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S eptember 23 , 2 01 5 • $1 .0 0
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SERVING DEKALB COUNTY SINCE 1879
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County seeking federal grant Funds would help area officials in sex assault prosecutions By RHONDA GILLESPIE rgillespie@shawmedia.com
and taking it outside and chewing on top of your workload and school and all of that?” College students’ hectic schedules, however, aren’t an immediate deterrent for adoption agencies, Groeper said. “We find that there are a lot of people who really can handle it and we get emails all the time from college students that are so appreciative of being given the chance,” she said. “Or it’s eight years later and they’re married with a kid, and they’ve still got the dog or the puppy they adopted from us.” Almost all the animals taken in by the DeKalb County Animal Welfare League are owner-surrenders or strays from the DeKalb County and Belvidere areas, Roberta Shoaf, welfare league president, said.
DeKALB – Local victim advocates should know by Oct. 1 if they will receive a $103,000 grant to establish a sexual assault response team here. Safe Passage, a local domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy organization, has applied for the grant, which is administered by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority and funded through the federal Violence Against Women Act. Safe Passage officials have forged partnerships with the DeKalb County State’s Attorney’s Office and the DeKalb, Northern Illinois University and Sandwich police departments in their effort. Mary Ellen Schaid, executive director of Safe Passage, said the funds and interdisciplinary partnerships that would come as a result of the grant would help the county increase not only the number of people arrested for sexual assault, but the number of people prosecuted for the crime. “It will be important for the community,” Schaid said. “There’s a lot of need for training. And there’s a lot of need for the people that are involved.” Safe Passage provided more than 2,000 hours of service to some 125 sexual assault victims from July 2014 to July 2015, according to its website. In addition to advocacy, the organization offers prevention programs and 24-hour emergency medical responses. The prosecutor’s office and police departments named also issued letters of support as part of the grant application. But Schaid said she expects that local hospitals – including emergency room staff – other advocacy groups and more police departments would join the team in the future, should the county get the grant. “The grant itself required participation from the prosecutor’s office, police, probation and victims services,” said Schaid, whose organization will serve the victims’ services role. Schaid expects the sexual assault response team would begin its work Jan. 1. Money also is available through the Violence
See ANIMALS, page A5
See GRANT, page A5
Nick Brooks for Shaw Media
Katrina and Kylee Luetkebuenger give water to their dog, Biscuit, as they finish their Mutt Strut race Sept. 12 at Hopkins Park.
Shelters encourage careful consideration during busy season By KATIE SMITH
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The annual cost of owning a pet
ksmith@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Christine Gommel had to choose earlier this year between an engagement ring and a chocolate lab named Chessie. Gommel and her fiance had been considering adopting a new pet for a while, but given her choices, the decision was a no-brainer, she said. “The dog makes me so much happier than a piece of jewelry ever would,” Gommel said. Animal Shelters are in the midst of one of their busiest times of the year, Executive Director of TAILS Humane Society Michelle Groeper said. Beginning in May and sometimes extending into November, animal shelters receive so many kittens they often reach capacity, and the same months also are a popular time for dog adoptions. With the return of Northern Illinois University students, it’s likely more people will head to shelters looking for a new pet. Unfortunately, it’s also likely some of those animals will be returned or neglect-
Surgical vet visits Routine vet Food Food treats Kennel boarding Vitamins Groomer/grooming aids Toys
Dogs $551 $235 $269 $61 $333 $62 $83 $47
Source: The American Pet Product Association
ed by the semester’s end, Groeper said. “We definitely see an increase in returns and animals being abandoned at the end of each semester,” she said. “That does happen, but it’s not an overwhelming amount, and not all of them were adopted from us.” Common reasons people give up dogs include that their residence does not allow pets, the owner does not have time, the family has experienced a divorce or death, or the owner noticed behavior issues in the animal, according to the Amer-
Have you ever adopted a pet? Vote now at Daily-Chronicle.com.
Cats $398 $196 $246 $51 $130 $33 $43 $28
ican Humane Association. Some of those situations, however, either are foreseeable or easily fixed. That’s why animal adoption should be a well-thought-out decision rather than an impulsive one, Groeper said. “We may ask some additional questions of college students and make sure they understand that, you know, when you adopt a kitten that 20 years from now you’re still probably going to have that cat,” she said. “Puppies are a lot of work, and can you handle the puppy training and going to classes
Chicago mayor’s budget includes massive property tax hike By SOPHIA TAREEN The Associated Press CHICAGO – Mayor Rahm Emanuel pitched a massive property tax hike Tuesday as a “last resort” to correct Chicago’s financial footing, suggesting the only alternative for the nation’s third-largest city would include severe cuts to police and fire services, recycling programs, pothole repair and even rodent control. Emanuel, who needs approval from state lawmakers and the governor for at least
part of his sweeping plan, outlined a $543 million property tax over four years, a $45 million tax to modernize schools, and other new fees for residential garbage pickup, e-cigarettes and ride-sharing services. The property tax revenue would go toward paying police and firefighter pensions, with other fees aimed at closing a budget gap and improving overall financial health. The Democrat, who won a second term after a tough campaign earlier this year, said
Chicago’s underfunded pensions were “a big dark cloud” standing in the way of further progress. Before delivering the news, he ticked off other cost-cutting reforms the city already had tried. “Now it’s time to finish the job,” Emanuel said during the roughly 30-minute speech peppered by applause. “Raising city property taxes is a last resort. It is why we have never increased them in my last four years. But we must solve our pension challenge we inherited.”
To soften the blow, he pitched an exemption for those whose homes are worth $250,000 or less. The exemption needs lawmakers to sign off, but not all state leaders have been receptive. Leaders of the Democrat-controlled state House and Senate say they’re on board and there’s a hearing later this week. However, Gov. Bruce Rauner has been cool to the idea. The first-term Republican
See BUDGET, page A5
AP photo
Mayor Rahm Emanuel outlines his 2016 proposed budget before the City Council on Tuesday in Chicago.
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