The Daily Northwestern Monday, March 5, 2018
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Northlight decision allays city officials Developers pull out of proposed downtown tower By CATHERINE HENDERSON
the daily northwestern @caity_henderson
Katie Pach/Daily Senior Staffer
Joanna Thompson speaks Friday at an ASG-sponsored event in Harris Hall. Thompson talked about stigmatization and violence in LGBTQ relationships.
ASG hosts talk on relationships
Wellness Week speaker discusses challenges for LGBTQ community By AMY LI
the daily northwestern
As part of Associated Student Government’s first Wellness Week, Joanna Thompson spoke Friday about healthy relationships in LGBTQ
communities. Though similar to heterosexual relationships in many ways, relationships within the LGBTQ community — and even within “each letter” — face a unique set of challenges, she said. Thompson is the community outreach and engagement
coordinator for the Anti-Violence Project at the Center on Halsted, the “most comprehensive” LGBTQ community center in the Midwest, according to its website. Thompson began by defining terms important to the LGBTQ community, such as sexual
orientation and gender identity, which she said are not the same or interchangeable. The speaker also said sexual orientation and gender identity exist on spectrums, and that it is important to never put people into “boxes” » See WELLNESS, page 6
After developers stepped back from a proposed Northlight Theatre high rise, city officials and business owners expressed relief that the building will not endanger local businesses but maintained their support for Northlight’s return to Evanston. The developers behind the proposed 30-plus story building for the theater cancelled the plans Thursday. Community members had raised concerns with the building’s height and that the high rise would displace local businesses in the 1700 block of Sherman Avenue. City manager Wally Bobkiewicz said he was impressed with the developers for responding to the community’s concerns. He added that the Northlight Theatre would be an excellent amenity for the city, but would fit better in a different location. “This really shows how in tune Northlight is … and I
really commend them on their willingness to pause and take a step back,” Bobkiewicz said. “With that said, the city is still committed to trying to find a place that makes sense for them and the larger community.” Though Northlight was founded in Evanston, the nonprofit theater company has been located in Skokie for over 20 years. The plans for the development would have included a hotel, a restaurant, residential units and a parking facility. Bobkiewicz said the city has already started discussions with developers about finding a different location. He said they are hopeful they will be able to find a place that works for both the theater and the city. Nina Barrett — owner of Bookends & Beginnings, an independent bookstore located in the alley behind Sherman Avenue — said she was relieved the high rise would not threaten her business. Still, she said she supports Northlight and hopes it can find a new home. Barrett said Evanston has struggled to revitalize while maintaining unique, independent businesses. » See NORTHLIGHT, page 6
NU lawyers wait Rauner battles Ives for nomination on Supreme Court Incumbent, firebrand rep. trade barbs in gubernatorial primary Court to consider hearing false confession case By ALLIE GOULDING
daily senior staffer @alliejennaaa
If the U.S. Supreme Court decides to hear the case of Pritzker lawyer Laura Nirider’s client, Brendan Dassey, it will be the first time the Court has heard a case of a false confession in nearly 40 years, according to a Feb. 20 news release. For 70 years, Nirider said the courts have had legal obligations to treat confessions by juveniles with “special care.” However, Nirider — co-director of the School of Law’s Center on Wrongful Convictions of Youth — said the Supreme Court has remained silent on the issue. “While the Court has sat out on the issue of juvenile confessions for decades, we’ve also seen this growing problem of juvenile false confessions,” Nirider said. “This is the time for the Court to reaffirm that these protections need to be in place for kids like Brendan.” Nirider and School of Law Prof. Steven Drizin, who co-founded the center, represent Dassey, now 28, who was convicted when he
was 16. A jury found Dassey and his uncle, Steven Avery, guilty of raping and murdering Teresa Halbach and mutilating her corpse in a Wisconsin court in April 2007. The case is featured in the 2015 Netflix documentary series, “Making a Murderer.” Nirider, Drizin and former U.S. Solicitor General Seth Waxman, who recently joined Dassey’s legal team as a Supreme Court litigation expert, submitted a petition for a writ of certiorari — which requests a higher court to review a lower court’s ruling — to the Supreme Court on Feb. 20. Dassey’s legal team expects the Supreme Court to consider the decision in late spring, ABC News reported. Dassey’s conviction was primarily based on four separate two-onone interrogations over a 48-hour period, according to the petition. Dassey, who has intellectual and social limitations, was fed answers about the crime from the police, the petition alleges. Nirider said they filed the petition for a writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court because Dassey’s case raises important legal issues that could affect many other juveniles who falsely confess to serious crimes. » See DASSEY, page 6
Serving the University and Evanston since 1881
By KRISTINA KARISCH
daily senior staffer @kristinakarisch
Just over a couple weeks remain until Illinois holds its Republican gubernatorial primary, and both incumbent Gov. Bruce Rauner and his challenger, state Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) have led campaigns marked by controversial statements and stances. They will face off in the March 20 primary, where one will advance to November’s general election.
The Incumbent
Rauner was elected governor in 2014, breaking a longrunning streak of Democratic governors in Illinois. His first term in office has been marked by a fierce political rivalry with state House Speaker Mike Madigan, which has led to a political impasse on a number of issues. Under Rauner and Madigan, Illinois failed to pass a budget from 2015 to 2017. Legislators finally passed a budget last summer after the state’s bonds were in danger of being rated “junk bonds.” The state legislature had to override Rauner’s veto to enact
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS
Antonio James/Chicago Tribune/TNS
(Left) Gov. Bruce Rauner at a press conference. (Right) State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) talks to the media after giving a speech.
the budget, which contains an income-tax increase, a measure Rauner had opposed. Rauner and the state legislature still remain at odds on a number of issues, and he has remained a deeply unpopular governor across the state. A Morning Consult poll released in January found that Rauner held a 31 percent approval rating in the last quarter of 2017, and a disapproval rating of 55 percent for that same time period.
At the outset of his reelection campaign, Rauner was considered a popular candidate with conservatives. But after brokering a deal to fund teacher pensions in Chicago, restricting the police’s ability to detain undocumented immigrants and coming out in favor of a bill to expand public funding of abortions, his approval among conservatives dropped. His public campaign appearances have not left him
without criticism either: In late February, Rauner made an awkward onstage appearance where he drank chocolate milk to demonstrate his commitment to diversity. The corporate stunt was planned by Tyronne Stoudemire, a Hyatt Hotels diversity and inclusion executive, and was meant to represent workplace diversity during Black History Month, the Chicago Tribune reported. » See GOP, page 6
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