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Serving DeKalb County since 1879
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
A REASON TO CELEBRATE • FOOD, C1
GREATEST TEAMS SERIES • SPORTS, B1
A coconut and berry no-bake pie for July 4th
1998 Barbs boys soccer squad reached state tournament
Employee health care mandate delayed
Holiday planning Four things to remember on the Fourth
Won’t kick in until 2015 By RICARDO ALONSO–ZALDIVAR The Associated Press
Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
Sam Jones, 82, a resident at Grand Victorian in Sycamore, plays taps on his trumpet Tuesday by the flagpole in front of the assisted-living home. Jones, a Korean War veteran, has been playing taps every night at 6:45 p.m. since he moved to the home two years ago. “I play for the veterans and those that died,” Jones said. By JILLIAN DUCHNOWSKI jduchnowski@shawmedia.com The Fourth of July has been memorialized in movies, recounted in history books and commercialized as an excuse for bargain sales. It might be a good reason for you to barbecue or spend the day by the pool. Or to remember how our forefathers and foremothers carved out a new nation. Whatever sounds like fun to you. As you prepare for the most American of American holidays, here are four facts about the Fourth you might want to share with friends and family over fireworks or food.
1. DeKalb was named after a Revolutionary War general. He wasn’t actually a baron, but Johann Kalb adopted the “de,” the French and Spanish preposition “of,” and began telling people he had a noble lineage to kick off his military career, according to a July 12, 1978, article in The MidWeek. He was born July 29, 1721, in Huttendorf, Germany, but had become a lieutenant in the French Army by the age of 22, when he was signing his name “The Baron deKalb.” DeKalb set sail for the emerging new country in America in April 1777 with Marquis de Lafayette. He was elected ma-
jor in September 1777 and took command of a division of troops that wintered in Valley Forge, Pa., according to The MidWeek. Ultimately a quartermaster general, DeKalb was injured in the Battle of Camden as he and a few other troops protected the retreating American forces, according to DeKalb historian Waite Embree. The British took him prisoner and he died three days later, Embree wrote. A life-size bronze statue of DeKalb was erected near the Delaware statehouse in 1886, according to a July 31, 1980, Sycamore News article. More locally, his portrait is included in the mural on the Van Orthopaedic & Spine Surgery building at First Street and Lincoln Highway in DeKalb.
By the numbers
26
The age of the youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence, Edward Rutledge
56
Number of people who signed the Declaration of Independence
70
The age of the oldest signer of the Declaration of Independence, Benjamin Franklin
2. Sparklers burn at temperatures of up to 1,800 degrees. That’s hot enough to ignite a child’s clothing and cause third-degree burns within 30 seconds, according to a news release from the Sycamore Fire Department. By comparison, steel warps and sags about 1,100 degrees. Fire officials suggest residents leave the fireworks to the professionals. You can find out more about local festivities on Page B4 of today’s issue.
2.5M
Number of people living in the newly formed country in July 1776
316.5M
See HOLIDAY, page A4
The nation’s estimated population today
WASHINGTON – In a major concession to business groups, the Obama administration Tuesday unexpectedly announced a one-year delay, until after the 2014 elections, in a central requirement of the new health care law that many companies provide coverage for their workers or face fines. The move sacrificed timely implementation of President Barack Obama’s signature legislation but may help the administration politically by blunting an election-year line of attack Republicans were planning to use. The employer requirements are among the most complex parts of the health care law, which is designed to expand coverage for uninsured Americans. “We have heard concerns about the complexity of the requirements and the need for more time to implement them effectively,” Treasury Assistant Secretary Mark Mazur said in a blog post. “We have listened to your feedback and we are taking action.” Business groups were jubilant. “A pleasant surprise,” said Randy Johnson, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. There was no inkling in advance of the administration’s action, he said. “We commend the administration’s wise move,” said Neil Trautwein, a vice president of the National Retail Federation. It “will provide employers and businesses more time to update their health care coverage without threat of arbitrary punishment.” But the delay could also undermine the law’s main goal of covering the nearly 50 million Americans without health insurance. Already, Republican resistance in the states will deny access to a planned Medicaid expansion – at least for next year – to millions of low-income people. Under the health law, companies with 50 or more workers must provide affordable
“We have heard concerns about the complexity of the requirements and the need for more time to implement them effectively.” Mark Mazur Treasury assistant secretary
See DELAY, page A4
Local lawmakers disagree with Quinn’s concealed-carry changes By DAVID THOMAS dthomas@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Local law makers said they support overriding Gov. Pat Quinn’s alterations to a concealedcarry measure, which include setting a one-gun limit on the number of firearms a person can carry and banning weapons entirely from establishments where alcohol is served. The Democratic governor used his amendatory veto
power Tuesday to change legislation sent to him after months of intense debate and compromise. He added provisions on signage, employers’ rights and allowing local communities to create their own laws limiting assault weapons. Within hours of Quinn’s announcement, Illinois’ legislative leaders called a session for July 9 to deal with the changes. It is the same day as a federal court’s deadline for Illinois to adopt a concealed-
carry law. All of DeKalb’s lawmakers – state Reps. Robert Pritchard, R-Hinckley, and Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, and state Sens. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford, and Tim Bivins, R-Dixon – said they would vote to override Quinn’s changes, a move that would require a threefifths majority in both chambers. The original bill had the required votes to do it. “Gov. Quinn did not participate in the negotiations on this bill,” Syverson said in a
statement. “Instead, he’s decided to play politics and disrespect the rights of law-abiding gun owners.” Illinois is the only state that prohibits all of its residents from carrying concealed firearms. But a December ruling by the 7th U.S. Circuit Appeals Court determined it was unconstitutional and set the deadline for lawmakers to comply. Quinn made clear he never agreed with the ruling and said lawmakers put together
the bill in a “hurried way,” influenced by the National Rifle Association. “There are serious flaws in this bill that jeopardize public safety of the people of Illinois,” Quinn said at a packed Chicago news conference attended by nearly 100 anti-violence advocates. He played up the city’s violence with a list of highprofile speakers including the Rev. Michael Pfleger, who has
See QUINN, page A3
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