1925 – 100 Years Ago

Another petition for paving has been presented to the board of local improvements it is understood. The board, which had a meeting on Tuesday evening at the close of the regular session of the DeKalb city council, were presented with a petition signed by residents of South Seventh street, who wish to have the street paved from Franklin to where Roosevelt Road would have intersected the street.

No home is complete without goldfish, plants and a canary, and we’re ready to supply the goldfish without cost. Just buy a 50-cent package of Lac-Lax and get a bowl and two fish free. You may see them in our window. We’ve quite a lot of them but they’re going fast.

Many people of DeKalb are making plans to attend the Fun Frolic which is to be given tomorrow evening at the Armory under the auspices of the Headquarters company. A number of invitations have been mailed, and there is certain to be a large crowd. A splendid program of entertainment has been arranged, and dancing will be in order from 8:30 until midnight.

Where are all the beets coming from is the question that has been asked many times, and it seems that each day sees two carloads or more of sugar beets shipped out of Malta. It is evident the crop this year was a heavy one, as there have been many carloads sent to the factory at Janesville during the last few weeks.

The Chronicle was scarcely off the press before candidates began calling the campaign manager and asking if it were really true that a Wurlitzer Grand Piano was to be given for just three weeks of work. It is true and all our workers are delighted. Several of them called personally at the office last night and wanted to start early on this snappy little race. Subscriptions are already coming in and if you are thinking of working for this special prize you better get busy.

Many residents of this city will go to Sycamore Sunday to attend the services which will dedicate the new St. Mary’s parochial school in that city. Following the dedication service confirmation will be given. The service is of such interest that no doubt a large attendance will be present from DeKalb and the surrounding community.

1950– 75 Years Ago

Hiawatha Community Unit District they call it now, but it does not make a bit of difference to the folks around Kirkland. It’s the old Kirkland High School they remember, but is has just grown up and now is wearing long pants. The new district with the fancy name serves three times as much territory as the old high school. It runs two high schools and five grade school, but fundamentally it still is in the business of providing an education for the youngsters from the Kirkland area.

This morning DeKalb has its first taste of winter with snow flurries being noted shortly before 7 o’clock. The snow flurries followed several days of balmy and unseasonable weather. On Wednesday afternoon the mercury started dropping and yesterday and today it was much colder.

The $300,000 addition to the Sycamore Municipal Hospital will be shown in its completed form to the general public at an open house from 2 to 4 o’clock Sunday afternoon. Begun nearly two years ago, the large project paid for the donation and contributions from individuals, clubs, organizations, business firms and organized groups has been completed and is ready for use.

With ideal weather prevailing for the past several days, good progress is being made on the street improvement project in DeKalb, which includes the widening and improving of portions of North Second, South Second and Third and South Sixth Street. The widening work on the portion of North Second has been completed and curbs and gutters are being constructed for this section. The Stahl Construction Company of Somonauk has the contract for this street work, the cost of which will be paid from motor fuel tax funds.

Mrs. Blanche Sheaffer, Waterman, and her young daughter, jumped from their car which stalled on the North Western tracks at Fourth Street and the Lincoln Highway in DeKalb shortly before the car was struck and demolished by an east bound freight. Mrs. Sheaffer was driving north on Fourth street when her auto stalled on the tracks. She was unable to start the motor and when she noted the freight train approached from the west, grabbed her daughter and jumped out.

Apparently starting near ground level, and sweeping through the entire structure, a fire late yesterday afternoon completely destroyed a large barn on the John White farm in Malta. The blaze was noted by Mr. White and family as they sat down to the evening meal. Fanned by a heavy wind from the northwest the blaze went through the entire barn, as well as a large adjoining shed which was built only last spring and was attached to the barn.

1975 – 50 Years Ago

DeKalb County will be the victim of two tornadoes Thursday night. These tornados however, will lack high winds and destruction. Thursday’s tornadoes will be simulated. They will be used as the basis for an emergency operations simulation for the DeKalb County Civil Defense units. No alarms or sirens will be sounded, the public will not be involved in any way, and no equipment will be moved.

Response from thousands of high schools and colleges throughout the country to a new collection of music for the Bicentennial celebration has been uniformly enthusiastic, according to Frank Bredeson, store manager of JC Penney in DeKalb. Thirty-five new and historically important compositions reflecting America’s 200-year musical heritage were scored, arranged and printed for distribution to America’s high school and colleges.

Lynette “Squeaky’ Fromme, a red-haired apostle of mass murderer Charles Manson, today becomes the first person to stand trial on a federal charge of trying to assassinate a president.

The Rock Island Line has won court permission to lease 300 covered hopper cars to help move this year’s bumper Midwest grain harvest.

2000 – 25 Years Ago

Officials with the DeKalb Firefighters Pension Fund may sue a former financial-management company accused of putting the fund’s assets into unnecessary risky investments. In June, fund administrators told the City Council that from 1994-99 the amount of money the fund would need to cover benefits in coming years was outstripping the amount it was collecting, to the tune of about $5 million.

The long-stalled Genoa Road railroad viaduct project is now on a fast track to be finished. Some $4 million for the project made it into the final version of a bill signed earlier in the day by President Clinton.

Voting for your favorite color or lunch may not exactly be a major issue when voters go into the booths next Tuesday. However, there were the key issues Thursday on the ballots of students at Lincoln Elementary School during a mock election.

During its third meeting, the Annie Glidden Task Force heard extensive information about the use of traffic control devices in an effort to help alleviate traffic problems along the university corridor.

Compiled by Sue Breese