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OFF AND RUNNING High school fall sports teams hold first practices of season
Family hopes to help prevent other deaths By JILLIAN DUCHNOWSKI jduchnowski@shawmedia.com
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com
Jonathan Vega participates in a tackling drill Wednesday during the DeKalb football team’s first practice. The Barbs went 2-7 in 2012. By ROSS JACOBSON
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To watch a video on the sights and sounds of the first day of prep football practice in DeKalb County, visit Daily-Chronicle.com.
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ednesday marked the first day of practice for all high school fall sports teams throughout the state, and many teams took advantage of the cooler weather. Although some teams held workouts, went to camps and competed in various competitions during the summer, Wednesday’s sessions signified the official beginning of the 2013 season. “It’s that time of year when your blood starts boiling,” Genoa-Kingston football coach Travis Frederick said. “We did a lot of stuff in the summer – camp, 7-on-7’s and all that – but it’s that next kind of level you’ve got to take and keep preparing for that first game.”
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Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
Quarterback Nick Feuerbach throws a pass during the first day of practice Wednesday for the Sycamore varsity football team. Per new Illinois High School Association rules, football teams are allowed to run drills in helmets and without
pads for only the first two days of practice. On Tuesday, they will be allowed to wear full pads.
For DeKalb, it was another chance to get on the field with new head coach Matt Weckler, who takes over after the Barbs went 2-7 in 2012. “We built it up to be a new start, new beginning and the kids have kind of bought into that,” Weckler said. “Hopefully, it’s brought a lot of excitement to not only the football program, but also the community in DeKalb.”
DeKALB – The night David Bogenberger died, he and 18 other pledges drank several four-ounce glasses of vodka in rapid succession, but their “Greek parents” decided against calling for medical help – and also told others not to do so. Instead, the fraternity leaders and women invited to participate in the nonsanctioned initiation party gave the pledges decorated buckets and positioned their unconscious bodies in a way they thought would prevent them from choking if they got sick, court documents allege. Bogenberger, 19, was found dead the next morning; authorities later said his blood-alcohol content was 0.351 percent. Bogenberger’s family updated a wrongful death lawsuit Wednesday with details of
See PLEDGE, page A6
Library fund adds $20K By CHRIS BURROWS cburrows@shawmedia.com
items. Jackson, 48, had been a Democratic congressman from Illinois from 1995 until he resigned in November. In an emotional speech to the judge, he choked up and used tissues to blow his nose. He apologized and said he wanted to “take responsibility for my actions.” “I misled the American people. I misled the House of Representatives. I misled the Federal
DeKALB – Members of the DeKalb Public Library’s Board of Trustees on Wednesday accepted a $20,000 private grant that will go toward the library’s expansion project. “We’re very, very pleased,” Library Director Dee Coover said. Representatives from the Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Co., which operates a quality assurance lab in Waterman, presented the check at Wednesday’s board meeting. Ricky Vazquez, an operations manager at the lab,
See JACKSON, page A6
See LIBRARY, page A6
Former Rep. Jackson Jr. gets 2½-year sentence The ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON – Former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. was sentenced to 2½ years in prison Wednesday for illegally spending $750,000 in campaign funds on personal items, the judge scolding the son of the famed civil rights leader for using the money as a “piggy bank” and sentencing his wife to a year as well. However, Jackson, who emotionally apologized to his father, mother, congressional
colleagues and others, was given significantly less prison time than federal guidelines recommend, recognized by the judge as a “complex person” who has done both good and bad. Sandra JackJesse son, a former ChiJackson Jr. cago alderman, was sentenced for filing false joint federal income tax returns. After prison, the former con-
gressman is to spend three years on supervised release and complete 500 hours of community service. If he earns credit for good behavior in prison, he could end up serving closer to two years. He agreed to repay the $750,000 when he pleaded guilty earlier this year. According to court documents, the Jacksons had spent campaign money on TVs, restaurant dinners, an expensive watch and other costly personal
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“We have members that live here in DeKalb and Sycamore, so our members will also benefit from this [expansion project].” – Ricky Vazquez, operations manager at the Monsanto Co. quality assurance lab in Waterman
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David Bogenberger died Nov. 1 after a fraternity event where, a lawsuit alleges, pledges had to drink 12 to 20 ounces of vodka within about 90 minutes. Authorities have said his blood-alcohol content was 0.351 percent.
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