The Daily Northwestern — Nov. 07, 2013

Page 1

ASG discusses Senate reform, funding » PAGE 3

ARTS The Current Sodexo employee reveals musical roots » INSIDE

OPINION Goodman Don’t get too excited too quickly over Wildcats football » PAGE 4

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The Daily Northwestern Thursday, November 7, 2013

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Schakowsky talks Obamacare site U.S. Rep. tells Political Union she is ‘livid’ over glitchy rollout By MADDIE ELKINS

the daily northwestern @MadeleineElkins

Sarah Nelson/The Daily Northwestern

OPEN FOR BUSINESS Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) and other officials cut the ribbon Wednesday at Emerson Square. More than 50 people gathered for the official opening of the new affordable housing complex.

Emerson Square opens

Development offers affordable housing By JENNIFER BALL

the daily northwestern @jennifercball

It was a cold Wednesday afternoon when 57-year-old Karen Evans sat among her friends in front of new west Evanston affordable housing apartments. “It’s a blessing,” Evans said. Evans is a resident of Emerson Square, a 32-unit housing development at 1580 Foster St. City, state and national officials celebrated the complex’s grand opening Wednesday. “I was here when it was a blighted place, and it was hard to imagine what a wonderful place we’d have today,” U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) said to a crowd of more

Former Rep. West to speak at College Republicans event

College Republicans will bring former Rep. Allen West to Northwestern next week as its fall speaker,

Source: Gage Skidmore

TEA TIME Former Rep. Allen West speaks at the 2010 Conservative Political Action Conference. West will talk next week at Harris Hall.

than 50 people. Brinshore Development partnered with the nonprofit Clearbrook, Inc. to develop the housing. The 32-unit mix of town homes and walk-up apartments, which opened in July, targeted households of different income levels. Four of the units are dedicated to “extremely low-income” residents with disabilities or special needs, according to a news release. An $18.15 million grant from the federal government made the development possible. The money received through Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 is the city’s largest housing grant ever. Annie Harris, an 85-year-old Evanston retiree, said she came from the nearby Fleetwood-Jourdain Community Center. the organization announced Tuesday night. West, the firebrand Florida Republican who was elected to Congress during the tea party wave of 2010 and lost his seat in a close 2012 race, will speak at 7 p.m. Nov. 14 at Harris Hall. A question-and-answer session will follow the speech. During his two years in Washington, D.C., West became the first black Republican to represent Florida in Congress since 1876. Prior to entering politics, West spent 22 years in the military. He served overseas during the Gulf War and recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is also a contributor to Fox News. Other speakers at College Republicans events have included commentator Dinesh D’Souza, former presidential candidate Herman Cain and the late publisher and author Andrew Breitbart.

Serving the University and Evanston since 1881

— Joseph Diebold

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) said Wednesday at Northwestern she is “livid” over the flawed rollout of the Affordable Care Act’s website. Schakowsky, whose district includes Evanston, Skokie and Wilmette, answered questions Wednesday at a discussion with about 25 students hosted by the Political Union at the Buffett Center. Schakowsky also spoke at a Political Union event in October 2012, when she discussed the upcoming election with students. “Those of us who helped write (the Affordable Care Act), supported it, and continue to do so — this would include the president of the United States — are just livid over the rollout of the website,” Schakowsky said. “What it also does is reinforce the message that government can’t do anything. ... We’ve had the October

1 date for three years. It absolutely should have been tried and tested and perfected.” Schakowsky said she believes maintenance on the website for the federal health insurance exchange, HealthCare.gov, will be completed by Nov. 30 and the law will be something that will benefit Democrats politically in 2014. The law was a compromised piece of legislation, and Schakowsky said she would have preferred if Congress had created a single-payer insurance system. She said there will be people who have to pay more for their insurance, but their new plans will be a large improvement over their current plans. “At the end of the day, though, think about lifting the worry off the shoulders of all Americans of being excluded for any preexisting condition,” Schakowsky said. “Now a lot of the people that are talking about ‘I want to keep my plan!’, a lot of them are crap plans where you think you’re insured and then you get sick and you find out you’re not insured.” Karna Nangia, Political Union’s director of guest relations, said the group was excited to bring

» See SCHAKOWSKY, page 6

I was here when it was a blighted place, and it was hard to imagine what a wonderful place we’d have today. Jan Schakowsky, D-Evanston

“It seems like it’s wonderful,” she said. “I will go in and look myself.” The development, a new park and a community garden connected neighborhoods that were once separated by a vacated railroad right of way and old manufacturing » See EMERSON SQUARE, page 6

Sarah Nelson/The Daily Northwestern

CONGRESS TO CAMPUS Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) speaks Wednesday at the Buffett Center at a Political Union event. Schakowsky answered questions about the flawed rollout of the Affordable Care Act and climate change at the event.

City looks to landmark reform By EDWARD COX

the daily northwestern @EdwardCox16

Evanston is striving to make its historic homes more recognizable after two homeowners ran into trouble trying to replace the windows of their landmark residence. In last Monday’s City Council meeting, Evanston resident David Kimbell secured most aldermen’s support for replacing the windows at his home, 2623 Lincoln St., after the Preservation Commission denied his request. Kimbell said he did not know his home was a designated landmark until he applied for a building permit to replace the home’s windows. Because of their historic

significance, landmark homes are subject to a host of regulations for facade renovations. Preservation Commission member Jack Weiss said the panel wants to make homeowners aware of their residence’s historical status. One possible solution would be stating whether the home is a landmark on its deed, he said. During the meeting, preservation coordinator Carlos Ruiz touched on the cost of recording more than 2,000 existing landmark homes in Evanston. Weiss said it was highly unusual that couple’s commission appeal advanced to the City Council. Most of the time, home owners who wish to replace windows in historic homes apply for building permits before

purchasing them. Weiss said Kimbell purchased 26 replacement windows worth $70,000 before applying for the building permit. Becky Kimbell said the price for the windows was significantly lower. “Most people don’t spend money before applying for a permit,” Weiss said. “If he applied for a permit (first) … he might have behaved differently.” However, Becky Kimball said the responsibility for filing building permits does not fall on home owners. The family’s contractor, American Thermal Window Products, Inc., was responsible for getting a permit to replace the home’s iron casement windows, which she said posed » See LANDMARKS, page 6

INSIDE Around Town 2 | On Campus 3 | Opinion 4 | Classifieds & Puzzles 7 | Sports 8


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