Check out some of the top news and feature pictures captured Daily Chronicle photographers in 2025

Column: As we close out the year, we look forward to continuing our mission of guiding, inspiring and promoting our member businesses, writes Shirley Mott of the Batavia Chamber of Commerce.

Wild Rose Casino & Hotel in Clinton, Iowa, will present Fool House – The Ultimate 90’s Party: The Millennium Tour on Friday, March 20, in the Oakwood Grand Ballroom.

The Kishwaukee College Foundation recently awarded $124,250 in program enhancement funds for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Teenagers in sixth through 12th grades are invited to sound off against DeKalb Public Library teen staff in various games to celebrate winter break.

Adults 18 and older will be able to create personalized take-home dryer balls during a hands-on program at the DeKalb Public Library.

Kashmir, a Led Zeppelin tribute band, will perform at the Sandwich Opera House Dec. 27.

DeKalb School District 428 has its finalist for new superintendent, and its a familiar face, according to a Tuesday announcement.

OSF HealthCare Saint Katharine Medical Center joined the Sauk Valley Area Chamber of Commerce on Thursday, Dec. 18, to celebrate the ribboncutting for the OSF Saint Katharine Center for Health – Sterling.

Here are some of the top images we captured from news and events that happened across Kendall County in 2025

The League of Women Voters of Glen Ellyn will present its first community meeting of the new year on Jan. 15, which will include the State of the Village presentation

Wheaton has partnered with Recycle Coach, an online platform which connects residents with local recycling and garbage disposal information.

Elmhurst University alumna Alyssa De Jesus recently was among the winners of a nationwide contest for independent filmmakers, with her heartwarming comedy “40 Before 40.”

Westmont's updated water distribution rates will go into effect starting late in January

The Glen Ellyn Park District will hold the Last Chance Burn on Dec. 31, a morning of group fitness classes designed to get participants moving while supporting the Glen House Food Pantry.

DuPagePads will begin offering an overnight warming site at their Access Center, 703 W. Liberty Dr. in Wheaton.

The Kane County Health Department is promoting a video campaign to encourage people to carry naloxone with them during the holidays, as it is a vulnerable time for those struggling with substance abuse.

OSF HealthCare Saint Katharine Medical Center, located at 403 E. First St. in Dixon, is enhancing its commitment to area moms by offering an expanded selection of classes and support groups, now hosted in a newly designed space called The Mom Spot at Town Square Centre clinic.

Trees were lit, parades were held and snow even made a major appearance in early December. Though this Christmas may not be white, festivities throughout DeKalb County spread holiday cheer in communities near and far. Take a look back at some highlights:

The DuPage Foundation has awarded $100,000 in emergency food response grants to five agencies to help fight food insecurity.

A longtime Sycamore educator’s life and legacy is being honored with a new endowment fund.

Kishwaukee College recently recognized 26 students for completing the college’s registered nursing program during a pinning ceremony.

Since its 1988 founding by Wheaton residents Mark Milligan and the late Bob Wahlgren, Bridge Communities has worked with more than 1,000 families to secure housing

Oak Brook police officers rescued the driver of a car engulfed in flames following a high-speed crash early Sunday morning.

Generations Woven is a newly launched podcast and community project created by Tasha Garcia, Judy Randall and Nerina Human – three women from different generations with a shared mission to bring women together through honest conversation, reflection, and connection.

The Illinois Community College Board has announced $9.3 million in Innovative Bridge and Transition grants to support initiatives that help Illinois residents transition more effectively into postsecondary education, job training, and high-demand careers.

Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is proud to be recognized by Community Colleges for Iowa with multiple honors as part of the 2025 Outstanding Community College Awards. EICC includes Clinton, Muscatine and Scott community colleges.

The Lee-Ogle-Whiteside Regional Spelling Bee will be Thursday, Feb. 19, at Dixon High School. Sponsors are the First National Bank in Amboy, Sauk Valley Media and Lee-Ogle-Whiteside Regional Office of Education.

Torrie Nelson of Sterling was named to the fall 2025 dean’s list at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais.

Santa delivered gifts to over 120 kids through the through Blue and Red Christmas for Kids in Peru. The Christmas program was established in 2013 by the Peru police and fire departments. It donates more than gifts to children in need.

Firefighters from Malden, Bureau, Walnut, Princeton, Spring Valley, Ladd and Wyanet responded to a structure fire in the 300 block of South Chestnut Street on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025 in Princeton. Flames could be seen when the fire departments arrived coming from the second story. The fire happened shortly after 5:15p.m.

The DeKalb Public Library will host an event for disabled residents ages 16 and older and their caregivers to socialize and interact with each other.

Children ages four to 13 can celebrate the winter solstice during a program at the DeKalb Public Library.

The Geneva Historic Preservation Commission unanimously denied a third request Tuesday from developer Shodeen to demolish a circa-1840 former blacksmith shop after a 90-minute public hearing. Some commissioners accused Shodeen of turning the property into an eyesore.

'A Magical Motown Christmas' will perform the music of The Jackson 5, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes and more at the Egyptian Theatre Friday, Dec. 19.

The DeKalb County History Center’s new $1.8 million outdoor expansion is expected to open in May.

An Elgin woman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years in prison in the starvation and torture of a child in her care. "In my many years as a prosecutor, this is one of the most disturbing cases I have encountered," Assistant State’s Attorney Lori Schmidt said.

Current Campton Hills officer Douglas Kucik pleaded not guilty to felony charges related to illegal gun sales in a court appearance this month. Three others charged, two former officers and a former chief, also appeared in court.

Safe Passage, DeKalb County’s only domestic violence and sexual assault crisis center, is one step closer to tying up the final step needed to build a new facility in DeKalb.

Some streets in Sycamore will no longer have street parking on school days, and others will have reduced speed limits after the Sycamore City Council approved changes to the city’s road laws this week. City Manager Michael Hall said the changes are meant to make streets safer.

A DeKalb commission, tasked with advising the City Council on planning and zoning matters, has voted in support of a pair of measures to allow a special education day school in town.

Column: Elevate, DeKalb County's young professionals program, is getting a reboot, writes Jessi Haish LaRue. The group helps young people feel connected where they live and work – because when people are engaged and invested, they’re more likely to stay and build their lives here

A new veterans service and veteran impact organization is expected to open up soon in DeKalb’s Junction Shopping Center. Also on site at 854 W. Lincoln Highway is the nonprofit home of Made In DeKalb, a new training center for customized textile manufacturing.

Columnist Tom Weitzel asks whether justice is always blind or is sometimes "bent to power" when individuals with political pull are involved?

Whiteside County deputies took children shopping Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, during their annual Shop with a Cop event in Sterling. - Photos by Brian Hurley

A Wheaton middle school teacher shares memories from her trip to Costa Rica's cloud forest with other educators

Storytime is a 30-minute drop-in program each Thursday evening designed for families with preschool through early elementary-aged kids.

Column: It’s important to reclaim a pocket of silence every now and then. In a way it’s an act of resistance to the bombardment of sensory stimuli all around us, particularly at the holidays, writes Joan Budilovsky.

Palmer College of Chiropractic has campuses in Davenport and Port Orange, Fla.

A 51-year-old Geneva woman was charged with multiple felonies after police alleged she spit in an officer’s mouth and threatened to attack her neighbors, records show.