Dozens of protesters occupied the corner of Lincoln Highway and North First Street in downtown DeKalb on Friday, taking part in a nationwide May Day rally to advocate for workers’ rights.

Mayor Cohen Barnes said this week that he met with some downtown DeKalb business owners to discuss a proposal that would allow patrons to drink and walk around downtown. The proposal still needs final City Council approval.

Local activists held a May Day rally on Friday at Memorial Park in downtown DeKalb to advocate for workers’ rights and push for billionaires to be taxed amid cost-of-living burdens they argue are hurting everyday Americans.

Tom & Jerry's held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday to kick off the rebuilding of the restaurant in its previous location of 1670 DeKalb Ave. in Sycamore. The restaurant was destroyed by a fire on Jan. 31 and is currently operating at its temporary location at 265 W. Peace Road in Sycamore.

Downtown DeKalb will play host to the third annual Cinco de Mayo celebration on Sunday. The free, family-friendly event features a wagon parade at noon, a car show, live performances and other activities.

The Kishwaukee Symphony Orchestra will perform a “Springtime in Vienna” concert on Saturday to conclude its 49th concert season.

The Rotaract Club of Sycamore will host Pints for Pups on Saturday, a fun, dog-friendly outdoor market on Saturday, designed to bring together pet lovers while supporting impactful local nonprofits.

The Aruna Project will hold its fourth annual Aruna Run and Walk on Saturday to support its mission and victims of human sex trafficking.

Opinion: If enacted, the funding formula would drive an additional $148 million investment to NIU over a decade. This would be transformative, write NIU President Lisa Freeman and DeKalb County Economic Development Co. Executive Director Melissa Amedeo.

Six people, including three minors, were hospitalized Thursday after a two-vehicle rollover crash in Kingston at Pleasant Hill and Baseline roads, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office

Non-disclosure agreements can silence victims and prevent information from being shared between organizations. Suspected offenders often move between coaching jobs in different jurisdictions and statutes of limitations prevent prosecution of older allegations.

Authorities responded to a DeKalb apartment fire caused by a failed battery source in a bedroom overnight Thursday. The DeKalb Fire Department urged residents to remember the importance of fire safety for lithium-ion battery-powered sources.

Sycamore Middle School is set to open its spring production, the musical “The Wizard of Oz,” May 1.

Local activists will stage a May Day rally on Friday in DeKalb to advocate for workers’ rights and push for billionaires to be taxed amid rising gas prices, the Iran War and cost-of-living burdens they argue are hurting everyday Americans.

DeKalb residents should expect to see a 3.5% increase in fees for the water they use, an estimated $1.55 more per month on future bills for an “average” single-family household. The increase was approved by the City Council this week, citing rising costs

As Shaw Media celebrates its 175th anniversary, we looked back at four front pages from April 30

Downtown DeKalb's free, family-friendly Cinco de Mayo event is from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, May 3.

A $5.3 million water main project was greenlit by the DeKalb City Council this week to aid incoming development on DeKalb’s south side, including a 560-acre Edged data center approved in December.

‘Child abuse thrives in secrecy,’ say DeKalb County advocates working to help children live safer lives. At CASA DeKalb County, court-appointed trained advocates are there to prioritize every child's needs.

Since 2022, Safe Passage’s sexual assault response program has helped 1,388 adult survivors and 482 child survivors, staff said. In 2025, Safe Passage provided 4,417 nights of shelter for adults and 1,982 nights for children.

In an unusual move and at the request of the defendant, a judge on Wednesday set a jury trial to determine the fitness of a Sycamore man accused of murder in the 2025 killings of his parents, Holly Schmidt and Gary Schmidt

A program that helps incoming DeKalb District 428 kindergartners get comfortable with their classroom environment before school starts is expanding for the second year.

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) DeKalb County and Family Service Agency held a Hands Around the Courthouse event Wednesday in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore to mark Child Abuse Prevention Month.

CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) DeKalb County and Family Service Agency invite the community to Hands Around the Courthouse, at noon Wednesday in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore to mark Child Abuse Prevention Month.

DeKalb elementary students celebrated the Earth this Arbor Day by planting a new tree and even giving it a name: Lincoln Legend.

Authorities are investigating a reported burglary at a Malta convenience store, according to the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities on Tuesday identified the man killed in a police shooting on Interstate 88 after a multi-county chase that ended in Maple Park near the DeKalb-Kane county line.

From the Illinois Answers Project: Mental health courts have proliferated across Illinois in recent decades. Now, the state has 31 courts across 25 counties. There’s at least one in most of the state’s judicial circuits, but about two million Illinoisans are still left out.

Column: The founders staked this country’s future on its land, and what we do with that land now tells the truth about whether we meant any of it, writes Shaun Langley of DeKalb's Citizens' Environmental Commission.

Some traffic signals may be flashing or otherwise impacted during ongoing intersection maintenance work expected to begin on May 1 in Sycamore. The work is mostly concentrated along Route 64 in the city's downtown.

Extension expands ADA-compliant restroom accommodations to include a changing station for individuals with disabilities weighing over 50 pounds, helping Illinois children and adults with severe mobility issues or other disabilities comfortably and privately use these facilities.

Update: A person died in a shooting involving police along Interstate 88 after a multi-county police chase from the suburbs into DeKalb County on Monday.

As tornadoes hit Northern Illinois, millions are turning to livestreaming weather creators instead of traditional forecasts — raising new questions about how people stay safe

Strong to severe storms are expected across northern Illinois on Monday, with the greatest risk for damaging winds and hail arriving late afternoon into the evening

Northern Illinois University STEAM recently was awarded a USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture grant to help teachers prepare students for food systems careers.

A DeKalb County leader whose work boosts economic development in the area was honored this week at the 2026 Women to Watch conference in Springfield.

Catch up on the week’s top DeKalb County news in minutes for the week of April 19-25. Hear the week’s 5 most popular stories, read aloud for you

If the funds are approved for Somonauk Fire, the agency would use them to replace and upgrade the department’s inventory of oxygen equipment firefighters use on call.

A single-family home in Kirkland that sold for $540,000 tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in DeKalb County in the past week.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-Naperville, has requested $1.7 million in federal dollars for the public library in Shabbona to help modernize the outdated building and support its community programs.

About 3:24 a.m. Saturday, Oswego police were dispatched to the 200 block of Concord Drive South for a report of shots fired, according to a news release.

The DeKalb Masonic Lodge 144 will offer a community safety and health day for community members to learn about fire safety, health and police safety.

Safe Passage will mark the 25th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month with the return of Take Back the Night and a vigil featuring Carrie Ward, CEO of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

Column: At its core, our mission is to generate economic impact and promote DeKalb County as a premier destination for business and leisure travel, writes Cortney Strohacker of the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The city of DeKalb is amending some public bus routes starting May 1 in an effort to better assess whether there’s a need for expanded transit services to accommodate riders. Route 12 to Elburn Metra and Route 19 will be impacted

A person suffered minor injuries after they were cut by a knife during an incident outside 7/11 in DeKalb early Friday morning, Police Chief David Byrd said.

Local organizers are hosting a public rally Saturday in downtown DeKalb to protest the use of warehouses as detention centers for federal immigration enforcement.

The DeKalb County History Center will be the new host of the Sycamore Farmers Market starting this year. The outdoor space is part of the history center's ongoing expansion project.

A DeKalb County jury this week found a southern Illinois man guilty of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child. He faces between 30 and 120 years in prison

The projects across the 14th Congressional District, which would come under federal Community Project Funding initiative, range from protecting clean drinking water to strengthening access to quality health care in rural communities to public transit systems.