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No smoke ban on city streets for now DeKalb City Council members decline immediate action on university’s request By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com DeKALB – City council members aren’t ready just yet to ban smoking on city streets on or near the Northern Illinois University campus. NIU Implemented a mandatory smoking ban on its campus
this year, to comply with the Illinois Smoke Free Campus Act, which went into effect July 1. The law prohibits smoking on campus, which includes using any sort of lighted pipe, cigar, cigarette and cigarillo. Vaporizers and e-cigarettes also are banned under the act. The university has asked the city for
the power to enforce the ban on streets that run through and are adjacent to campus. The concern is that students will gather on the other side of the road to smoke, causing safety concerns. Another issue is the impact that clouds of smoke will have on residents and business owners with property
across those streets, NIU representative Jennifer Groce, said. “Garden Road is a good example of this,” she said. “One side is campus, and the other is residential. … Our campus has received numerous complaints, especially on Garden Road and from businesses on Normal Road.”
City streets affected would include Lucinda Road from Annie Glidden Road to Woodley Road, and portions of Carroll Avenue, Lincoln Terrace, Locust Street, Garden Road and Normal Road. NIU’s primary goals are to comply with state law and to be respectful of neighbors, Groce
said. “NIU is not seeking to extend the tentacles of [its] jurisdiction,” Groce said. “What we are seeking to do is not have a state mandate become a true nuisance to our neighbors and business owners.”
See SMOKING, page A4
Ill. schools back Rauner plan to undo mandates
GETTING PUMPED UP TO RACE
By SARA BURNETT The Associated Press
Photos by Mary Beth Nolan – mnolan@shawmedia.com
Runners descend the initial obstacle during Saturday’s Insane Inflatable 5K at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center.
A new kind of adrenaline ‘Fun runs’ more accessible, less threatening than traditional road races By KATIE SMITH ksmith@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Rene Douglas would rather run through pools of mud and hurdle knee-high flames than run a traditional road race. That’s why she participated in the Warrior Dash a while back, and braved the cold wind and scattered rain Saturday at Northern Illinois University’s Convocation Center to tackle the Insane Inflatable 5K. “I guess just because in a regular marathon, I think people are way too competitive,” Douglas said. “Things like this [are] more fun with groups. Any age can do it.” About 3,000 serious runners and hobbyists alike accepted the challenge to try their hand at 11 inflatable obstacle courses, placed sporadically throughout the 5-kilometer course Saturday. Although traditional marathons aren’t losing their following, themed races and “fun runs” seem to be gaining popularity, said Rich Harshbarger, CEO of Running USA. “There’s a lot of debate about this, but the themed run and the experiential event are definitely growing in popularity,” he said. “They’re appealing among certain
Sarah Goffman (left) of Poplar Grove and Stephanie Ruthe of Rockford descend a hill Saturday while running the Insane Inflatable 5K at the Northern Illinois University Convocation Center. demographics.” Although Saturday’s event drew participants of all age groups, fun runs or “experiential” events might be more popular among young millennials, Harshbarger said. “In general, the demographics
of the obstacle runs and things pretty much mirror that of traditional road races,” he said. “They may be in some cases slightly younger, or depending on certain events, they may skew more toward one gender or another.” Part of fun runs’ appeal is
group participation, both on and off the course. “It motivates people, the adrenaline,” said Insane Inflatable 5K runner Kevin Rudy. “It makes it easier to run 3-point-whatever (miles) when you’ve got 200 people out there running with you.” But beyond being able to share the fun in the moment is the ability to share the day’s accomplishments online, Harshbarger said. “[There’s] the ability to share an experience both in the physical world, but also in the virtual world in terms of social media to express an experience with everyone,” he said. Fun runs aren’t just more accessible, however. They are, as a whole, less threatening than traditional marathons, Insane Inflatable 5K runner Lisa Rudy said. “I feel like I’m at a carnival,” she said. “I’m at the carnival. I’m not at a 3.2-mile run today psyching myself out.” And she’s not alone in feeling that way. These events can act as a sort of gateway into more serious athleticism, Harshbarger said. “I do think it’s an entry for a lot of people in the sport of running,” he said.
See FUN RUN, page A4
LOCAL NEWS
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Friendly race
History live
Apple fever
11th annual Kardboard Regatta hosts threeboat competition / A3
Local Teddy Roosevelt performance supports Kiwanis project / A6
Sycamore businesses to feature apples at ApplePalooza / A6
Advice ................................ B5 Classified........................B7-8 Comics ............................... B6 Local News.....................A3-7 Lottery................................ A2 Nation&World...................A2
CHICAGO – Illinois school districts have a new ally in Gov. Bruce Rauner as they try to eliminate state mandates they said drive up costs and sometimes force them to lay off reading instructors to hire physical education teachers. The Republican is pushing relief from so-called unfunded mandates – lawmaker directives that often cost districts money – as part of a larger proposal to freeze property taxes, curb the influence of public-worker unions and overhaul the state’s school funding formula. In a letter Thursday to legislators, Rauner said mandate relief could save districts statewide more than $200 million annually, helping to offset the loss of funding from a property tax freeze and bringing the kind of “structural reform” he said Illinois needs. But getting rid of the mandates has been a politically difficult task, and the effort isn’t likely to be any easier with the General Assembly deeply divided over the state budget and Rauner’s legislative agenda. “It’s like nailing Jell-O to the wall,” said state Sen. Andy Manar, a Democrat who tried to negotiate mandate relief last year. Here’s a closer look at the issue:
THE MANDATES
Illinois imposes well more than 100 mandates on school districts, covering everything from classroom content to parent-teacher conferences and school holidays. Districts that cannot or don’t want to follow the mandate may apply for a limited number of waivers – a process that requires public hearings, paperwork and state approval. Rauner is targeting three areas that are particularly unpopular: mandates that districts offer driver’s education and behind-the-wheel training; daily physical education; and restrictions on third-party contracting, or outsourcing, for services such as transportation and janitorial work. Springfield Public Schools was among the districts that had a waiver for daily physical education. But the waiver expired, and now the district could face fines for providing the class either every other day or for half the year.
See MANDATES, page A4
AP file photo
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks to students Feb. 10 during a visit to a school in Springfield.
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