DeKalb County News Briefs

Chronicle Media

The recipients of the Resource Bank 2018 Centennial Service Award are (from left, front row) Kristina Drendel, Abigail DeDina, Alison Coovert, Libby Swedberg, Grant Minnihan, (back row) Jared Bunge, Nathan Flaherty, Collin Good, Ryan Loitz and Jared Wild. Not pictured: Eliza Bowers-Chen, Hailey Thurlby and Elizabeth Mills.

COUNTY

West Nile virus detected in a bird

The West Nile virus has been found in a crow tested by The DeKalb County Health Department. The bird, found in Sycamore, is the first this year that tested positive for the disease.

Mosquitoes, that pick up the virus after feeding on an infected bird, transmit the virus to humans. Studies show that two out of 10 people bitten by an infected mosquito might become sick in three to 14 days.

People might have a fever, headache and body aches, but serious illness, such as encephalitis and meningitis, and death are possible. People older than 50 have the highest risk of severe symptoms.

County officials said the best way to prevent West Nile or any mosquito-borne illness is to take precautions to avoid mosquito bites. That includes using bug spray, making sure door and window screens are tight-fitting and limiting the amount of standing water near your home.

For more information, visit the county health department’s website at dekalbcounty.org.

Senior tax break applications due Aug. 1

Senior citizens who want to lower their property tax bills have until Aug. 1 to apply for the DeKalb County Senior Citizen’s Assessment Freeze. The freeze allows qualified senior citizens to freeze their assessment at a base year value. This exemption must be renewed annually.

To qualify for the exemption, the owner must be 65 years of age or older, have lived in their property at least the last two January firsts and have a total household income of $65,000 or less for the 2017 year

Applicants must bring for proof of income, such as their 2017 social security statement (1099) or the front page of their 2017 Federal Income Tax form (1040). If the homeowner does not file income tax, the all income, pension and interest statements for 2017 are needed.

Application forms and assistance completing the form are available at Chief County Assessment Office, DeKalb County Administration Building, 4th floor, 110 E. Sycamore St., Sycamore. Call 815-895-7120 for assistance or more information. 

High school grads honored for outstanding community work

Thirteen area high school graduates have been honored for the civic and volunteer work they performed as students.

Each have received the Resource Bank Centennial Service Award, now in its 17th year, which comes with a $1,000 cash prize to be used for college tuition. The winning students were chosen from a field of almost 100 applicants. The honorees, their high school, charitable work and their college and field of study are:

  • Eliza Bowers-Chen, Sycamore High School, served the home bound and food insecure residents, English/international studies and community development.
  • Jared Bunge, Sycamore High School, literacy and food pantry work, University of Illinois-Champaign Urbana, chemistry.
  • Hailey Thurlby, Genoa-Kingston High School, serve underprivileged families, aided families displaced by fire and volunteered with LIFE Missions, speech pathology.
  • Jared Wild, Indian Creek High School, Christmas wreaths for headstones of fallen veterans, designed an Eagle Scout project to improve and upgrade Shabbona Forest Preserve, Kishwaukee College, engineering.
  • Kristina Drendel, Hampshire High School, Tree for Tyler memorial project and several 4-H community service projects, Elgin Community College, journalism and theater.
  • Nathan Flaherty, Sycamore High School, painted a mural honoring veterans for the Sycamore Veterans Home Association, did many beautification projects through Pay-It-Forward House and was a hospital volunteer, Tulane University, English.
  • Elizabeth Swedberg, Sycamore High School, philanthropy, youth services, church activities and food drives, Iowa State University, mechanical engineering.
  • Ryan Loitz, Sycamore High School, developed and coordinated an Eagle Scout project that provided more than 100 refurbished bicycles, locks and helmets to underprivileged children, University of Illinois-Springfield, biochemistry.
  • Elizabeth Mills, Cornerstone Christian Academy, Meals on Wheels, Hope Haven and Big Sister Little Sister; Southwestern Assemblies of God University, intercultural studies.
  • Collin Good, Sycamore High School, “Buddy Benches” Eagle Scout project and food pantry volunteer, Kishwaukee College, business administration.
  • Abigail DeDina, Hampshire High School, volunteer for various community activities and 4-H, University of Wisconsin-River Falls, agriculture education.
  • Grant Minnihan, Sycamore High School, mentored children, worked in Haiti on a mission trip, volunteer at his church and a local nursing home, Colorado School of Mines, mechanical engineering.
  • Alison Coovert, Sycamore High School, mentored kids living with disabilities, taught disability awareness and involved in youth ministry, Viterbo University, elementary and special education.

DeKALB

Summer camp to prepare teens for future jobs

A summer camp that can lead to a future career will be offered to high school students who want to explore STEM career options. From July 29-Aug. 3, Northern Illinois University faculty and staff in several colleges as well as local professionals will staff specialized tracks in Coding, Engineering, Health Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Hacking and Video Game Design. Participants will apply to the track of their choice and spend the bulk of the week with the smaller group of students who have also chosen that track. Evening recreational activities will involve all campers. The fees range from $670 to $720. For more information, visit niu.edu/STEM/programs/camps/career-explorations.shtml or email outreachregistration@niu.edu.

 

–DeKalb County News Briefs–