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Janua r y 20, 2016 • $1 .0 0
DAILY CHRONICLE SPAGHETTI SKILLET
Elevate your noodle dish with this breakfast-for-dinner recipe / B8
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20 9
Complete forecast on page A8
daily-chronicle.com
SERVING DEKALB COUNTY SINCE 1879
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D-428 gets proposal for boundaries Demographer endorses Option 2 after enrollment, demographic projections; board to vote Feb. 2 By BRITTANY KEEPERMAN bkeeperman@shawmedia,com DeKALB – A demographer working with DeKalb School District 428 recommends a school attendance boundary change that is expected to hold class sizes steady and directly affect about 61 children. At Tuesday’s District 428 school board meeting, demog-
rapher Matthew Cropper, of Voice your opinion Cropper GIS, recommended a boundary change plan known To see video as Option 2, which officials said from the meeting, was favored by the public. visit Daily-Chronicle. District 428 has been in the com. process of redrawing attendance boundaries for its eight elementary and two middle schools for the past two years. rollment and demographics. The district hosted public The district has worked with Cropper to project future en- forums on the issue in Novem-
National security at center of race
ber, where families had the chance to look at two different map options for both the elementary and middle schools. Cropper recommended the board approve a plan to redraw boundaries in line with Option 2 for both the middle and elementary schools, with one adjustment from the original map to an area which would have shifted 12 students to Founders
from Littlejohn. “Parents in this area had some concerns that students could walk to Clinton Rosette and wanted to maintain that opportunity. They were also in close proximity to Littlejohn,” Cropper said. “It was a small number of elementary students and it was something we could do to help adhere to criteria.” Criteria considered includ-
ed maximizing students’ ability to walk to school, using natural boundaries such as major roadways as boundary lines, balancing student demographics and minimizing the number of students who would change schools. Option 2 will directly affect 61 children, officials said.
See D-428, page A5
DeKALB COUNTY JAIL EXPANSION TIMELINE
Rep. Duckworth challenging Kirk for U.S. Senate By SARA BURNETT The Associated Press CHICAGO – Fighting to hold on to his political career, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk turned a recent Republican luncheon into a crash course on the Islamic State group, complete with a map of Syria he brought with him to western Illinois. He pointed out Russian maneuvers and ISIS territory, called for more U.S. airstrikes and touted his efforts to keep extremists from entering the U.S. as refugees. “I want you to Sen. Mark send a national Kirk security hawk to the Senate,” the former Navy intelligence officer told the crowd. Like other Republicans up Rep. Tammy for election nationwide, Kirk is Duckworth making national security a prime focus of his bid for a second term. It’s a strategy that has historically worked well for the GOP, particularly at times when voters are on edge about the country’s safety, as many are now. But Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth could flip the script if the two candidates face off, as expected, in November. A former Army helicopter pilot, Duckworth lost both legs when the Blackhawk she was co-piloting was shot down in Iraq in 2004. She later was awarded the Purple Heart. Democrats nationally see Duckworth as one of their best chances to win a seat this fall in the U.S. Senate, where the party needs to pick up four seats to regain control if a Democrat wins the race for president. Duckworth not only neutralizes Kirk on national security issues, they say, she one-ups him. “We’re eager to have this debate,” said Duckworth spokesman Matt McGrath, adding that Kirk has been wrong on critical foreign policy and national security questions, “often with disastrous results.”
Photo provided
Rendering from Dewberry Architects of the front of the new DeKalb County Detention Facility. The Sycamore City Council reviewed the tentative but detailed timeline for the $35 million jail expansion project at a meeting Tuesday. Construction is expected to begin in the spring.
Sycamore audits jail planning County prepares for spring construction By KATIE SMITH ksmith@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – Sycamore City Council members reviewed a tentative but detailed timeline for DeKalb County’s $35 million jail expansion project, which is expected to begin in the spring and be completed by summer 2018. Brian Kerner of Elgin-based Dewberry Architects presented jail renderings and a construction timeline to the council Tuesday before opening the floor for a question-and-answer session. Many of those who spoke, such as Sycamore dad José Hernández were curious whether
traffic would greatly increase as a result of more jail visitors. “With more people coming in to visit their families and inmates, my main concern is: Is there going to be more patrol there in the morning?” he said. “Because I have swings out there for my little ones. I have neighbors kids coming over, and this and that.” So far, there are no plans to use extra patrol, Mayor Ken Mundy said. “Obviously, they’re concerned in watching over their children, and hopefully, if they’re in the yard, particularly the front yard, they’re being watched and that sort of thing,”
Katie Smith – ksmith@shawmedia.com
Brian Kerner of Dewberry Architects presents Tuesday to the Sycamore City Council a tentative timeline of construction for the DeKalb County Jail expansion plan. Mundy said. “I don’t anticipate trouble there.” Although adding 60 beds at the jail likely will increase the amount of visitors coming to the facility, officials do not plan to increase police presence in the area, DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott said. “We don’t plan on having patrols
for that area,” he said. “Just the routine, normal [police] traffic is pretty heavy, especially in the morning hours.” Sycamore city staff has encouraged the county to consolidate parcels and submit a request to have a
See EXPANSION, page A3
Jail construction schedule Activity Timeline Contractor building period..............................................................January to March Start of enabling work on Exchange Street.................................Last week of March Locust Street Closure .....................................................................April Excavation work to begin for new building .................................June Exchange Street to be re-opened..................................................June (tentative)
Activity Timeline Precast wall panel and steel erection ..........................................October to December Substantial completion ...................................................................Spring 2018 Building opens ..................................................................................Summer 2018 *Information provided by Dewberry Architects
See SECURITY, page A5
SPORTS
LOCAL NEWS
LOCAL NEWS
WHERE IT’S AT
Taking lead
Deal delay
Winter fest
Huskies come back from early deficit to beat C. Michigan / B1
Negotiations expected to begin for county workers without contract / A4
DeKalb Park District set to host city’s 2nd POLARpalooza / A3
Advice................................. B3 Classified.........................B5-7 Comics................................ B4 Local News..................... A3-4 Lottery................................. A2 Nation&World............A2, 5-6
Obituaries..........................A4 Opinion................................A7 Puzzles................................ B3 Sports...............................B1-2 State............................... A4, 6 Weather..............................A8