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T y, April 4, 2013 Thursday,
NIU FOOTBALL • SPORTS, B1
ART GALLERY • A&E, C1
Huskies coach worked with national champs
Local photographer opens exhibit in DeKalb
NIU’s Kevin Sigler
Schmack defends plea agreement Deal a divisive end to Curl prosecution By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – No eyewitnesses, no murder weapon, no time of death and no cause of death meant no sure-fire conviction as far as DeKalb County State’s Attorney Richard Schmack was concerned. An hour after William “Billy” Curl accepted a plea agreement that will keep him in prison until 2047 for the murder and rape of Northern Illinois University freshman Antinette “Toni” Keller, Schmack defended his criticized decision to pass on a trial
that could have resulted in a 60-year sentence. “[Prosecutors] also had to consider the gross injustice of a potential verdict of not guilty and the unimaginable pain that would have meant for [Keller’s] loved ones,” Schmack said. “Some may be able William to put that risk out “Billy” Curl of their thoughts, but prosecutors cannot.” Schmack pointed to high-profile, televised murder trials involving
More online Go to Daily-Chronicle.com to watch video from Wednesday’s plea agreement. O.J. Simpson and Casey Anthony that resulted in surprising not-guilty verdicts. As state’s attorney, he said it was his first responsibility to protect the public from the future criminal threat Curl posed.
See CURL, page A4
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com
DeKalb County State’s Attorney Richard Schmack speaks to members of the media Wednesday at the DeKalb County Legislative Center in Sycamore following the plea agreement of William Curl.
DeKALB MAYOR’S RACE
GETTING TO KNOW NIU PRESIDENT DOUGLAS BAKER
RECEIVING A WARM WELCOME
Jacobson will address issues, plan for future By DAVID THOMAS dthomas@shawmedia.com
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com
The newly appointed president of Northern Illinois University, Douglas Baker (center), speaks with community members and local officials during a municipal meet and greet Wednesday at DeKalb City Hall.
Community officials greet newly-announced leader at DeKalb City Hall By DAVID THOMAS dthomas@shawmedia.com DeKALB – DeKalb and Sycamore officials welcomed Douglas Baker, the incoming president of Northern Illinois University, with open arms at a ceremony Wednesday. Baker was unanimously selected Tuesday by the NIU Board of Trustees to succeed John Peters as NIU president. He is currently an executive vice president at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho. DeKalb Mayor Kris Povlsen said
he felt a connection with Baker when he interviewed him as part of a community panel last month. “He has the ability to connect with individuals and people that he meets with,” Povlsen said. “There’s a sincerity, a genuineness, that’s as impressive as the experience he brings with him.” Baker told the assembled leaders Wednesday that it’s impossible to move the region forward without a strong sense of community. His audience at DeKalb City Hall included local government officials, and candidates for elected office.
More online Go to Daily-Chronicle. com to watch a video of NIU president Douglas Baker greeting officials. During his time at Idaho, Baker said he has had regular meetings with community leaders. “If we have a divisive community or culture, and we’re not heading the same direction, or we’re not having ... good conversations around hard things, that’s
not good,” Baker said. “We need to build that sense of trust and respect ... and there are a variety of ways to do it.” Sycamore City Manager Brian Gregory said he hoped to keep building the relationship between NIU, DeKalb and Sycamore. Gregory noted that Sycamore is home to many NIU teachers, staff members, and alumni. “We’ll see where there are opportunities for partnerships,” Gregory said. “I’m confident with the vision he’s laid out, his administration will welcome that.”
DeKALB – David Jacobson has had a lot of eye-opening experiences since coming to DeKalb to study special education at Northern Illinois University. He inadvertently became a landlord at the age of 19. He took over the business side of his fraternity, Sigma Alpha Mu, when, as he said, it was near collapse. When the fraternity moved to its current location at 900 Greenbrier Road, he had to learn basic contracting work including painting and plastering. Jacobson compared the city of DeKalb to his fraternity
See JACOBSON, page A2
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n Affiliation:
Independent n Age: 29 n Education: Bachelor’s degree, political science – politics, Northern Illinois University; Associate degree, criminal justice, Kishwaukee College n Career: Property management and development and 1st Ward alderman, Self-employed and elected by the residents of the 1st Ward. n Marital Status: Single n Website: www.JacobsonForDeKalb.com
Mayoral profile schedule n Wednesday – Jennifer Groce n Today – David Jacobson n Friday – John Rey n Saturday – Mike Verbic
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DAVID JACOBSON
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