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Sycamore OKs dispensary permit Medical marijuana firm’s proposal now needs state’s approval Drive. Luke Debatty, a representative for The Dispensary, said The special use permit for a med- the operation will add eight to ical marijuana dispensary granted 10 jobs to the area. to The Dispensary LLC by the “We’re not looking to truck Sycamore City Council on Monday in people from out of state,” now goes before the state for final Debatty told the council. “[Employees] will be local commuapproval. nity members. We train them. That’s eight to 10 jobs for the but 2nd Ward Alderman Chuck community.” Stowe were present – to grant Debatty added that there the permit to The Dispensary. are only about 2,000 medical for a new, 20,000 square-foot, marijuana patients statewide. ADA-compliant facility that “We’re going to need time would be built at 1985 Gateway to build our patient counts,” he
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By ADAM POULISSE apoulisse@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – The City Council approved a special use permit for a medical marijuana dispensary Monday. The Dispensary LLC may now proceed with its request to the state of Illinois to be granted permission to operate the dispensary in the district encompassing DeKalb County. The state of Illinois only allows one dispensary per each of its 60 dispensary districts. The council voted 7-0 – all
said. The Dispensary, if approved by the state, would be open seven days a week from, tentatively, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It would be strictly a retail operation – no growing or cultivating would happen at the site – and only 2∏ ounces could be sold in a 14-day period, Debatty said. He also said that most dispensaries are cash only, but the Sycamore location would attempt to include debit and credit card payments, too. Mayor Ken Mundy praised the prospects of The Dispensa-
ry and the boon it could be for Sycamore, although he did say dispensaries should be administered by medical facilities such as clinics and hospitals. “The fact that the proposed site is within the medical corridor is gratifying,” Mundy said. “Should the state grant them authority to operate here, we understand the importance of this. It’s well-controlled, and hopefully, it will help some of the people who could use the pain relief that medical marijuana has alleged to provide.” Coming to the table with a
negative recommendation by the Planning Commission, the council Monday also shot down another dispensary proposed from Healthway Services of Illinois to operate a dispensary at 2814 DeKalb Ave., the former Lions Club building. “There were some concerns raised about the unknowns, dealing with how many customers will a dispensary have and if that mean’s there’s adequate parking or not,” City Manager Brian Gregory said. “There was concern about pedestrian movements.”
Former Bears linebacker Doug Buffone dead at 70 The ASSOCIATED PRESS
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CHICAGO – Former Chicago Bears linebacker Doug Buffone, whose reputation for being a passionate football player carried over into his career as a sports broadcaster, was found dead Monday in his home, according to police. Paramedics and police were summoned to Buffone’s home on Chicago’s West Side and found a 70-year-old man dead due to natural causes, police spokesman Thomas Sweeney said. The man was later identified as Buffone, who played 14 seasons for the Bears. Buffone retired after the 1979 season with 24 career interceptions, the most for any Bears linebacker. He also held the team’s record for most games played with 186. “Today is a sad day for Bears nation,” said former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, who like Buffone played his entire career with the team. “We lost one of our greats. Doug Buffone will be missed.” A native of Yatesboro, Pennsylvania, Buffone was a fourth-round draft pick by the Bears in 1966 out of Louisville. In addition to the 24 interceptions, Buffone had 10 fumble recoveries, nine forced fumbles and 37 sacks. He had 1,257 tackles, going over the 100 tackle mark in seven seasons. Bears chairman George McCaskey noted that Buffone’s relationship with the team’s fans continued beyond his
Hub Arkush: Doug Buffone was one of the all-time great Bears. PAGE B1 playing days. “It drove him nuts when we didn’t play well and we always appreciated that he wore his heart on his sleeve because we knew how much he cares,” McCaskey said in a statement. Former Bears coach Mike Ditka said Buffone had a lot of passion for the team, adding he has “nothing but great memories about him.” In a statement, Hall of Famer Dick Butkus, who played alongside Buffone on the Bears for seven years, said a “great man” was lost. “I will always remember him for his football talent, sense of humor and enduring friendship,” Butkus said. “He was a very special guy.” Buffone in recent years hosted a Bears postgame radio show on WSCR-AM with former teammate Ed O’Bradovich. “His was a life really well lived,” WSCR-AM broadcaster Dan Bernstein said. “He understood how important it was to go out of your way to appreciate your family and the good things that you have.” Bernstein said he has encountered former football players who were bitter about what they had to sacrifice. “That bitterness never, ever was there with Doug ever,” he said.
H. Rick Bamman file photo – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Bears linebacker Doug Buffone walks on to the practice field in 1975. Buffone died in his home on Monday. He was 70. Buffone played 14 seasons for the Bears.
Photos by Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Jim Seldal, a site inspector with the DeKalb County Highway Department, looks over a pipe replacement April 14 at Chicago Road, south of Governor Beveridge Highway, outside of Somonauk.
Road work delays Worries about state funding, other issues pushing start dates back By DARIA SOKOLOVA dsokolova@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Spring is usually the start of road-work season in Illinois, but uncertainty about state funding cuts and other unknowns could delay some work on DeKalb County roads until summer, local officials said. John Laskowski, DeKalb’s city engineer, said in spring, the city of DeKalb will do patching and later, the major road work will start in August as the the budget will be approved by the City Council in July. “In the next two weeks, the city will continue to work on the First Street water main project, the Kishwaukee Bike Path, and the continued analysis of the proposed street maintenance,” he said. With no set schedule for the roads program, it’s likely that the First Street water wain project will begin in May and the Kishwaukee Bike Path may begin in July, Laskowski said. In Sycamore, this year’s projects include 22 streets, an
Road construction signs such as this one on Chicago Road south of Governor Beveridge Highway outside of Somonauk may be harder to find this road-work season because of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget cuts. alley and a parking lot, at an estimated cost of $1.8 million said Ebe Smith, Sycamore’s assistant director of public works. Maintenance work is planned for Alma Street, Commercial Street, Vista
Terrace, Swanson Street, Spartan Trail, South Cross Street, Park Avenue, West High Street, South Avenue, Home Street, South Locust Street, South Maple Street, Somonauk Street, Janet
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Street, Larson Street, John Street, William Street and Susan Street. Smith said there’s a tentative schedule of street repairs
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