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DeKalb County nursing center budget deficit improving

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Despite dealing with a deficit when creating the proposed $38.74 million fiscal 2026 DeKalb County budget, the county’s top official said he thinks a major budgetary stressor in recent years is beginning to wane.

When he initially set out to prepare the fiscal 2026 budget, interim DeKalb County Administrator Derek Hiland said the county appeared to be shortfunded by millions of dollars. But he has since proposed a balanced budget of $38.74 million, according to county documents.

The county has spent the past several years financing the DeKalb County Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. That institution was almost sold to a private buyer after delinquent billing and other factors left the center millions of dollars in debt.

DeKalb County provided the center, which remains under public ownership, with $9.86 million in operating expenses from fiscal 2021 to fiscal 2023, according to county documents.

“The concentration over the last three years, four years, has been the DCRNC, and – as we’re reviewing and analyzing the quarterly reports of this year alone – it seems as though things are moving in the right direction,” Hiland said.

County officials estimate that the center again will operate with a loss of $319,876 in fiscal 2026, but that annual figure would be a fraction of what the loss has been for half a decade.

“When we started this, we were over

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$2 million a year in the deficit,” Hiland said. “A lot of that was attributed to not rebidding contracts and just assuming the status quo, continually utilizing agency staffing.”

Hiland said organizing “more expedient” billing and hiring more in-house nurses have helped the county-owned nursing center to lessen its annual losses.

The proposed fiscal 2026 budget includes $200,000 for the replacement of a walk-in cooler, as well as a $504,000 transfer from the landfill host benefit

fund to the nursing center.

To shore up the couple of million dollars the county needed to balance the budget for fiscal 2026, Hiland said he proposed that the county use portions of its general reserve fund and money in the county’s tort and liability reserve funds.

“Those two elements will help offset the budget deficit,” Hiland said.

DeKalb County’s fiscal 2026 budget has not yet been approved, but it is expected to be voted on by the DeKalb County Board this month.

ON THE COVER

Officials shovel the first dirt on Friday to begin construction of the crisis shelter’s new building at 217 S. Franklin St., in DeKalb.

See story, page 6.

CORRECTIONS

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Photo by Kelsey Rettke

Mark Busch file photo

The DeKalb County Rehab and Nursing Center in DeKalb on Tuesday, Oct. 17 2023.

DeKalb County Board to mull 2025 property tax levy

By CAMDEN LAZENBY clazenby@shawmedia.com

The DeKalb County Board has not yet decided what the county’s 2025 property tax levy will be, but documents show that officials plan to continue a tax philosophy they’ve used in recent years.

The 2025-2026 DeKalb County property tax levy could be an estimated $28.2 million, with a rate of about 0.73, according to a draft budget document.

Interim DeKalb County Administrator Derek Hiland said the County Board asked him to present three options. One option would set the actual tax rate to the equivalent of what property owners paid last year, another would leave the tax rate the same, and a third would increase the tax by the legal limit.

“That [third option] was a nonstarter with our County Board members,” Hiland said.

The second option would leave the tax rate the same as last year, although taxpayers still may see an increase in how much they’re expected to pay if their home value went up from 2024.

“There’s an assumption that everyone’s property values went up a portion,” Hiland said. “If they left the tax rate the same as last year, meaning the rate doesn’t change, you’re getting additional increases based upon just everyone’s property values going up in that time frame.”

County officials estimate that the

value of existing property in DeKalb County has increased by an average of 9% over the past year, according to county documents.

Although the County Board has not taken a final vote on the 2025 (payable in 2026) property tax, Hiland expects the board to opt for an option that would reduce the tax rate proportionally to the estimated property value increases.

He said the idea is to keep the county’s portion of the 2025 property tax bill the same as the previous year’s.

“The rate would be adjusted backwards to say whatever you paid into your county portion of the tax bill would remain constant from last year to this year, to the best that is possible,” Hiland said.

The average property value increase could vary by township, but countywide officials hope the changes balance out.

While the tax philosophy keeps with the paradigms of the county’s last administrator, Hiland said the county still had to balance its budget.

“Initially, when we started, we were a couple of million dollars shortfunded,” Hiland said. “Ultimately, what the board decided to do, and what’s being presented now for adoption in December, is to actually lower the rate from last year – to have the average taxpayer in DeKalb County, or any taxpayer in DeKalb County, essentially pay the same amount they did the previous year.”

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Camden Lazenby

Interim DeKalb County Administrator Derek Hiland talks with DeKalb City Manager Bill Nicklas Dec. 2 at a DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation event in DeKalb.

Warming centers open in DeKalb County

By KELSEY RETTKE krettke@shawmedia.com

DeKalb County has warming centers throughout DeKalb, Sycamore and Genoa free to use and open to all looking for shelter during the cold season and winter weather. Those in need are asked to call the facility before traveling into the cold to ensure availability.

DeKalb

• Hope Haven, 1145 Rushmoore Drive. Call 815-787-4567. Open 24 hours daily.

• DeKalb Public Library, 309 Oak St. Call 815-756-956. Weekly hours are from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

• Unitarian Universalist Congregation of DeKalb, 158 N. Fourth St. Call 815-217-8235. Hours are from 5:30 p.m. to 8:15 a.m. Sunday through Saturday. This location doesn’t open until Jan. 3 and will close March 15.

• DeKalb Salvation Army Community Center , 830 Grove St. Call 815-756-4308. Weekly hours are from 9 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday and from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday. Closed Friday through Sunday.

• Christ Community Church , 2350 Pride Ave. Call 815-787-6161. Hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Closed Friday through Sunday. Only open when temperatures are 20 degrees or lower.

Under city of DeKalb Municipal Code, landlords must provide heat to residential buildings to maintain a room temperature of at least 68 degrees between 6:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m., and at least 62 degrees at other times.

To request a well-being check for someone who may be suffering due to extreme weather, call 815-748-8400.

To report inadequate heat in a residential building, call 815-748-2070 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. After hours, call 815-739-0745.

Sycamore

• Sycamore Police Department , 535 DeKalb Ave. Open 24 hours every day.

• Sycamore Public Library, 103 E. State St. Open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, and from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

Genoa

• Genoa Police Department, 333 E. First St. To contact the nonemergency police department for issues such as main breaks, call 815-784-6633. For emergencies, dial 911.

Mark Busch file photo

Baraa Saad, 17, of DeKalb, walks across a bridge Jan. 9, 2024, near the Lagoon at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.

Domestic violence shelter breaks ground on new facility

By KELSEY RETTKE krettke@shawmedia.com

More than three decades ago, terrified young mother Nancy Edwards journeyed to Safe Passage’s DeKalb crisis shelter with her three children seeking help.

“We were escaping violence and the first time when I walked through the doors, I felt truly safe,” Edwards said. “Safe Passage didn’t just give us a shelter, it gave us protection, it gave us guidance and strength to rebuild our lives. Because of this place, my children grew up in safety. Because of this place, I found my voice again, who I truly was.”

Edwards now is on Safe Passage’s Board of Directors and uses her story to show that better days are not only possible but ahead. She said she’s proof of what happens when the greater DeKalb community – elected officials, leaders, nonprofits, first responders, volunteers –come together to invest in survivors.

“I’m here today because this shelter, this safe passage 36 years ago lifted us up when we had nowhere to go,” Edwards said. “And it’s my honor today to help ensure every woman, every child who walks through these doors receives the same opportunity that changed my life and my children’s.”

Officials and staff with Safe Passage hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking Friday to mark the start of construction for a long-awaited new and expanded shelter

harm and the trauma that they’ve experienced,” Underwood said. “They carry fear, and they often carry pressure and stigma of trying to heal in a world that doesn’t often make space or even give them the support and services that they need. But then they walk through the doors of Safe Passage.”

The shelter first announced plans to build a new facility and began fundraising about six years ago. The former DeKalb Clinic was razed in 2020 to begin the process.

Rebecca Versluys, executive director of Safe Passage, started as a secretary at the agency 28 years ago. Now she’s leading it.

Raih said. “We stand united in our mission and in our commitment to survivors.”

That united front often includes first responders, who see up front the hazards of people trying to get out of violent situations.

“This is an important moment,” said City Manager Bill Nicklas, joined by Police Chief David Byrd. “I want to say thank you. I also want to make it very clear that the city of DeKalb, and particularly our police department, ... we stand against violence and domestic abuse.”

The shelter’s new space at Franklin and South Second streets is expected to open sometime in 2026, officials said.

at 217 Franklin St. Historically private about its address, staff have said data shows making Safe Passage’s shelter location known to the public removes barriers and improves access to those needing help.

While a capital campaign for the estimated $5 million facility remains underway, much of the money already has been raised through private donations, grants and other funds like the $2.5 million secured through the federal government with the help of U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville.

Underwood called the agency a “key pillar in DeKalb.”

“We know that survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault carry much more than the heavy weight ... of the

“Today, we’re doing more than just celebrating our new beginnings,” Versluys said. “We are building hope, and we’re creating a place where fear can end and healing will begin for our clients. This would not be possible without the incredible generosity, compassion and determination of so many people.”

Like most communities, domestic abuse has left its violent stain on the DeKalb area. The agency provides 24/7 services, including counseling, shelter and other aid, to about 300 clients per month, Versluys said.

Board president Libby Raih said she’s proud of the team effort that led to Friday’s groundbreaking.

“The journey to today hasn’t always been easy, but it has been purposeful,”

Cherry Valley-based Ringland-Johnson Construction will lead those efforts, CEO Brent Johnson said.

“Can you imagine the women that stay overnight with children in the current facility have 1.5 bathroom to share? Five bedrooms,” Johnson said. “This new one will be 3.5 times as big, 18 individual suites, plenty of bathrooms. It will have space for legal, for medical, for all kinds of counseling, helping, healing.”

Johnson and Edwards both announced additional pledges to support Safe Passage’s fundraising for the building.

“It is a beautiful, cold day,” Underwood said. “But it’s a beautiful day, our hearts are warm, and I can’t wait to see this building stood up and then be there to walk in the doors.”

Photos by Kelsey Rettke

DeKalb area officials including elected leaders, staff and supporters of Safe Passage Inc. pose for a group photo on Friday at the agency’s ceremonial groundbreaking to mark the start of construction on a new domestic violence survivor shelter at 217 Franklin St., in DeKalb.

Rebecca Versluys, executive director of Safe Passage Inc. in DeKalb, speaks on Friday at a groundbreaking ceremony for the crisis shelter’s new building.

LOOKING BACK

1925 – 100 YEARS AGO

At 7:30 o’clock this evening the first session of the DeKalb board of education’s night school will open at the Ellwood school at Lewis and Eleventh streets. The school will be open to all residents of DeKalb and anyone desiring to attend should be at the school this evening. The school will be open two nights a week, Tuesday and Thursday, from 7:30 until 9:30 o’clock. Work will be given in English, arithmetic, business accounting, mathematics, penmanship and citizenship. The school will be of much benefit to residents of this city who have as yet not secured their citizenship papers, as the work in citizenship will aid them in getting their papers that much sooner.

Although it is expected that the railroad crossing gates at Fourth street will not be used for a much longer period, painters for the Chicago & North Western railroad this morning started painting the gates. The gates are being painted the usual white and black color. According to one of the painters, this city has a large number of gates, one of the men stating that DeKalb has more gates at the railroad crossings than it has in Chicago.

Jake Plapp, the village blacksmith had his troubles yesterday while endeavoring to set some shoes on a dapple-gray horse that had been brought in from the country and proved to be a task. The horse was shy, and although it was necessary to tie up one front foot while the other one was being given attention, the animal endeavored to knock the shop to pieces. In one spell of unruliness, the animal reared up on its hind legs, its head striking the ceiling and the front foot about seven or eight feet above the floor.

Work on the new burglar alarm system for the new DeKalb Trust & Savings bank building is expected to be completed the latter part of this week. The system is one of the most modern built and will give the bank the best protection possible.

1950– 75 YEARS AGO

DeKalb was rapidly digging out from beneath the heavy drifting snow storm which buried the community Thursday and early Friday. Main highways in the area are

again open for travel but the roadways are still rough and quite slippery.

Carpenters have built a new wooden storm front over the front doors of the courthouse in Sycamore this week. The door will keep the wintry blasts from circulating through the downstairs corridors of the building entrance, but the big outer doors have proved too hard to move during cold weather and most people usually leave them open with the result that it is pretty uncomfortable in the corridors.

Chauncey B. Watson, prominent DeKalb County cattleman and civic leader was last evening installed as Governor of the Illinois Eastern Iowa district of Kiwanis International at fitting ceremonies held in the Gold Room of the Congress Hotel in Chicago.

Marvin Olson of Pleasant Street had an unusual accident Saturday at Crawfordsville, Ind. An employee of the DeKalb Agricultural Association, Mr. Olson was loading a two-wheeled cart with sacks of corn which were to be transferred to the regular truck, when the cart tipped over, and with 600 pounds of corn, fell on him. His right foot was pinned between the cart and the cement floor. He was able to drive his truck home to DeKalb and then went to the hospital for X-ray and an examination

between Taylor Street and Lincoln Highway will be reduced. The first 800 feet south of Lincoln will be 30 miles per hour and the remaining portion to Taylor will be 45 m.p.h. The current limit is 55 m.p.h.

A Burlington pilot and his 17-year-old son escaped injury Saturday morning at DeKalb Municipal Airport, after their plane was blown from the runway and struck a tree. George Jenny told DeKalb police he was landing his Beechcraft Musketeer Westbound at 9:06, when a strong gust of wind from the north forced the plane off the runway and into a tree.

A lease with MST Aviation of Belvidere to operate DeKalb Municipal Airport is expected to be approved by the city council tonight. Among least terms is a minimum $4,700 monthly rent which the city will receive from MST.

as to the amount of injury sustained. It was found no bones had been broken, although he suffered severe bruises.

The much-delayed stop lights for the State and California Streets intersection in Sycamore are finally about to become a reality, according to spokesmen for the DeKalb firm contracting for the job. Final installation work on the four new signals, one for each corner of the intersection, was begun Monday and should be completed this week, workmen said.

Approximately $163,000 was placed in the hands of Christmas shoppers in Sycamore yesterday when the Christmas savings checks were received from the National Bank and Trust Company in Sycamore.

1975 – 50 YEARS AGO

Christmas greeting to friends and neighbors will cost 10 cents if they are mailed before Dec. 28. After that date, the 10-cent stamp will join other old favorites, such as the nickel beer and the 35-cent gallon of gasoline in the “low price hall of fame.” The Office of the Postmaster General in Washington, D. C. has announced a rate increase to 13 cents for the first ounce of first-class mail.

The speed limit on Annie Glidden Road

2000 – 25 YEARS AGO

Like miniature roadside forests, they pop up every year in the abandoned parking lots, shuttered auto repair shops, and other empty spaces of towns and cities throughout northern Illinois. Independent Christmas tree dealers are a staple of the holiday season. Braving the wind and cold, and working out of empty storefronts or tiny trailers, they sell a variety of long and short needled, freshly cut trees with names like Scotch, and white pine, Fraser and balsam fir, and Colorado blue spruce.

Plans for two major shopping centers along Sycamore Road are proceeding, as retailers and developers continue to look to DeKalb as a major untapped market and the city promises high quality, nationally known stores and restaurants.

Hoping to eliminate what officials refer to as a makeshift junkyard along Sycamore Road, the state’s attorney’s office has filed its second lawsuit in five years aimed at forcing the owner of the property to clean it up. The property at 2131 Sycamore Road, once served as an animal hospital owned and operated by retired veterinarian John Nelson. It has since fallen into disrepair, with garbage, old building materials and other dilapidated items filling the small front and side yards and driveway. – Compiled by Sue Breese

Photo provided by the DeKalb County History Center Archives Looking West the DeKalb County Infirmary on Sycamore Road at Barber Greene Road, 1938.

Kishwaukee Concert Band to perform holiday concert Dec. 20

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The Kishwaukee Concert Band will perform a holiday concert to celebrate the band’s and community ensemble musicians who perform for the love of music.

The free concert will begin at 3 p.m. Dec. 20 at the Boutell Concert Hall in the Northern Illinois University Music Building, 550 Lucinda Ave., DeKalb.

“An American Christmas” includes holiday music with an American twist. “In the Bleak Midwinter,” arranged by Gustav Holst, is a setting for the melody which has a single voice reaching a climax. Marshall Wright’s version of Jay Livingston and Ray Evons “Silver Bells” was first performed by Bing Crosby and Marilyn Maxwell in the 1951 film “The Lemon Drop Kid.”

“Mary, Did You Know,” by Mark

Lowry and Buddy Green, addresses Mary, Jesus’s mother. Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” is a light orchestral standard created during a heat wave in July of 1946. “Toboggan Ride,” arranged by Stan Applebaum, features an oboe solo which accompanies a toboggan to a clearing.

Felix Mendelssohn’s “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing” is a powerful and dynamic arrangement. “Overture from Messiah” by George Frideric Handel, is an overture which capture’s the seasons essence. “Away in a Manger,” arranged by Tom Wallace, begins with a straightforward opening before entering a syncopated upbeat theme.

The Kishwaukee Concert Band is a nonprofit composed of adult volunteers who have played an instrument in the past.

For information, visit kishconcertband.com or the band’s Facebook page.

Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra to perform Holiday Pops concerts

SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com

The Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra will perform two Holiday Pops Concerts: “Winter Wonderland” to celebrate the holiday season.

The concerts will be held at 7 p.m. Dec. 12 and at 2 p.m. Dec. 14 at the Boutell Memorial Concert Hall in the Northern Illinois University Music Building, 550 Lucinda Ave., DeKalb.

The concert features holiday songs, sing-along carols and live symphonic music. Local music ensembles will perform in the concert hall’s lobby during intermission and before and after the concerts.

Tickets cost $20 for adults, $15 for seniors ages 62 and older, and $8 for children ages 12 and under and students with a valid school ID.

For information or to buy tickets, visit kishorchestra.org.

Photo provided by the Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra

The Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s Holiday Pops Concert, “Winter Wonderland,” will be performed Dec. 12 and 14.

DeKalb American Legion wreaths campaign runs through Dec.

SHAW LOCAL NEWS NETWORK contact@shawmedia.com

The DeKalb American Legion Auxiliary will hold a campaign to create holiday wreaths for DeKalb County residents to buy for veterans.

The wreaths will be available from noon to 2 p.m. Dec. 6 through Dec. 13 at the DeKalb American Legion Auxiliary Post 66, 1204 S. Fourth St.

The campaign’s goal is to provide area family members a decorated wreath for veteran homes or grave sites. The wreaths cost $15.

“We started this project in 2024 to create affordable wreaths to honor local veterans,” DeKalb American Legion Auxiliary Post 66 president Sarah

OBITUARIES

JOANNE SWAN

Joanne Conley Swan, 95, of Princeton, Il, passed on 12/01/2025.

Arrangements entrusted to Norberg Memorial Home, Inc. & Monuments, Princeton, Il. Additional information: www.norbergfh.com.

13

Newby said in a news release. “Last year, we created and sold over 40 colorfully decorated wreaths and felt this was a worthwhile campaign to continue for 2025.”

A vendor donated more than 40 wreaths and decorations to the auxiliary post. The legion also is accepting donations from individuals and organizations. The auxiliary legion will use the campaign to support the “Wreaths Across America” project.

“Wreaths Across America” is a nonprofit organization which has honored veterans by placing wreaths on grave site the second Saturday in December since 1992.

For information, call 815-751-2424 or email sarahnewby16067@gmail.com.

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DeKalb American Legion Auxiliary members assembling veteran holiday wreaths

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College heads chat about future, funding and AI

By CAMDEN LAZENBY clazenby@shawmedia.com

Northern Illinois University, Kishwaukee and Waubonsee colleges, are grappling with artficial intelligence, a changing work landscape and the loss of federal funding.

The heads of those northern Illinois higher education institutions talked about those changes during an annual business leaders event on Tuesday hosted by the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation in DeKalb.

Kishwaukee College President Laurie Borowicz said the past decade – from a budget impasse to the COVID-19 pandemic – has been a whirlwind for higher education.

“Now we’re just in a world of uncertainty,” Borowicz said. “Dr. [Lisa] Freeman, I know she’s lost federal funding. We lost a big federal grant. We got a 10-day notice that a multimillion-dollar grant was going to be gone in 10 days. This is now our reality.”

Freeman, the president of NIU, did not talk directly about the change in federal funding that was mentioned by Borowicz. Those changes in federal policy spurred Kishwaukee College to make unprecedented financial decisions.

“As far as the money, we are budgeting differently,” Borowicz said. “This year we budgeted in contingencies that we’ve budgeted in before because we know that we’ve got these federal grants that could go away.”

During what was billed as a “fireside chat” by the economic corporation, Freeman said that 90% of NIU students receive some amount of financial aid.

“Our students make up a big part of the population in DeKalb city and DeKalb County, and the challenges that they experience are the same challenges that the community experiences,” Freeman said, stressing the need to support students – who she said often have “complicated lives.”

Dozens of business leaders, city and county politicians, and community members met at Faranda’s Bangquets, 302 Grove St., DeKalb, on Tuesday morning for the annual business event.

Melissa Amedeo, executive director of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation, moderated the panel-style interview with the three higher educational institution leaders. Kishwau-

kee College is in Malta and Waubonsee Community College has campuses in Sugar Grove, Aurora and Plano. .

Waubonsee president Brian Knetl answered questions alongside Freeman and Borowicz. He said he likes to approach partnerships with other educational institutions through a lens of collaboration, not competition.

“We just had a meeting a couple of weeks ago about,” Knetl said. “We’ve always had good transfer agreements with NIU, but we’re looking at what that next level of transfer looks like.”

The goal is for every credit earned at Waubonsee Community College to be eligible to be transferred to NIU, he said.

Knetl, Freeman and Borowicz all said changing technology, including AI, has significantly altered how their educational institutions operate in recent years. For NIU, that means taking an approach Freeman called “high-tech, high-touch.”

“If you’re a student living in our residence hall and you stop going to class, the first notification that you get is from our mission AI chatbot that tells you that your absence has been noticed and you better get to class,” Freeman said.

If the “high-tech” part doesn’t work, a residence hall advisor will knock on the student’s door, Freeman said.

The annual business breakfast event was attended by numerous members of the business community, including Meta. Tara Tenorio, of Meta’s DeKalb data center, told the crowd that she admires the community’s tenacity and desire to build its business sector.

“Every time I look out into this room, I see a community not just of dreamers and visionaries who have brought such tremendous growth to the region, but also of folks who are willing to dig in and help,” Tenorio said.

On Monday night, dozens packed into a DeKalb Public Library room for a city public hearing related to a proposed 560acre data center campus by Endeavour Energy, which also has a data center in Aurora. The DeKalb City Council has yet to approve the development, though city officials have publicly backed it to date.

In remarks during the hearing, local businessman Jamie Walter of Whiskey Acres Distilling Co. said he believes DeKalb is a “a nexus” and leaders should carefully balance the need for economic growth with maintaining the city’s “agricultural character.”

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LOCAL NEWS BRIEFS

DeKalb library’s Santa visits begin Dec. 16

Families with children have three opportunities to visit with Santa Claus at the DeKalb Public Library.

The free visits will be held from 9:30 to noon Dec. 16, from 10:30 a.m. to noon Dec. 17, and from 10 a.m. to noon Dec. 20 in the library’s children’s department, 309 Oak St. Children can talk and have a photo taken with Santa. Library staff will be available to take pictures. Santa’s helper also will provide a treat and holiday coloring picture. No registration is required.

For information, email theresaw@dkpl.org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 3350.

DeKalb library to host holiday craft event Dec. 11

The DeKalb Public Library will host an event for residents to create a gingerbread house box to store small Christmas gifts. The free event will begin at 5 p.m. Dec. 11 in the library’s 09 Creative makerspace, 309 Oak St.

Participants will be able to make a gingerbread house box. Attendees also can create gingerbread layered ornaments and

decorate a doll chain with pre-cut hats, bows, and candies. Because of limited space, the event is first-come, first-served. For information, email annas@dkpl.org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 2851.

Seated fitness sessions set for Dec. 10 and 11 in DeKalb

Adults of all fitness abilities will be able to participate in two seated fitness sessions at the DeKalb Public Library.

The free sessions will be held at 10:30 a.m. Dec. 10 and 11 in the library’s lower-level Zimmerman Meeting Room, 309 Oak St.

The sessions will include seated fitness routines. Participants are encouraged to wear breathable clothes. No registration is required.

For information, email amyf@dkpl.org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 6108.

Sycamore church to host live Nativity and chili supper Dec. 13

The Lutheran Church of St. John will host a live Nativity and chili supper to celebrate Christmas.

The free event will be from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Dec. 13 at the church, 26555

Brickville Road, Sycamore. Participants can view the Nativity. A chili supper also will be served.

Arcomusical to perform Dec. 12 in DeKalb

The DeKalb Public Library will host an after-hours concert featuring Arcomusical.

The free concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 12 in the library’s main lobby, 309 Oak St.

Arcomusical will perform holiday music. Children can hold and play the group’s instruments after the concert. The doors to the library open at 6 p.m. No registration is required.

For information, email samanthah@dkpl. org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 1701.

Pizza and PowerPoint program set for Dec. 15 in DeKalb

The DeKalb Public Library will offer a program for adults and teens to share a PowerPoint about a personal interest. The free program will begin at 6 p.m. Dec. 15 in the library’s lower-level Zimmerman Meeting Room, 309 Oak St. Attendees can share a 5- to 10-minute PowerPoint about a favorite topic, hobby or

obsession. A projector will be provided. Pizza also will be served. No registration is required.

For information, email amyf@dkpl.org or call 815-756-9568, ext. 6108.

Kishwaukee College to hold fall 2025 commencement ceremony Dec. 13

Kishwaukee College will host a commencement ceremony for its fall semester graduates this month.

The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Dec. 13 in the college’s gymnasium, 21193 Malta Road, Malta.

The ceremony honors graduates earning science, fine arts, engineering science, general studies, arts and applied science degrees. Students also will be honored with certificates of completion, Illinois high school diplomas and short-term program credentials.

Attendees can enter the gymnasium through doors six or 58. Parking is available in Lot B.

For information, call 815-825-9786 or email janderson8@kish.edu.

– Shaw Local News Network

AMUSEMENTS

VERY LARGE LIVE PUBLIC AUCTIO N

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13th, 2025

RUNNING TWO RINGS! 9:00 AM

Lunch by: Moni Comfort Station Avai lable

LOCATI ON: Boone Co. Fairgr ounds 8847 Rt. 76, Belvidere, IL 61 008 ANTIQUES, COLLECTIBLES, HOUSEHOLD, YAR D, TOOLS & MISC DRESS FOR THE WEATH ER!

Belvider e, IL 61008 815-988-0249 cell

OW NERS: J. Hill , G. Gessner, R. Case, V. Hemmer, B. Backe, L. Ca rd inet, R. Morave AUCTI ONE ER: LYLE LEE

IL State Li cen se #440.000200 WI # 2863-52 CLERKS & CASH IE RS: LEE AUCTION SER VICE

ss COUNTY OF DEKALB In the Circuit Court of DeKalb County. In the Matte r of the estate of Jerry Osland, decedent

Adoption No 2025PR16

NOTICE IS GIVEN of the death of the within named Letters of Office have been issued as set forthh ei to the appropriate rs, whose attorney n:

Decedent: Jerr Sandwich, Illinoi

Date of Deat h: February 2, 2025

Type of Letters Issued: Letters Testamentary Issued to: Gary Fatland, Administrator

Attorney for Estate: Attorney William L. Hotopp

222 E. Church Street Sandwich, Illinois 60548

Publis her's Notice: All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housin g Act which makes it il legal to advertise "any preference, li mitation or discrimination based on race color, religion, sex, handic ap, familial stat us or nati onal origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation of discrimination." Familial stat us includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18 This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violat io n of the law. Ou r readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis To complain of discrimination call HUD 1- 800-669-9777 Hearing impaired number is 1-800-927-9275

Claims against the Estate may be filed in the office of the Clerk of the Ci rcuit Court of DeKalb County, DeKalb County Courthouse, Sycamore, Illinois, or with the Admin istrator or both within six (6) mont hs from the date of issuance of Letters of the date of the first publication of this Notice, whichever is later. Any cl aim not filed within hat period is barred. Copies of a cl aim filed with the Clerk must be mailed or delivered within te n (10) days after it has been filed. Le tters of the Office we re issued on March 28, 2025

Dated: December 1, 2025

Lori Grubbs, Clerk. Attorney William L. Hotopp 222 E. Church Street Sandwich, Illinois 60548

815-786-7770

(Published in The Midweek Dec. 10, 17, 24, 2025) 2291190