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The 2025 stories in northern Illinois you read most

These 10 stories across Shaw Local saw the most visitors this year

James Swisher, of Kankakee, sits on his boat in Aroma Park before heading out to participate in the Kankakee River Fishing Derby on Thursday, July 3, 2025. Swisher, 71, recently disqualified himself and his 40-pound, 11-ounce flathead catfish catch from the derby’s leaderboard after realizing he didn’t meet rules of the competition.

James Swisher, of Kankakee, sits on his boat in Aroma Park before heading out to participate in the Kankakee River Fishing Derby on Thursday, July 3, 2025. Swisher, 71, recently disqualified himself and his 40-pound, 11-ounce flathead catfish catch from the derby’s leaderboard after realizing he didn’t meet rules of the competition. (Tiffany Blanchette)

By Emily K. Coleman
  1. Sycamore man confessed to beating parents to death with hammer, police say: The murder of a Sycamore couple, authorities said, by their son shocked the community. This story shared the details of what police said the man, Kevin A. Schmidt, 35, confessed to them. He was expected to be arraigned in December.
  2. Former DeKalb County Board member, sheriff’s deputy indicted on PPP loan fraud: Fraud involving the federal COVID-19-era Paycheck Protection Program continued to be an area of high interest among our readers across Shaw Local. In DeKalb County, a former County Board member and a former DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office corrections deputy, a married couple. were accused of defrauding the program. Both have pleaded not guilty.
  3. Northern Illinois hit with dirty rain; here’s why it’s happening: Before the snow, there was dirty rain. Back in March, northern Illinois was hit by mud-like precipitation caused by particulates from wildfires out West.
  4. Lake in the Hills Butcher on the Block owner ID’d as man who died in West Dundee-area crash: The owner of butcher shop and deli Butcher on the Block in Lake in the Hills was identified as the pedestrian fatally struck by multiple cars outside West Dundee. Tom Yucuis, a 25-year local business owner, was remembered as a “local legend” and someone who “embodied the true spirit of what it is to be a local business owner.”
  5. A fishing story: Derby leader turns self in: James Swisher caught a mammoth 40-pound, 11-ounce flathead catfish – but not with a fishing rod and reel. That meant the 71-year-old Kankakee man faced a dilemma: Would he admit the catch violated the rules of the annual Kankakee River Fishing Derby or take the win? What did he do? Well, you’ll have to read the story.
  6. DeKalb County courthouse employee accused in $41K PPP loan fraud for fake remodeling business: Records: Another PPP fraud story made the list of most-read Shaw Local stories in 2025. In this case, deputy circuit clerk Erica Walker, was accused of receiving thousands in PPP loans for a home remodeling company that “did not exist,” according to court records. Walker pleaded not guilty.
  7. Rock Falls athlete paralyzed at Sterling High School track meet files lawsuit against schools, park district: A Rock Falls student athlete who suffered a broken neck that left him partially paralyzed during a March 15 track meet filed a lawsuit against Sterling’s park district, the Sterling School District and Rock Falls High School District in connection with the injury. Dylan Wescott, 18, was participating at that meet as a member of the Rock Falls High School track team when he tripped in the pit’s sand, collided head first with a wall and damaged his spinal cord while completing a practice run at the triple long jump pit. Wescott returned home from a rehabilitation center in November but is still undergoing physical therapy.
  8. Lombard mom among thousands of parents who oppose proposed homeschool legislation: Lisa Edison homeschools her son who has ADHD and she was one of thousands of homeschooling families who took time to protest a bill that would require homeschool families to complete a form that would be collected by the local school district. She called it “ an annual registration of intrusive information.” The bill was intended to address cases where parents claimed children were being homeschooled and they were not. The children were instead being abused and neglected. The bill did not pass.
  9. 2025 IHSA playoffs: Second round pairings: Local high school football fans were anxious to see where their teams were headed after a successful first round. This roundup of pairings showed when and where different high school football teams would play.
  10. Elburn residents thought their taxes were going up $3K. Then they learned it’s a backup tax: Residents of an Elburn neighborhood came away from a summer Village Board meeting relieved that their property taxes weren’t going up $2,000 to $3,000 a year. The taxing area would kick in only if the homeowners association failed to maintain the common areas of the subdivision.
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Emily Coleman

Emily K. Coleman

Originally from the northwest suburbs, Emily K. Coleman is Shaw Media's editor for newsletters and engagement. She previously served as the Northwest Herald's editor and spent about seven years as a reporter with Shaw Media, first covering Dixon for Sauk Valley Media and then various communities within McHenry County from 2012 to 2016.