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Taking the
high-energy road
Nearly 300 people attended Klondike Derby in Sycamore By ANDREA AZZO news@daily-chronicle.com
Photo Illustration by Kyle Bursaw – kbursaw@shawmedia.com
Energy drinks, coffee and soda are just some of the caffeinated beverage options out there.
Energy drinks gain popularity but also cause concern By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Sleepy students walking off an early morning bus into Northern Illinois University’s Holmes Student Center have a solution for their tired eyes just a few feet away. Awaiting them through the doors is a large Rockstar Energy Drink vending machine, promising double strength and double length remedies to grogginess. For students such as Bridgett Phelan, energy drinks are her extra-caffeinated cup of tea when it comes to test time. “I love Red Bull,” said Phelan, a sophomore from Bourbonnais. “I don’t know that it makes me focus more, but it makes me stay up longer when I’m studying for tests or finals. It works better than coffee.” Energy drinks are growing in popularity as alternatives to coffee or soda for people needing a boost. The energy drink industry is growing at a rate of between 15 percent to 25 percent each year, according to the Beverage Digest.
“Anything we put in our bodies can cause dependency whether physically addictive or not. As long as [energy drinks] are not abused, they can meet a need.”
SYCAMORE – Boy Scout Troop Leader Tom Barone spent Friday night sleeping under the stars with deerskin, blankets and a makeshift tent. Why do this in below-zero temperatures? “It shows the boys you can do it,” said Barone, who leads Troop 26 of Kirkland. Survival and leadership skills were on display Saturday at the 2013 Kishwaukee District Klondike Derby. About 13 Boy Scout and 10 Cub Scout local troops participated at the Sycamore Sportsman’s Club. There were about 290 people there, including adults, Barone said. The Scouts, ages 7 to 18, pushed a sled from each activity as a team. Activities ranged from identifying animal prints to tossing tomahawks. The older Boy Scouts also participated in rifle shooting. The guns, .22-caliber rifles manufactured by Savage Stevens, fire one shot at a time at a
still target, said Duane Rubendall, Sportsman’s Club range officer. Eight Boy Scouts at a time fired at the target, which was 50 feet away. There were 10 NRA-certified range officers assisting the boys. Before the Scouts entered the indoor shooting range, they listened to Rubendall’s safety instructions for about 15 minutes. When Rubendall asked members of one troop how many of them had shot a gun, nearly every boy’s hand went up. Boy Scout Cole Flatter, of Troop 40 in Sycamore, was 6 the first time he shot. He said his uncle let him shoot a .45-caliber pistol in November. “It’s just fun,” he said. “It’s enjoyable.” Larry Bethers, a Boy Scout field director, said some Boy Scouts go on to national championships for shooting. “We’re teaching them how to respect rifles,” Bethers said. The boys also got to start a fire with matches.
See SCOUTS, page A3
Steve Lux Senior health educator at NIU John Bush, CEO of the Dolce Beverage Group in Streamwood, launched KICK Energy in the Chicago suburbs in June 2011 and is now in six states; 26 distributors are expected to join in the first quarter of 2013. Bush said college campuses have been a huge target market for the energy drink industry and helped fuel growth and expansion. “Very creative marketing has led the way,” Bush said of energy drink growth. “There are certain demographics the soda industry thought they had in their back pocket that they really didn’t.” The beverages have aided students in long-night study sessions, but they also have come under scrutiny for the potentially dangerous side effects.
Monster Energy drinks made national news after they were linked to a series of deaths, including a 14-yearold girl in December 2011 who consumed two large cans in an hour. The danger of energy drinks can increase on a college campus where the temptation to mix them with alcohol is heightened, said NIU senior Michael Houchin. Houchin, who said he drinks Red Bull and 5-Hour Energy shots, said although he has mixed alcohol and energy drinks in the past, it is a danger he and others should avoid. “All you have to do is look at what happens on campus to see what can happen,” he said. “I think they’re fine when you use them responsibly.”
See ENERGY DRINK, page A3
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com
Aaron Trier (right), 11, of Sycamore Cub Scout Pack 822 on Saturday closely watches a flame started by a match he struck while building a fire during the annual Klondike Derby held at Sycamore Sportsman’s Club in Sycamore.
Quinn to address finances in state speech SOPHIA TAREEN The Associated Press CHICAGO – Gov. Pat Quinn faces big expectations over how he’ll address Illinois’ disastrous finances when he delivers his State of the State speech this week, but he’s hinting he’ll also remind the public how the state’s image has been cleaned up under his watch. The annual speech is expected to set the tone for the year, touching on broad themes ahead of a later budget address on the nitty-gritty of running government. But this is the governor’s best AP photo chance to boast of accomplishments, and Gov. Pat Quinn is surrounded by reporters Jan. 8 after testifying at a House com- Quinn has yet to succeed at forging committee hearing on pension reform at the Illinois State Capitol in Springfield. promise on pension reform and other Quinn faces big expectations for how he’ll address Illinois’ disastrous finances issues as he did with helping restore the state’s reputation after his two predeceswhen he delivers his State of the State address Wednesday.
sors went off to prison. Focusing on ethics more than finances could be tricky for Quinn, however. Illinois is staring down the worst pension problem in the nation, with nearly $100 billion in unfunded liability, and he’s on the spot to show progress as Republicans and some Democrats begin eyeing his seat in next year’s governor’s race. “What I’d like to hear from him is real conviction to resolve serious financial problems,” said Rep. Barbara Wheeler, a Republican from Crystal Lake and one of the newcomers in the Legislature. “What I’m afraid is going to happen is more lip service toward the problem and more accolades toward what is perceived as successes within the state.” When asked last week, Quinn wouldn’t reveal exactly what he’s going
to say in his first major speech of the year Wednesday. But he told reporters it’s important to remember how scandalfree the state has been since 2009 when he was tapped as lieutenant governor to lead Illinois after the embarrassing corruption scandal that engulfed former Gov. Rod Blagojevich. “We had a very difficult time four years ago,” Quinn said on the day another former governor, George Ryan, was released from prison after serving more than five years for corruption. “My job was to straighten things out in Illinois, in every which way ... I worked on that every single day the last four years. I’ll continue to do that as long as I have a breath.”
See QUINN, page A3
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