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Kish College finalists to visit campus 4 presidential hopefuls will attend a series of public forums By RHONDA GILLESPIE rgillespie@shawmedia.com DeKALB – A Kishwaukee College alumnus is among the four candidates looking to head the community college after President Tom Choice retires next month, and the public can meet them all next week in a series of forums. Laurie Borowicz, Jacqueline Elliott, Anthony Miksa and Richard Pearce were selected as finalists by the college’s Board of Trustees. Students and the community will
be introduced to each of them during a series of public forums that start Monday with Elliott. Each forum will take place in the Kishwaukee College Conference Center on its campus in Malta. Elliott made history at North Arkansas College in July 2011 when she was named the community college’s first female president. She is credited with helping the school in Harrison, Arkansas, adopt a comprehensive strategic plan that was trademarked, accord-
ing to a biography provided by Kishwaukee College. She has a doctorate in education from the University of Nebraska. Heartland Community College’s Pearce will meet with Kishwaukee students and other community members Tuesday. He is the vice president for learning and student success at the community college in Normal. Pearce was a member of the team that helped bring the PARCC assessment to Illinois public schools and has a doctorate degree from Illinois State University.
Miksa will be presented at the Wednesday forum. He holds an associate’s degree from Kishwaukee College. He started in higher education as an admissions counselor at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and is the vice president of academic and student affairs at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake. Miksa has a doctorate from National Louis University in community college leadership.
See CANDIDATES, page A5
The finalists
If you go
Jacqueline Elliott
Richard Pearce
Anthony Miksa
Laurie Borowicz
What: The public is invited to meet the four finalists to be the next president of Kishwaukee College. One candidate a day will meet the public starting Monday and continuing through Thursday. When: All forums will start at 3:45 p.m. Where: Kishwaukee College, 21193 Malta Road, Malta, in the Kishwaukee College Conference Center, Room A1225 More information: Contact Kishwaukee College at 815825-2086, or online at www. kishwaukeecollege.edu.
Rauner’s issues in bid to block refugees
AFTER THANKSGIVING RETAIL THERAPY
By JOHN O’CONNOR The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Bruce Rauner said his moratorium attempting to block Syrian refugees from resettling in Illinois is simply a request for the Obama administration to “take a deep breath” and tighten the review process to make sure Washington shares necessary information with the states. Rauner is among more than half of U.S. governors who have signaled resistance to taking the refugees, expressing safety concerns after the deadly attacks in Paris earlier this month. The federal government and resettlement groups question the states’ authority to block the refugees and defend the laborious process they already go through to relocate. Here are some things to know about the refugee issue in Illinois:
FEDERAL MONEY Photos by Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Linda “Mamma Linn” Martinez grabs one of four Ninja blenders she bought for presents after Target opened at 6 p.m. Thursday in DeKalb. She was the first one in line and also got a ticket for a 60-inch TV.
Thursday shopping spree Holiday shoppers line up for deals after dinner By KATIE SMITH ksmith@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Red carts filled with big-screen TVs looked like they were steering themselves Thursday, while the shoppers behind them elbowed their way to Amazon Fires, and a life-size stuffed Chewbacca gargled somewhere in the distance. More than 135 million people plan to shop Thanksgiving weekend and nearly 80 percent (184 million people) plan to shop Cyber Monday, according to the National Retail Federation. Big-box stores’ decision to open Thursday evening seemed to be a popular decision among the DeKalb crowd, who rushed the doors at Target and Best Buy shortly after dinner. The line of shoppers Thursday outside DeKalb’s Best Buy
was hooded by umbrellas and curved along the side of the building. It didn’t make a difference to Nancie Richardson, however. The DeKalb resident and her eight accomplices claimed their spots in line five hours before the doors opened. “We have a tag team, me and my sisters. You come and stay three hours, come home, three hours, come home,” Richardson said. “We’ll stay shopping until 10 p.m. and then get up and start shopping again in the morning.” After opening earlier and earlier on the holiday, this year, most of the more than a dozen major retailers such as Macy’s, Target and Kohl’s stuck with their 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. Thanksgiving openings.
See SHOPPING, page A5
The federal government provides the vast majority of funding to states for refugee relocation. In Illinois recently, it was about $11 million a year, according to the state departments of Human Services and Public Health. Some state money is spent, but only through existing social services that an incoming family needs, DHS spokeswoman Veronica Vera said. An Associated Press analysis of state records shows that since 2012, Illinois has appropriated $55 million in federal money for refugee services and spent $33 million, or 60 percent of it. Despite the fact that Rauner and legislative Democrats have been unable to agree on a budget for state spending, they did approve in August spending authority to free up billions of dollars in such federal “pass-through” money, including for refugees. The state spent $1.3 million in refugee aid from August through mid-November, mostly for housing and food. A governor may order a state agency to stop spending from any part of its budget, but it’s unclear in this case how an agency would be able to differentiate what dollars support refugees from which countries.
ILLINOIS REFUGE Best Buy employee Sterling Miesels (right) helps load a 48-inch TV into Northern Illinois University student Ryan Nelson’s car trunk Thursday at Best Buy in DeKalb.
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Volunteers serve Thanksgiving dinner to community / A3
Go Fund Me campaign helps VAC restore Tuesday meal service / A3
Sports editor Eddie Carifio picks weekend’s winners / B1
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According to federal statistics provided to the Department of
See REFUGEES, page A5
Obituaries .........................A4 Opinion...............................A7 Puzzles ............................... B6 Sports..............................B1-4 State ...................................A4 Weather .............................A8