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Serving DeKalb County since 1879
Monday, May 19, 2014*
MEMORIAL DAY
BLACKHAWKS 3, KINGS 1 • SPORTS, B2
A full list of area observances Scene, A6
Hawks 7-0 at United Center in postseason (From left) Marian Hossa, Jonathan Toews and Bryan Bickell
Anderson plans tour NEW BEGINNINGS to debate Hultgren GRADUATIONS 2014 Genoa-Kingston
Series of 25 town hall visits in the making By CHARLES MENCHACA cmenchaca@shawmedia.com
Photos by Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
Ana Marquez Gonzalez helps Stephanie Alcantar with her tassel before the Genoa-Kingston graduation ceremony Sunday.
G-K seniors take center stage at graduation ceremony By ANDREA AZZO aazzo@shawmedia.com GENOA – Sophia Maestas-Workowski wasn’t sure if she would graduate from Genoa-Kingston High School on Sunday. In addition to going to school during the day, Maestas-Workowski also took 22 night classes – about one a week – her senior year to make up for absences she accumulated because she was hospitalized for much of her freshman year. When she wasn’t in school, she also worked three jobs: at Rosati’s, Crumpet’s and the Huntley Dairy Mart. All to achieve her ultimate goal of owning her own restaurant. “I’ll give myself a break when I accomplish that goal,” she said. Maestas-Workowski was among 155 seniors who graduated from Genoa-Kingston High School on Sunday. The
ceremony included speeches by the class valedictorian, salutatorian and the two co-presidents of the senior class. Members of the high school’s Class of 1964 also were honored as part of the school’s golden anniversary. It took valedictorian Amanda Murray about five days to write her speech. In it, she paid homage to all of the parents and teachers who helped her and the rest of the graduates survive high school. “Now we’re sitting in our caps and gowns with all of the people who have watched us grow up,” Murray told the crowd. Murray plans to attend U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, this fall to become a commissioned officer in the Navy in four years. She said the thought of leaving her hometown and friends makes her sad, but she’ll try
Ezequiel Hernandez (left) enters the gym with Olivia Cotton during the Genoa-Kingston graduation ceremony. her best to keep in contact with her closest friends. “I’ll write letters while I’m in training,” Murray said. “I definitely hope to keep in touch with them during my lifetime.” Class co-president Tra-
vis Hughes’ speech centered around a game he played called “stingpong,” a variation of ping-pong. Whenever someone scored a point in the game, the receiver of the
See GRADUATION, page A8
MORE INSIDE: For graduation coverage on Sandwich, Indian Creek and Kishwaukee College see page A3. ON THE WEB: For photo galleries of this weekend’s commencement ceremonies, visit Daily-Chronicle.com.
Dennis Anderson, the Democratic challenger for the 14th Congressional District seat, is planning a series of town hall appearances in his second challenge to Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren. Anderson, of Gurnee, said he plans to hold 25 town hall meetings in around the 14th District, which stretches from the Wisconsin border to southwest of Joliet and includes part eastern DeKalb County, including Dennis the cities of Sycamore and Sandwich. Anderson But what he said he really wants is a chance to debate Hultgren, who has said he’s too busy serving in Congress at the moment. “I’m hoping we get some invitations [from other groups], but I certainly intend on reaching out to him,” Anderson said. Randy Hultgren, of Winfield, defeated Hultgren Anderson in November 2012 with almost 59 percent of the vote despite President Barack Obama topping the Democratic ticket and garnering almost 58 percent of votes statewide. With Republicans expecting a stronger showing at the polls in midterm elections this fall, Hultgren could have less incentive to debate – and lend credibility – to a challenger. In a prepared statement Friday, Hultgren did not directly address whether he would debate or appear with Anderson. Hultgren did say his time at this point is best spent focusing on addressing the needs of his constituents. “I have heard about my opponent’s press release announcing a series of campaign stops masked as town hall meetings in an effort to gin up financial support for his campaign,” Hultgren said in the statement. “We will have plenty of time to campaign in the fall.” Anderson said the congressional calendar should allow time for them both to appear together at some point. Anderson said events that feature the incumbent and himself as challenger are a valuable service to the public. “I think that seeing both of us on stage ... provides an opportunity for voters to see, to listen, to question and make a good determination,” Anderson said. Anderson’s town-hall meeting tour kicks off Thursday in Woodstock, with the only DeKalb County event on the schedule so far is set for 6:45 p.m. June 25 at the Sandwich Public Library, 107 E. Center St. “I certainly hope that the town halls will give people the opportunity to get to know me,” Anderson said on Friday.“Itendtomakemyselfasavailableaspossible.”
• Daily Chronicle Editor Eric Olson contributed to this story.
Tax-break expansion plan raises concerns, shrugs By DAVID MERCER The Associated Press CHAMPAIGN – Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is pushing to give small companies equal access to tax breaks that big corporations have, but the proposal has been met with skepticism in the state’s business community, including about what effect it actually would have. The plan takes aim at special EDGE credits – tax breaks a small number of big compa-
nies like Sears Holding Corp. and OfficeMax have sought by going directly to the General Assembly with threats to leave the state. EDGE credits are the state’s primary means of luring or keeping companies and jobs, but they’re usually administered by the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and include performance standards. Companies that have gone straight to the General Assembly want to cut their own deals with perks not
available to other companies. Madigan’s plan would make the tax credits available to businesses with fewer than 100 employees, and target credits at areas of high poverty and unemployment. But some small business owners say such credits might have little impact on their decisions, and executives are raising objections to a provision that would require them to reveal private information. Experts say Madigan’s legislation is at least partially an
exercise in election-year politics, by catering to a constituency friendlier to Democrats. Neither Madigan’s staff nor the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has estimated yet what the plan could cost.
SPECIAL INCENTIVES The state’s attention turned to business tax breaks after a string of big companies tried, and sometimes succeeded, to cut their own deals with the General Assembly.
“It was quite a frenzy, which I think is where Madigan thought, ‘Wow, this could be a monthly occurrence,’” Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said. The speaker’s legislation would try to make these oneoff deals less appealing to businesses, in part by requiring that they make income and tax details public. Illinois Chamber of Commerce President Doug Whitley said he’s OK with stopping companies from cutting
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special deals. But he said few if any would agree to public disclosure of tax information, which also would be a “red flag” to businesses already leery of Illinois. “I think that Illinois continues to send the signal that we are not particularly business-friendly,” he said. Whitley said it would be better to expand tax breaks to sales taxes, among others – a move that would reach more
See TAX-BREAK page A1
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