Camden Lazenby

Despite dealing with a deficit when creating the proposed $38.74 million fiscal 2026 DeKalb County budget, the county’s top official said he thinks a major budgetary stressor in recent years is beginning to wane.

Interim County Administrator Derek Hiland has presented the County Board with 3 options for its 2025 property tax levy. Officials estimate that the value of existing property in DeKalb County has increased by an average of 9% over the past year, documents show.

Northern Illinois University, Kishwaukee and Waubonsee colleges, are grappling with artficial intelligence, a changing work landscape and the loss of federal funding.

Expect travel to be affected this weekend as a significant winter storm is predicted to blanket northern Illinois with at least six inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

The Northern Illinois Food Bank is expected to feed more people this holiday season than in previous years, including the pandemic era, despite government assistance like SNAP reinstated to help put food on the table.

The Sycamore Public Library is seeking to increase its property tax levy in 2026 by $177,500. Director Kim Halsey said the top reason for the request is to keep Sycamore library staff pay competitive with industry standards.

There’s a new spot for skateboarding in Sycamore thanks to the efforts of the local skateboarding community, Fargo Skate Park in DeKalb and the Sycamore Park District.

A man was charged Friday after he threatened to harm multiple people in DeKalb on Thursday, including a city hall official and officers. Police Chief David Byrd said authorities attempted for days to offer aid to the man with a history of mental illness, but he became violent.

Update: An Elgin 19-year-old was hospitalized Friday after he suffered a gunshot wound during a shooting inside a Sycamore motel room, police said. Multiple people were in the motel room at the time, Deputy Chief Ryan Hooper said.

A group of Sycamore women, who call themselves the ReSisters, are planning to hold a peaceful protest critical of the Trump administration in front of the DeKalb County courthouse at noon on Saturday.

Sycamore will soon have a new ambulance fee billing service provider, but don’t expect ambulance fees for residents to change.

Anyone who buys gasoline in Sycamore will soon pay 3 more cents per gallon after a Sycamore City Council vote to raise the city’s motor fuel tax this week. Officials said the tax pays for road maintenance.

Sycamore’s top employee said he believes the average price of gas in Sycamore is more expensive than at DeKalb gas stations, despite having a lower motor fuel tax than the neighboring city.

A Sycamore special education teacher who "had an incredible ability to make others feel valued and cared for," has died after her fight with cancer, School District 427 interim superintendent Nick Reineck announced Monday.

The health records of a Sycamore man who police say confessed to beating his parents to death in September have been subpoenaed by his defense attorneys ahead of an expected December arraignment, court records show.