DDC-3-18-2013

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Breaking news at Daily-Chronicle.com

Serving DeKalb County since 1879

Monday, March 18, 2013

SOFTBALL PREVIEW • SPORTS, B1

GOING WILD • LOCAL, A3

DeKalb staying relaxed, aiming for strong season

Animals invade Sycamore for a teaching moment Katie Kowalski

No assurance of auto insurance By JEFF ENGELHARDT

More uninsured drivers take to the road

jengelhardt@shawmedia.com DeKALB – About one in six drivers in Illinois are uninsured, and Tracy Leonard knows what can happen when encountering one. Leonard’s 18-year-old daughter, Teale Noble, ended up in serious condition at a hospital after a Feb. 27 car crash that also killed an 11-year-old Sycamore boy. Police said the crash was caused by an uninsured driver

who rear-ended the vehicle in which Noble was a passenger. Now, Leonard must deal with unknown costs as her daughter, recently released from the hospital, deals with serious head injuries and trauma. “I’m going to make something happen,” she said of pushing for serious ramifications against uninsured motorists. “If we all

RNC to spend $10M to reach minorities

get out scot-free, no one would pay insurance.” Uninsured motorists are a growing problem around the country and in Illinois. The Insurance Research Council estimates one in seven American drivers are uninsured, including almost 15 percent of Illinois’ 8 million motorists – more than 1 million.

Locally, the problem is growing. The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office issued 704 citations for driving without insurance in 2012, while DeKalb police wrote 1,138 tickets. Uninsured motorists accounted for 27.5 percent of all citations from the Sycamore Police Department in 2012. The Sycamore and DeKalb police departments are on pace to

exceed last year’s numbers with 78 and 203 tickets for no insurance being issued to date, respectively. Sycamore Police Lt. Darrell Johnson said part of the problem is simple economics. As people look for ways to save money in a struggling economy, many believe they can get away without insurance. Although police cannot

Local pubs serve up

a celebration

See INSURANCE, page A4

Voice your opinion Do you have ‘uninsured motorist’ coverage with your auto insurance? Vote online at Daily-Chronicle.com.

St. Patrick’s Day festivities spread over the weekend

Plan would be to send party workers into communities By PHILIP ELLIOTT The Associated Press

Reince Priebus, Republican National Committee chairman also proposed limiting number of primary-season debates, and shortening presidential nominating calendar in 2016 among other changes.

WASHINGTON – Reeling from back-to-back presidential losses and struggling to cope with the country’s changing racial and ethnic makeup, the Republican National Committee plans to spend $10 million this year to send hundreds of party workers into Hispanic, black and Asian communities to promote its brand among voters who overwhelmingly supported Democrats in 2012. Committee Chairman Reince Priebus on Sunday also proposed shortening the presidential nominating calendar in 2016 and limiting the number of primary-season debates to avoid the self-inflicted damage from inside-party squabbling on the eventual nominee. Priebus’ top-to-bottom changes include picking the moderators for the debates and then crowning the nominee as early as June so he could begin a general election campaign as quickly as possible. “Mitt Romney was a sitting duck for two months over the summer,” Priebus said of the 2012 GOP nominee. To help his party ahead of the 2016 contest already in its earliest stages, Priebus said he would be hiring new staffers to build the GOP among voters in the states. “It will include hundreds of people – paid – across the country, from coast to coast, in Hispanic, African American, Asian communities, talking about our party, talking about our brand, talking about what we believe in, going to community events, going to swearing-in ceremonies, being a part of the community on an ongoing basis, paid for by the Republican National Committee, to make the case for our party and our candidates,” Priebus said.

Gary L. Gates – For the Daily Chronicle

Downers Grove residents Kevin Frank (center) and Pat Scaccia (right) laugh with O’Leary’s Restaurant & Pub waitress Makaela Huerta on Sunday during St. Patrick’s Day festivities in DeKalb. By JEFF ENGELHARDT

“Going to pubs is always a good idea on St. Patrick’s Day because you get that true Irish feeling. As far as I’m concerned, everyone is Irish today. You’ve got to have fun.”

jengelhardt@shawmedia.com

D

eKALB – Not everyone can have a name like Ron McCaslin, but as far as he is concerned, everyone is just as Irish as he is on March 17. McCaslin was one of many to flock to area pubs Sunday and throughout the weekend to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. McCaslin, who has never missed an opportunity to celebrate the day dedicated to his heritage, spent Sunday at DeKalb’s most Irish establishment, O’Leary’s Restaurant & Pub. “Going to pubs is always a good idea on St. Patrick’s

Ron McCaslin O’Leary’s Restaurant & Pub patron Day because you get that true Irish feeling,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned,

everyone is Irish today. You’ve got to have fun.” O’Leary’s was a hotspot all weekend for people looking to tap into their inner Irish, said co-owner Debbie Witmer. The restaurant had live music, including bagpipers, Friday through Sunday and had specials from the traditional corned beef and cabbage to Jameson pot roasts. By Sunday afternoon, Witmer said O’Leary’s had served more than 650 pounds of corned beef and was out of green beer. “It’s huge for us,” she said of St. Patrick’s Day.

See CELEBRATION, page A3

Entertainer Marc Hanson performs for patrons at O’Leary’s Restaurant & Pub for St. Patrick’s Day.

Weather

Inside today’s Daily Chronicle Lottery Local news Obituaries

A2 A3-4 A4

National and world news Opinions Sports

A2 A7 B1-3

Advice Comics Classified

B4 B5 B6-8

High:

38

Low:

18

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