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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Corn Fest attendees line up for the free corn boil at Corn Fest on Saturday at Lincoln Highway, East of North 4th Street. Corn Fest took place on Lincoln Highway from 1st Street to 4th street and extended into 2nd and 3rd street to Oak Street. (Totus Tuus Keely | Northern Star)

Ears to tradition: DeKalb’s ‘Corn Fest’ honors farming roots

By Edison Miller, Editor in Chief | August 24, 2025

DeKALB — In most places, corn is just a side dish. In DeKalb, it’s the star of a three-day festival that draws thousands of people to the heart of the city every August.  Held Friday through Sunday, residents from across the Midwest filled closed-off...

The setting sun casts sharp shadows on Thursday evening at the DeKalb County Courthouse. Timothy M. Doll was found guilty of the murder of Gracie Sasso-Cleveland and sentenced to 52 years in prison on Thursday at the DeKalb County Courthouse, two years and one week after her death. (Totus Tuus Keely | Northern Star)

Sex offender sentenced to 52 years for murder of teenage girl

By Austin Lamb, News Editor | August 24, 2025

DeKALB – Convicted sex offender Timothy Doll was sentenced to 52 years in prison Thursday for the killing of 15-year-old Gracie Sasso-Cleveland in 2023. Doll was charged on May 8, 2023, and pleaded guilty to first degree murder on Feb. 5, 2025, one...

Cars enter the East and West entrance of a roundabout on Friday at the junction of Lucinda Avenue and Normal Road. The newly finished roundabout features flashing lights and audible alerts for pedestrians to cross the entrances. (Totus Tuus Keely | Northern Star)

New roundabout on campus to improve road safety

By Mariestrella Corral, Assistant News Editor | August 23, 2025

DeKALB - A new single-lane roundabout on Lucinda Avenue and Normal Road opened on Wednesday. The intersection of Lucinda Avenue and Normal Road was reconfigured from a four-way stoplight to roundabout. Construction on the roundabout began May 12 and...

NIU football head coach Thomas Hammock (left) prepares to lead his team onto the field before the Huskies' non-conference game against North Carolina State University on Sept. 28, 2024, at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh, North Carolina. NIU will face another Atlantic Coast Conference opponent on Sept. 2, 2028, when the Huskies visit the University of Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Totus Tuus Keely | Northern Star)

NIU adds Pittsburgh to 2028 football schedule for $1.1 million payout

By Skyler Kisellus, Senior Sports Reporter | August 14, 2025
The NIU football team has added another Power Four opponent to its future schedule with the addition of a 2028 road game at the University of Pittsburgh, according to a report from FBSchedules.com.
A fall 1993 edition of the Northern Star shows NIU Athletics Hall of Fame running back LeShon Johnson running up the field. Johnson was convicted of six felony counts after violating the dog fighting prohibitions of the federal Animal Welfare Act. (Northern Star Archives)

Former NIU football star LeShon Johnson guilty of federal dogfighting charges

By Edison Miller, Editor in Chief | August 5, 2025

NIU Athletics Hall of Fame running back LeShon Johnson was convicted by a federal jury last week of six felony counts of violating the Animal Welfare Act, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday. “This criminal profited off of the misery...

Ozzy Osbourne sings passionately on stage. The heavy metal icon died July 22 at age 76. (AP Newsroom)

Gone but not forgotten, Ozzy Osbourne’s legacy

By Caleb Johnson, Lifestyle Writer | August 2, 2025

It’s a sad time for music fans across the globe as news comes of the passing of rock and heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, age 76, on July 22.  Osbourne, also known by his stage persona “Prince of Darkness,” was best known as the lead singer...

NIU redshirt sophomore quarterback Josh Holst (15), redshirt junior tight end Jake Appleget (80) and redshirt junior left tackle Evan Malcore (54) lead players onto the field at Huskie Stadium during a Play Now game in “EA Sports College Football 26.” NIU is rated 70 overall, tied for the third-lowest overall rating in the game. (Skyler Kisellus | Northern Star)

NIU earns low marks in ‘EA Sports College Football 26,’ but poor ratings could pay off

By Skyler Kisellus, Senior Sports Reporter | July 11, 2025

At a glance “EA Sports College Football 26,” the second installment since the franchise’s revival last year, released this week. NIU received a 7o overall rating, making the Huskies one of the game’s lowest-rated teams. Cornerback Jacob...

A mini felt graduation cap and diploma scroll rest on one side of a golden balance scale. According to a study using 2022 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics, Illinois has the fourth-lowest rate of student migration in the U.S. (Courtesy of Getty Images)

Illinois has the fourth-lowest rate of student migration in the U.S.

By Mariestrella Corral, Assistant News Editor | July 6, 2025

According to a study by the medical school admission consulting firm Inspira Advantage, Illinois has the fourth-lowest rate of student migration in the United States. Student migration is the movement of students who study outside of their state or country. The...

A person in a suit holds a stack of money, with the Republican elephant and the Democratic donkey made of money sitting on top. Opinion Columnist Ethan Ernst believes that limits should be placed on political donations for election campaigns. (Getty Images)

Political campaigns should have limits on spending

By Ethan Ernst, Opinion Columnist | July 6, 2025

Around $16 billion was spent on the political campaigns of 2024, making it one of the most expensive election years in U.S. history. This level of spending is wasteful and harms the government’s credibility. U.S. elections have been growing more...

NIU then-sophomore forward Yanic Konan Niederhäuser (14) goes to the basket against Calumet College then-junior guard Joshua Morris (3) during a non-conference basketball game on Dec. 18, 2023, inside the Convocation Center in DeKalb. Niederhäuser was selected with the 30th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. (Tim Dodge | Northern Star)

Former NIU big Yanic Konan Niederhäuser selected No. 30 in NBA draft by Los Angeles Clippers

By Skyler Kisellus, Senior Sports Reporter | June 26, 2025

When NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Penn State’s Yanic Konan Niederhäuser as the final pick in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night, the 22-year-old etched his name into NIU’s history books. A 6-foot-11 center who began...

A woman reaches into a bowl of popcorn. Here are five movie recommendations to check out this summer. (Getty Images)

5 films to add to your summer watchlist

By Brynn Krug, Managing Editor | June 1, 2025

With the extra free time summer brings, you may be looking for some fantastic films to pass the more sweltering days indoors. Here are five films to add to your watchlist this summer. BOTTLE ROCKET As Wes Anderson’s directorial debut, “Bottle...

The Hopkins Park pool is pictured while closed for construction. The DeKalb Park District authorized IHC Construction to begin major renovations for the pool this summer. (Northern Star File Photo)

DeKalb Park District approves new outdoor swimming facility at Hopkins Park

By Austin Lamb, News Editor | June 1, 2025

DeKALB – The DeKalb Park District Board of Commissioners authorized IHC Construction to build a new outdoor swimming facility at Hopkins Park at their April 17 meeting. The decision follows the pool’s closure last summer and subsequent demolition...

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