Some of the proceeds raised from the Cinco de Mayo festival will benefit an endowment for Kishwaukee College. (Photo courtesy Kishwaukee College)

COUNTY

March home sales down compared to last year

Home sales in DeKalb County declined in March as prices increased and the number of homes for sale decreased.

Sales of existing homes in DeKalb County fell 5.3 percent to 90 in March, down from 95 in March 2015, according to figures recently released by the Illinois Association of Realtors (IAR). In February, home sales in the county jumped 32.7 percent after plunging in January. Through March, 210 sales have closed, a 3.2 percent decline from the 217 sales recorded during the first three months of 2015.

In DeKalb County, the median sales price climbed 11.4 percent to $141,000 last month, up from $126,587 in March 2015. Through March, the median sales price has increased 7.5 percent to $144,000 compared with $134,000 in the first three months of 2015.

The median sales price for single-family homes was up 15.6 percent to $144,500 last month in the county while the median sales price for condos fell 14 percent to $129,000, according to IAR. The organization said that activity for one month can sometimes look extreme because of small sample size.

The inventory of homes on the market in DeKalb County fell to 394 homes last month, that’s down 16.7 percent from 473 homes in March 2015.

Statewide home sales last month totaled 11,900 homes sold, up 1.9 percent from 11,676 in March 2015, according to IAR. The statewide median price in March was $172,000 up 4.3 percent.

SYCAMORE

Local Underground Railroad history is topic of lecture

Sycamore and nearby communities and farms were stops on the historic Underground Railroad. “Runaway Slaves in Sycamore: Freedom Seekers and the Underground Railroad in Northern Illinois” will be explored in a special presentation by Larry A. McClellan at 7 p.m. April 28 in the DeKalb County Community Foundation’s Freight Room, 475 DeKalb Ave. Admission is $5.

From the 1820s through the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, 2,600 to 4,000 freedom seekers, also known as fugitive or runaway slaves, passed through northern Illinois. McClellan, a retired college professor, has written extensively on the topic, and maintains online materials at illinoisundergroundrailroad.net. 

Annual Mexican celebration benefits local organizations

Sycamore will celebrate Mexican heritage and raise money for local nonprofit organizations at its 19^th annual Cinco de Mayo festivities. The family friendly event will be held 1-9 p.m. May 1 on Bill Johnson Boulevard behind Taxco Restaurant, 223 W. State St.

The festival is an opportunity for the community to celebrate Mexican culture while enjoying live music, ethnic dancers, piñatas and authentic Mexican cuisine along with pony rides and a petting zoo. Residents can visit booths, enjoy games and activities and learn about area non-profit agencies and local businesses. Proceeds are returned the community through donations to local nonprofit agencies.

The Cinco de Mayo festival has raised more than $135,000. Additionally, with $7,500 seed money, an endowment now has more than $45,000 to help the DeKalb County Community Foundation’s Community Works Program. Also, an endowment helps a Kishwaukee College scholarship fund. Call (815) 895-2545 for more information.

SANDWICH

City offers monthly free brush pick-up service

The city of Sandwich has resumed its free collection of unbundled brush service. Branches and limbs must be one-half inch to 4 inches in diameter and 2 feet to 8 feet in length and have to be placed parallel to the curb in neat, manageable piles.

Tangled or unmanageable brush will not be collected. Brush which results from contracted services will not be picked up because it is the responsibility of the contractor to remove it. Grass clippings, leaves, shrubs, vines and brush less than ½ inch in diameter is considered yard waste, and will not be picked up. 

Brush should be at the curb or shoulder by 7 a.m. Monday (or Tuesday if Monday is a holiday) of the week of collection. The Public Works Department will collect brush once a month until November. The schedule for May is:

• Week starting May   2 — Ward 1
• Week starting May   9 — Ward 2
• Week starting May 16 — Ward 3
• Week starting May 23 — Ward 4

DeKALB

Police will accept unwanted drugs

The DeKalb Police Department is partnering April 30 with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration for National Prescription Drug Take-Back Day. The special effort aims to provide a safe, convenient and responsible means of disposing prescription drugs, while educating the public about prescription drug abuse, overdose deaths and harming the environment.

This program is free and anonymous for those who wish to drop off expired, unused or unwanted prescription and over-the-counter medicines. The drugs are disposed in an environmentally safe manner.

The police department also has a prescription drug drop box in the lobby of police headquarters to allow residents to drop off unwanted medications year round.

–Dekalb County News Briefs–