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MAC NOTEBOOK
Conference has beaten a team from the power league 8 years in a row / B1 HIGH
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Union PAC slams Rauner comments GOP gubernatorial candidate told NIU students about ‘red flags’ for venture capitalists By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com DeKALB – A state political action committee is up in arms about comments gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner made last week about venture capitalists steering away from investing in small businesses. The Illinois Freedom PAC, a public-employee union backed group, on Monday blasted comments Rauner, the Republican trying to unseat Gov. Pat Quinn, made Wednesday to Northern Illinois University students as summarized in the
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Daily Chronicle. During his appearance, Rauner said venture capitalists avoid investing in cash-driven businesses with a high level of competition, a category mom-and-pop businesses fit into. “This is part and parcel of Bruce Rauner’s attitudes,” said Illinois Freedom spokesman Neal Waltmire. “It’s the WallStreet,-make-a-profit-at-anycost attitude.” Rauner made the comments Thursday after an entrepreneurship student asked what red flags venture capitalists consider before investing. Oth-
er red flags Rauner noted were cyclical and seasonal businesses. Rauner also said venture capitalists often avoid markets that are highly cash driven with low competitive barriers to Bruce Rauner entry, or those where competition could easily appear. “Your typical small momand-pop business in America is a low-barrier-to-competition,
cash business,” Rauner said. “So, that’s why it’s frustrating because a lot of small business owners, mom-and-pop business owners, they’re frustrated, like, ‘venture capitalists won’t invest with me. Why won’t they put money into my firm or my industry?’ “Because, you know, you get more than a little bit bigger, boom-boom, you’ve got competition coming at you.” Rauner spokesman Mike Schrimpf said Rauner’s comments were misconstrued by the Chronicle, asserting Rauner was not advising students
not to invest in small businesses, but warning them about red flags. He also said the Illinois Freedom PAC was making much of one sentence in a larger story. He pointed to Rauner’s investments in small businesses, as well as his policies to freeze property taxes and eliminate the 67 percent personal income tax hike as evidence Rauner supports mom-and-pop shops. “If there’s one candidate that’s going to help small businesses grow, it’s Bruce,” Schrimpf said. Waltmire said his group
would continue to highlight Rauner’s comments about small businesses during the next two months of campaigning. Electronic campaign filings show the Illinois Freedom PAC is largely funded by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, the Illinois Federation of Teachers, the Illinois Education Association and the Democratic Governor’s Association. The group spent more than $3 million on advertising leading up to the March primary election, according to campaign filings.
SLEEPINESS IN SCHOOL DeKalb County school leaders debate start times, student activities
Aldermen vote to make University Plaza apartments By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com DeKALB – After a lengthy discussion, DeKalb alderman voted to allow a developer to turn private dormitory University Plaza into apartments. During the DeKalb City Council meeting Monday, aldermen voted, 6-2, to allow the development, with 6th Ward Alderman Dave Baker and 7th Ward Alderwoman Monica O’Leary voting against the development. Fourth Ward Alderman Bob Snow said he saw the development as a positive move toward something more sustainable than a private dorm. “I think something does have to change with the property,” Snow said. “We won’t guarantee that any solution will be the best for everyone, but I think reasonable people can agree something needs to be done.” The plan proposed by Alabama-based Capstone Real Estate Investments would reduce the number of potential residents in the two-tower space at 900 Crane Drive from a potential 1,100 tenants to 496. University Plaza representatives said this year, because only one of the two towers is open, the complex has 311 residents. As part of a development agreement with the city, residents would have to provide proof they are students to live in the facility. The complex also would allow only one resident per bed. Some DeKalb landlords and aldermen expressed doubt about complex officials being able to enforce those restrictions. They also question if the 407 parking spaces slated for the development would suffice. City Attorney Dean Frieders pointed out the development
Photos by Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Students hurry to class down a hallway at Sycamore High School at 8:55 a.m. Thursday. Every Thursday, Sycamore High School has late start days when class starts at 8:50 a.m. and an optional enrichment program, which starts at 8 a.m. and includes speakers or other special events.
School start times
By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com
Sycamore sophomore Jake Peloquin finishes his chemistry homework Thursday in the cafeteria before school starts.
Voice your opinion: What time did you or do you go to bed on school nights as a teenager? Vote online at Daily-Chronicle.com.
SYCAMORE – Sycamore High School sophomore Jeremy Hayes knows most other students do not go to sleep before 9 p.m. as he does. In fact, a new policy from the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that many high school students don’t go to sleep before 11 p.m., which is why the group is pushing for middle and high school start times to move back to 8:30 a.m. or later. Hayes isn’t convinced changing the start of the school day is the answer. “I feel like it really doesn’t make a difference,” said Hayes, 15. “Your energy starts to wear out during the day. I mean, I guess they could start it later.” The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended middle and high schools wait until at least 8:30 a.m. to start the school day to fight teen sleep deprivation, which has been tied to poor health and
n DeKalb High School: 7:45 a.m. n Genoa-Kingston High School: 7:50 a.m. n Sandwich High School: 8:07 a.m. n Somonauk High School: 8:15 a.m. n Hiawatha High School: 8:15 a.m. n Sycamore High School: 8:15 a.m. n Indian Creek High School: 8:25 a.m. n Hinckley-Big Rock High School: 8:40 a.m.
Source: Local school districts bad grades. But some DeKalb County school officials and students say getting more sleep is less about when school starts than it is about what students do after school. According to government data researchers studied, more than 40 percent of high schools in the United States have start times before
See SLEEPINESS, page A2
See COUNCIL, page A4
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