FRIDAY
Sept e m be r 26 , 2 014 • $1 .0 0
COGS FACE ROCKETS Genoa-Kingston prepared to take on Burlington Central / B1 HIGH
77 56
Griffin McNeal
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SERVING DEKALB COUNTY SINCE 1879
LOW
Complete forecast on page A8
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Ethics claim filed against county clerk Opponent’s father-in-law contends Johnson was campaigning on the clock By ANDREA AZZO aazzo@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – The fatherin-law of the Democrat running against sitting DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder Doug Johnson claims Johnson unethically handed out campaign materials while on the clock this summer. Steve Walt, father-in-law of Democratic candidate
Trent Taylor and a DeKalb County Board member from 2006 to 2010, announced that special prosecutor Charles Colburn has been appointed to investigate claims Johnson, a Republican, handed out campaign materials July 17 at the Senior Health Fair, which was hosted by State Rep. Bob Pritchard, R-Hinckley, among others. When reached for com-
ment Thursday, Johnson said he would issue a written statement within a few hours, but he did not issue a statement or respond to a follow-up phone call. Under DeKalb County Government’s Ethics Policy, no officer or employee can engage in any political activity during any compensated time, which includes any time when the officer is at a
location under the control of the employer and any other time when the officer or employee is executing his or her official duties, regardless of location. Walt said a relative of his, who is not Taylor, attended the health fair and noticed Johnson and employee Lynne Kunde handing out materials such as hand fans and bags. Walt asked the relative to
take pictures of the incident. The picture shows an elderly woman accepting a red hand fan with a Republican elephant logo and the wording: “Doug Johnson, DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder.” That same day, Walt sent the picture to DeKalb County State’s Attorney Richard Schmack to look into it. Because Schmack represents Johnson as an ethics adviser,
Schmack referred the allegation to the State Appellate Prosecutor’s Office. “We had a police agency look at it to see if it was a real photograph of something that occurred,” Schmack said. “We did that before we referred it. The picture depicts what really happened.” Walt said he understands
See COUNTY CLERK, page A5
Attorney General Holder resigning
The marriage shift
By NEDRA PICKLER The Associated Press
Photos by Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Michaela Smith, 24, looks at a menu Wednesday inside Fatty’s in DeKalb during her lunch break form her job with Northern Illinois University’s alumni association. Smith currently lives with her boyfriend and the two have been together for three years but have no plans for marriage in the near future. Smith is concentrating on her career and possibly pursuing her master’s degree.
Majority of U.S. adult population is single By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com
Smith wears an opal ring boyfriend Dan Esboldt gave her for Christmas on her middle ringer after family and friends started asking questions when she wore it on her ring finger because it fit better on the finger normally reserved for an engagement ring.
DeKALB – Considering they plan to spend the rest of their lives together, Michaela Smith doesn’t see any reason to get married to her live-in boyfriend before turning 30. The couple, both 24, has upward of $60,000 in student loans, one car and budding careers. For Smith, being locked into a marriage doesn’t fit with their plan of finding a place to set down roots, travel or get advanced college degrees. “We want to have a nice wedding and honeymoon, and we’re not able to do that anytime soon,” Smith said. “There’s no rush to put it on paper.” Smith and her boyfriend, 24-year-old Daniel Esboldt, are
like a majority of Americans. About 124.6 million Americans, or 50.2 percent of the population 16 and older, are not married, according to a recent Bloomberg article on an analysis by New York economist Edward Yardeni. The rise in single people carries several implications, local experts said, stretching from economic to social. They said older single Americans will lean more on family for social and emotional support. Meanwhile, the younger ones will use the flexibility single life provides to hand-pick where they want to build their lives before settling.
THE TREND Smith and her boyfriend
See SINGLE, page A5
FAITH
LOCAL
SPORTS
WHERE IT’S AT
170 years
Jobless decline
Spartans win
First Baptist Church in DeKalb celebrates anniversary / C1
DeKalb County and state unemployment rates are improving / A3
Sycamore volleyball team rallies to beat DeKalb in 3 games / B1
Advice ................................ C4 Classified....................... C6-8 Comics ............................... C5 Local News........................ A3 Lottery................................ A2
CHEVY’S TWO MINUTE WARNIN WARNINGG : $
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ENDS SEPTEMBER 30TH
Nation&World.............. A2, 4
WASHINGTON – Eric Holder, America’s first black attorney general and an unflinching champion of civil rights in enforcing the nation’s laws, announced his resignation Thursday after leading the Justice Department since the first days of President Barack Obama’s term. He is the fourth-longest-serving attorney general in U.S. history. Holder, the administration’s point man on the civil rights investigation into the police shooting of an unarmed 18-year-old in Ferguson, Missouri, won’t leave until a replacement is confirmed, which means he could remain in office for months. Senate Republicans signaled they were preparing Eric Holder for a confirmation fight after years of battles with Holder. Said Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell: “I will be scrutinizing the president’s replacement nominee to ensure the Justice Department finally returns to prioritizing law enforcement over partisan concerns.” In an emotional ceremony at the White House, Obama called Holder “the people’s lawyer” and credited him with driving down both the nation’s crime and incarceration rate – the first time they have declined together in more than 40 years. “Through it all, he’s shown a deep and abiding fidelity to one of our most cherished ideals as a people, and that is equal justice under the law,” Obama said. Holder responded by speaking of how he was inspired as a boy by Robert Kennedy’s leadership on civil rights at the Justice Department, his voice choking as he expressed his thanks to Obama and his own family. “You got through it,” Obama could be heard telling Holder as the audience stood and applauded. In a speech earlier this week, Holder described the dual perspective he brought to the job and how it applied to the Ferguson shooting, in which a young black man was shot and killed by a white policeman. He said he had the utmost respect for police as a former prosecutor and the brother of an officer.
See HOLDER, page A5
Obituaries .........................A4 Opinion...............................A7 Puzzles ............................... C4 Sports..............................B1-6 State .............................. A2, 4 Weather .............................A8
Hall of Famer Dan Hampton
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