 60115 and which said Mortgage was made by, Mitchell Ward a/k/a Mitchell Leigh Ward

Mortgagor(s), to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. as nominee for First National Bank of Omaha Mortgagee, and recorded in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds of DeKalb Co unty Illinois, as Document No 2020002971; and for other relief.

UNLESS YOU file your

Leigh Ward

Mitchell

Mortgagor(s), to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. as nominee for First National Bank of Omaha Mortgagee, and recorded in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds of DeKalb Co unty, Illinois, as Document No 2020002971; and for other relief.

UNLESS YOU file your answer or otherwise file your appearance in this case, on or before January 20 2023 A JUDGMENT OR DECREE BY DEFAULT MAY BE TAKEN AGAINST YOU FOR THE RELIEF ASKED IN THE COMPLAINT.

E-filing is now mandatory with limited exemptions To e-fi le, you must first create an account with an e-filing service provider Visit http://efile.illinoiscourts.gov/ service-providers.htm to learn more and to select a service provider If you need additional help or have trouble e-filing, visit http://www.illinoiscourts.gov/ faq/gethelp.asp or talk with your local circuit clerk's office. If you cannot e-file, you may be able to get an exemption that allows you to file in-per son or by mail. Ask your circuit clerk for more information or visit www.illinoislegalaid.org If you are unable to pay your court fees, you can apply for a fee waiver For information about defending yourself in a court case (including filing an appearance or fee waiver), or to apply for free legal help, go to www.illinoislegalaid.org You can also ask your local circuit clerk's office for a fee waiver application.

PURSUANT TO THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION PRACTICES ACT, THE PLAINTIFF'S ATTORNEY IS DEEMED TO BE A DEBT COLLECTOR ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE.

McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC Attorney for Plaintiff 1 N. Dearborn St Suite 1200 Chicago, IL 60602 Ph (312) 346-9088 File No 22-09879IL-793005 I3209552 (Published

PUBLIC NOT ICE

NOTICE FOR QUALIFICATIONS

Kishwaukee College is receiving Requests for Qualifications for a Signage Fabricator Consultant The Request documents may be found on the College Website link: http://www.kish. edu/rfp

Closing date for Requests will be January 18, 2023 at 5pm, at which time the requests will be opened.

Any specific questions should be directed to:

Ted Kiper Cardosi Kiper Design Group tkiper@ck-dg.com 773-523-9300

(Published in Daily Chronicle 12/17/2022 & Midweek 12/21/2022) 2041166

was made by, Mitchell Ward a/k/a