A look back at some of the top Rochelle-News-Leader stories from the past year.

The January-June Rochelle News-Leader Year in Review ran in the Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025 edition.

July

Ordinary Golfer opens for business

Ordinary Golfer, a new golf simulator business, opened July 19 at 425 Lincoln Highway inside the Lincoln Mall in Rochelle.

The business is owned by locals Sam Volkert, Craig Baker and Erik Garcia. Ordinary Golfer features two bays of high-end golf simulators. Food is available from nearby Acres Bistro and the business plans to serve beer once its liquor license is approved and in effect, along with other drinks and snacks. Patrons will have access to golf club rentals. Booking of bays can be done online at www.oggolfrochelle.com/

“We want to provide cheap, comfortable golf for people who may never have done it up to the most seasoned professional,” Volkert said. “You can do some real practicing in here or you can come in and just have fun and learn the game. It’s a really nice, laid back place to come hang out and do some golfing.”

The business is open Tuesday-Friday from 4-10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m. Ordinary Golfer is closed on Mondays.

Baker and Volkert are longtime friends and began golfing together two years ago. They also recently set up a golf simulator in a friend’s garage for use during the winters rather than driving out of town to more expensive venues. They began discussing the idea of a golf simulator business and got in touch with Garcia, who came up with the Ordinary Golfer name with a clothing brand in mind.

The golf simulator business has now come to life inside the Lincoln Mall, after Baker sought a location and got in touch with the owner of the building, who desired more recreational businesses in the space.

“I’ve been here 38 years, and usually it’s few and far between whenever we do get something new for entertainment and recreation in town,” Volkert said. “It’s something new for people here to do and something that can bring people into town.”

Changes Counseling celebrates 15 years

On Friday, July 11, a ribboncutting and ice cream social were held at 604 N. Main St. Suite 4 in Rochelle to commemorate Changes Counseling’s 15-year anniversary.

Changes Counseling has offices in Rochelle and Peru and offers individual, couples, youth and family counseling to people of all ages.

“It has grown over 15 years,” Owner/Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor Christine Novak said. “Changes Counseling has served hundreds of individuals, couples, kids and families in the past 15 years. We have planted seeds of hope, nurtured resilience during difficult seasons, fostered growth of new ideas and self esteem, and launched careers. We have built relationships, strengthened families and supported people in grief and letting go.”

RCH begins expansion

Rochelle Community Hospital is currently in the process of planning a multi-year facilities improvement process, RCH CEO Karen Tracy told the Rochelle News-Leader and Ogle County Life on July 23.

In 2023, RCH received the results of a master facilities plan that analyzed the entire RCH campus. At one time, RCH previously owned farmland off Illinois Route 251 in Hillcrest and there was an idea that a new hospital would be built there one day. Tracy said that idea is no more, and the master facilities plan will launch a process of updates and changes to RCH’s campus at 900 N. Second St.

“There are some things we can do to renew services, expand and improve that will keep us relevant, and provide more and improved services to the public in a fiscally responsible way,” Tracy said.

The process will start this August with the expansion of RCH’s Health and Wellness Building on the south side of its campus to merge its Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation Therapy departments and Physical and Occupational Therapy departments into one convenient location to serve all rehabilitation and therapy patients.

The expansion will take place on both the top and bottom floors and will consist of a new gym space below for rehab and therapy, and more space above for Primary Care operations and RCH’s newly launched Behavioral Health department.

Willis Senior Lofts opens

On Friday, July 25, a grand opening event was held for Willis Senior Lofts, a new 60-unit senior housing development at 410 Willis Ave. in Rochelle. The project was completed in the spring after breaking ground in November 2023.

Lincoln Avenue Communities (LAC) was the developer of the project, its second new construction deal in Illinois.

Willis Senior Lofts is an Enterprise Green and Net Zero-certified senior housing development (55 and older). It features a double-volume community room opening up to an outdoor patio, a theater room, fitness center, community laundry rooms, an indoor dog washing room, a walking path, raised community garden, and bicycle parking. The four-story building is equipped with an elevator and other accessible design features making it well-tailored to the needs of seniors.

Fifteen of the 60 units at Willis Senior Lofts are reserved for those making at or below 30 percent of the area median income (AMI). The remaining 45 units are available to those at or below 60 percent of AMI.

August

City expands transload center

On Thursday, Aug. 14, the City of Rochelle held a groundbreaking for the expansion of its Rochelle Intermodal Transload Center at 1851 S. Steward Road.

The RITC opened in 2020 as a joint effort between the city and the Greater Rochelle Economic Development Corporation (GREDCO) to provide industries of all sizes with direct rail access.

To date, the facility has transloaded 1,000 railcars and has served as a staging area for hundreds of shipping containers used by 12 customers. Increased demand in the area for rail-to-truck transloading and third-party logistics brought about the $4.8 million expansion, which will be 80 percent funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation.

The event was attended by city officials and staff, economic development personnel, state officials and representatives from the railroad and trucking industries. Speakers at the event were City Economic Development Director Tom Demmer, Mayor John Bearrows, City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh, City Engineer and Railroad Director Sam Tesreau, Illinois Secretary of Transportation Gia Biagi, and the Burlington Junction Railway’s Peter Hoth.

Demmer said the city-owned railroad is unique and offers opportunities for economic development by local businesses and the chance to attract new businesses. He called the RITC expansion “a great opportunity” for the city, Ogle County and the region and thanked the state for its support of the project.

Bearrows said the project will have “a significant impact” on Rochelle and local and regional businesses. He thanked IDOT and GREDCO for their support on the project, which he said took many hands to bring it to fruition.

Spring Lake sees high numbers

Spring Lake Pool in Rochelle saw its highest attendance numbers in five years this summer, Flagg-Rochelle Community Park District Director of Recreation Maureen Stevens said Aug. 21.

The park district attributed the high numbers at the outdoor pool to a hotter-than-normal summer, which also necessitated creativity with staffing, such as shift swaps so staff could have extra breaks and rotations and stay cool and sharp.

Stevens said the park district hires over 40 staff members for each summer, regardless of expected attendance or temperatures. More staff were scheduled for shifts this summer to deal with larger crowds. The park district was happy to see high numbers this summer to increase revenue and provide a place for area residents to beat the heat.

“Spring Lake has always been a community feature,” Stevens said. “Just knowing that it’s still in people’s hearts is reassuring. It shows that all the work and effort it takes to open it every year is worth it because you get to see the happiness on everyone’s faces.”

Garden dedicated to McNeilly

On Tuesday, Aug. 26, a ribboncutting and dedication were held for the Diane McNeilly Memorial Garden at the intersection of North 7th Street and 10th Avenue in Rochelle.

McNeilly, who passed away in late 2023 at the age of 79, was an active community leader and volunteer, serving on many boards and working to bring about change within the city. The City of Rochelle erected the garden at the site in recent years and chose to dedicate it to her, along with a bench that bears her name provided by the Rochelle Kiwanis Golden K Club. The garden is near McNeilly’s former home.

The ribboncutting and dedication were hosted by the Rochelle Chamber of Commerce and the City of Rochelle. Speakers included Chamber Executive Director Tricia Herrera, Mayor John Bearrows and McNeilly’s daughter, Kristine.

“Everyone has a story about Diane and how special she was and what she taught them and how instrumental she was,” Herrera said. ”Right up until she passed away, she was still doing all of those things and promoting Rochelle and telling everyone how wonderful it was. It’s a wonderful way to celebrate someone who was so proud of our community and steeped in the history of it. We are so fortunate. She was a great educator. People like that are the heart of Rochelle and are what small town pride is all about. We are thankful to the family for sharing her with us. We’re happy that people can come to this beautiful space and have a seat on the bench and honor her and her dedication.”

September

RFD marks 50 years of EMS

In a town of nearly 10,000, Rochelle Fire Department paramedics often see former patients that they’ve helped in the past in chance encounters around the community.

“I tell the new firefighter/EMTs that they need to keep a journal on the people they’ve helped,” RFD Chief Dave Sawlsville (RFD 1980-present) said. “Because you have an impact. You can’t go to the post office or the store without seeing someone from a past call. You leave an impact on your community. You made somebody’s really bad day a little bit better. That’s huge.”

Sept. 1 marked 50 years of RFD providing ambulance service to the Rochelle area. Before that, ambulance service was offered by three funeral homes in the community. In 1974 there was a movement locally toward a full-time ambulance in Rochelle. When Don Horner, owner of Unger-Horner Funeral Home, came to the city and offered to provide a full-time ambulance for $16,000, the city council decided RFD could take on the responsibility for a lesser cost.

On July 16, 1975, the city council approved RFD taking over ambulance service and the changeover took place in September of that year. Rick Kasmar, Loren Edwards and Dennis Hooley were the personnel on the first RFD ambulance call. The city’s first ambulance arrived on Sept. 7, 1975 and Flagg Township later bought a second ambulance for the city and the city then bought a third ambulance for transfers.

From September through the end of 1975, RFD ran 104 ambulance calls. In 1976 the department ran 400-500 calls. From Sept. 1, 1975 to Aug. 28, 2025, RFD has run 65,138 total ambulance calls. The department now averages over 3,000 calls per year.

RTHS opens new library

On Monday, Sept. 15, 2025, Rochelle Township High School hosted a ribbon cutting for its recently remodeled library media center (LMC).

Back in January, the RTHS Board of Education approved a bid of $746,050 from Stenstrom Construction in Rockford for the remodeling work, which began in late April and concluded a few weeks ago. The remodel includes versatile space, flexible furniture, a content creation room, updated technology, and modern design. The LMC had not seen major changes since it was constructed in 2004.

The ribboncutting was attended by members of the community and RTHS staff, administration and board members. Speakers included RTHS District Superintendent Jason Harper, Rochelle Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tricia Herrera and Rochelle Mayor John Bearrows.

“We’re extremely proud of this,” Harper said. “Sometimes it felt a little slower than we would have liked, but we’re here in September welcoming students and our students are enjoying this space, which we love to see. This space is for us to help prepare students for their tomorrow. This space is the Hub of Hubland. It’s welcoming for every single student, regardless of what year they are or what they want to do after high school.”

U.S. Silica holds ribboncutting

On Thursday, Sept. 18, a grand opening was held for U.S. Silica’s Rochelle Innovation Center at 1951 S. Steward Road in Rochelle.

U.S. Silica is a mining company that has been in business for over 100 years with over 20 active mining and production sites across the country. The Rochelle facility, which recently was idle due to shifts in the industry, now has 10,000 square feet of new research and development lab space with a state of the art pilot plant facility. U.S. Silica representatives said it will be a “hub for innovation and scaling up new products for many years into the future.”

Speakers at the event included U.S. Silica Vice President of Products and Innovation Mason Borlik, Executive Vice President and President of Industrial & Specialty Products Zach Carusona and Chairman & Chief Executive Officer Bryan Shinn, along with Rochelle Mayor John Bearrows and Rochelle Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Tricia Herrera.

U.S. Silica has a hand in the making of items such as plates, absorbents and bourbon. Carusona said the Rochelle Innovation Center project began in 2020. The origin of the facility goes back to 2009 when it was built as a production facility for products used in the oil field market in drilling for oil and gas.

“Unfortunately due to changes in market conditions, a few years later this facility was idle despite being state of the art,” Carusona said. “The products were just no longer in demand. However, now with reinvestment in the facility, state of the art equipment, world class people and world class scientists are here. We’re happy and proud to be back in Rochelle. This site will provide growth and innovation and allow us to have smart people in the right place with the right equipment that will help U.S. Silica and our industrial business supercharge our research and development efforts and bring more specialized products into the marketplace and further contributions to the business and the community.”

October

Ribboncutting held for Davis Family Health and Trim IV Infusions

On Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, a grand opening and ribboncutting ceremony were held for Davis Family Health and Trim IV Infusions at their new location at 450 Coronado Drive in Rochelle.

Davis Family Health is owned by Dr. Kelly Ann Tonielli Davis and offers primary care services along with physicals and weight loss programs. Trim IV Infusions is owned by Dan and Ashley Luevano and offers weight loss programs, IV therapy, vitamin shots, botox injections and more. Davis serves as Trim IV’s medical director and the businesses teamed up to expand and fill the formerly-vacant space that was previously Northwestern Medicine.

“Thanks to everyone for coming,” Davis said. “I started here with Davis Family Health in 2019. The whole reason I became a provider was because I wanted to help people. I am a doctor of nursing practice and a nurse practitioner. I was graced with Dan and Ashley coming to ask me to help them out with their business. Now we’ve expanded so we can help more people.”

Cardott retires from city

On Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, the City of Rochelle held a retirement celebration and open house for Finance Director Chris Cardott, who will retire at the end of the year after 20 years with the city.

After graduating from the University of Illinois with an accounting degree, Cardott worked at a bank in that area before moving back home and serving as president of the Northern Illinois University Credit Union for nine years. She then worked at Resource Bank in DeKalb as assistant controller from 2002-2005.

Cardott was hired by the City of Rochelle as an accountant in August 2005 and was later promoted to accounting supervisor before replacing Bob Withrow as finance director in 2008.

“I take pride in my work and anything I can make more efficient,” Cardott said. “It’s taxpayer money, and I treat it as if it were my own. There are great people here. My job changed over the years. I was in charge of human resources and risk management in the past. I worked under different city managers and with people from all of the different departments. It’s nice to get to know new people and see what their strengths are and to be able to help them succeed.”

November

Ashton’s Gomez sees chess success

Kaiden Gomez learned to play chess when he was 5 or 6 years old.

After he got older, the Ashton resident put down his chess pieces and board and stopped playing. About two years ago while building Lego, he saw a little glass chess piece and decided to start playing again. He played online and with friends. Last month, he won a national chess tournament for youth players ranked 1700 and above in Omaha, Nebraska.

“I would’ve quit if I didn’t have my friends to play with,” Gomez said. “I progressively got better and realized if I wanted to continue, I needed stronger competition. A year and a half ago, my goal was never to be a chess pro. I slowly started joining groups. I played in Naperville, Peoria, Schaumburg, and Chicago with club after club. My rating slowly got higher and higher and I got to where I am now.”

In his first tournament in Schaumburg two years ago, Gomez lost every game he played. He didn’t let that discourage him. He went to a tournament in Chicago and won five games in a row and first place. He is now a part of the state chess team online and has represented Ashton-Franklin Center High School in scholastic tournaments. The 17-year-old has played in over 50 chess tournaments.

Gomez enjoys chess because he believes it makes people smarter, and smarter people make the world a better place. It’s a game he’s always been able to understand.

“No matter how bad times get, if you always have something that you can grab onto that you have passion for, it’s great,” Gomez said. “I like the problem solving aspect of it. When I see a problem and I know that I can solve it, I just want to. And if I don’t know how, that just drives me to want to improve and know what to do in future games. I love chess because I get it.”

Focus House celebrates 50 years

On Friday, Nov. 14, 2025, a celebration event was held in honor of Focus House’s 50-year anniversary.

The Ogle County treatment facility just north of Rochelle provides a continuum of services for at-risk youths including residential, counseling, education and alternative programming.

The event saw speakers including Foundation for Focus House Board President Dave Tess, Focus House Executive Director Brenda Mason, New Hope Fellowship Church Pastor and Former Focus House Teacher Nick Tornabene, Judge John B. Roe III, Rochelle Schools Superintendent Jason Harper and Former Focus House Director Greg Martin.

“Tonight we celebrate 50 years of empowering youth,” Tess said to open the event.

Focus House offers residential treatment for males aged 12-17 in the justice system that are court ordered by a judge to go to the facility. Kids in the program eventually transition back to their homes after education, treatment and public service work at Focus House. The facility has three teachers and two paraprofessionals.

Other programming includes alternative to suspension services for kids that receive out-of-school suspension in Ogle County. Focus House also offers alternative to expulsion services and outpatient treatment for youths on probation, along with evaluations for youth and work with students at the Chana Education Center.

Royal Arcade opens

On Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, a ribboncutting ceremony was held for Royal Arcade, a new arcade space inside local ice cream shop Roiel Scoop Ice Cream at at 316 N. 6th St.

Royal Arcade features various arcade games including pinball, Skee ball, claw machines and more along with darts, pool tables and a juke box. The space is a collaboration with Star Worlds Arcade, a longtime DeKalb business that has expanded to new locations.

Roiel Scoop is owned by Jon and Marcela Nuyen, and opened in June 2024. Marcela Nuyen said at the ribboncutting that the business is always looking to bring new activities for the community, and is looking at adding a climbing wall outside in the summer for kids.

“We’ve never had more support anywhere we’ve lived or with anything we’ve ever done than we do here in Rochelle,” Jon Nuyen said. “We really appreciate all the people that come here. We look forward to being of service to people and we hope they enjoy our environment. It’s clean, fun and safe. It’s a good move for all involved.”

The Echelon coming to Rochelle

A historic and longtime vacant downtown Rochelle building will be seeing redevelopment over the next year.

At its Oct. 13, 2025 meeting, the Rochelle City Council unanimously approved a tax-increment financing (TIF) redevelopment agreement with Down Range Properties, LLC for a renovation project at 422 Cherry Ave.

Down Range Properties is owned by Matt Gerard, who also owns local gun shop Down Range Firearms at 303 Cherry Ave. The $398,152 renovation project at 422 Cherry Ave. includes tuckpointing, doors, renovation of office and residential spaces, and a roof. Gerard will receive a maximum of $199,076 in the agreement, 50 percent of the project. Upon the work’s completion, Gerard will receive a payment of $39,815.20 by each December from 2026-2030.

The 422 Cherry Ave. property has been vacant for 13 years. In a letter to city officials, Gerard said his plans for the building include transforming it into a “vibrant, multi-use facility that will directly contribute to the economic and cultural growth of the downtown district.”

Plans consist of residential units, tourism-oriented spaces, and multiple small business suites. TIF districts generate increment funding from property value increases within them, which can then be used to help fund renovation projects.

Gerard said Nov. 28 that the building will be called “The Echelon”, a unique project planned to breathe life into the 120-year old building that was previously the Savings & Loan building.

December

RCH opens behavioral health clinic

A ribboncutting event was held Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025 for Rochelle Community Hospital’s Behavioral Health Services department that launched in April.

The new department is located at the RCH Multi-Specialty Clinic at the hospital at 900 N. Second St. It is open Tuesday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Services are offered by appointment only. Call 815-561-1320 for appointment information. No walk-ins are accepted. Services are available for patients 12 years old or older. Health insurance is required for payment.

Offerings include face-to-face counseling, behavioral telehealth evaluations and medication management services.

Behavioral health providers in the clinic are Licensed Clinical Social Worker Danica Reints and Nurse Practitioner Chiedza Nwakudu. Reints provides in-person counseling services for individuals as well as couples (partners, family, parental, etc.) Nwakudu provides behavioral health evaluations and medication management through telehealth visits.

Reints and Nwakudu offer treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, couples counseling, depressive disorder, grief counseling, mood disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), personality disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorder, and suicidal thoughts or ideation.

RCH has had a desire to start a behavioral health clinic since 2022. The idea came about due to a need that was discussed in quarterly meetings that take place with RCH and local police and fire representatives and mental health organizations. The Rochelle Fire Department and the RCH emergency department have seen a rise in mental health cases in recent years.