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Fe bru ar y 23 , 2015 • $1 .0 0
SOPHOMORE TAKES STATE
DAILY CHRONICLE
DeKalb’s Leman wins title in vault, second in floor exercise / B1
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You have to have an earpiece or the phone has to go through the Bluetooth speaker system. You cannot be texting and driving. Lt. Andy Sullivan DeKalb County Sheriffs Department
DISTRACTED DRIVING
Officials eye ways to pay for infrastructure work By JASON KEYSER The Associated Press
BY THE NUMBERS Below are the number of warnings and citations issued to area residents for not using a hands-free device while driving.
ROAD RAGE
DeKALB Photo illustration and graphic by R. Scott Helmchen – shelmchen@shawmedia.com
Area police officers issue 540 warnings and citations in 2014 for not using a hands-free device By ADAM POULISSE apoulisse@shawmedia.com Dialing up a BFF also has dialed up several warnings and citations for drivers in the past year, as a result of the new state law that went into effect last year. Police officers with departments in DeKalb, Sycamore, Genoa, Northern Illinois University and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s office issued 540 warnings and citations in 2014 to people for talking on cellphones without a hands-free device, records show. Officers issued 71 more citations and warnings in January. At the start of 2014, Illinois banned the use of all hand-held devices while operating a vehicle, especially for inexperienced drivers, and drivers in construction and school zones. Distracted driving increases the chance of a crash by 400 percent, according to the Illinois State Police web-
site. In Illinois, fines for violating the state law start at $75. Distracted driving is considered a primary law – meaning officers can pull a driver over if they see them texting or talking on the phone while driving without seeing any other violation. “We wanted to increase enforcement as [distracted driving] potentially increases traffic crashes,” said Lt. Andy Sullivan with DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office patrol division, which only issued four fines for distracted driving last month. “We wanted to make the public aware of a new law.” Sullivan said the law is pretty self-explanatory. “You have to have an earpiece or the phone has to go through the Bluetooth speaker system,” Sullivan said. “You cannot be texting and driving.” Efforts have been made na-
tionally to reduce distracted driving. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood created the website Faces of Distracted Driving, which tells the personal stories of people across the country who have died as a result. Illinois runs a strict statewide policy, imposing both hand-held and text messaging bans, according to the Governor’s Highway Safety Association. It is one of 14 states, plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, to ban using hand-held devices while driving. Neighboring states Indiana and Wisconsin prohibit text messaging while driving but not talking on the phone, the association website states. In Illinois, school bus drivers and novice drivers, 19 years old, and younger are banned from all cellphone use, even with a hands-free device.
See DRIVING, page A4
191 216
Warnings and citations issued in 2014 Warnings and citations issued from January 2014 to January 2015
GENOA
40 41
Warnings and citations issued in 2014 Warnings and citations issued from January 2014 to January 2015
SYCAMORE
197 229
Warnings and citations issued in 2014 Warnings and citations issued from January 2014 to January 2015
NIU
71 80
Warnings and citations issued in 2014 Warnings and citations issued from January 2014 to January 2015
DeKALB COUNTY
41 45
CHICAGO – For motorists, Illinois’ reliance on rapidly diminishing federal funding to repair the state’s aging roads and bridges means wasted hours stuck on congested roads, more money spent on car repairs and lots of frustration. How to fill the gap has become yet another vexing Voice your problem for new Gov. Bruce Rauner. The Republican and opinion his advisers have signaled a readiness to consider all opWould you suptions, including raising the port increasing state’s fuel tax, which hasn’t the state fuel tax been touched in 25 years. But to fund road and while experts consider that bridge repair? the most obvious and immediate solution, they also say it Vote online at may be the hardest to achieve. Daily-Chronicle. Here’s a breakdown of the com. state’s road infrastructure deficit:
Tickets issued in 2014 Tickets issued from January 2014 to January 2015
At the crossroads of America, Illinois typically ranks among the top three or four states for numbers of bridges and total miles of roadway. Keeping up with repairs has left little money for expansion, and a growing population is straining the network. Congestion costs the Illinois economy tens of billions of dollars a year in lost productivity, especially around Chicago, where the typical driver spends 71 hours a year stuck in traffic. The state is home to the country’s No. 1 highway bottleneck at the Jane Byrne Interchange in Chicago, where cars on average creep by at 22 mph. Statewide, poor road conditions cost Illinois drivers an extra $3.7 billion in repairs each year, according to transportation advocacy group TRIP. A new statewide survey by the Metropolitan Planning Council found half of respondents faced some kind of daily transportation dilemma. “Thank God we haven’t had a bridge collapse, nothing dramatic like that,” said council Vice President Peter Skosey. “But the fact that every day all these millions of people are encountering these challenges, that adds up to tremendous pain.”
A SHRINKING POT Money flowing into Illinois from the beleaguered federal Highway Trust Fund fell 6.4 percent from 2008-2013 to $1.4 billion. That’s about 3 percentage points more than the nationwide
See FUNDING, page A4
PolarPalooza draws residents outside for winter activities By AIMEE BARROWS news@shawmedia.com DeKALB – It was the perfect “snow day” as families packed Lions Park in DeKalb on Saturday for an afternoon of outdoor fun at “PolarPalooza.” Children and adults enjoyed ice skating, playing hockey with the Northern Illinois University hockey club members, making winter crafts and going on a snow shoe scavenger hunt at the DeKalb Park District’s first winter festival. River Heights Golf Course also hosted a snowman building contest and cross country skiing as part of the event. “It’s been a great turnout,” said Bill Ryder, athletic supervisor at the DeKalb Park District. “We didn’t know what to expect. Having the NIU hockey team here has been great. The players are helping
the kids skate and helping them put on skates, and they’ve been so patient with the kids.” For some, the ice rink was the biggest draw of the afternoon. DeKalb resident Lisa Olson brought her 9-year-old son Andrew to play hockey with the NIU hockey club. “We don’t have an indoor hockey rink here in town, so this is a big deal for us,” Olson said. “It’s something different. DeKalb’s never done anything like this before. The ice rink is the biggest hit for us.” Her son agreed, saying “shooting the puck into the garbage can and playing with the NIU team” was the best part of his day. NIU hockey club member Billy Petersen, who was helping kids learn to skate, and said he was “having a blast.”
“We want to teach kids the fundamentals of skating and hockey and how to use a hockey stick. It takes a lot of practice, but they have fun once they know how to do it,” Petersen said. It was 9-year-old Khamora Neals’ first time on ice skates. The Founders Elementary third-grader said it was “awesome” to be on the ice. Her mother, Desiree Neals, said she brought her kids because they’ve been asking to go ice skating all winter, and the event was a perfect opportunity for them. “I love ice skating and playing hockey, and I’m having a lot of fun,” Khamora said. J.C. Weems, NIU hockey club president, was instrumental in bringing the club to PolarPalooza. He was part of the
See POLARPALOOZA, page A4
Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Kyler Evans, 12, of DeKalb shoots a goal while on the ice Saturday with the Northern Illinois University ice hockey team at Lions Park in DeKalb during the DeKalb Park District’s first PolarPalooza.
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Strong finish
Jim Wilson brings a Scottish perspective to Genoa / A2
Beloved dinner brings unity to community, church congregation / A3
Sycamore’s Malone claims third in state competition / B1
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