TUESDAY
March 3, 2015 • $ 1 . 0 0
REGIONAL VICTORY
DAILY CHRONICLE
Lucca, Genoa-Kingston cruise to win against Sycamore / B1 HIGH
35 6
Complete forecast on page A10
daily-chronicle.com
SERVING DEKALB COUNTY SINCE 1879
LOW
Facebook.com/dailychronicle
@dailychronicle
Sycamore council denies permit County’s search for sober living house starting over By ADAM POULISSE apoulisse@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – The Sycamore City Council on Monday denied the county’s request for a special use permit to turn a residential property into an all-male sober living house and removing it from the city’s tax roll, sending the county back to the drawing board. “We’re going to have to play
this game again, and look at our options,” DeKalb County Board Chairman Mark Pietrowski Jr. said after the motion was denied 5-2 by the City Council. Aldermen Pete Paulsen and Chuck Stowe voted in favor of giving the special use permit to the county, while Aldermen Alan Bauer, Steve Braser, Janice Tripp, Rick Kramer and Robert Taylor voted against it. Alderman Curt Lang was ab-
sent. The meeting was a follow-up to one Feb. 2, when the council voted 4-3 in favor of tabling the ordinance until the county made an official motion to purchase the home at 491 E. State St., which it did Feb. 18. The back-and-forth between city and county officials over turning the home into a residence for male drug addicts and alcoholics has produced some lively debates and opinions by both sides. City officials have asked the county to look for property it already owns instead of taking city taxpayer money, but the county main-
tains the State Street property is ideal because of the residential and retail mixed-use area, and how close it is to the DeKalb County Courthouse, a major advantage since those in the program don’t have their own transportation. Monday’s council meeting saw more of that. “Alcohol touches many families in our communities, and this is one thing we can do for our citizens,” County Board Vice Chairman Tracy Jones told the council during the meeting. “It might not be as pretty as our parks, but I hope you can support it tonight.”
Jones was joined by Drug Court Judge Robbin Stuckert, DeKalb County State’s Attorney Richard Schmack, Law and Justice Committee Chairman John Frieders and Pietrowski to show the county’s support for the home, which would have been purchased for $145,000, plus an addition $55,000 in refurbishments. However, they met with strong opposition from the City Council. “I don’t have a problem with the development,” Kramer said. “My concern is taking it off the tax roll. That’s not fair to anyone in this room, and it’s not
fair to anyone paying taxes.” Tripp said the proposed property was “the wrong street to be on.” “It doesn’t belong there,” she told county officials. Stuckert addressed some of the concerns for safety and issues the council brought up, after one council member claimed she was “talking in circles” when referring to previous hurdles the sober living home plan has faced. “It’s not a building where police are routinely called,” Stuckert told the council. “It’s safe for
See SYCAMORE, page 7
Israel’s PM aims to ease tensions ahead of speech By JULIE PACE and ARON HELLER The Associated Press WASHINGTON – Seeking to lower tensions, Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. officials cast their dispute over Iran as a family squabble on Monday, even as the Israeli leader claimed President Barack Obama did not – and could not – fully understand his nation’s vital security concerns. “American leaders worry about the security of their country,” Netanyahu said as he opened a controversial trip to Washington. “Israeli leaders worry about the survival of their country.” Netanyahu’s remarks to a friendly crowd at a pro-Israel lobby’s annual conference amounted to a warm-up act for his address to Congress today, an appearance orchestrated by Obama’s political opponents and aimed squarely at undermining the White House’s high-stakes bid for a nuclear deal with Iran. Netanyahu tried to paper over his personal differences with Obama, insisting he was not in Washington to “disrespect” the president and saying any reports of the demise of U.S.-Israel ties were “not only premature, they’re just wrong.” The prime minister’s remarks were bracketed by speeches from a pair of top Obama advisers: U.N. Ambassador Samantha Power and National Security Adviser Susan Rice, whose address served as a preemptive rebuttal of Netanyahu’s expected critique of the Iran negotiations Tuesday. With Secretary of State John Kerry opening a new round of talks with Iran in Switzerland, Rice said the
U.S. was seeking a deal that would cut off “every single pathway” Iran has to producing a nuclear weapon. She said Obama keeps all options on the table for blocking Tehran’s pursuit of a bomb and declared that “a bad deal is worse than no deal.” Still, Rice warned against holding out for “unachievable” outcomes, such as getting Iran to fully end domestic enrichment. “As desirable as that would be, it is neither realistic or achievable,” she said. “If that is our goal, our partners will abandon us.” Netanyahu appeared to be reserving his most specific criticism of the negotiations for his remarks to lawmakers. But he said he had a “moral obligation to speak up in the face of these dangers while there is still time to avert them.” Negotiators are working to reach a framework agreement before an end of March deadline. U.S. officials have reported progress toward a prospective agreement that would freeze Iran’s nuclear program for at least 10 years but allow the Iranians to slowly ramp up in later years Obama spoke dismissively of Netanyahu’s warnings about the risks of such a deal, saying the prime minister had previously contended Iran would not abide by an interim agreement signed in 2013 and would get $50 billion in sanctions relief, a figure the U.S. says is far too high. “None of that has come true,” Obama said in an interview with Reuters. Obama views the prospect of a nuclear accord with Iran as a central component of
See NETANYAHU, page A6
Photos by Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
James Polli (right), known as Sir Seamus MacBain, fights Lauren Elder, known as Susanna Herst, on Sundayduring the local chapter practice of the Society for Creative Anachronism at Promise Equestrian Center in Maple Park.
Battles bring past to life Society for Creative Anachronism immerses members in Middle Ages By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com MAPLE PARK – Sir Seamus MacBain gripped his sword with hardened leather gauntlets before striking his opponent’s head with debilitating force. Dust swirled around the battling pair, landing on their shields and steel helmets momentarily before another blow roiled the air. MacBain and his opponent Susanna Herst continued their deadly dance for 20 minutes. Then, MacBain walked out of the ring, took off his helmet and turned from an Irish knight from the Middle Ages into James Polli, the man who people outside of the Society for Creative Anachronism know. Polli is one of about 35 people involved in the local chap-
Lauren Elder (left) of DeKalb, known as Susanna Herst, fixes her leather armor while talking to Tim Lyon of Sycamore, known as Logos Vom Schnecke, while preparing for practice Sunday at Promise Equestrian Center in Maple Park. ter of the international soci- fellowship, they try to recreate ety, commonly referred to as the period between the sixth the SCA. Through fighting and and 16th centuries as they
LOCAL NEWS
MARKETPLACE
SPORTS
Preparation
Professional help Spring fever
DeKalb police use Pearl Street houses for training purposes / A3
Some residents seek in filling out their tax forms this season / A8
adno=0327759
See BATTLE, page A6
WHERE IT’S AT Advice ................................ B4 Classified....................... B6-8 Comics ............................... B5 Local News.................... A3-5 Lottery................................ A2
NIU football kicks off spring training season today / B1
Marketplace .....................A8
Call Today For Your FREE ESTIMATE Use Your Tax Return to Save Your Family Money!
should have been. “We found the SCA has a nice combination of getting to play like a knight when we dreamed of when we [were] children,” said the 41-year old Elgin resident. “and the historical research aspect, so we can actually learn more about what it was like back then.” The locals, who hail from the Barony of Carraig Ban, practice at Promise Equestrian Center in Maple Park. They are trying to introduce horses into their combat with the help of Leopoldo Lastre, the executive director for the Tilted Quintain, a nonprofit studying historical horsemanship. First, Lastre said, they have to get the horses used to the sounds and sights of medieval combat.
Nation&World.......... A2, 5, 7 Obituaries .........................A4 Opinion...............................A9 Puzzles ............................... B4 Sports..............................B1-3 Weather ........................... A10
America’s Largest Home Improvement Company
815-395-1333 1625 Sandy Hollow Road, Rockford, IL 61109 Hours: Mon-Fri 8 am - 5 pm, Sat 9 am - Noon
www.windowworldrockford.com
• Locally Owned & Operated • Professional & Insured Crews
• True Lifetime Warranties, Guaranteed Forever! • Serving Northern Illinois for 10 years Se Habla Española