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Police capture 3 after manhunt Suspects in armed robbery attempt not identified By RHONDA GILLESPIE rgillespie@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Police captured three men seen running from the T-Mobile store in DeKalb after an armed robbery was reported there Wednesday. Although police did not give an exact time they received the 911 call, the incident occurred around 3:30 p.m. DeKalb Deputy Police Chief John Petragallo said police arrived and saw the men running from the store at 2587 Sycamore Road.
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cate.” Petragallo kept open the possibility that there could be Visit Daily-Chronicle. a fourth person involved in the robbery attempt, and said com to view a it was too soon to tell if the video from the crime was related to two simicrime scene in lar armed robberies at cellular DeKalb. stores in Batavia and Aurora this month. All three of the suspects “One was caught very soon after the robbery,” Petragallo were caught within a short said. “During our search, we time of each other, he said. No came upon another suspect one was injured in the robbery that we apprehended. Finally, attempt, he said, although po[the] third, we were able to lo- lice did recover a loaded gun in
Theater won’t host haunted house event
the area. There was a noticeable police presence in the area at the start of the evening rush hour, as officers from DeKalb, Sycamore, Cortland, Northern Illinois University, Genoa and the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office all sought the suspects with the help of K-9 units. Petragallo did not immediately identify the men who were being held. Police were Monica Synett – msynett@shawmedia.com working with prosecutors from Area police departments search for evidence Wednesday in the sur-
See ROBBERY, page A6
rounding area of the T-Mobile store at 2587 Sycamore Road in DeKalb following an attempted armed robbery.
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IN DISTRICT 428
By KATIE SMITH ksmith@shawmedia.com DeKALB – The Egyptian Theatre won’t dress up for Halloween this year. Officials at the Egyptian Theatre in downtown DeKalb said they decided not to host the Amenti Haunted House this fall because the event has grown too large and time consuming. They will instead use the time to search for a new location for the nonprofit theater’s most important fundraiser in the future. Although the theater’s haunted house committee has been considering relocating the event for years, an official decision wasn’t made until this summer, said Alex Nerad, the theater’s executive director. “The event truly has grown just tremendously since the first year that we started it,” Nerad said. “It’s just gotten to the point where we can’t reasonably continue to hold it in the theater.” In the event’s nine-year run, Amenti has served as the Egyptian Theatre’s No. 1 fundraiser, bringing in about $25,000 a year, according to city documents. But the six-week period required to set up, run and dismantle the haunted house has begun to limit the Egyptian’s opportunity to host and plan other events, Nerad said. “We were setting it up in basically two weeks’ time,” Nerad said. “We were then open for maybe three weeks, and we had maybe a week and a half to tear everything down,” Nerad said. “I think what a lot of people didn’t realize is what our volunteers were setting up in three weeks is what most professional haunted houses take three to four months to set up. “That has just been really taxing on our volunteers and our limited staff.” Despite the haunted house’s popularity, the time required to execute it might distract from the theater’s historical importance, said DeKalb Chamber of Commerce events manager Jessica Antonocci. “It really does take away from, I think, the core mission of why the Egyptian’s there,” she said. “It takes a lot of time away from their planning, and
See EGYPTIAN, page A3
Monica Synett file photo – msynett@shawmedia.com
Actors Courtney and Brandon Bong scare a group of haunted house attendees during the opening night of the Amenti Haunted House last year at the Egyptian Theatre in DeKalb. Alex Nerad, the theater’s executive director, announced that a decision has been made to forgo the haunted house for 2015. Officials will look for a different location to host it in future years.
Photos by Monica Synett – msynett@shawmedia.com
Sixth-grader Efrain Marrufo unloads his backpack into his locker Wednesday at Huntley Middle School in DeKalb for District 428’s first day of school.
New school year gets underway District 428 begins equipping students with Chromebooks News to your phone
By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Summer came to a close in DeKalb County as District 428 students filed into their respective schools Wednesday morning. Superintendent Douglas Moeller made an appearance at Huntley Middle School, jumping in to help Principal Tom Kim and school resource officer Jose Jaquez direct long lines of cars through the drop-off line. “Everything seemed to go pretty well,” Moeller said, before he was off to check in with the district’s other schools. District 428 operates DeKalb High School, two middle schools, eight elementary schools and one early learning center. Kim kicked off the first day at Huntley Middle School with a student assembly in the gym where nearly 900 students sat, ready to get started in the new year. “Welcome to your first day of
Get District 428 news sent right to you. Sign up for text alerts at Daily-Chronicle.com. Message and data rates may apply. for curriculum and instruction at Grayslake Central High School. Kim’s first priority as he takes on his new role is building relationships, he said. “Overall, the vision of this year is to really have a huge team and family attitude in this building,” he said. “We’re going to build on what has already been growing First-year Huntley Middle School Principal Tom Kim welcomes the students in here.” the main gym Wednesday during District 428’s first day of school. Kim was Students seemed ready to jump formerly the DeKalb High School athletic director. into the academic year, reconnect with friends and get back into school,” Kim said. “I am absolute- here.” school activities. ly excited to be here. … I want to This will be Kim’s first year Ivan Castilo, a sixth-grader, make sure anything you need is as principal of Huntley Middle said he was really looking forward taken care of. … Make sure you School, having been DeKalb High to starting band, where he plays get involved with your school. School’s athletic director for a lit- the clarinet. Take advantage of all the sports tle more than a year. Before that, See D-428, page A6 and other programs we offer he had been an associate principal
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