FRIDAY
Feb ru a r y 6 , 2015 • $ 1 .0 0
STAYING FOCUSED
Northern Illinois softball prepares for opening tournament in Texas / B1 HIGH
LOW
31 27 Complete forecast on page A6
daily-chronicle.com
SERVING DEKALB COUNTY SINCE 1879
Facebook.com/dailychronicle
@dailychronicle
Write-in candidates join races By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com DeKALB – By filing her paperwork as a write-in candidate for DeKalb City Clerk, Stephanie Simons practically captured the post. Simons, 50, of DeKalb, walked in to the DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder’s office around 4:20 p.m. Thursday, the final day for write-in candidates to file. No one else has
filed as a candidate for that position. Simons worked as an e-commerce content manager with Office Max until December. She said she decided to run for the part-time, $5,000 annual salary office – the first elected one she’s ever held – after talking to Mayor John Rey. She will serve a two-year unexpired term. “I just thought it would be an interesting field to get into,” Simons said.
Only two candidates, Howard Solomon and Kerry Mellott filed for four open seats. Since then, six write-in candidates filed: Ronald Adamson, Fred Davis Jr., James Mitchell, Christine Smith, Rick Smith and Michael Welsh. Write-in candidates for other elections are: Douglas Corson and Laura Robinson filed for Cortland trustee; Martha Cater filed for Cortland Library trustee; Laura Edwards filed
According to information provided by the DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder’s office, 15 people filed as write-in candidates for municipal races throughout DeKalb County. Write-in candidates names do not appear on the April 7 ballot; write-in votes only count for candidates who have filed declarations as write-ins. Write-in candidates have shaped the race for DeKalb School District 428’s board.
SYCAMORE MUSEUM CELEBRATES 10 YEARS
for Clinton Township Library trustee; Linda Mason filed for Kishwaukee College trustee; and John Horn filed for Regional Office of Education trustee. The race for DeKalb’s 7th Ward gained another candidate during the write-in period, too. Leon Kincaid, 32, declared himself a write-in candidate. He joins incumbent Monica O’Leary and challenger Craig Roman in the race. Kincaid said the issue over
lowering the bar-entry age, which some Northern Illinois University students are researching, was the catalyst for seeking office. Kincaid, a graduate student at NIU and an Air Force veteran, said he plans to focus on issues such as parking and housing that affect students. “My opinion,” Kincaid said, “is that students should have representation in the city, not just on campus.”
Measles break out at Illinois day care Five infants at Palatine facility were diagnosed By DON BABWIN The Associated Press
Photos by Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Cindy Chang, executive director of the Midwest Museum of Natural History in Sycamore, shows off her personal favorite reptile in the museum’s collection: Benji, a Mali Uromastyx, at the museum Wednesday. The museum is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the seventh-annual Groundhog Gala Fundraiser at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Jane Fargo Hotel.
Midwest Museum of Natural History marking anniversary If you go
By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – By the end of this month, 100,000 guests will have perused the collections at the Midwest Museum of Natural History. It’s a fitting month to hit such a milestone because it comes as the museum commemorates its 10th anniversary, Executive Director Cindy Chang said. At the same time, museum leaders are working to improve the museum for the next 100,000 who will walk through the doors. “We’re trying to make sure that we are still what the community needs and wants,” Chang said. “So that we can give them the best resources available. We’ve been such a huge resource for people and we want to continue being that resource for people.” The official kickoff for the museum’s 10th anniversary celebration will be Saturday’s Groundhog Gala. The annual event is the largest fundraiser for the museum and this year takes place 10 years to the day after the museum opened in 2005. Chang and the museum’s
n WHAT: The Midwest Museum of
Natural History’s annual Groundhog Gala Fundraiser n WHEN: 6 p.m. Saturday n WHERE: The Jane Fargo Hotel, 355 W. State St., Sycamore n COST: $45 for each; two for $80. Stop by the museum, or call 815-895-9777.
Blake Espy, 5, of DeKalb reacts to the jaguar scene Wednesday at the Midwest Museum of Natural History in Sycamore, while visiting with his mom, Katie Espy, and younger brother, Knox Espy. four other staff members already have a list of goals for the coming months and years. They hope to offer more adult programming and lectures. An animal enrichment lecture is schedule for April, while a crocodile conservationist will speak at the museum in July. A lecture featuring the museum board presidents to discuss how the museum has evolved also is on deck for 2015. Visitors also will notice changes to some of the exhibits.
Chang said she hopes to feature three exhibits a year in the Rotary Exhibit Gallery instead of two. The room currently brims with items from the museum’s past and displays outlining the future. A geology exhibit will move from the back to display cases for the public to view. Museum staff also constantly think of fresh ways to highlight the 100 large animals on display, something that’s clear to board member Jean Erlenborn.
“I enjoy going because every time I go I see something new,” Erlenborn said. “All of a sudden you look up and you read something about an animal that you didn’t know before.” Erlenborn was part of the discussions to create the museum more than 10 years ago. At the time, community leaders wondered what to do with the building known then as the Sycamore Community Center. The building, 425 W. State St., went through a $1.2 million renovation before re-opening as the museum. Local collectors Russ and Berni Schelkopf donated most of the animal specimens to the museum. Among
See MUSEUM, page A4
CHICAGO – Five infants who attend a suburban Chicago day care center have been diagnosed with measles and about 10 more children, including some also too young for vaccinations, could have been exposed to the disease, health officials said Thursday. The Illinois and Cook C o u n t y h e a l t h d e p a r tments said in a news release that lab tests confirmed measles in two infants who go to the KinderCare Learning Center on East Palatine Road in Palatine. Tests are pending for three others, but they have been diagnosed based on symptoms. Officials had not identified the source of the infections at the center as of Thursday, but Dr. Terry Mason, chief operating officer for the county’s health and hospitals system, told a news conference there is no known link between the infants’ measles and a recent outbreak at Disneyland that sickened dozens of people. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there have been at least 102 confirmed measles cases in 14 states in 2015, not including the Palatine cases. Of those 102, 94 were related to the Disneyland outbreak. Mason said children who have not been vaccinated – whether infected or exposed – should not
return to the Palatine center until Feb. 24 or until they provide proof of vaccination or immunity to measles, which is spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It’s so contagious that 90 percent of people who aren’t immunized are infected if exposed to the virus, according to the CDC. The Illinois cases come amid growing concern about children who are not vaccinated, including in California where lawmakers are hoping to follow the lead of two other states with proposed legislation that would require parents to vaccinate all schoolchildren unless a child’s health is in danger. Health officials do not recommend measles shots before a child turns 1, at which time the government recommends all children get a first dose of the measles vaccine with a second dose between the ages of 4 and 6. Illinois law requires one dose of measles vaccine for children in day care by age 2, or proof that they already have had the disease. Two doses are required for those entering kindergarten. KinderCare spokeswoman Colleen Moran said that while the company, which operates facilities nationwide, follows local health department guidelines and encourages families to consult their doctors about vaccinations, “We realize some don’t [have their children vaccinated] for health or religious reasons and we do not exclude kids who haven’t been vaccinated.”
See MEASLES, page A4
AP photo
A bus is parked outside of KinderCare Learning Center on Thursday in Palatine. Public health officials said students, staff and faculty at the facility have been notified and anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated for measles has been instructed to stay away from unvaccinated individuals for the next three weeks.
NEIGHBORS
LOCAL NEWS
LOCAL NEWS
WHERE IT’S AT
Noting the past
Visitor identified
Having fun
DHS Black Student Union uses music to teach history / B8
Man who brought a gun to Sycamore High School has been named / A3
Huntley Middle School students connect with activities / A3
Advice ................................ B4 Classified........................B6-7 Comics ............................... B5 Local News.....................A2-3 Lottery................................ A2 Nation&World...................A2
Obituaries .........................A4 Opinion...............................A5 Puzzles ............................... B4 Sports..............................B1-3 State ...................................A4 Weather .............................A6