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Serving DeKalb County since 1879
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
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D-428 to vote on schedule changes Plan for middle schools would cut music class and replace it with expanded math period By CHRIS BURROWS cburrows@shawmedia.com DeKALB – DeKalb School District 428 board members are expected to vote today on proposed changes to the district’s middle school schedules. Under the proposal, a nine-week general music class would be eliminated
from the curriculum to make way for an expanded mathematics period. The band and orchestra ensembles, which were considered for elimination, would remain. “It maintains all musical programs. There’s a lot of misinformation out there; it maintains the ensembles,” said Doug Moeller, the district’s assistant superin-
tendent for curriculum & student services. “The only thing that would be cut is the general music, which is one of the nine-week roDoug tations.” Moeller If approved, the changes would go into
effect for the 2014-15 school year and three full-time teaching positions would be cut. Several local parents and residents attended the July 16 meeting when the proposal was discussed. Under the current schedule, middle school students have an encore period, which includes nine-week classes in art, computers, health and
Huskies getting organized
If you go
general music, and an exploratory period, which consists of full semesters of band and orchestra ensembles, choir and extra help in math or language arts. The proposal would combine the encore and exploratory periods into a single elective period to make room
n What: DeKalb School District 428 board meeting n When: 7 p.m. today n Where: The Forum Room at DeKalb High School, 501 W. Dresser Road, DeKalb
See D-428, page A6
Hastened conceal carry denied
NIU prepares for new season
Appeals court will review case By JIM SUHR The Associated Press ST. LOUIS – A federal appeals court has refused an urgent request by gun rights advocates to let Illinois residents immediately tote firearms in public under the state’s fledgling concealed-carry law, although the panel has decided to give the matter a speedy review. The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the request Thursday and said it expects both sides to submit written briefs by Aug. 14 regarding whether the months-long wait to implementing the law is unreasonable and illegal, as critics insist. No oral arguments on the matter had been scheduled as of Monday. Mary Shepard and the Illinois State Rifle Association asked the Chicago appellate court to intervene after failing to sway a federal judge in East St. Louis last month to allow immediate concealed carry. The Illinois Legislature passed the last-in-the-nation concealed-carry law July 9 against Gov. Pat Quinn’s objections, giving Illinois State Police 180 days to set up the permit process and an additional 90 days to process applications. Shepard and the rifle group consider that “foot-dragging” and a “daily, irreparable violation of their Second Amendment rights,” according to their July 30 filing to the 7th Circuit Court. “This sort of ongoing, unabated, fully adjudicated violation of an enumerated constitutional right epitomizes irreparable harm,” William Howard, an attorney for Shepard and the gun group, wrote in then in the emergency motion for an injunction. Howard’s clients have pressed that Firearm Owners Identification cards possessed by Illinois gun owners serve as concealed-carry permits “for the time being.” The state, represented by
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com
Quarterback Jordan Lynch (right) hands off the running back Giorgio Bowers on Monday during the first practice of the season at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.
By STEVE NITZ snitz@shawmedia.com
N
orthern Illinois completed its first practice of fall camp Monday afternoon at Huskie Stadium. The Huskies will hold 24 practices in DeKalb over the next three weeks, closing fall camp Aug. 24, leading up to Aug. 31’s season opener at Iowa. “It feels good to be organized. Organized team football with the coaches out there
and running a little bit smoother than it did [during summer workouts],” Huskies quarterback Jordan Lynch said. “Overall, it feels good. First day, freshmen jitters, trying to see what the freshmen are all about. It just feels good to be out there.” NIU practiced in helmets, and won’t be in full pads until Friday. The Huskies will hold their first scrimmage at 7:45 p.m. Saturday. “They came out and worked hard, I’ll tell you that,” head coach Rod Carey said. “I
was pleased with the tempo. A lot of things to clean up just like everybody.” The Orange Bowl appearance will always be fresh in everyone’s minds. However, Carey has made sure his crew has moved on. Right now, the focus is on the Hawkeyes. “We’re working on Iowa now. The last game we played, we lost,” Lynch said. “It’s not a revenge game. We’ve got tons of new players on this team. It’s a totally different team, we’re still trying to find out our identity.”
Inside For complete Northern Illinois University sports coverage, turn to PAGE B1.
Al-Qaida chief’s message led to embassy closures By KIMBERLY DOZIER and LARA JAKES The Associated Press WASHINGTON – An intercepted secret message between al-Qaida chief Ayman al-Zawahri and his deputy in Yemen about plans for a major terror attack was the trigger that set off the current shutdown of many U.S. embassies, two officials told The Associated Press on Monday. A U.S. intelligence official and a Mideast diplomat said al-Zawahri’s message was picked up several weeks
ago and appeared to initially target Yemeni interests. The threat was expanded to include American or other Western sites abroad, officials said, indicating the target could be a single embassy, a number of posts or some other site. Lawmakers have said it was a massive plot in the final stages, but they have offered no specifics. The intelligence official said the message was sent to Nasser al-Wahishi, the head of the terror network’s organization, based in Yemen, known as al-Qaida in the Ara-
bian Peninsula. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive issue publicly. American spies and intelligence analysts Monday scoured email, phone calls and radio communications between al-Qaida operatives in Yemen and the organization’s senior leaders to determine the timing and targets of the planned attack. The call from al-Zawahri,
See CLOSURES, page A6
AP photo
A Bahraini armored personnel vehicle and personnel reinforce U.S. Embassy security just outside of a gate to the building, surrounded in barbed wire, Sunday in Manama, Bahrain.
See APPEALS, page A6
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