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Inquiry into fatal police chase continues DeKalb County Sheriff says deputy, sergeant violated policies in chase accused of violating departmental policies during a fatal police chase continued SatDeKALB – A disciplinary urday with the cross-examh e a r i n g f o r t w o D e K a l b ination of the Sheriff’s chief County Sheriff’s employees deputy.
By KATIE SMITH
ksmith@shawmedia.com
An attorney for Deputy Meagan Pettengell and her husband Sgt. Ryan Pettengell told the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Merit Commission both law enforcement officers
had followed procedures. DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott has filed a complaint with the commission that claims the couple violated a number of departmen-
tal policies including: not obeying orders to terminate a police chase, not providing medical care to a crash victim and not ensuring police pursuit policies were adhered
to during a March 30 police chase that ended with the death of a 25-year-old Kingston man.
See POLICE PURSUIT, page A4
Fundraiser for Irene Clay helps Fairdale in its recovery
NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY CODING COMPETITION
By ADAM POULISSE apoulisse@shawmedia.com
Photos by Mary Beth Nolan – mnolan@shawmedia.com
Computer science alumnus Naveen Dokuparthi gives input to Glenbrook South High School freshmen Matt Moran (right) and Jesus Crespo as they work on a competitive coding project at the Huskie Hack conference Saturday in the Ellington ballroom on the Northern Illinois University campus.
Competing in code Students gather to write code, create apps during NIU Hackathon By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Derek Johnson had an idea for a mobile app that would help people who suffer from dementia, but never had the opportunity to learn how to put it into action until Saturday. Northern Illinois University hosted its first ever Hackathon this weekend. About 200 tech-junkies – from age 11 to 50 – gathered at Holmes Student Center and spent 24 hours working to create innovative apps, computer programs and websites with the aim at solving community challenges. Organizations like hospitals, nonprofits and governmental institutions submitted challenges that addressed a wide variety of needs. Some were specific – Create a “How-to” app for for new volunteers at the DeKalb County Community Gardens, for example. Some were a bit broader – Design a better system for caring for the geriatric population. The three-person team of high-schoolers that took on that broad challenge took third place in the competition with their app, “Wander.” “We worked on a program to help older people who are diagnosed with dementia,” Johnson, said. “All three of us have relatives that suffer from dementia, so that is where we got the idea.” The app’s design integrates
Suresh Vakati (center) an electrical engineering graduate student works with computer science graduate students Raga Tapaswi (left) and Rajeswari Gundu. GPS tracking and health data to allow family and caretakers know if a loved one has left specific areas, Johnson said. While the idea seems straightforward enough, it was a bit more complicated than anticipated. “It was hard, but we learned quite a bit from it,” Johnson said. “This was a lot of stuff that I’d never even gotten close to doing. … A
lot of app development, GPS location, stuff like that.” Tracy Rogers-Tryba, research associate with NIU’s Center for Governmental studies, said the idea for the event blossomed from brainstorming ways to get students more connected with technology resources available on campus. “This whole culture of student
hackathons is relatively new,” she said. “Participants are using and writing code, making things for the common good. … Our theme was based around community challenges because our broadband network is connected to community institutions like hospitals, schools and government offices.”
See HACKATHON, page A4
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WHERE IT’S AT
‘Clean the Kish’
Student death
District ideas
County residents, NIU students help the environment / A3
NIU student dies after apparent fall from Stevenson Towers window / A4
Library considers referendum to become its own district / A3
Advice ................................ B5 Classified........................B7-9 Comics ............................... B6 Local News.................... A3-4 Lottery................................ A2 Nation&World...........A2, 4-5
KIRKLAND – Fairdale resident Irene Clay loved to play euchre at Farmers Inn. So how fitting that a memorial fundraiser Saturday to honor Irene – who died on Sept. 15 at the age of 87 after a long bout with lung cancer – took place in part at the west Main Street hangout, filled with friends and family of the woman who always kept a positive outlook on life. “I think since the tornado, so many people have gotten to know her, and actually love her for her smile and her optimistic attitude,” her daughter Geri Hopper said. “I’m just hoping that’s something that people can look up to and think about.” The fundraiser was planned weeks ago to help defray costs to get Irene into her new home. But after her death one day after her new home was set on its foundation in Fairdale, the family decided to instead use all the proceeds from the fundraiser – which was at both Farmers Inn and nearby Kirkland United Methodist Church on South Street – to the DeKalb County Long-Term Recovery Corp. “They’re going to need a lot of money,” Hopper said. “They have big plans for Fairdale and, as time goes on and those plans are realized, it’s going to change the community. It’s going to be a more favorable community for people to want to live in and more things will be available.” At the church, people paid for a pork chop dinner that included salad, pasta, baked beans, lasagna and sweets alongside a silent auction and raffle. At the same time, and later into the night, at Farmers Inn, people could buy beer and drink specials and enter a raffle. There also was live music at the tavern by Destination Unknown, Irene’s grandson Nathan Peterson’s band. “It’s a last hurrah, just a great send-off for my grandma,” Peterson said. “It’s really nice, then seeing all the people show up and all the money donated to the Fairdale relief, I think it’s great.” Dozens of friends and people who knew Irene gathered at both events. Terry Bunger Myers lived in Kirkland, but still was asked to join a group of Fairdale women, Irene included, for lunch meetings. Bunger Myers said she was inspired by Irene’s spirit and attitude in the face of fighting cancer. “I hope, I pray, that when or if I ever get that nasty disease, I can be half the person she was,” Myers said. “I’ve never seen such a fighter.” The goal was to raise $5,000 to $6,000, Donna Turner of the recovery corporation said, but “whatever we raise is more than we had before.” “I think if she’d have been here, people would have clamored to say, ‘Hey, we’re here to support you all the way,’ ” Turner said. As for Irene’s house, her four surviving children planned to sell it after she died. Instead, the children decided it would go to daughter Teri Peterson and her husband, Randy. The house was put in a trust for all of them, but Peterson said she plans to buy out the others. Within a month, she’ll no longer have to rent a home. She’ll own one and it will be decorated with birds, as Irene would want it. “Since it was built for her, having a stranger move in wouldn’t be the same,” Peterson said. “I think she’d like it knowing one of us is in there.”
Obituaries .........................A4 Opinion...............................A9 Puzzles ............................... B5 Sports..............................B1-4 State ...................................A4 Weather ........................... A10