Here is the list of what the DeKalb County Health Department will accept and reject in its upcoming collection of electronics for recycling Sept. 22.

STATE

New scholarships are incentives to keep college students in Illinois

The state has established new funding to entice students to stay in Illinois for college.

The AIM HIGH grant pilot program will provide at least $50 million in financial aid for merit-based scholarships. The state is providing $25 million in the current budget year. Universities are matching that amount.

Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed the measure into law, which was passed by the General Assembly with nearly unanimous support. The new law is designed to help Illinois colleges compete with out-of-state institutions that offer more financial aid.

According to the governor’s office, undergraduate enrollment at Illinois’ public universities fell more than 8 percent, or by more than 5,000 students, between 2011 and 2016. Enrollment at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb declined more rapidly during that period, falling almost 4,000 students, more than 17 percent.

Enrollment at NIU was about 18,000 at the start of the 2017 fall semester, down about 5 percent year over year, and a school official predicted that trend would continue into this year as larger classes graduate.

Annual in-state tuition, fees and room and board for a full-time, incoming freshman at NIU this year is about $22,000, not including books or other expenses. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign estimates annual in-state tuition, fees and room and board cost at about $27,300 for incoming freshmen. Books, supplies and expenses push it past $31,000.

COUNTY

County will recycle electronics for free

The DeKalb County Health Department will collect electronics for recycling from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Sept. 22 at the DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport, 2200 Pleasant St., DeKalb.

DeKalb County residents may bring items to the recycling location, and the county will recycle them for free. Proof of address is required.

Most office equipment and products, small home appliances and improvement products, home entertainment items and computers and peripherals will be accepted. Items that will not be accepted include smoke detectors, air conditioners, large appliances, refrigerators, wood speakers, batteries and hazardous material.

For more information, call 815-758-6673, send an email to recyclemailbox@dekalbcounty.org or go to health.dekalbcounty.org/environmental/waste.html.

Residents of Sycamore, Genoa and Kirkland are encouraged to use the At Your Door Service provided by Waste Management by calling 800-449-7587.

State grant to aid drug, DUI court

DeKalb County’s drug and DUI court has received a state grant to help fund its programming.

The Adult Redeploy Illinois grant of approximately $106,000 will expand programming and continue to enhance public safety by combining effective substance abuse and behavioral health treatment, with intensive judicial supervision in a therapeutic court setting.

Area residents helped save driver after car crash

Two DeKalb County residents are among 12 individuals who have been cited for saving a woman’s life after she crashed and went under water in a retention pond.

Illinois State Police say Joanna Girmscheid of Libertyville was driving westbound on Interstate 90 around 3:15 p.m. Aug. 3 when she lost control of her car. Girmscheid was exiting on the Route 47 southbound ramp when her vehicle overturned and became submerged upside down. 

A group of drivers went in the water and were able to pull Girmscheid out unconscious after a brief struggle. 

Nicholas B. Mason, of Sycamore, and Frankie R. Gonzalez, of Sandwich, were among the citizen responders who revived Girmscheid so she could be transported to a hospital for treatment.

DeKALB

City council OKs video gambling café

A proposed video gambling café will become a reality now that the DeKalb City Council unanimous supports it.

During a recent meeting, the council voted 7-0, to grant Brad Coppens a special use permit to open Maisy’s in the vacant storefront at 850 to 852 S. Fourth St., DeKalb. First Ward Alderman David Jacobson recused himself from the vote.

The proposal has some detractors and to appease them, Coppens agreed to the current ordinance’s strict regulation of his business’ operation, including consenting to fence his dumpster in so it isn’t visible to children passing by, hold off on selling alcohol until after 10 a.m. and keep advertising minimal, with a maximum of 40 percent of each window pane usable for ads.

Sycamore

Music Boosters awards scholarships

Sycamore Music Boosters has named the recipients of the 2018 Summer Music Camp Scholarship and Senior Music Scholarships.

The Summer Music Camp Scholarship is awarded to Sycamore students currently enrolled in the music program who are attending a selected music camp over the summer.

The recipients of the Summer Music Camp Scholarship from the Sycamore Middle School:

Band: Vincent Brito, Peyton Buys, Robert Carpenter, Samuel Crutcher, Aiden Dempsey, Mitchell Edwards, Samuel Foresman, Evan Hardy, Jaxon Lang, Hannah Raetzke, Nathan Troy, Tryggve Vilaseca, Adam Zeller and Miranda Zhang.

Choir: Cassie Chamoun, Sofia DasNeves, Maxine Lathrop and Halle Schmit.

Orchestra: Daniel Bos, Emily Bychowski, Avery DeRuyter, Emma Fredericks, Natalie Hulseberg, Stephanie Kim, Mark Lam, Jon Locascio, Alayna Olson and Camryn Whitaker.

The recipients of the Summer Music Camp Scholarship from Sycamore High School include Chloe Hardy, Brett Harris, Allison Troy, Kimberly Hohlfeld, Tommy Kloosterman and Morgyn Nelson.

The Senior Music Scholarship is awarded to graduating high school seniors who are majoring in music in college. This year, three seniors – Madeline Kessler, Kjelden Breidenbach and Kaylie Emmer – were awarded $750 each to assist with college tuition. Kessler will attend St. Olaf College. Breidenbach will attend Boston Conservatory, and Emmer will attend Northern Illinois University this fall. The three also were all recipients of the Lundbeck Family Scholarship.

The Bette J. Lundbeck Scholarship was awarded to Bradley Harris and the John O. Weaver scholarship was awarded to Erin Templin.

The Continuing College Music scholarship is designed to assist SHS graduates in continuing their music education in college. This year’s recipient is Emma Olson. She is studying oboe performance at the University of Illinois.

–DeKalb County News Briefs–