The Illinois Department of Transportation posts information online about winter road conditions. Go to www.gettingaroundillinois.com.

DEKALB

Business closes as long-time owners retire

This was the last Christmas season for DeKalb Florist and Greenhouse. After 51 years, the owners have retired.

Jim Kaelin, 81, and his wife, Doris Kaelin, 80, closed the doors of the florist business, at 2131 E. Lincoln Hwy., DeKalb, last week. The greenhouse will be open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays in January for liquidation sales. Future plans for the site call for a Casey’s General Store and gas station on the property, that had been a greenhouse for 112 years.

The property has been in the Kaelins’ family since 1965, when Jim Kaelin bought it with his brother-in-law. The business reopened after a fire in 1970 to include the flower shop in addition to the greenhouse, and Kaelin bought his partner’s share in 1974.

SYCAMORE

Sycamore Grant will fund Airport Road bike/pedestrian pathway

The City of Sycamore will use a grant it has received to construct a pedestrian path from the existing Great Western Trail to the Sycamore Park Sports Complex.

Currently, pedestrians and bicyclists travel south along the shoulder of Airport Road to access the park. The goal of the project – for which the Surface Transportation Urban Grant will be used – is to provide a safer route to and from the Great Western Trail to the Complex and link to other trails.

The project will consist of pavement striping, signage and the construction of a 1,100 linear foot path extension through Sycamore Park District property. The proposed pathway will be in the open space located between the existing softball fields and Airport Road, resulting in minimal impact to the existing facility.

Anonymous donor  to match Sycamore Park District funds by Dec. 31

Only a few days remain on an anonymous donor’s offer to match money raised for the Sycamore Park District’s Leaf a Legacy.

The district has already raised at least raised $586,500 of its $1 million goal, and the donor pledged to match 50 cents for every dollar up to $300,000. If the district reaches $600,000 by Dec. 31, it will receive the full $300,000 match, which would bring the total to $900,000.

The Leaf a Legacy campaign will partially fund the district’s Action 2020 plans, which include a new community center, splash pad, dog park, sled hill, golf course irrigation, trail connections and sports complex improvements. Groundbreaking for the community center, splash pad, dog park and sled hill is set to begin in April.

Donations can be made online at sycamoreparkdistrict.com.

Sycamore Weight-loss initiative offered Jan. 3 

Sycamore Integrated Health, 920 W. Prairie Drive, Sycamore, is offering a motivational eight-week, weight-loss challenge. Get tips on proper nutrition, exercise, setting goals, your metabolism and cooking during the weekly weigh-in and informational talk. The challenge kicks off 6 p.m. Jan. 3. Call (815) 395-3354 to register.

MALTA 

EMS classes making their home on Kishwaukee campus 

Registration is open for the Spring 2017 semester at Kishwaukee College, that is offering classes for its Emergency Medical Services (EMS) program.

Classes begin Jan. 17.

Kishwaukee College has long offered an EMS program, offering an associate in applied science degree in paramedic and shorter-term certificates in both paramedic and emergency medical technician (EMT). Although the programs were offered by Kish College, the class site was Kishwaukee Community Hospital. This fall, for the first time, classes have been taught at the college, offering students and instructors better access to student labs and resources.

Relocating the program to the college campus made sense, according to college officials. The classes regularly came to campus for a variety of lab experiences, for example to learn from and practice on the cadavers in the college’s anatomy and physiology lab. The completion of the Terry and Sherrie Martin Health Careers wing at the college brought all the various healthcare-based programs together: nursing, radiology, therapeutic massage and esthetics.

The EMS program at Kishwuakee College has graduated 240 paramedics and EMTs over the past five years alone.

For more information on the EMS program, contact Deb Baert at (81) 825-9513 or debra.baert@kishwaukeecollege.edu. For more information on enrollment and registration, contact Enrollment Services at (815) 825-2086, ext. 9375 or at arr@kishwaukeecollege.edu or visit www.kishwaukeecollege.edu.

STATE  

IDOT has winter road conditions map 

The Illinois Department of Transportation reminds motorists to visit www.gettingaroundillinois.com for updated Illinois road conditions as they navigate winter driving.

Available on computers and mobile devices by clicking the Winter Road Conditions tab, this map provides an overview of how the roads are looking throughout the state.

The map is updated 24/7 during winter storms, and is shared on news broadcasts, social media and elsewhere. The map receives more than 2 million visitors and nearly 5 million page views each winter.