News, articles, photos and information about DeKalb, Illinois from the Daily Chronicle and Shaw Local
Kishwaukee College recently recognized outgoing Board of Trustees Secretary Kathleen Spears and Trustee Kathleen Watkins.
Have you ever felt rejuvenated in the great outdoors? You’re invited to join in a walk with a certified forest therapy guide.
Oakwood Cemetery, 611 to 615 N. First St. in DeKalb Township, could be getting ready for an expansion thanks to a local church.
The Kishwaukee College Foundation is accepting nominations for its 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award.
The DeKalb Public Library will hold a teen advisory group meeting for teens in sixth through 12th grade to earn volunteer hours and develop interpersonal skills.
The DeKalb County History Center will host the next program in its seasonal cooking series to build its “Food Gathering Around the Table” exhibit.
DeKalb city leaders are one step closer to replacing the last of the lead service lines in town.
A Malta couple behind a horror-themed coffee shop is eying a September grand opening. The venue, once it opens, would make for the first of its kind in DeKalb.
Teens in ninth through 12th grade can study for finals during study sessions held at the DeKalb Public Library.
The DeKalb County History Center will partner with the Sycamore Public Library to host monthly garden story times for children ages 3 to 6 and their families.
The Kishwaukee Archers Club will host Safari Club International’s outdoor 3D shoot. The shoot will be from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 17 and from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 18 at the club, 28250 Lukens Road, Sycamore.
An ex-suburban Chicago police officer has pleaded guilty to getting behind the wheel while drunk in 2023, causing a crash that killed DeKalb mother and grandmother Graciela Reza Contreras.
To help ensure continuity of service, the DeKalb City Council at a recent meeting gave a green light to solidify an agreement between the city and a local mental health clinic to embed social workers in police response to behavioral health concerns.
The DeKalb Public Library will host an after-hours performance featuring the Korean Performing Arts Institute of Chicago.
The University of Illinois Extension will offer guided wildflower walks for Mother’s Day.
Four new school board members took the oath of office to serve on the DeKalb School District 428 Board this week.
In her exit speech this week, outgoing DeKalb School Board President Deyci Ramirez touted what she called her commitment to equity, access and accountability.
Three teenagers have been arrested and charged in connection to a Monday shooting in DeKalb, police said Thursday.
The Stage Coach Players will open its next production, the drama play “Radium Girls,” May 8. The play is scheduled to run in DeKalb for two weeks.
If you’ve ever walked the hallways at Lincoln Elementary School in DeKalb, you may have noticed a buzz among students, faculty and staff about the Iditarod.
Jenni Smith, a veteran educator who’s been teaching for about 25 years, said she always likes to remind her eighth-grade math students at Huntley Middle School in DeKalb that you can’t get from the bottom to the top-most landing without doing all the steps in between.
May 1 wasn’t just National Principal’s Day for Jefferson Elementary’s Melanie Bickley. She also received a surprise: She was named Administrator of the Year by the Illinois Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.
Educators from across DeKalb County recently received accolades for their teaching at an annual awards ceremony meant to highlight local learning.
Few educators wear as many hats as Mark Sykes, according to testimony from colleagues who recently sang his praises for an award recognition. Sykes, a 32-year veteran educator with DeKalb School District 428, has been named the 2025 Wirtz Award for Excellence in Education recipie
J.D. Oliva shares how his background as a wrestler and freelance documentary filmmaker and writer has informed his approach to teaching and coaching wrestling at DeKalb High School.
Some of our favorite photos from our special Thank You Teachers edition at the Daily Chronicle featuring some amazing educators.
A team of social workers are continuing to collaborate with the DeKalb Police Department in the social worker liaison program.
Wednesday marks two years since DeKalb police found 15-year-old Gracie Sasso-Cleveland. dead. And while the man responsible has since pleaded guilty, he’s not yet received a prison sentence. “Losing a child changes you in every way,” her mom Ericka Sasso said.
DeKalb police are investigating a shooting Monday night outside apartment buildings on Kimberly Drive. Police Chief David Byrd said no victims or suspects have been identified as of about 8 p.m.
A DeKalb church is inviting the community to a music event this month.
The DeKalb Public Library will host two Teen and Tween Chess Club sessions for youth ages 9 to 18 to play chess.
Those still needing to exchange their plastic I-Pass transponder for the new window stickers used by the Illinois Tollway will have another chance in DeKalb this week.
School resource officers from the DeKalb Police Department are here to stay for at least the next five years in DeKalb schools.
Kishwaukee College will host its annual hybrid spring plant sale May 8 and 9 to support its horticulture program.
The DeKalb Public Library will host a program May 6 about language and communication as part of its Cross-Cutting Conversations on Migration series.
Here’s where Rooted for Good's mobile food pantry will be in DeKalb County in May. The pantry is offered free for all who come, no requirements necessary.
Back Alley Market is returning to downtown DeKalb for Mother’s Day weekend, offering a chance for shoppers to browse all kinds of local wares and crafts.
Workers’ rights, immigration, and higher education free of government oversight were among issues protesters decried Saturday as under attack by the Trump administration, urging the large crowd gathered in DeKalb to put “unrelenting” pressure on legislators to push back.
A DeKalb man has been charged with 15 counts of circulating materials online, including video and photographs, depicting child sexual abuse, court records show.
Downtown DeKalb filled with families on Sunday for the annual Cinco de Mayo Celebration, which brought live music, NIU's Ballet Folklorico Aztlan dancers, food trucks and more. The free celebration goes until 8 p.m. Sunday.
Learn about the art of kitbashing during a program May 4 at the DeKalb Public Library.
The DeKalb Public Library will host a workshop Sunday for sewing machine maintenance.
The DeKalb County Mental Health Board and the Living Room at Ben Gordon Center will host the second annual “In My Shoes: Art for Hope and Healing from Mental Illness” art showcase in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month.
Protesters again gathered Saturday at Hopkins Park in DeKalb for a May Day Rally for Democracy, speaking out against what they argue are the unlawful policies and failures of President Donald Trump and his administration.
DeKalb city leaders could soon discuss whether to implement a local grocery tax as the state’s 1% grocery tax expires in 2026. “We’re not talking about a tax increase. The only thing we’re talking about is keeping the existing tax in place," Mayor Cohen Barnes said.
In case you missed it: The city of DeKalb‘s fourth fire station, 1130 S. Malta Road, is officially in service. Take a look inside the new space.
More than $1.6 million was raised by thousands of donors for dozens of DeKalb County nonprofits this week. And organizers are still counting.
A Sycamore therapy clinic that offers therapy for mental health, married couples, individuals, first responders, and specialized group therapy for gender diverse and intersex adults recently reopened at a new location.
Trees are budding, flowers are blooming and animals are emerging from their winter haunts as spring is gaining a foothold in DeKalb County.
A DeKalb man who pleaded guilty in February to murdering teenager Gracie Sasso-Cleveland in 2023 won’t be sentenced as planned this week. Instead, Timothy Doll, 31, has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, court records show.