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Survey: Child poverty on the rise By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com DeKALB – The number of DeKalb County children living in poverty nearly tripled from 1999 to 2012, child advocates said in a report released Thursday. Nearly 24 percent of DeKalb County children lived in poverty in 2012, the 2015 Illinois Kids Count Survey released by Voices for Illinois Children showed. The county is part of a growing trend in Illinois that is pushing poverty rates high-
er outside of the city of Chicago, said Director of Research Larry Joseph. “I see similar numbers in other counties,” Joseph said. “It confirms the trend of what’s called the suburbanization of poverty.” Child advocates such as Joseph say the increase in impoverished children shows that increased funding and services for the impoverished are needed. DeKalb County’s child poverty rate jumped from 7.4 percent in 1999 to 23.7 percent
in 2012, with the majority of that increase coming between 2006 and 2012, the data shows. The total number of children in DeKalb County living in poverty – defined as annual income of $18,750 or less for a family of three – grew from 1,500 in 1999 to 5,300 in 2012. In total, the number of impoverished children grew by 256 percent during that 13-year period, the second-highest rate of increase among Illinois’ 40 most populous counties, according to the report. Only Kendall Count saw a bigger
increase, at 281 percent. DeKalb County’s child poverty rate is slightly higher than the statewide rate. About one in five Illinois children – 600,000 – live in poverty, Thursday’s report uncovered. In 1999, about half of impoverished children lived in the city of Chicago, compared with less than one-third now. Minority children in DeKalb County are far more likely to live in poverty. In 2012, Latino children accounted for 35 percent of all children living in poverty, although
they accounted for only 17 percent of the population. And while black children accounted for 7.5 percent of the population in 2012, they made up 20.8 percent of impoverished children, the report shows White children made up 71 percent of the population, but only 35 percent of impoverished children in 2012, according to the report. The fact that the number of children in poverty has risen doesn’t surprise Family
See POVERTY, page A6
BY THE NUMBERS Number of DeKalb County children living in poverty: YEAR 1999 2006 2012 NO. OF 1,508 2,280 5,371 KIDS Percentage of DeKalb County children living in poverty: YEAR 1999 2006 2012 % OF 7.4 10.4 23.7 KIDS Pct. Increase from 1999 to 2012: 256.2 Source: 2015 Illinois Kids Count Survey
Rauner to make stop in DeKalb Spending, property taxes to be discussed By ERIC R. OLSON eolson@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Gov. Bruce Rauner will be in DeKalb on Friday to talk about his plans to give local people more control over government spending and property taxes. Rauner is scheduled to appear from 3 to 3:45 p.m. at the Hopkins Park Terrace Room at 1403 Sycamore Road in DeKalb. He plans to discuss how Illinois’ high property tax rates are hurting families and his plan to empower local people to take greater control of local government spending. The event will be open to the public and is presented by the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce. Those who would like to attend can register online at http://shawurl. com/1rtm, or Gov. Bruce contact the Rauner chamber office at 815-756-6306. Chamber Director Matt Duffy said Rauner’s office reached out to him about making a stop here. “Basically his office contacted me and said he’s doing some visits around the area to discuss the topic and wanted to see if we could make something work for Friday, and it’s been a quick turnaround,” Duffy said. Rauner was elected governor in November, pledging not to continue an income tax increase on Illinois workers and make state government live within its means. His recent “turnaround” budget proposal, which calls for drastic spending reductions in areas including aid to local governments and public universities such as Northern Illinois University has caused unease among many leaders who say the cuts will have wide-reaching effects. Rauner has said that spending reductions are necessary to bring Illinois’ budget under control, and that state government must show it is taking steps toward fiscal responsibility before asking taxpayers for more money.
Danielle Guerra - dguerra@shawmedia.com
Olivia Johnson-Smith, a senior at DeKalb High School, sings lead for “This is Gospel” by Panic! at the Disco with Enharmonic Fusion during rehearsals on Wednesday. The a cappella group will compete in the International Championship of High School A Cappella Midwest Semifinals at 7 p.m. tonight at DeKalb High School.
Bringin’ the singin’ DeKalb High School to host a cappella competitions If you go
By ADAM POULISSE apoulisse@shawmedia.com DeKALB – When Grace Klonoski steps forward to deliver her solos on stage, her voice is accompanied by music. But for Klonoski, a sophomore at DeKalb High School, there won’t see any shiny brass instruments or taut strings in the background. Welcome to the world of a cappella singing, the popular form of music where the traditional instruments that usually accompany a song are replaced and performed with voice talent only. Instrumentation doesn’t dictate the song – other singers do. “When you’re using your voice to create music, it makes the music more emotional and connected,” Klonoski said. “Using your voice allows you to control the sound.” Over the next two days, DeKalb High will host a cappella competitions, with high
What: International Championship of High School A Cappella Midwest Semifinals, College Quarterfinals When: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday Where: DeKalb High School, 501 W. Dresser Road Cost: $15 for adults Friday, $20 for adults Saturday, $10 for college and high school students Friday and $15 for high school and college students Saturday
Sophomore Grace Klonoski and freshman Mark Jesmer perform during Enharmonic Fusion’s closing number during rehearsals Wednesday at DeKalb High School. The a cappella group will compete tonight in the International Championship of High School A Cappella Midwest Semifinals at 7 p.m. at DeKalb High School. school groups competing today and college a cappella groups set to compete Saturday. Tonight, 10 area high schools including DeKalb’s Enharmonic Fusion will per-
form beginning at 7 p.m. in the International Championship of High School A Cappella Midwest Semifinals. Northern Illinois University’s a cappella group, Huskie Hunks, will emcee.
On Saturday, DeKalb will host the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella Midwest Quarterfinals, where eight groups from NIU, the University of Illinois, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Washington University in St. Louis, Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin will by vying for a shot to perform in the finals in New York City. Enharmonic Fusion’s set will include selections from
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Panic! At the Disco, Sam Smith and an Olly Murs and Meghan Trainor mash-up, said Travis Erikson, choir director at DeKalb. “We look for songs that have contrasting styles that will show different types of performances,” Erikson said. The boys a cappella group started in 2004. Since a cappella mainly jazzes up hip top-40 tunes that the youngsters enjoy, it was a way to increase attendance, Erikson said. The girls a cappella group started in 2007, and they were combined in 2010, as part of DeKalb’s chamber choir program. “Choirs traditionally have music that is an acquired taste, and it’s hard to hook kids,” Erikson said. “This gets them to sing pop music that they know and like.” Of course, pop culture has done its part to drum up interest, too.
See SINGING, page A6
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