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SERVING DEKALB COUNTY SINCE 1879
DeKalb council to vote on rules
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Vigil shows human toll of heroin addiction
Sets requirements for commercial building inspections By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com DeKALB – DeKalb aldermen today will vote on a comprehensive ordinance that will change the way the city inspects commercial and industrial businesses, although it likely won’t receive unanimous support. The new 60-page ordinance sets new requirements for commercial and industrial properties to undergo annual inspections at their expense. The code replaces and expands previous city laws regarding similar inspections. Sixth Ward Alderman Dave Baker said he’s received dozens of phone calls regarding the ordinance from residents who are furious about the proposed changes. He said while he sees the need to protect the pubIf you go lic, he doesn’t think the city needs to pass such n WHAT: sweeping changes beDeKalb City cause he believes it will Council meeting deter development. n WHEN: 6 p.m. “It would be economn WHERE: ic suicide if we passed DeKalb City Hall, this,” Baker said. Under the new code, 200 S. Fourth St. commercial and industrial property owners would be required to register their properties by March 1, 2015. During registration, they will need to disclose what the building is used for as well as contact information for the owners and occupants. After registration, the city will assign property owners an inspection period. City staff plans for the cost of annual inspections to be relative to the scope of the inspection, meaning smaller, well-maintained properties will carry smaller inspection fees than larger or dilapidated properties. The new code sets periods for property owners to fix any problems uncovered during inspections based on the severity of the problem. The city also can issue fines if property owners don’t address the problems, but city staff has said fines and court cases will be a last resort. First Ward Alderman David Jacobson also opposes the new law because he believes it will harm businesses. He said rather than create a new law, the city should focus on enforcing the ones that already exist. “I think it’s yet another piece of
See COUNCIL, page A8
Photos by Mary Beth Nolan for Shaw Media
Candles are lit during an overdose awareness vigil Saturday at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore.
County leaders announce progress on drug antidote program By STEPHEN HABERKORN
Brenda Jergens speaks about addiction and about the heroin overdose death of her son Kurt Hudson during a vigil Saturday at the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore.
news@daily-chronicle.com SYCAMORE – During a vigil, DeKalb County Chairman Jeff Metzger announced progress on a pilot program to arm police officers with an opiate antidote that can save people overdosing on drugs. On Saturday, Metzger announced that they have a director for the Narcan program in place, that Northern Illinois University has volunteered to train officers in administering the antidote, and that they are ready to get a physician lined up to write the prescriptions. Months ago, he put together a task force with the goal of getting Narcan into every law enforcement vehicle in DeKalb County, since police officers are often the first responders to the scene of a drug overdose. The task force is comprised of a multitude of government administrators and police officers from throughout the county. “It’s what government should be – a group that can work together for something that’s very positive,” said Metzger. His comments came at a heroin overdose awareness vigil at the DeKalb County Courthouse organized by Brenda Jergens of Malta, whose 28-year-old son, Kurt Hudson, died of a heroin overdose Sept. 29. The event drew people from DeKalb County, Naperville, Rockford, Canada and even Venezuela – as Tina Clausen, Hudson’s sister put it – “to remember those loved, lost and still struggling.”
559 DRUG OVERDOSE VICTIMS REMEMBERED Jergens emphasized that drug addiction
Voice your opinion Do you know someone who has struggled with addiction? Vote online at Daily-Chronicle.com.
touches everyone. Throughout the 90-minute vigil, a slideshow showing the names and faces of 559 drug overdose victims was shown on a large screen. “It doesn’t just happen in the streets of Chicago. It’s everywhere. It can be your neighbor, your friend, your brother,” Jergens said. Jergens recounted the painful story of her son’s drug addiction. She said people
don’t understand addiction unless they witness first-hand its devastating effects. “Addiction turned my sweet little boy, so full of life and energy, into a young man that I almost didn’t recognize anymore,” said Jergens. “It was like the devil taking over.” Other speakers at the vigil included Metzger; Gary Dumdie, chief deputy of the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office; Robbin Stuckert, presiding judge for DeKalb County Circuit Court; Brian Klaung, a clinical social worker from Rockford; and several recovering heroin addicts. Stuckert described the scope of the heroin problem in this country and how
See VIGIL, page A8
Fines and hearings among lingering ‘fracking’ issues By TAMMY WEBBER The Associated Press CHICAGO – Environmentalists want to lift a cap on fines for violations, while industry officials want to limit who can ask for a public hearing as each side prepares for their last shot at changing proposed rules governing high-volume oil and gas drilling in Illinois. As Illinois moves closer to
allowing hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” within the state’s borders, proponents and critics are poring over extensive rules developed by the state Department of Natural Resources to see if they address concerns or add any unexpected twists. A law passed last year was seen as a national model of compromise on how to regulate the controversial practice, but both advocates and
opponents since have been critical of the rule-making process. Industry officials have complained bitterly of what they consider the slow pace, warning that it could cost the state jobs. Hydraulic fracturing – a drilling method that has become big business in states like Pennsylvania and North Dakota – uses a mixture of water, chemicals and sand to crack open rock formations
thousands of feet underground to release trapped oil and gas. Opponents fear it will pollute and deplete groundwater or cause health problems. The industry insists the method is safe and will bring a badly needed economic boost to southern Illinois. Illinois’ rules, meant to implement regulations passed by lawmakers last year, were submitted Aug. 29 to a legislative committee that now must
decide whether they can take effect as written. Here are some of the lingering concerns and a look at what happens next:
THE CHANGES The DNR reworded some rules after receiving more than 30,000 comments on a draft it released late last year. Among the changes, the agency clarified that companies must be available 24
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hours a day to divulge the chemicals they’re using to health care workers treating patients. Companies typically claim their mixtures are trade secrets, and the DNR received complaints the original draft made it too difficult to get the information quickly. Language was changed to specify that any wastewater overflow stored in pits during
See FRACKING, page A8
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