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Plans for casino moving forward Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation tribe resolution to go before DeKalb County Board By RHONDA GILLESPIE rgillespie@shawmedia.com DeKALB – After a seven-year hiatus, the county and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation tribe are moving ahead with a plan to bring a casino to DeKalb County. It would be the first Native American-run gaming facility in the state – and a boom for the local economy, officials said. On Tuesday, the county’s
Economic Development Committee voted to push on to the full County Board a resolution for consideration that supports the tribe’s effort to have 129 acres of land it owns in Shabbona to be held in trust by the U.S. Department of the Interior. It’s the land the casino would be built on. The casino would not require a license from the state, and it would be regulated by the National Indian Gaming
Commission – a federal agency. Liana Onnen, the tribe’s chairwoman, told committee members that the land trust was not a requirement in the tribe’s efforts to move forward, but having it would help mitigate any issues that might arise moving forward. “[We’re] doing it to make sure things move along without any question,” Onnen said.
Judge rules Curl plea for relief can go forward in Keller murder
The casino would be located in Shabbona, a town of 1,000, which is known for being home to Shabbona Lake State Park. The tribe’s land comes from the town’s name sake, Chief Shab-eh-na, and it has been part of the tribe since 1829. The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is nationally recognized as a sovereign entity, and it doesn’t pay real estate tax on the land. But On-
nen pointed out that through a 2007 agreement between the tribe and the county, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation has paid $127,000 in the past six or so years in lieu of tax money. Many of the committee members were not on the County Board when previous plans about the casino were discussed. On Tuesday, they listened as Onnen – who has been in her role with the tribe for a little over a year, she said
– talked about the economic impact the casino would have on Shabbona and countywide. The tribe’s attorney, Jennifer Hughes, also chimed in on the anticipated benefits. “It’s going to be an economic engine and a job creator in this community,” Onnen said. Tribal estimates predict a casino would create 400 new jobs, with a $17 million
See CASINO, page A5
DeKALB CELEBRATES NATIONAL NIGHT OUT
By BRETT ROWLAND browland@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – A DeKalb County judge will allow convicted murderer William Curl to proceed with a last-ditch appeal effort. Presiding Judge Robbin Stuckert ruled Tuesday that Curl can proceed with his claim that poor advice from his court-appointed lawyer and threats from prosecutors improperly coerced him into accepting a plea deal in 2013 in connection with the 2010 murder of 18-year-old Northern Illinois University freshman AntiWilliam Curl nette “Toni” Keller. In April 2013, Curl entered a special plea agreement in which More he maintained his innocence coverage but acknowledged prosecutors could prove beyond a reasonFor docuable doubt that he murdered Keller. Curl is serving a 37-year ments regardprison sentence at Menard Cor- ing William Curl’s appeal, rectional Center. Curl has exhausted his other log onto Daiappeal options, including a be- ly-Chronicle. lated attempt to withdraw his com. guilty plea. In May, Curl filed a 14page handwritten petition for post-conviction relief, a common practice for those serving long prison sentences who have exhausted other appeals. In a court order Tuesday, Stuckert said Curl “has presented the gist of a constitutional claim” and “the petition shall advance to the second stage” of the three-stage post-conviction relief process. In the petition, which Curl filed from prison, the former DeKalb man claims he only agreed to plead guilty because his court-appointed attorney, DeKalb County Public Defender Tom McCulloch, made several errors, and because DeKalb County State’s Attorney Richard Schmack threatened to prosecute his son, who was 13 at the time, in connection with Keller’s murder. Phone messages left for McCulloch and Schmack were not returned Tuesday. In his petition, Curl claims other suspects in the case – including the victim’s boyfriend at the time and another man who was camping in Prairie Park – were overlooked and that McCulloch pressured him to take a plea because the public defender was anxious about media coverage of the trial. Curl also claims he wasn’t allowed to take medication, which affected his ability to intelligently enter into the plea deal. A clinical psychologist said Curl had post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, and he should be evaluated for psychotropic medication to “decrease the hallucinations,” according to excerpts from a report attached to Curl’s petition. Stuckert appointed criminal defense attorney Dan Transier to represent Curl in the post-conviction process.
See CURL, page A5
Photos by Monica Synett – msynett@shawmedia.com
DeKalb County K-9 Odin apprehends DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Gary Dumdie as Deputy Jason Johnson looks on during a demonstration Tuesday during a National Night Out event held at the Target parking lot in DeKalb. The initiative is a nationwide campaign held to raise community awareness.
Fostering the community DeKalb law enforcement demonstrates emergency responses By KATIE SMITH ksmith@shawmedia.com DeKALB – The white smoke lofting into the living room where 6-year-old Joseph Brown sat represented something life-threatening that potentially could be on the other side of the door: fire. With a hand covering his mouth, Brown sunk to his knees and led the way to safety during a smoke house demonstration at DeKalb’s National Night Out on Tuesday. “Did it scare me, Mom?” Brown asked, smiling up at his mother. “No. I wasn’t scared.” National Night Out is a nationwide community event tailored to foster communication and awareness between residents and local law enforcement. The DeKalb Fire Department, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office, DeKalb police, Northern Illinois University Police and DeKalb city dispatch, along with an array of local emergency resources, attended the event in the DeKalb Target parking lot. Even Odin, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office K-9, made an appearance during an obedience, attack and drug search demonstration. The event was an opportunity for each department to educate adults and children alike about the proper way to respond in an emer-
Jimmy Chavez, 9, crawls out of the DeKalb Fire Department’s smoke house safety trailer with his hands over his mouth Tuesday during National Night Out at the Target parking lot in DeKalb. gency, DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Chief Gary Dumdie said. “I don’t know if it’s really intimidating [to call 911],” Dumdie said. “It’s a matter of how the kids are taught.” When Brown was 2, his mother scooped
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him up around midnight one night and waited for the fire department to respond to their sounding carbon monoxide detector. Firefighters confirmed the gas was present and
See LAW, page A5
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