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Kish, new president reach accord Laurie Borowicz’s contract with community college starts Jan. 11 By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com MALTA – Laurie Borowicz will begin her tenure as Kishwaukee Community College’s fifth president with a threeyear contract and an annual salary of $175,000, records show. Borowicz’s contract, which has been approved by the college’s Board of Trust-
ees, begins Jan. 11, a week well] and has before second-semester classexperience in es begin. The contract will the classroom,” end June 30, 2019. Borowicz he said. “Kishreplaces Tom Choice, who waukee is like announced plans to retire in a family, and June. Choice’s last day will they wanted Laurie be Dec. 31. someone that Borowicz was the ideal Borowicz fit that model.” candidate for the job, board Borowicz Chairman Bob Johnson said. currently is the vice presi“Campuses always want dent of student services for someone [who communicates Northcentral Technical Col-
lege in Wausau, Wisconsin. Under her contract, KCC will pay Borowicz $1,500 a month for six months as a temporary housing allowance so she can live in the area while she relocates. The college will also reimburse her for moving expenses. Johnson said that the process of choosing a new president was elaborate. The board hired the association of
community college trustees to create a profile of the ideal candidate based on what people on campus said they wanted from their future president. More than 50 people applied and the board narrowed the choice down to four finalists through the process of interviews, campus tours and taking into account comments and feedback from
faculty, support staff and students. Kishwaukee Community College is a two-year school that offers more than 70 occupational degrees and certificates along with five transfer degrees. It employs more than 400 people with a student body of more than 9,000. In fiscal 2016, its budget was
See PRESIDENT, page A5
U.S. troops are killed by suicide bomber
THE RECOVERY OF ETHAN MENGES
Taliban insurgency grows in Afghanistan By LYNNE O’DONNELL The Associated Press
Photos by Danielle Guerra – dguerra@shawmedia.com
Ethan Menges smiles while sitting in his sister Brittney Menges’ Rockford living room Dec. 14 as he recounts how he proposed to his fiancée Jordon Mathieu. Menges moved in with his sister the day before. Menges had all four of his limbs amputated in September after a life-threatening battle with a virus that spread to his bloodstream and put him in a coma after collapsing Jan. 22.
Creating the future Former G-K athlete moving toward goals after amputations By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Ethan Menges went home for the first time in more than a year this month, after spending months in and out of surgeries and rehabilitation after the amputation of all four of his limbs. Now, the 2010 Genoa-Kingston High School alumnus has returned to the area – he is staying with his sister, Brittney Menges, in Rockford – and said he is working to stay positive as he struggles with independence and daily tasks such as showering, brushing his teeth and cooking. Simple tasks such as opening a piece of mail
can take up to 15 minutes, he said. It can be a particular mental challenge, since the man was an athlete in his high school days. He ran track, played baseball and was the co-captain of the varsity basketball and football teams. “Little things take a substantial amount of time,” he said. “Frustration can build quickly over those small things.” It started last year when Menges developed a viral infection that quickly spread. He was in a coma for a week and no one knew if he would survive. After lying in the hospital for a week, he developed bed sores and
See RECOVERY, page A5
Brittney Menges, Ethan Menges’ sister, puts together an adaptation device made from PVC pipe they ordered online that helps Ethan put on his shorts by himself Dec. 14 in her Rockford home.
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Holiday dinner
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Society of St. Vincent de Paul provides 175 Christmas meals / A3
DeKalb gets a brand new physical therapy center / A6
Ally Lehman’s performance gives NIU victory / B1
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KABUL, Afghanistan – A suicide attacker rammed an explosives-laden motorcycle into a joint NATO-Afghan patrol Monday, killing six American troops in the deadliest attack on international forces since August. Two U.S. troops and an Afghan were wounded. The soldiers were targeted as they moved through a village near Bagram Airfield, the largest U.S. military facility in Afghanistan, NATO and Afghani officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility. A U.S. official confirmed that six American troops were killed and two wounded. An Afghan was also wounded. The official was not authorized to discuss the incident publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity. “Our heartfelt sympathies go out to the families and friends of those affected in this tragic incident, especially during this holiday season,” U.S. Army Brig. Gen. William Shoffner, head of public affairs at NATO’s Resolute Support base in the Afghan capital Kabul, said in a statement. In New York, Police Commissioner William Bratton said Monday that a New York City police detective, Joseph Lemm, was one of the six Americans killed in the attack. Lemm was a 15-year veteran of the New York Police Department and worked in the Bronx Warrant Squad. Bratton said Lemm served in the U.S. National Guard and, while a member of the police force, he had been deployed twice to Afghanistan and once to Iraq. He leaves behind a wife and three children. In Washington, White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the nation’s thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and their loved ones, and that the U.S. will continue to work jointly with Afghans to promote peace and stability in their country. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter in statement called the attack “a painful reminder of the dangers our troops face every day in Afghanistan.” It was the deadliest attack on foreign troops in four months. On Aug. 22, three American contractors with the RS base were killed in a suicide attack in Kabul.
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