TUESDAY
No ve mbe r 18 , 2014 • $1 .0 0
MAC SHOWDOWN NIU Huskies take on Ohio Bobcats tonight / B1 LOW
HIGH
17 13 Complete forecast on page A8
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SERVING DEKALB COUNTY SINCE 1879
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Area road crews ready for winter fight that winter.” National Weather Service Meteorologist Ricky Castro said last winter DeKalb County: 2,500 tons DeKALB – With thousands of brought 50 inches of snow, nearly 20 Sycamore: 1,200 tons tons of salt at their disposal, offiinches more than the 32-inch averDeKalb: 700 tons cials watching over DeKalb County’s age. The average temperature last roads say they are ready for whatevwinter was 14.2 degrees, close to 10 er this winter brings. degrees below average, Castro said. this season, although they can use up In DeKalb, Public Works Director Castro can’t predict snowfall, but to 4,200 tons, which they did last year. T.J. Moore said the city starts with said temperatures appear to be head“You always think back to your 700 tons of salt and another 200 tons ed for an average below the typical 24 previous winter,” Moore said. “We’re on the way. The city has a contract degrees. Still, Castro said this winter kind of gearing up in our head to with the state for 3,500 tons of salt could be less memorable.
Tons of salt on hand
By KATIE DAHLSTROM
kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com
“Overall,” Castro said. “The potential for a winter like last year ... is not likely.” Salting crews were out Saturday night when cold temperatures and 0.8 inches of snow contributed to a few crashes throughout the county and 14 in DeKalb. DeKalb police Cmdr. Jason Leverton said the number of accidents is typical for the first snow. Between 7 and 8 p.m., seven cars were involved in minor crashes at the intersection of First Street and
Sycamore Road, he said. Five of those collisions were part of a chain reaction. Moore said city crews will salt every road, paying extra attention to areas with curves and intersections known to become slick. Moore plans to store as much salt as possible so the city does not have to enact a policy it did in January to limit salt to main roads and intersections.
See WINTER, page A4
Tornadoes remembered in Illinois
Stray-cat saviors
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photos by Monica Synett – msynett@shawmedia.com
Volunteer Susan Kapost picks up Fuzzy so she can lay a sheet over a heating pad by the window Saturday at Fixin’ Feral Felines in DeKalb. Kapost has been volunteering for six of the 12 years the organization has been in motion.
Nonprofit group attends to health and wellness of feral cats in DeKalb County By ANDREA AZZO aazzo@shawmedia.com
Evergreen Village has one of DeKalb County’s largest feral cat populations because there is plenty of shelter underneath the trailers, Kosek said. Now that demolition has begun at the flood-prone mobile home park, volunteers with Fixin’ Feral Felines are working to spay and neuter more of the cats before winter. Meanwhile, demolition continues at Evergreen Village, but county officials remain focused on relocating families who live in the 40 or so occupied trailers, Planning Zoning and Building Director Paul Miller said. Fuzzy is a tame cat at Fixin’ Feral Felines in DeKalb and is looking for a good Crews are currently testing home. units for asbestos and plan to
SYCAMORE – Almost every night, Jane Kosek feeds a group of seven feral cats at Evergreen Village Mobile Home Park near Sycamore in hopes of eventually trapping them. Kosek is the president of Fixin’ Feral Felines, a DeKalb-based nonprofit organization that provides medical attention to feral cats and then often releases them back to where they were found. About 200 cats were found last spring at Evergreen Village, 955 E. State St. near Sycamore, and Kosek estimated the colony is now down to about 150 cats. “People in the trailer parks always feed them,” Kosek said. because people are moving out. I ty to feed them. ... When I show “Now they don’t have any food, have permission from the coun- up at night, they come running.”
See CATS, page A4
MARKETPLACE
LOCAL
LOCAL
WHERE IT’S AT
Heating up
Goal exceeded
Investigation
DeKalb man roasts premium coffee out of his home / A6
Feed My Starving Children mobile packing event deemed a success / A3
Local couple accused of sexually assaulting a teen / A3
Advice ................................ B5 Classified...................... B7-10 Comics ............................... B6 Local News.................... A3-4 Lottery................................ A2 Marketplace .....................A6
WASHINGTON, Ill. – From memorial services to dedications, residents and elected officials marked the oneyear anniversary Monday of deadly tornadoes that tore through central and southern Illinois, leaving more than half a dozen people dead and destroying numerous homes and businesses. Among the hardest hit was the central Illinois community of Washington, where more than 1,000 buildings were destroyed and three people died. Mayor Gary Manier said the recovery process has brought people together. “As we get through life, we get so busy. Sometimes we don’t know all our neighbors. Now, everybody’s holding block parties. They’re all friends because they helped each other out of basements. They helped clean debris off of other properties with each other,” Manier told Chicago’s WLS-TV for a story published online Monday. About two dozen tornadoes hit Illinois on Nov. 17 of last year. Seven people died in the aftermath and injuries played a role in the January death of an eighth person. The communities with some of the worst damage included Pekin and Gifford in central Illinois, and Brookport in southern Illinois. While the local governments in Illinois were denied federal disaster funding, the state provided millions to help through the rebuilding and recovery process. Washington received $13.4 million and Brookport got $2.9 million, according to Gov. Pat Quinn’s office. The Chicago Democrat’s itinerary Monday included stops in Washington and Brookport. In Washington, local officials and Republican U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock gathered at a park for prayers and a moment of silence. Quinn thanked volunteers and reflected on the recovery efforts. “Tragedy struck Illinois last November, but we refused to give up on these towns no matter how long it took for them to get back on their feet,” Quinn said in a statement. Washington officials said they are making progress in rebuilding. They estimated 75 percent of the 1,108 buildings will be rebuilt by the end of the year, but that the number might climb as high as 90 percent by the end of next year, according to The [Peoria] Journal Star. City Administrator Tim Gleason called the numbers “amazing” because officials expected only about half the buildings would be rebuilt by 2014’s end.
Nation&World...................A2 Obituaries .........................A4 Opinion...............................A7 Puzzles ............................... B5 Sports..............................B1-4 Weather .............................A8
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November
December
Hollydays H Holl Open Houses
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November 20-23 Downtown DeKalb
December 4, Egyptian Theatre 6 pm–8 pm
December 6, 13, 20 11 am–2 pm, Van Buer Plaza
Shop Small Saturday
Carriage Rides
November 29
December 6, 13, 20 • 11 am–2 pm, Frontier Communications
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