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Cash donations encouraged Sycamore
panel split on proposed dispensaries Planning commission favors 1 of 2 medical marijuana facilities By ADAM POULISSE apoulisse@shawmedia.com
Photos by Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Fairdale resident Dawn Geist (left) hugs volunteer Regina Smola after Smola stocked Geist’s SUV with cat and dog food, dog toys, and leashes, after Geist stopped Monday at the Kirkland Fire Department for animal supplies. Later in the day, Smola, with the help of the DeKalb County Animal Control, was able to coax and capture two of Geist’s chickens out of the barn’s rubble. Smola, of Davis Junction, created and manages the Fairdale and Rochelle pet recovery Facebook group to reunite pets lost in the tornado with their owners.
Officials: Items already given for tornado victims fill all available storage By BRETT ROWLAND
How to volunteer
browland@shawmedia.com KIRKLAND – When Dawn Geist arrived Monday morning at the Kirkland Fire Department, she was overwhelmed by the generosity of the community and the volunteers she found there. Volunteers helped the Fairdale resident fill her SUV with donated goods such as pet food, laundry detergent and even dog toys for her three Australian shepherds. While she picked up supplies, local firefighters went out to re-stake the American flag in the yard of her home. Geist’s Fairdale home was damaged by Thursday’s EF4 tornado. She and her husband, Rick, survived winds of up to 200 mph in the basement with their dogs. Since being displaced by the tornado, they’ve been staying at a hotel in Rochelle. “It hasn’t soaked in yet,” Rick Geist said while cleaning up with his two sons at
n Those interested in volun-
teering should register at the FS Building, 5607 Route 72, Kirkland. Volunteers should wear long pants, dress for cleaning up debris and have a photo ID.
More coverage n For a story on the debris
Volunteer Ray Gonzalez, from the DeKalb Lowe’s, throws a package of paper towels to Kirkland Lions Club volunteer Adam Gissler while helping sort and package supplies Monday at the Kirkland Fire Department for delivery into the center of Fairdale. The Kirkland Fire Department is no longer accepting donations of goods but is accepting monetary help through Alpine Bank, a gofundme.com page, and by dropping off gift cards at Alpine Bank in Kirkland.
caused by the tornado, turn to Page A2. n For coverage on the first Hiawatha baseball and softball games since the tornado, turn to Page B1 and B2. n For video coverage of the recovery efforts, visit Daily-Chronicle.com.
storage space. Kirkland fire officials and the Fairdale home he and his from the influx of donations wife have shared for 23 years. over the weekend of every- other relief agencies are ask“We’re living one day at a thing from shoes to pet food. ing those who want to help to time.” But local officials working on consider donating money or Many of those affected by the tornado relief effort said the tornado have benefited Monday that they are out of See DONATIONS, page A3
SYCAMORE – The Sycamore Planning Commission favors one of the proposed medical marijuana dispensaries in the city, but not the other. During its meeting Monday night, the commission voted 10-2 in favor of sending a negative recommendation to the City Council to issue a special use permit to Lincolnshire-based Healthway Services of Illinois at 2814 DeKalb Ave. in Sycamore after the location sparked concerns from city officials and residents. However, the commission unanimously recommended the council issue a special use permit to The Dispensary LLC of Davenport, Iowa, to operate a dispensary at 1985 Gateway Drive. The recommendations go before the City Council at the April 20 meeting, then, based on the council’s vote, will go before the state, which can approve one dispensary per district. Kurt Dreger, vice president of The Dispensary, was available for questions from the commission or the community, but there weren’t any. “If we’re issued the permit, this gives us the opportunity to move forward. We just want to bring something great, and our program that we’re going to introduce here will be the same with what we plan to introduce in Fulton,” Dreger said. Second Ward Alderman Chuck Stowe voted in favor of both dispensaries Monday. “It was interesting, the
What’s next? The Planning Commission’s recommendations go before the City Council at the April 20 meeting, then, based on the council’s vote, go before the state, which can approve only one dispensary per district. vote tonight, because you can’t say the Planning Commission had anything against it because they voted against one location and in favor of another location, and it was unanimous the second time,” Stowe said. “People have pretty much resigned [to the fact that the] state passed it,” Stowe said. “That’s where we’re at.” There are 60 dispensary licensing districts in the state. The Dispensary has already been issued another special use permit for the district that includes Fulton. The option of granting the special use permit to the DeKalb Avenue location raised some concerns from Dr. Michele Jurkovic. Her optometry center is right next to the proposed location, which is the old Lions International building, and having one entry way into the area and parking was just one of her issues with having the dispensary near her business. “We currently share the garbage area between the two buildings, so my concern would be what’s the regulations that would have to be taken to secure their garbage,” Jurkovic said. She also
See SYCAMORE, page A4
‘Right to Try’ measure raises issues of ethics, freedom By NICK SWEDBERG The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD – Some doctors worry that an effort to grant terminally ill people more access to unproven drugs might offer them false hope or even be harmful, but advocates for a “right to try” said patients should have more opportunities for treatments that could extend their lives. Legislation with bipartisan support that was approved by Illinois House and Senate committees would create a Right to Try Act, letting patients seek treatments with their doctor’s consultation that have passed only the first phase of U.S. Food and Drug Administration testing. Backers expect the legislation to come for a final vote soon after lawmakers return to
session today. The conservative libertarian think tank behind the effort in Illinois has already successfully lobbied for similar acts in more than a dozen states, most Republican-leaning. Indiana’s Republican Gov. Mike Pence signed that state’s Right to Try Act in March. “People should have the freedom to do everything they can do to save their lives,” said Kurt Altman, national policy adviser and general counsel for the Arizona-based Goldwater Institute. He has testified to Illinois lawmakers on the Right to Try effort. Doctors and their professional organizations said the issue is more complex. They said there are practical and ethical problems with opening the door to drugs that haven’t gone
through rigorous U.S. testing for safety and effectiveness. “I think it’s far more likely that we’ll do more harm than good,” said Dr. Christopher Daugherty of the University of Chicago’s MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics. He acknowledged that the choice ultimately should come down to the patients and their doctors. Illinois’ proposed Right to Try Act defines what it means to be a “terminal” patient and outlines the requirements before someone can get access to a treatment. It specifies that the drugs have to make it through the first phase of testing and remain in the next two stages to be used. Thirteen states in the past two years have passed Right to Try acts. Lawmakers in about 20 others are considering simi-
lar measures. Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat, is the chief sponsor of the measure in the Illinois House. Sen. Michael Connelly, a Republican from suburban Wheaton, is the main sponsor of the Senate version. Full FDA drug approval can take years, experts said. Bringing a drug from lab to the shelves can cost a pharmaceutical maker up to $1 billion. And there’s no guarantee a potential new treatment will even make it all the way through the testing process. An extremely small number of people can be selected for clinical trials, which is one way to gain early access to drugs, experts said. Some AP file photo drugs are available in other countries with less-stringent Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, argues legislation on the House floor in testing. 2014 at the Illinois State Capitol, in Springfield.
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