Megann Horstead

The DeKalb School District 428 Board took a first look at its Fiscal 2026 budget this week.

DeKalb City Council approved cannabis tasting rooms in a pair of unanimous decisions this week. “I think that this is so unique and just a brilliant business model," 1st Ward alderwoman Carolyn Zasada said.

About 30 people gathered in Prairie Park this week to provide feedback to the DeKalb Park District which is considering ways to improve the park’s user experience for area residents.

Heartland Bank soon will have a new location to call its own along Grove Street in DeKalb. The bank's Grove Street plans were greenlit this week.

To better serve students and families in a space of their own, DeKalb School District 428 this week finalized the purchase of Mitchell Elementary School just in time for the start of classes this fall.

At her first town hall in DeKalb this month, freshman lawmaker and state Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, D-Ottawa, spoke about the effects that federal funding cuts could have on rural schools and food banks.

A state freshman lawmaker is proposing new bills targeting action against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, but she’s not fully optimistic they’ll change anything.

Eyemart Express, a national optical retailer dedicated to providing focused eyecare at an affordable price, is expanding to northern Illinois with a location along Sycamore Road in DeKalb.

The DeKalb Park District is hosting an open house on Wednesday, hoping to solicit community feedback about ways to improve the experience at Prairie Park.

DeKalb District 428 could close early and under budget on a purchase agreement to secure the ownership to Mitchell Elementary School just in time for the start of classes this fall. The building used to house NIU's School of Nursing.

Big O’s Barbecue, a food truck turned walk-up storefront known for its rib tips, links and chicken, opened this month at a new spot in DeKalb.

Plans for Heartland Bank to build a new drive-thru facility along Grove Street received preliminary support from DeKalb city leaders this week.

A DeKalb cannabis dispensary has been given the green light this week to move forward with plans to open a tasting room. “We also want to use it as a means to bring the community together as well to use it as an education for cannabis," owner Maria Davis said.

DeKalb mom Kassandra Santos wants lawmakers and others to know that her 1-year-old daughter, Marely's life depends on 24/7 in-home health care funded mostly through Medicaid. But as Medicaid cuts loom under President Trump's new budget bill, what about Marely's longterm care?

Officials with DeKalb schools recently said they’ve been engaged with Sycamore district leaders over a possible agreement that could help both districts utilize new space to benefit pre-kindergarten students.