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Monday, June 10, 2013
BLACKHAWKS • SPORTS, B5
BASEBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR • SPORTS, B1
Get your Hawks’ poster inside
Sycamore’s Scott Nelson dominates on the mound
HIGH SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT
Oh, the ‘places they’ll go’
Lt. Gov. urges ban on assault weapons By SARA BURNETT The Associated Press
Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
Sabrina Killeen, Hannah Hart and Carlie Hayes crouch down while they pass the time before lining up for the DeKalb High School commencement ceremony Saturday at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center in DeKalb. About 350 students graduated.
DeKalb graduates celebrate a new beginning By ANDREA AZZO
More online
news@daily-chronicle.com After 12 years of education, they certainly have brains in their heads. They have feet in their shoes. And on the brink of major life changes, they likely can steer themselves in whatever direction they choose. With a bit of a Dr. Seuss undertone, DeKalb High School leaders issued about 350 students diplomas Saturday morning at Northern Illinois University’s Convocation Center. The ceremony included references to the popular children’s book “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” “We are the dreamers, the thinkers, the makers, whether we become teachers or doctors or bakers,” graduate Allison Duffin said in a speech. Graduate Jake Smith said he wants to become a football coach. He plans to attend the University of Wis-
Go to Daily-Chronicle.com to check out photos of local graduations. consin-Stout to study physical education. He played offensive tackle for DeKalb High School and received grants to play football in Wisconsin. “I’m ready to start a new chapter in my life,” he said. Senior class president Natalie Sheehan is looking forward to college, too. She plans to study industrial engineering at NIU. Being from DeKalb, Sheehan originally didn’t want to choose NIU because it is so close to home. But as she researched her options, she realized NIU was a smart decision.
See GRADUATES, page A4
Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
Dontaye Bradley laughs during the DeKalb High School commencement ceremony Saturday at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center.
Ex-Sandwich exchange student attends 50th class reunion More online
By JILLIAN DUCHNOWSKI jduchnowski@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – Shu Ueyama couldn’t find Sandwich on the map in 1962 when the 17-year-old learned he would be placed there as a foreign exchange student. The Tokyo resident went to the library to figure out where the town of just a few thousand people was. Ueyama, whose nickname is pronounced “shoe,” passed the examination to become an exchange student with American Field Service, which matched him with Maynard Ferden’s family and sent him to Sandwich High School as a senior. “It was actually the very first step for me to become a global citizen,” Ueyama said. In the five decades since then, Ueyama has worked as a senior executive for Sony Corporation, which took him to England from 1971 to 1981, and represented Margaret Thatcher in Japan for 10 years start-
Go to Daily-Chronicle.com to check out a video with Shu Ueyama.
John Sahly – jsahly@shawmedia.com
Shu Ueyama talks about his experiences as a foreign exchange student at Sandwich High School in 1962-63 on Saturday at the home of Barb Makela in Sycamore. Ueyama came to Sandwich from Japan in 1962 as a foreign exchange student and stayed at Makela’s home for the duration of the school year. He returned to the area this weekend for his 50th high school reunion. ing in 1990, he said. He’s also written and translated more than 40 books and raised two children, whom
he believes also are citizens of the world. “Now I have a strange mixture of
American Midwest accent and British accent – and Japanese accent,” Ueyama said. “But the main thing is: I can communicate now with almost anybody in the world without any sort of complex.” He hasn’t forgotten his American classmates or family, though. The 68-year-old flew back for Sandwich High School class of 1963’s 50th reunion Saturday and stayed with his host sister, Barb Makela, in Sycamore. “We look different, but he’s still a member of our family,” Makela said, remembering how relieved she was when he called her within hours of her learning the tsunami hit Japan in 2011.
See REUNION, page A4
CHICAGO – Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is urging Illinois communities to consider banning assault-style weapons before new legislation is signed that could prohibit local governments from doing so in the future. The General Assembly approved a measure last month that would end Illinois’ last-in-the-nation prohibition on the concealed carry of firearms. The legislation, prompted by a federal court ruling that found Illinois’ law unconstitutional, also prohibits future assault-weapons bans. It allows existing bans, such as one in Chicago, to remain in place. Gov. Pat Quinn hasn’t said whether he will sign the proposal, which the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has given him until July 9 to enact. Simon said if the bill is signed into law as written, cities with so-called “home rule” deci- Sheila Simon sion-making authority would have just 10 days to prohibit assault-style weapons. In DeKalb County, “home-rule” would apply to DeKalb and Sycamore, according to information from the Secretary of State’s office. “We have seen the tragic results assault weapons have had on our streets, in our schools, movie theaters and more,” Simon, a Democrat from Carbondale, said in a statement Sunday. “The clock is ticking, so I encourage mayors and local officials to act now to ban assault weapons and retain local control over this important issue.” The firearms legislation was a compromise between supporters of gun rights across Illinois and advocates for gun control trying to address violence in Chicago. It would prohibit the possession of guns in places such as parks, bars and schools, but would allow a firearm to be securely stored in a vehicle. The measure also would require the Illinois State Police to issue a concealed carry permit to any gun owner who passes a background check, undergoes 16 hours of training – the most required by any state – and who pays a $150 fee and has a valid Firearm Owners Identification card. State Rep. Brandon Phelps, a Democrat from Harrisburg in downstate Illinois, said Saturday the proposal represents a hardfought agreement between lawmakers statewide. He encouraged Quinn to sign it soon and do away with the uncertainty over what will be law come July 9 – the deadline set by the federal court. Phelps also questioned the necessity of Simon’s statement. He said most Illinois communities recognize that law-abiding gun owners have a right to possess assault-style weapons, which are used for competitions and hunting. “If a community doesn’t have [a ban] already, I don’t know why they would do it now,” Phelps said. Simon told The Associated Press on Saturday she wanted to be sure home rule communities – some of which are small and may not have full-time elected officials or legal staff – are aware of the deadline. “It’s sort of ‘do it now or you can’t go back,’” she said. “It’s a choice I want them to have.”
Inside today’s Daily Chronicle Lottery Local news Obituaries
A2 A3-4 A4
National and world news Opinions Sports
Weather A2, A4 A7 B1-5
Advice Comics Classified
B6 B7 B8-10
High:
76
Low:
65