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Annexation possible in Sycamore City Council to consider agreement to add 300 acres, pave future development By BRETT ROWLAND browland@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – The City Council plans to consider final approval of an annexation agreement Monday that could add 300 acres to Sycamore and pave the way for future residential development in the rural area northwest of the city. The City Council will meet at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Sycamore Center, 308 W. State St., Sycamore. The proposed annexation
agreement has drawn criticism from some rural property owners who are worried development in the area could create traffic and water problems and crowding in local schools. Some also worry the rural residential zoning designation, which calls for home sites that are three acres or larger, would change the character of the area. Some property owners who live near the area spoke out at the Sycamore City Council’s meeting Oct. 19. The Sycamore Planning
Commission unanimously approved the proposed annexation agreement for six parcels with 300.99 acres after a public hearing Oct. 12. Sycamore Mayor Ken Mundy said Ken Mundy he understood the concerns of those opposed to the annexation agreement and potential residential development in the area. He said the development
likely would take place over decades, and the agreement would give the city greater control over what was built. “We are going to be very careful to ensure compliance,” Mundy said. Sycamore School District 427 told city officials the district could accommodate any growth from development in the area. Sycamore Park District officials have said the growth would affect parks and recreation, and they expect development fees would be need-
ed to offset the impact of any new construction, according to city documents. The city has envisioned low-density development in the area for years. In February, 2011, the City Council approved the Northwest Sub Area Plan, which called for a rural conservation subdivision west of Motel Road to feather the city’s limits with sparse housing and farmland. The 2011 plan took into account the rural character of existing property in the area, City Manager Brian Greg-
ory has said. If the plan is approved by the City Council, property owners would be required to pay an annexation fee of $2,500 an acre. The annexed property would not be covered by the city’s sewer system and would use private wells for water supply. Mundy said even if the City Council approves the annexation agreement, each proposed development still would need to go through the city’s planning process.
Health care sign-ups face problems in prices, politics
LEARNING ROBOT MECHANICS
By CARLA K. JOHNSON and RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR The Associated Press
Photos by Monica Synett – msynett@shawmedia.com
Four members of the DeKalb High School Robotics club work on wiring a Northern Illinois Remote Vehicle robot Thursday at the NIU Engineering Building.
Robotics club picking up speed NIU students offer assistance in mentoring, hosting workshops By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com DeKALB – High school freshman Adam Tumminaro has always thought robots were cool, and now, he’s working on building one to compete in the largest national robotics competition. “I know about wiring and stuff, because I’ve always been interested in electronic circuitry,” Tumminaro said. “But I never knew how to put it all together. Building my own electronics stuff interested me.” Tumminaro is one of about 30 DeKalb High School students who are part of the DHS Robotics Club, in its pilot year this semester. The group still is in its beginning stages, competing for grants and working through the basics of robotics. Eventually, DHS will compete in the nationwide For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) robotics competition. Northern Illinois University’s Robotics Club is working with the high school team on its venture, by mentoring them and hosting electronics and machinery workshops in the College of Engineer-
The DeKalb High School Robotics club partners with the Northern Illinois University Robotics Club to gain hands-on experience on rewiring and building a robot Thursday at the NIU Engineering Building. ing and Engineering Technology lab. “A lot of us were on high school robotics teams, too,” said Tim Olson, president of the NIU Robotics Club. “We know the kinds of dynamics that happen on those teams and the opportunities that it creates for you, so we wanted to be able to help out DeKalb and
give them some of the same opportunities we had.” Helping the high school team gives NIU team members more experience working with a wider variety of people and opens the college group up to additional sponsorship opportunities, Olson said. Olson said when he was a kid,
he always was taking things apart and trying to put them back together because he wanted to know how things worked. In his view, it’s important to support kids who are like that, too, particularly as a focus on science, technology, engineering and math [STEM] opportunities are picking on speed. “A big thing is exposing kids to something other than sports, or being a business or accounting major,” Olson said. “STEM is getting bigger and bigger. … If you’re interested in that, something like this can give you focus, and you can see what you want to learn more about.” School officials have said STEM opportunities and clubs like these will put students in a better position to find internships and jobs once they graduate. The DHS robotics team is in the process of trying to get a grant from Monsanto, which will sponsor a team from each of its regions this year, for the first time. “Monsanto puts a lot of effort into funding STEM learning programs, so this falls right into that category,” said Troy Dukes, site
See ROBOTICS, page A8
WASHINGTON – The government’s insurance website is faster and easier to use, but as a third sign-up season gets underway, President Barack Obama’s health care law is approaching limits. Enrollment on the federal and state exchanges began Sunday. While the law’s expanded coverage has reduced the uninsured rate to a historic low of about 9 percent, the gains will be harder in 2016. Supporters may feel they’re running to stay in place, rather than taking a victory lap during the president’s last full year in office. The reasons have to do with the structure of the complicated law, the effects of a major change introduced by the Supreme Court, and political divisions likely to be magnified in an election year. The fate of the Affordable Care Act – known as “Obamacare” to its detractors – is very much in the hands of the next president. A weak signup season could embolden opponents who are so far unwilling to relent. The law’s two major engines of coverage expansion face challenges simultaneously. Costs are going up on the private, taxpayer-subsidized coverage sold through HealthCare. gov and state insurance exchanges. And many of the more than 10 million eligible uninsured Americans are skeptics. They tend to be younger people on tight budgets, with other priorities for spending their money. A sharp increase in fines may sway at least some fence-sitters. In 2016, the penalty will rise to $695 or 2.5 percent of taxable income, whichever is higher. This year, the fine is the greater of $325 or 2 percent of income. On the law’s Medicaid expansion, the other
See HEALTH, page A4
AP photo
John Davis poses for a photo while holding an insurance bill Wednesday at his home in Port Charlotte, Fla. Davis, a 49-year-old construction worker unemployed because of health problems, is among those who cannot get health insurance through HealthCare. gov because the law prevents people below the poverty line from using the insurance exchanges, even as their states refuse to expand public coverage.
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DeKalb dog park reopens, holds costume contest / A2
Jonamac Orchard hosts pumpkin smashing event in Malta / A3
Kishwaukee College invites students to annual event / A6
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