DeKalb

An early morning kitchen fire in DeKalb Sunday left half a dozen residents without a home, authorities said.

DeKalb theater troupe Stage Coach Players will open auditions for the final three productions of its 2025 season on Friday. The plays include the rock musical “Next to Normal,” the gothic horror “The Haunting of Hill House,” and the holiday classic “A Christmas Carol.”

Community members are invited to learn more about Medicare insurance options during workshops available this week at two different times in DeKalb.

Attendees can learn about how RAMP empowers disabled individuals to reach goals and live independently. The services include advocacy, youth programs, peer support and independent living skills.

Families are encouraged to come out to Sycamore Thursday for foam-themed fun, beach ball games, dancing and more.

Craft and home goods fans are invited to learn how to use a laser cutter to make coasters during an upcoming DeKalb workshop on Wednesday.

Families are invited to check out two balloon shows featuring Fantastic Balloon Inventions in DeKalb Thursday.

Enthusiastic readers are invited to discuss the Sarah McBride novel ”Tomorrow Will Be Different" during a meeting of the Pride Book Club in DeKalb this week.

Dozens of people rallied in support of transgender rights Sunday in downtown DeKalb. Many said they fear for their right to simply exist in the U.S., which under President Donald Trump has targeted trans visibility, access to crisis hotlines, service in the military and more.

The DeKalb Municipal Band, conducted by Kirk Lundbeck, will continue its 171st season with a concert titled “Into the Depths,” featuring vocalist Deanna Tausch on June 24.

The heat Sunday didn't stop people from filling Hopkins Park in DeKalb to celebrate Juneteenth. The event commemorates the day enslaved people in Texas were told they were free on June 19, 1865, two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. DeKalb's celebration included games, vendors, dancing and more.

Dozens of people rallied in support of transgender rights Sunday in downtown DeKalb. Organizers said the Trans Resilience Rally was to show public support and allyship for people they believe are unjustly and harmfully targeted under President Donald Trump's policies.

CENTURY 21 Circle, in partnership with Barb Food Mart, is putting on a special community fundraiser later this month.

The DeKalb Pride Fest celebrated Pride Month Saturday with a festival and march in front of the Egyptian Theatre in downtown DeKalb.

DeKalb County residents can drop off unwanted electronics on Saturday during a recycling event hosted by the DeKalb County Health Department at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport.

The University of Extension for Boone, DeKalb, and Ogle counties will partner with Mayfield Congregational Church to host its “Habitat at Home: Backyard Bird and Butterfly Sanctuaries” event.

The DeKalb County Mental Health Board and the Living Room at Ben Gordon Center recently held its second annual “In My Shoes: Art for Hope and Healing from Mental Illness” in honor of Mental Health Awareness month.

Multiple places in DeKalb, Sycamore and throughout the county are designated free cooling centers for anyone needing an escape from the heat. Here's where to go if you need to cool off.

Two of the three owners of Excelleaf, Maria Davis and Crystal Anderson spoke Friday at the marijuana dispensary in DeKalb, about how business has been since opening in December of 2023 and their future, including the upcoming debut of the tasting room.

Looking for something to do this weekend in DeKalb County? Check out Malta Days which kicks off Thursday, DeKalb Pride and march downtown on Saturday, Juneteenth Community Celebration on Sunday and more.

Spex Expressions will hold a grand opening at its new 6,600-square-foot facility in DeKalb this month, and the public is invited. A ribbon cutting and event is planned for June 26.

The City of DeKalb has partnered with Family Service Agency of DeKalb County and other service agencies to assist victims displaced in an apartment fire Tuesday. Here's how to help:

The yearly schedule of outdoor festivals in DeKalb County will ramp up over the coming weeks. Here is your guide to every large festival and event planned in DeKalb County through September:

Saturday, June 21 is World Martini Day. Check out these top-rated bars and restaurants for the best martini in Kane, McHenry and DeKalb counties and the Illinois Valley area.

DeKalb Fire Chief Mike Thomas may have answered his final call for service. He's expected to be honored for his 30 years at the DeKalb Fire Department, as he plans to retire, according to the City of DeKalb.

The public is invited to the annual Juneteenth Community Celebration in DeKalb on Sunday. The free, family-friendly event runs noon to 4 p.m. at Hopkins Park.

Area activists with Queer-Oriented Rural Resource Network and other groups said they’re planning a rally Sunday in DeKalb to support transgender people and communities they believe are being intentionally and unfairly targeted by the Trump administration.

An early morning fire in DeKalb Tuesday left one person injured more than a dozen residents without a home, authorities said.

After turning the social media buzz they got from proclaiming support for immigrants into a fundraiser for people in need, two sisters behind a DeKalb flower shop announced their donation total Tuesday. Funds will go to DeKalb Migrant Aid, they said.

Column: Many attendees of the recent IPW tourism conference are venturing beyond Chicagoland this week on FAM – short for “familiarity” – tours, with one such tour making stops in DeKalb County, writes Bradley Hoey of the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The DeKalb Park District will partner with the DeKalb Parks Foundation to hold its 19th annual Golf Fore the Kids Scholarship Golf Outing on June 20 to benefit the Scholarship Assistance Program.

DeKalb's Clinton Rosette Middle School student Allie Cheney recently was named a 2025 Promising Young Writer by the National Council of Teachers of English for an essay she wrote about the meaning of home.

Waterman United Methodist Church will host an ice cream social for residents.

The Sycamore Golf Club will host summer youth programs and events to introduce the sport to youth ages 7 to 18.

Ever wanted to see inside the historic Joseph F. Glidden Homestead barn in DeKalb? The Joseph F. Glidden Homestead and Historical Center will host an Open Barn Day for tours on June 22.

Newly-elected officials were sworn in this month to serve their roles in DeKalb Township.

Family-friendly programming continues throughout June at Somonauk Public Library, 700 E. La Salle St.

DeKalb County nonprofit Rooted For Good recently was awarded a $3,500 grant to support its mobile pantry program which provides for area residents.

The DeKalb Public Library will host an LGBTQ+ social hour for adults seeking fellowship and community this Pride Month.

A man was sentenced to prison this week after he pleaded guilty to arson and sexual assault in two separate cases, court records show. Police said he intentionally set fires multiple times inside Suburban Apartments units in DeKalb throughout March 2024.

Anthony Meyers, 17, a rising senior at DeKalb High School, was one of 31 DeKalb County teenagers who attended Heavy Metal Summer Experience, a new program that aims to introduce teens to skills necessary for trades work.

A DeKalb man charged in the fatal 2024 DUI crash that killed sheriff’s deputy Christina Musil got a judge’s permission Thursday to travel out of state to visit family before an expected plea in the case later this month.

Hundreds attended a “No Kings” protest in DeKalb on Saturday, joining nationwide sharp and public opposition to the U.S. government under its leader, President Donald Trump, who prepared to host a military parade more than 750 miles away.

Hear from two people at Saturday's "No Kings" protest in DeKalb, explaining why they felt compelled to go to the protest.

Hundreds of protesters lined Sycamore Road in front of Hopkins Park in DeKalb Saturday for a No Kings rally to show their displeasure with President Donald Trump and his administration.

DeKalb’s Citizens’ Community Enhancement Commission is seeking community members who can paint scans and photos for public art use. The photos will be used to create vinyl wraps to attach to utility boxes.

Auditions for the Stage Coach Players’ “The Miscast Projection” open June 16 for residents age 10 and older.

A Northern Illinois University student has been charged in connection to a sexual assault reported at a DeKalb fraternity house in 2024, according to court records.

Two sisters who co-own a DeKalb flower shop generated significant public response this week after they posted a pro-immigrant message online, calling Trump-era immigration policies “deeply disturbing.”

The DeKalb Park District will hold its annual fishing derby on Saturday with a chance to win awards.