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Sober house proposal advances Executive Committee members approve motion to bring plan before County Board By ADAM POULISSE apoulisse@shawmedia.com DeKALB COUNTY – The County Executive Committee on Wednesday approved a motion to acquire residential property in Sycamore for an all-male sober living home, a step forward for an ongoing back-andforth between Sycamore and the county. The issue now goes before the County Board at its Feb. 18 meeting, before eventually
going back to Sycamore City Council. “It’s a program that could really improve lives,” Board Chairman Mark Pietrowski Jr. said. “And part of our duty as a community is to take care of each other.” All board members present at Wednesday’s meeting – Robert Brown, Frank O’Barski, John Frieders, John Gudmunson, Misty Haji-Sheikh, Paul Stoddard, Anita Jo Turner and Pietrowski – approved the mo-
tion to bring the sober house proposal before the regular board, with almost no discussion. Frieders praised the plan before the board. “I think we should go ahead with this purchase and do what we can to see it through and support the drug court in this way,” he said. DeKalb County officials are eyeing the property as a sober living home for male drug addicts and alcoholics in the Coun-
ty Drug/DUI Court program because of its close proximity to the courthouse and location, which includes both residential and other businesses. Sycamore leaders, however, have been insisting the county look at property it already owns. The total property taxes for 2013 payable in 2014 were almost $5,500, county records show. Last week, Sycamore City Council members tabled a vote on the use of the house until the county has made a specific
action on the property, since, without approval, other options could be pursued. Ultimately, the use of the property will be decided by the city, according to State’s Attorney Richard Schmack, who was at the meeting in place of Judge Robbin Stuckert from the county’s Drug Court. “If the city doesn’t approve it ... under the terms, the county can cancel it,” he said.
“It’s a program that could really improve lives, and part of our duty as a community is to take care of each other.” Mark Pietrowski Jr. County Board chairman
See BOARD, page A4
Obama asks for fresh war powers The ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON – Vowing that Islamic State forces are “going to lose,” President Barack Obama urged Congress on Wednesday to authorize military action against terrorists who are cutting a swath across the Middle East. Yet he ruled out large-scale U.S. ground combat operations reminiscent of Iraq and Afghanistan. “I’m convinced that the United States should not get dragged back into another prolonged ground war,” the president said at the White House as he set Congress on a path to its first war-powers vote in 13 years. Despite his words of reassurance, initial reaction in Congress amounted to bipartisan skepticism, with much of the dissatisfaction centered on his attempt to find a political middle ground with respect to ground forces. Republicans expressed unhappiness that he had chosen to exclude any long-term commitment of ground forces, while some Democrats voiced dismay that he had opened the door to deployment at all. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., also said Obama had ruled out air support for U.S.-trained rebels battling Syrian President Bashar Assad, adding, “That’s immoral.” Under Obama’s proposal, the use of military force against Islamic State fighters would be authorized for three years, unbounded by national borders. The fight could be extended to any “closely related successor entity” to the Islamic State organization that has overrun parts of Iraq and Syria, imposed a stern form of Sharia law and killed several hostages it has taken, Americans among them. “Make no mistake. This is a difficult mission,” Obama said in seeking action against a group that he said threatens America’s own security. He
said it will take time to dislodge the terrorists, especially from urban areas. “But our coalition is on the offensive. ISIL is on the defensive, and ISIL is going to lose.” ISIL is one acronym for the Islamic State group. The 2002 congressional authorization that preceded the American-led invasion of Iraq would be repealed under the White House proposal, a step some Republicans were unhappy to see. But a separate authorization that was approved by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks would remain in force, to the consternation of some Democrats. At the heart of the debate, the struggle to define any role for American ground forces is likely to determine the outcome of the administration’s request for legislation. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the proposal was intentionally ambiguous on that point to give the president flexibility, although the approach also was an attempt to bridge a deep divide in Congress. While asking lawmakers to bar long-term, large-scale ground combat operations like those in Afghanistan and Iraq, Obama said he wants the flexibility for ground combat operations “in other more limited circumstances.” Those include rescue missions, intelligence collection and the use of special operations forces in possible military action against Islamic State leaders. While he proposed legislation to terminate in three years, Obama said, “It is not a timetable. It is not announcing that the mission is completed at any given period. What it is saying is that Congress should revisit the issue at the beginning of the next president’s term.” Whatever the outcome, Obama’s request puts Congress on the path toward a vote that could reverberate unpredictably for years.
Monica Synett – msynett@shawmedia.com
Smokers may spend up to $70 for a carton – or 10 packs – of cigarettes today.
Seeking cheaper alternatives E-cigs gain steam among smokers By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – With a $50 purchase at Smoker’s World in Sycamore, Jack Wyld switched from a Marlboro man to an electronic cigarette smoker. Wyld, 24, bought an e-cigarette starter kit and a tank of smoking liquid. The latter cost $5.99 and contains liquid equal to about five packs of cigarettes, making it about $5 cheaper a pack than smoking traditional cigarettes. “I’m all about trying to get the most efficient, effective way to get that buzz from nicotine,” Wyld said. Wyld is part of a growing trend that local tobacco store owners have noticed as the price of cigarettes escalates and innovations such as e-cigarettes – battery-powered devices that heat liquid to produce vapor – move into the market.
Although that might be a positive for tobacco retailers, it could be a detriment to the overall health of the county as researchers continue to explore the dangers of e-cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes and materials for hand-rolled cigarettes make up about 30 percent of the business at Smoker’s World, 1565 DeKalb Ave., Sycamore, said owner Muhammad Mustafa. It’s a huge change for the business, which would have seen only 10 percent of sales from sources other than conventional cigarettes five years ago, Mustafa said. “It’s constantly evolved,” Mustafa said. “You have tax increases, manufacturer increase of about 10 cents a year. It doesn’t seem like a big difference, but to a smoker it is.” According to financial website wallethub.com, Illinois is the 15th most expensive state for smokers. A lifetime of smoking could cost $1.1 million, the survey results show. Mustafa said the most popular tobacco alternative is personal vaporizers, which are larger and offer more flavors than a cigarette-style e-cigarette. During his visit, Wyld tested out several flavors of the liquid, which contains nicotine,
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Adult population that smokes Illinois: 18 percent DeKalb County: 20 percent Kane County: 15 percent Ogle County: 16 percent Boone County: 16 percent Lee County: 16 percent
Source: The County Health Rankings and Roadmaps Program vegetable glycerine and other chemicals, but not tobacco. First he tried mocha, then melon. Although they’re cheaper, e-cigarettes still come with hazards. Researchers found using certain e-cigarettes at high voltages have the potential to release more formaldehyde than a traditional cigarette, according the a report published in The New England Journal of Medicine in January. The Federal Food and Drug Administration is reviewing comments on proposed regulations for e-cigarette use that
See SMOKING, page A2
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