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September 26-27, 2015 • $1.50
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Hearing to continue for officers By KATIE SMITH ksmith@shawmedia.com DeKALB – As Scott Nissen marked what would have been his son’s 26th birthday Sunday, he didn’t know the officer who pressed on in a high-speed chase that ended in his son’s death would soon appear at a public hearing to defend her job.
Jeffrey Nissen, 25, died March 30 near Base Line and Malta roads after losing control of the Honda Civic he was driving and crashing at high speed. The small reminders are painful, Scott Nissen said. He commended DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott’s decision to hold officers accountable for what happened that night.
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to,” Scott Nissen said. “When you start stirring up things To view the charging documents, in your own house, that’s not an easy task. I can only imagvisit Daily-Chronicle.com. ine.” The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office’s Merit Commis“I guess first of all I’d have sion will continue today a to say that I would applaud hearing on Scott’s recommenthe sheriff’s enforcing the dation to fire one deputy and guidelines that all of his of- suspend a sergeant for policy ficers are expected to adhere violations during the police
chase that resulted in Jeffrey Nissen’s death. In late June, Scott filed a number of charges against Deputy Meagan Pettengell and her husband, Sgt. Ryan Pettengell, who was her supervisor the night Nissen died. The two have been suspended without pay since June 23. The couple is expecting a baby in October.
“To put it mildly, it’s stressful,” the Pettengells’ attorney, Laura Scarry, said. “I think the actions that the sheriff has taken against these two individuals, who, by the way, have excellent reputations within the community, are draconian and punitive.”
See POLICE PURSUIT, page A6
Pope Francis mingles with high and low in New York
$27.4M STEVENS BUILDING PROJECT ON HOLD
By NICOLE WINFIELD and DAVID CRARY The Associated Press NEW YORK – Sweeping through the landmarks of America’s biggest city, Pope Francis on Friday offered comfort to 9/11 victims’ families at ground zero, warnings to world leaders at the United Nations and encouragement to schoolchildren in Harlem as he mixed the high and low ministry so characteristic of his papacy. In the early evening, he led a jubilant parade through Central Park past a crowd of about 80,000 and celebrated Mass at Madison Square Garden, usually the site of basketball games and rock concerts but this time the scene of a solemn service celebrating New York in all its diversity. “Living in a big city is not always easy,” Francis told 18,000 people at the Garden, easily one of the most respectful crowds the arena has ever seen. “Yet big cities are a reminder of the hidden riches present in our world in the diversity of its cultures, traditions and historical experiences.” Francis’ itinerary for his only full day in New York was packed with contrasts befitting a head of state dubbed the “slum pope” for his devotion to the poor. He moved from the corridors of power to the grit of the projects with lush Central Park in between. He drew huge, adoring crowds while also managing to connect one-on-one with countless New Yorkers, despite extraordinarily tight security that closed off many streets and kept most spectators behind police barricades.
Photos by Monica Synett – msynett@shawmedia.com
Work on NIU’s Stevens Building has been halted by the state in the absence of a budget for fiscal 2016. It is unclear when it could start again. Although the state is paying for the redevelopment and construction, NIU could have to pay to protect the work already done on the project from the weather as the seasons change.
Protecting progress NIU, state seek ways to preserve work already done on project By RHONDA GILLESPIE rgillespie@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Northern Illinois University officials are trying to figure out what the university can do to preserve the work already done on the Stevens Building project. The state’s Capital Development Board, which is funding the $27.4 million project, halted construction June 30 because there was no state budget in place. Work also stopped on other capital construction around the state. NIU spokesman Joe King said the university is in uncharted territory in trying to figure out not only who will handle the on-site preservation,
but also whether NIU or the state will pay for it. “We are committed to doing whatever it takes to protect the progress on the building to date,” King said. “But we can’t just jump in and act unilaterally because it’s a CDB project.” King said the university is working with the state agency and the general contractor, East Peoria-based River City Construction, to decide how to proceed. The university estimates it will cost at least $80,000 to protect the work that’s already done. CDB spokeswoman Lyndsey Walters wouldn’t say specifically what NIU could or couldn’t do
LOCAL NEWS
LOCAL NEWS
WHERE IT’S AT
Up with the trends
Editor’s Note
Saying goodbye
Fall 2015 décor is all about the mix / C1
Eric Olson stresses DeKalb’s need to focus on Lincoln Highway property / A2
Cabana Charley’s in Sycamore to close Sunday / A4
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AP photo
Pope Francis arrives to address the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly Friday at United Nations headquarters in New York.
See STEVENS BUILDING, page A6
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Obituaries .........................A4 Opinion...............................A9 Puzzles ............................... C4 Sports..............................B1-4 State ...................................A5 Weather ........................... A10
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