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Breaking news at Daily-Chronicle.com Toledo’s Chase Murdock
Serving DeKalb County since 1879
Thursday, November 21, 2013
NO. 16 NORTHERN ILLINOIS 35, TOLEDO 17
NIU CLINCHES SPOT IN MAC TITLE GAME Quarterback Jordan Lynch rushes for 3 TDs in decisive win
NIU’s Jordan Lynch (right)
Sports, B1
County Board OKs $77.3M budget By FELIX SARVER fsarver@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – DeKalb County Board members approved a $77.3 million budget after several members wanted to spend another month giving the budget a closer examination. On Wednesday, board members voted on separate ordinances on the tax levy and budget for fiscal 2014, which begins next year. In
a 15-8 vote, board members passed the budget, which has about $77.3 million in overall expenses and an overall deficit of about $4 million. Riley Oncken, R-Sycamore, abstained during the vote. They also approved a $20.9 million property tax levy in a 14-10 vote, which will result in increase of $8.72 in property tax bills for the average homeowner. The overall assessed value for property in the county is expected to decline by
almost 8 percent, which is about the same percentage of decline this year as in 2012. Because of declining property values, the average home assessed value in the county went from $200,000 in 2010 to $160,000 this year. Anthony Cvek, R-Sycamore, and Charles Foster, R-Shabbona, wanted to table the vote on the property tax levy and budget and study the budget further at another county finance committee
meeting. Cvek said the county is spending down its reserves by almost $900,000 and board members owed it to the taxpayers to find other ways to cut costs. “We lose nothing,” he said. “We have till the end of the year to approve a budget before Jan. 1… the only people that lose by us moving forward with this today and forcing this through without giving it an honest look are the taxpayers.” Several board members took
issue with the budget appeal process, such as Tracy Jones, R-Kirkland. Jones said he wanted a closer look at the budget because he didn’t fully understand all the money that went into the budget. “I’m willing to bet that tonight there’s millions of dollars on the table that a lot of people sitting right here are going to approve them [and] don’t know anything
GREAT AMERICAN SMOKEOUT
PERFECT DAY TO QUIT um-brand cigarettes in DeKalb County costs about $7. Also, in 2008, smoking was banned in all public indoor spaces and workplaces and within 15 feet their of entrances. The DeKalb County Health Department named a few resources smokers can go to for help. The Illinois Department of Public Health and the American Lung Association offers a free and confidential phone service called the Illinois Tobacco Quitline at 866-784-8937 for anyone who needs advice on how to quit. Mayo Clinic trained respiratory therapists and nurses will assist smokers throughout the quitting process. Qualifying DeKalb County residents may receive eight weeks of a free nicotine replacement therapy which will provide patches, gum and lozenges at no cost, according to a department news release. “Sometimes therapy helps people quit because it gradually takes you off nicotine,” said Melissa McAvoy, a health educator with the county health department. There also is a program online at www.becomeanex.org, where participants can set up a quit date and track how many cigarettes they have. “It’s helpful for people to see when they smoke and if it’s at a stressful point in time,” McAvoy said. Robinson said there is a routine for when she smokes. She smokes first thing in the morning, has another before she lets her dogs out and smokes again after meals. “It takes over your life,” she said. “At the hospital, I was worried
Today’s event aims to help smokers quit harmful habit By ANDREA AZZO
Photo illustration by Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com
aazzo@shawmedia.com
DeKALB – Whenever DeKalb resident Jo Ann Robinson’s granddaughter visits, Robinson sprays the house and hides all evidence of her smoking. Robinson, 54, has been smoking for more than 40 years. At age 35, she had quintuple heart bypass surgery. She has diabetes, heart disease and nerve problems, and she is currently recovering from foot surgery. “Half a pack of cigarettes [a day] is a wish list to die,” she said. “It’s terrible. This time I’ve got to quit.” Today is the perfect day to do it. Today is the American Cancer Society’s annual Great American Smokeout, when smokers quit for one day to prove they can do it, make a plan to quit or quit smoking altogether. Today is Ralph De Stefano’s 44th smoke-free day. The former DeKalb resident, who now lives in Chicago, quit by cutting his smoking intake in half every day. De Stefano, 42, was a pack-aday smoker. “In the past, my former wife wanted me to quit, my kids wanted me to quit ... everybody wanted me to quit,” he said. “I fully believe you can never quit for somebody else but for you.” There are a few more reasons smokers choose to quit: cost and inconvenience. A pack of premi-
See SMOKEOUT, page A6
Riley Oncken, R-Sycamore, abstained during the vote.
See BUDGET, page A6
Air Force’s nuke troubles deeply rooted Key officers ‘burned out’ By ROBERT BURNS
RAND survey summary
The Associated Press WASHINGTON – Trouble inside the Air Force’s nuclear missile force runs deeper and wider than officials have let on. An unpublished study for the Air Force, obtained by The Associated Press, cites “burnout” among launch officers with their fingers on the triggers of 450 weapons of mass destruction. Also, evidence of broader behavioral issues across the intercontinental ballistic missile force, including sexual assaults and domestic violence. The study, provided to the AP in draft form, says that court-martial rates in the nuclear missile force in 2011 and 2012 were more than twice as high as in the overall Air Force. Administrative punishments, such as written reprimands for rules violations and other misbehavior, also were higher in those years. These indicators add a new dimension to an emerging picture of malaise and worse inside the ICBM force, an arm of the Air Force with a proud heritage but an uncertain future. Concerned about heightened levels of misconduct, the Air Force directed RAND Corp., the federally funded research house, to conduct a three-month study of work conditions and attitudes among the men and women inside the ICBM force. It found a toxic mix of frustration and aggravation, heightened by a sense of being unappreciated, overworked, micromanaged and at constant risk of failure. Remote and rarely seen, the ICBM force gets little public attention. The AP, however, this year has documented a string of missteps that call
n Launch officers and more junior members of the missile security forces are suffering “burnout.” Burnout is defined as a combination of mental and physical exhaustion, cynicism and feelings of ineffectiveness. n Among the reasons voiced for feeling stressed: too little autonomy, pressure from frequent inspections, remoteness of the bases and unpredictable schedules. n Air Force figures show that in 201112, the rate of spousal abuse and courts-martial within the missile force were higher than in the Air Force overall. The trendline, however, is improving this year.
VOICE YOUR OPINION: Have you ever tried quitting smoking? Vote online at Daily-Chronicle.com. See TROUBLES, page A6
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