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The Daily Northwestern Wednesday, October 24, 2012
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Revamped center plans move ahead By INA YANG
daily senior staffer
Bernard Wen/The Daily Northwestern
POLITICS ASIDE Newark,N.J., Mayor Cory Booker speaks to students in Cahn Auditorium on Tuesday evening. Booker addressed his evolution from mayor to rising Democratic star, but stressed nonpartisan industriousness.
‘Not about left or right’ Booker tells students to doggedly pursue dreams By PATRICK SVITEK
daily senior staffer
Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker urged Northwestern students Tuesday night to embrace the “conspiracy of love,” offering a nonpartisan respite from one of the most politically charged times of the year. “We are here because of the fortitude, fierceness and faith of the people who
came before us,” Booker told about 150 students in Cahn Auditorium. “There’s a lot of politics, swirl and noise at the moment, but the question always has to come back to, ‘What am I going to do?” Booker acknowledged that College Democrats brought him to campus and he has been “literally forgetting” where he is amid a packed schedule stumping for President Barack Obama. But Booker promised to steer clear of politics. “No side has a monopoly on ideas,” he
said. “It’s not about left or right. It’s not about red or blue. It’s about moving this country forward and the red, white and blue.” Booker outlined his rise as one of the country’s most high-profile mayors and a Democratic star-in-waiting, starting with his parents’ reminders to count his blessings. He said their “conspiracy of love” evokes his father’s blunt advice: “Son, don’t » See BOOKER, page 6
After lengthy negotiations and collaborative planning between Evanston and Northwestern, the approved visitors center construction plan now reflects the needs of both while following city codes and regulations. Throughout the process of gaining city support for the center, University officials addressed various concerns from Evanston’s Preservation Commission and ordinary citizens ranging from migratory bird collisions and “obtrusive lighting that may possibly affect the current night skyline.” The University was originally denied a certificate of appropriateness by the city’s Preservation Commission last Tuesday. Evanston aldermen received the University’s appeal Monday and passed the motion with a 6-2 vote. Ald. Judy Fiske (1st) and Ald. Melissa Wynne (3rd) voted against the appeal, while Ald. Coleen Burrus (9th) abstained because she is a university employee. “The University is very appreciative of the council taking the time to listen carefully to the University’s proposal and voting to approve it,” NU spokesman Al Cubbage said. The commission’s main concerns referred to the center’s height, location and impact on Fisk Hall, one of a dozen landmark buildings on the same lot as the proposed center. Ronald Nayler, NU’s vice president for facilities management,
responded to these concerns and other resident complaints on behalf of the University in a letter dated Oct. 16 to the Preservation Commission. The note was attached to NU’s appeal application to city council. In the letter, Naylor states that the height of the new visitors center is compatible with the height of the campus buildings to which it is visibly related. Regarding architectural concerns, Nayler stressed that buildings on campus are of varying architectural styles and that the new visitors center, along with the new Music and Communications building, will serve as “a gateway to the modern campus.” Nayler also directly answered letters received from the community. In response to claims that the new visitors center would be too tall for an Evanston historical district, Naylor said the structure would be six stories tall, which would not violate the city’s restriction on building heights. He added that the proposed building location is not in a historical district. Because residents were concerned about construction disrupting local birds, NU worked closely with the Audubon Society and local bird club members to improve the designs. The east and north facades will have no glass and the south and west facades will utilize a “birdfriendly” glass. Cubbage emphasized the importance of the “state-of-the-art center” for admission, noting the center » See VISITORS CENTER, page 6
Budget includes proposed tax on bullets, guns County aims to take edge off budget deficit, curb street violence By CIARA MCCARTHY
the daily northwestern
Cook County board president Toni Preckwinkle proposed a county tax on guns and bullets as part of the 2013 budget Thursday. The tax would charge an additional five cents for every bullet sold and an additional $25 for every gun sold. Preckwinkle presented the proposal in an effort to earn more money for the county amidst a significant deficit and as a way to stem a recent apparent increase in gun violence. Larry Suffredin, the Cook County commissioner for the 13th district, which includes Evanston, sponsored the tax. The revenues can recoup some of the county’s costs of gunrelated incidents, Suffredin said. Suffredin said gun violence has a significant impact on Cook County hospitals and courts. On average, acute trauma care for a shooting victim costs $52,000, Preckwinkle said in her budget address. According to the county board’s budget recommendation, the gun
and bullet taxes are estimated to generate $1 million in the 2013 fiscal year. The recent shooting death of 14-year-old Evanston Township High School student Dajae Coleman brought attention to the issue of gun control in Evanston. “The violence in Cook County The is devastating and the violence in wide availCook County abi l it y of is devastating ammunition only exacand the wide erbates the availability of problem,” ammunition … Preckwinkle exacerbates the said. In Chiproblem. c ago, 30 percent of Toni Preckwinkle, guns used in Cook County crimes were board president initially purchased from Cook County gun shops, said Colleen Daley, executive director of the Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. The Illinois State Rifle Association, however, has voiced strong opposition to the tax. Richard Pearson, the association’s executive director, said the tax would
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Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
drive gun and bullet sales outside of the county. Pearson added that the tax would also punish law-abiding gun owners instead of those responsible for gun violence. Suffredin said the tax will create a rift between lawful gun owners and gang members. “It’s lawful gun owners who buys these guns originally and then somehow get them to the gangbangers. What we’ve got to do is put obstacles in their way,” he said. If the tax passes, Pearson said, the ISRA will consider filing a suit against the county. Suffredin said there’s enough support on the board for the gun and bullet tax. “I don’t think we’re putting any kind of a burden on any legitimate citizen, and the State Rifle Association will fight anything because they really don’t care about humanity,” Suffredin said. The 2013 budget will be open to several public hearings as well as departmental reviews before the final version is passed Nov. 16. Local Evanston anti-violence initiatives include a developing gun buyback program, a project spearheaded by the West Evanston Strategic Team and city officials. The program proposes eventually paying gun owners $100 per firearm. ciaramccarthy2015@u.northwestern.edu
How Much Do Guns Cost Cook County?
29%
of illegal guns in crimes were purchased legally
670
shooting victims last year
70% $52,000 of victims don’t cost of acute trama care for a shooting victim
have insurance
Infographic by Michell Kim/The Daily Northwestern
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