Opinion: Columns

Blood sugar spikes can influence your health even if you do not have diabetes or pre-diabetes.

The late spiritual writer Henri Nouwen once wrote about the child of a friend asking him how big the heart is. Nouwen responded by spreading his arms out as far as they could go, and telling his young friend “Our hearts are as big as the world.”

Today's column showcases the story behind Charles Russell Lowell's 1859 purchase of the land that would someday become Dixon's Lowell Park.

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.

"No one wants to think about dying, but death educators tell us the best way to deal with our own death is to acknowledge its reality while we are still healthy and full of life," Jerrilyn Zavada Novak writes in her weekly Spirit Matters column.

As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “If you can’t fly, then run; if you can’t run, then walk; if you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”

"Believe it or not, one of the highlights of the trip was going to a living, functioning mall. Remember those?" Jerrilyn Zavada Novak writes in her weekly Spirit Matters column.

This is the final part of a five-part series about Dixon’s remarkable role in the Civil War. Today's column focuses on the battle at Chickasaw Bayou on Dec. 28-29, 1862, complete with a list of 44 soldiers from the Illinois 13th who died as a result of the battle.

Column: Trees offer many benefits for both us and the environment. The city of DeKalb is currently offering to help plant trees in the parkways along your roads, writes Rob Srygler of the DeKalb Citizens' Environmental Commission.

Every word you speak shapes the path ahead. So talk like someone who’s going somewhere.

Column: There’s a certain kind of magic that comes alive in Sycamore when summer arrives, writes Rose Treml of the Sycamore Chamber of Commerce.

"Her email got me thinking about how we honor the day we were born, throughout the different phases of our lives," Jerrilyn Zavada Novak writes in her weekly Spirit Matters column.

Opinion: Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital has donated $7,500 to Kishwaukee United Way, bolstering the expansion of their remarkable 211 program, writes United Way's Michele Vaughn.

Somewhere between effort and faith, the road rises to meet us.

Summer is officially here, and so is the 30th season of the DeKalb Farmers’ Market presented by Northwestern Medicine! Mark your calendars for opening day on Thursday, June 5, writes Virginia Filicetti of the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce.

"During these times of wild uncertainty, rest in the unequivocal certainty that our God indeed is everywhere, and in everything," Spirit Matters columnist Jerrilyn Zavada Novak writes.

There are many ways to be an ally to LGBTQ+ youths. Know that with every supportive action you take, you are making a positive impact on a young person in the community.

On the very first day the eager soldiers of the 13th Illinois Infantry were given guns with bayonets, the regiment incurred its first injury of the war.

Have you ever had a season where it felt like everything was turning against you – at work, at home, even in your head? One minute, you’re moving toward a goal; the next, you spin your wheels in frustration.

"What’s happening now is not just a policy failure—it’s a moral one. Investing in youth mental health should never be up for debate," writes NAMI McHenry County Executive Director Abbey Nicholas.

"Both instances jarred me out of my everyday reality into an ineffably dazzling moment of feeling a genuine spiritual encounter with the divine," Jerrilyn Zavada Novak writes in her Spirit Matters column.

Mother’s Day has come and gone, but that doesn’t mean we can’t pause to honor the women who carried us, raised us, believed in us when no one else would, and loved us in ways we’ll never fully understand.

Opinion: As summer takes center stage in DeKalb County, we are thrilled to announce a fantastic lineup of events that promise fun, excitement, and community spirit, writes Cortney Strohacker of the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

It turns out Christ was referring to the universal church, and Francis’s enduring impact on the church is evident 800 years after his death.

YMCA Executive Director Andy McFarlane: "The rising costs of running our programs – from staffing to supplies to utilities – are outpacing our ability to cover them."

On May 9, 1861, hundreds of eager Civil War recruits streamed into Dixon for training as they formed the 13th Regiment of the Illinois Infantry. Their initial training grounds were at Camp Dement, which was located on the east side of Oakwood Cemetery.  

The Genoa Days King & Queen Scholarship Competition takes during the first night of Genoa Days at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, May 28, writes Krissy Johnson of the Genoa Area Chamber of Commerce.

Moore writes about how the lifetime efforts of a teacher didn't go unnoticed.

May has been meaningful for me in many ways, and yet none of those individual ways can adequately explain my love for the month, other than it just has a beautiful feminine vibe.

Opinion: Get ready for an incredible experience at Kishwaukee United Way’s annual Day of Caring on June 12, writes Michele Vaughn of Kishwaukee United Way.

You are not just walking through life – you are shaping it from the inside out. Every thought, every emotion, every word is a pulse sent into the world, bending and shaping your path.

During the Civil War, Dixon boys were trained right here in Dixon along with recruits from throughout northern Illinois. This is the story of Dixon’s Civil War camp. 

I woke up Monday to a message from my niece that Pope Francis had died at the age of 88.

Maybe the next time you catch yourself trapped in routine, convinced that life is fixed and time is ticking in one direction, you pause and wonder: What else is possible?

By the time most of you read this week’s column, the somber remembrance of Good Friday will have given way to the mournful grief of Holy Saturday or the renewed hope of Easter Sunday.

Sign up for the June 14 Florissa Family 5K to support the pediatric developmental center, which provides developmental services for children.

Toby writes about how the road you’re on has always been waiting for you to realize – you’re the one who’s paving it

Opinion: At the heart of DeKalb County’s success has been a deep commitment to collaboration, writes Melissa Amedeo of the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation.

The tree outside our window reminds me this morning of how the grounding aspects of the natural world have guided me through life.

From 1861 to 1865, Camp Dement at Dixon was a major training center, which then sent thousands of Dixon-trained soldiers to clash with Confederate soldiers in nearly every southern state, from Missouri to the Atlantic.

Shared goals, voiced early, dissolve resistance before it ever shows up. They create alignment, and alignment creates momentum.

What can combat a rash of stupidity? Fiction, Rick Holinger argues.

I was a student at Illinois Valley Community College when I first heard Kenny Loggins’ “Conviction of the Heart,” in 1991.

National Poetry Month, celebrated in April, turns a spotlight on the heartfelt art form.

Opinion: If you’re passionate about a healthy environment and sustainable future, then DeKalb County Earth Fest – a free and family-friendly event from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. this Saturday in DeKalb – is for you, writes Thomas Skuzinski.

Toby writes about how the mind responds to imagined experiences as if they were reality.

"Preventive health care is managing health with a goal of preventing disease processes before they occur," writes Mercyhealth nurse practitioner Elaine Lawrence.

Editor’s Note: This is the third of three installments about the history of The Dixon: Historic Theatre.

Back in the 1980s, my younger brothers and I religiously listened to Kasem’s America’s Top 40, every Sunday on the radio.

Opinion|Vaughn: Kishwaukee United Way is thrilled to announce the launch of its annual $1,000 scholarship for a first-generation graduating senior or current college student this spring.