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Sycamore crime at 25-year low Car crashes up about 6 percent By ADAM POULISSE apoulisse@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – Major criminal offenses in Sycamore declined last year to the lowest level in more than two decades. Police Chief Glenn Theriault presented the police department’s annu-
al report before the Sycamore City Council this week. According to the report, index crimes, or more significant crimes such as murder, rape, robbery, assault, burglary, theft and motor vehicle theft, totaled 228 last year, the lowest in 25 years. “While that’s still 228 too many, the vast majority of which are thefts, we are [at the] lowest levels in over 25 years. That’s a real positive sign for the community,” Theriault said. “To a degree, it really mirrors what’s going on across the nation, which is a reduction in crime. But Sycamore
By the numbers
responded to 18,149 dispatch events last year – “a significant amount,” Theriault said. Most of the incidents 2013 2014 were officer-initiated as opposed to Index crimes: 281 228 calls for service, including extra paTotal parking meter tickets: 9,596 9,507 trol, school patrol, traffic stops, 911 Number of times dispatched: almost 20,500 18,149 hangups and accidents. Source: City of Sycamore Theriault was named police chief in January shortly after his predeis enjoying an even greater reduction it was 20, 30 years ago, even 15 years cessor, Don Thomas, resigned from in crime than the national trends.” ago,” Mundy said. “We have differ- the position after 13 years of service. Mayor Ken Mundy said “it’s a ent kinds of crime and different kinds Theriault said he met with Thomas good trend to have.” of public safety issues that weren’t before the report was issued. “Sycamore Police Department is around years ago.” ... faceted so much differently than According to the report, Sycamore See CRIME, page A5
‘A place that people want to be’
Blagojevich convictions overturned Court: Did not break law in Senate seat case By MICHAEL TARM The Associated Press
Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
DeKalb Mayor John Rey speaks Tuesday during the annual DeKalb State of the City address at Faranda’s in DeKalb. Rey touted DeKalb’s quarterfinalist standing in the process for attaining an America’s Best Community grant.
City, NIU officials deliver DeKalb’s 2015 State of the City address By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com DeKALB – City leaders and Northern Illinois University President Doug Baker touted local accomplishments and improving town-gown relations Tuesday at the 2015 State of the City address. Mayor John Rey identified six city priorities moving forward – infrastructure, financial stability, sustainability operations, strategic planning, public safety and the regional airport – at the 2015 State of the City address Tuesday. “The vision I have contains a robust offering of goods and services, job opportunities and jobs that provide a living wage. Our community can be a place that people want to be,” he said. “The mission is foster economic
vibrancy. … We need to invest in ourselves.” Community leaders, local business owners and residents gathered Tuesday morning at Faranda’s Banquet & Conference Center for the annual State of the City event hosted by the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce. Rey, City Manager Anne Marie Gaura and Baker spoke at the event. “My vision for DeKalb is simple. We have very positive things happening in this community. People are our greatest asset,” Rey said. “We can’t let the past or present dictate our future. We can do better.” Speakers highlighted DeKalb’s successes over the past year including awards won, new businesses opened and projects completed. City leaders touched on future plans and upcoming projects.
A major win for many has been DeKalb’s status as a quarterfinalist in Frontier Communication’s “America’s Best Communities” competition. The city has already received $50,000 and could receive up to $3 million if it wins. “If we aren’t changing for the better, we are falling behind,” Rey said. “I remind all of us that DeKalb is among America’s Best Communities for very good reasons.” Rey also made a point to showcase the ways the city and the university have been working together, such as NIU’s contribution to help the city buy a used ladder truck for the fire department. Gaura highlighted more than a dozen new businesses that opened in the
On the Web To see video from DeKalb’s State of the City address, visit this story at Daily-Chronicle. com.
See ADDRESS, page A5
CHICAGO – A federal appeals court Tuesday overturned some of the most sensational convictions that sent former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich off to a lengthy stint in prison, ruling that the Democrat did not break the law when he sought to secure a Cabinet position in President Barack Obama’s administration in ex- Rod change for appointing Blagojevich an Obama adviser to the president’s former U.S. Senate seat. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago also ordered the resentencing of Blagojevich, offering the 58-year-old a ray of hope that he could end up serving less than his original 14-year term. The three appellate judges dismissed five of 18 corruption counts against Blagojevich, while affirming 13 counts. In a blow to the defense, the panelists also suggested the original sentence wasn’t necessarily extreme, even when factoring in the newly tossed convictions. Speaking outside the Blagojevich family home in Chicago, his wife, Patti, told reporters her husband had expressed disappointment the court didn’t hand him a clear legal victory. “He’s disappointed, of course,” she said, the couple’s 18-year-old daughter at her side. She added more optimistically, “Possibly this is a step in right direct of getting Rod home to his family.” The court’s unanimous ruling addressed a key question: Where is the line between legal and illegal political wheeling and dealing? The panel’s answer: When it came to Blagojevich’s attempt to land a Cabinet seat, he did not cross the line. His attempts to trade the Senate seat for campaign cash, however, were illegal, the court concluded. Blagojevich floated the idea of a Cabinet job in exchange for appointing Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to Obama’s vacant Senate seat. After Blagojevich’s arrest, the seat went to
See BLAGOJEVICH, page A5
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