DAILY CHRONICLE
BIG YEAR
June 13-14, 2015 • $1.50
WEEKEND SERVING DEKALB COUNTY SINCE 1879
Sycamore’s Treml hurls his way to Daily Chronicle Baseball Player of the Year award / B1 daily-chronicle.com
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78 66 Complete forecast on page A12
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SUMMER FUN AFOOT 4 face
charges in sting at spa Prostitution alleged at Sycamore site By KATIE SMITH ksmith@shawmedia.com
Photos by Monica Synett – msynett@shawmedia.com
The Ferris Wheel runs at sunset Wednesday on East Main Street during Genoa Days.
From corn to classic cars, festival season underway in county If you go
By KATIE SMITH ksmith@shawmedia.com
D
eKALB – It’s festival season in DeKalb County. Communities throughout area are hosting more than 15 summer celebrations between June and September this year. Whether you are young or old, from Sycamore or Somonauk, there is guaranteed to be a festival tailored to your interests, DeKalb Mayor John Rey said. “I think they give a variety of activities that residents in the community and visitors to the community can participate in,” Rey said. “It provides a showcase for a lot of the attractions that our community has to offer.” Some of the most-attended events include Genoa Days, and Sycamore’s Turning Back Time Weekend, as well as DeKalb’s Kite Fest and Corn Fest, according to Debbie Armstrong, the executive director of the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Genoa Days is running
Corn Fest Q Where: Downtown DeKalb (Lincoln Highway between First and Fourth Streets) Q When: Aug. 28-30 Q Website: www.cornfest.com DeKalb Kite Fest Q Where: Corner of Lucinda & Kishwaukee Drive, DeKalb Q When: TBA
Elaina Moore (left), 11, shows friend Riannon Flink, 10, the jumbo sunglasses she received as a prize after playing a football toss game June 5 during the Malta Days Festival. this weekend,” Armstrong said. “We have so many local festivals in all of our towns and villages throughout the summer that are wonderful events for people to attend.” Genoa’s 80th annual festival will end today with a closing performance by classic rock cover band, The Beaux, from 6 to 10:30 p.m. on the main stage. Leading up to the night’s
final performance, community members can take part in Brett’s 5K Run and Walk at Genoa High School, a 4-H petting zoo, the Genoa Days parade, kids’ carnival rides and a performance by Beth Fowler’s School of Dance. Although Genoa’s festival is nearly through, people from all over can set their sights on
See FESTIVALS, page A6
Sycamore’s Turning Back Time Weekend Q Where: Downtown Sycamore Q When: July 24-26
Voice your opinion What is your favorite summer festival? Vote online at Daily-Chronicle.com.
Inside Kishwaukee Fest, Baconpalooza canceled for 2015; creator and executive director unable to devote time to events this year. PAGE A3
SYCAMORE – Four people face charges in connection with a prostitution sting at a spa in Sycamore, police said Friday. Spa One, 610 Plaza Drive, unit 5 in Sycamore, was closed after a Thursday operation by Sycamore police, who said they would continue to investigate the business. Police said the investigation would include interviews with previous customers who had been identified at the spa. Dean Kowalefski, 50, of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, was charged with patronizing a pros- Dean titute, and In H. Tobin, a 53-year- Kowalefski old woman from the 2000 block of North First Street in DeKalb, was charged with three counts of promoting prostitution. Both offenses are typically punishable by two to five years in prison. The charges were enhanced because of the business’ proxim- In H. Tobin ity to Sycamore High School, 62 feet away, Sycamore police Deputy Chief Darrell Johnson said. Two other employees at the spa, Huyang Kim, 48, and Mi Ra Downing, 49, were charged with misdemeanor prostitution, which is punishable by less than a year in jail. Police said both have previous prostitution convictions. Kim and Downing were released Thursday after posting bail, Johnson said. Police had been watching Spa One and taking note of customers’ vehicles as they entered the business. Investigators then stopped customers leaving the business, according to police reports. Police stopped one more man after he left Spa One, but did not have enough probable cause to detain him, Johnson said. According to a police report, Kowalefski told an officer that he got a massage at Spa One, but no “extras.” He told police he found it on an Internet classified ad website, records show.
See PROSTITUTION, page A6
New NIU tours share view beyond campus confines By KATIE SMITH ksmith@shawmedia.com DeKALB – When prospective students and their families tour Northern Illinois University’s DeKalb campus this summer, they’ll also get to see what else the county has to offer. Three bus trips around DeKalb and Sycamore on Thursday marked the beginning of a new partnership between the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau and the university. Together, the NIU and the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau will offer families of incoming NIU students free hour-long bus tours of DeKalb County. The tours will become a staple for new and transfer student orientations, said Keesha Williams, the assistant director of orientation and family connections. Each tour will be from 6:30 to 7:30
p.m. the first day of student orientations, which are hosted Monday and Tuesday, and Wednesday and Thursday for incoming freshmen, Williams said. “We will be doing them twice a week until July 17 and 18, and then we’ll also have them in August, as well,” Williams said. The route began at the NIU Student Center, then went through downtown DeKalb, briefly passed through Sycamore and headed back to campus through Greek Row. As potential students and their families drove past sites such as DeKalb’s Egyptian Theatre and the Municipal Building, guides shared interesting facts and fond memories about each location. Guides include people like DeKalb Mayor John Rey and DeKalb Fire Chief Eric Hicks, Williams said. “We have plethora of prominent
community members who have shared their time to volunteer with us,” she said. More than 3,000 parents and family members are expected to attend orientation throughout the summer months, Williams said. “The whole reason for us to give the tour is just to familiarize the parents with the community so that they can start to establish a relationship with the community as well as NIU,” she said. During the tour, guests are invited to ask questions about the city as they pass through, such as if the city is safe and where they can pay a parking ticket. “It’s the same for students,” Williams said. “We want them to feel comfortable with the city of DeKalb and get some familiarity, but after that, too, the actual citizens who have lived here over the years.”
Katie Smith – ksmith@shawmedia.com
DeKalb Fire Chief Eric Hicks collects laminated ID tags from future Northern Illinois University students and parents Thursday on a tour. NIU and the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau have partnered with one another to offer new student bus tours around DeKalb and Sycamore as part of orientation.
SPORTS
LOCAL NEWS
LOCAL NEWS
WHERE IT’S AT
Knights fall
Fast food fixes
D-428 change?
Kaneland softball drops close state semifinal to Marengo / B1
DeKalb’s only Burger King being remodeled; aim is to reopen in July / A3
Dismissal of Brooks Elementary principal to be considered / A4
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