Shane Taylor

Hospitalizations appeared to have peaked due to COVID-19, but deaths are still up in DeKalb County, as state health officials reported two more Tuesday, bringing the death toll to 174. That's 13 deaths in a week and a half.

Three more DeKalb County residents died from COVID-19, according to state data reported Monday, bringing the death toll to 172. And hospitalizations continued to decline, as regional data shows 15 ICU beds are now open, the most available in a month.

Several consecutive nights of snowfall settled throughout DeKalb County over the weekend, resulting in slippery roads and some winter weather related crashes, said local law enforcement officials Monday.

Update: Three residents of rural DeKalb are without a home after a fire Sunday which reportedly began in an attic, according to DeKalb fire officials.

Several road improvement projects are on the horizon throughout the city of Sycamore this year.

After waiting two weeks for more resident feedback and receiving none, the City of Sycamore approved a new ward map this week, a move prompted by a growing population which recorded about 1,000 more residents per the 2020 census.

Another DeKalb County resident died due to complications from COVID-19, according to state data reported Friday, marking the 8th local death this week. Deaths rates haven't been that high locally since December 2020.

For many workers in industries such as hospitality, nonprofit and emergency service, remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic has never been an option. That makes staffing all the more challenging amid the current viral surge. “If one of our personnel tests positive, we put them off for 10 days,” said Bart Gilmore, deputy chief of training for the DeKalb Fire Department.

The new location of a Sycamore tattoo shop formerly owned by late alderman Rick "Spider" Kramer is planning a February opening. “It feels great to be able to open again, to get it done for Spider and his wife, too,” said new owner Brian Fleetwood.

Three more DeKalb County residents died from complications due to the coronavirus over the long holiday weekend, according to state data, which also reported nearly 700 more cases. There are 6 ICU beds available in the region.

DeKalb County has averaged nearly 250 coronavirus cases per day since Monday, according to state data which doesn’t include cases not yet reported by backlogged laboratories or at-home tests. According to the CDC, the county reported about 1,582 cases per 100,000 residents and 47 new hospital admissions.

A Sycamore tattoo shop formerly owned by a late alderman could soon open at a new location after its previous home was destroyed by fire in 2020.

Friends, Connor Harms, 18, North Aurora and Antonio Del Toro, 17, Aurora received their promotions to Eagle Scout, the highest rank in the Boy Scouts of America, on Nov. 20.

For the first time in weeks, ICU bed availability in the region which includes DeKalb County is in the double digits, with 11 beds available out of 141. Region 1 reports a seven-day average of 332 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. As of Tuesday, 55% of DeKalb County is fully vaccinated.

246 new cases were reported in DeKalb County on Monday, and two new deaths. That brings the total to 18,259 cases and 160 deaths.