ednesday, June 19,
2013
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W y, June 19, 2013 Wednesday,
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Taliban, U.S. will Endeavors at schools would use up to $11.6M in grant money meet for war talks
D-428 gets project timeline By DAVID THOMAS
dthomas@shawmedia.com
DeKALB – DeKalb school officials saw a timeline of all the different upgrades that could be made to DeKalb School District 428’s elementary schools, upgrades that would cost at most $11.6 million. The presentation the school board heard Tuesday was an informational item, as the board will consider and vote on each project separately. “The main purpose behind all of this is, each year, we can put in front
of the school board the timeline of this and build into each of the budgets,” said Andrea Gorla, the assistant superintendent for business and finance. The timeline is a culmination of the work done by the district’s finance and facilities committee – a group of school officials and community leaders who brainstormed different ways the school district can save money and wisely use its $21 million construction grant. “The purpose of forming this committee, and this timeline, was to bring the options on how we could possibly
spend some of the $21 million,” board President Tom Matya said. “I feel now we have a platform where we could start to make those decisions.” The major projects the board has considered, including the creation of a pre-kindergarten/early childhood education center and updating the condition of the various buildings, came from the committee. “We’re going to continue to focus on building safety,” Matya said. “We want to make sure we get that done as best as we possible can, then continue on building parity. A third component
is how are we going to introduce technology in the classroom?” Matya said a good portion of these proposed projects would be funded by the district’s construction grant. Gorla said in an interview that $800,000 of that grant will be used for building secured entrances at Littlejohn and Malta elementary schools. If all of the projects were approved by the board, the district would be spending between $11.1 million and $11.6 million, depending on whether
See D-428, page A3
Coming to NIU this fall ... Volunteer opportunities, sponsorships available for IHSA football championships
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com
ABOVE: Construction workers are seen working on ducts Friday inside the new Chessick Practice Center on the Northern Illinois University campus in DeKalb. BELOW: An exterior view of the west side of the new Chessick Practice Center on the Northern Illinois University campus. By DAVID THOMAS
How to help
dthomas@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Planning is underway for DeKalb to host the Illinois High School Association state football championships for the first time in November. The two-day championship series is expected to draw in at least 30,000 fans and have a $1 million economic impact on the county, said Tom Matya, the chairman of the IHSA host committee and DeKalb School District 428 board president. To be ready, Matya and others are looking to raise $225,000 and sign up more than 200 volunteers. “I think we’re off to a great start,” Northern Illinois University spokesman Brad Hoey said. “Everything is going to benefit from us having it this year.” In 2012, the IHSA named NIU the host of its football championship series every odd-numbered year until 2021. NIU facilities, including its 24,000-seat Huskie Stadium and
The IHSA State Football Championships will be held Nov. 29 and 30 at Northern Illinois University’s Huskie Stadium. For more information about volunteering or donating to the host committee, visit ihsadestinationdekalb.com.
On the Web To view more photos of the construction of the new Chessick Practice Center, visit Daily-Chronicle.com.
brand-new Chessick Practice Center, played a big role in securing the hosting rights. The state football championship series consists of eight games among 16 high school teams. The games will be held Nov. 29 and 30 at
Huskie Stadium. Officials with the IHSA Destination DeKalb Host Committee are projecting the event will cost $225,000, which they hope to minimize through volunteers. “We’re going to do the heavy
push this fall – this far out, it’s hard to get people to commit that time,” Matya said. The volunteers will be working as ushers, parking lot attendants and ticket-takers, among other positions. They will receive training by working at one of the NIU football games before the championships.
See IHSA, page A3
By PATRICK QUINN The Associated Press KABUL, Afghanistan – The Taliban and the U.S. said Tuesday they will hold talks on finding a political solution to ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan, as the international coalition formally handed over control of the country’s security to the Afghan army and police. The Taliban met a key U.S. demand by pledging not to use Afghanistan as a base to threaten other countries, although the Americans said they must also denounce al-Qaida. But President Barack Obama cautioned that the process won’t be quick or easy. He described the opening of a Taliban political office in the Gulf nation of Qatar as an “important first step toward reconciliation” between the Islamic militants and the government of Afghanistan, and predicted there will be bumps along the way. Obama, who was attending the G-8 summit in Northern Ireland, praised Afghan President Hamid Karzai for taking a courageous step by sending representatives to discuss peace with the Taliban. “It’s good news. We’re very pleased with what has taken place,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in Washington. British Prime Minister David Cameron, whose country has the second-largest contingent of troops in Afghanistan after the U.S., called opening the office “the right thing to do.” As the handover occurred, four U.S. troops were killed Tuesday at or near Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, U.S. defense officials said. The officials said the four were killed by indirect fire, likely a mortar or rocket, but they had no other details. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to provide details on the deaths. Officials with the Obama administration said the office in the Qatari capital of Doha was the first step toward the ultimate U.S.-Afghan goal of a full Taliban renunciation of links with al-Qaida, the reason why America invaded the country Oct. 7, 2001, shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against the U.S. The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford, said the only way to end the war was through a political solution. “My perspective has always been that this war is going to have to end with political reconciliation,” he said.
What’s next The U.S. will hold its first formal meetings with the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, within a few days, senior officials said, with the expectation that it will be followed up days later by a meeting between representatives of the Taliban and the High Peace Council. The first meeting will focus on an exchange of agendas and consultations on next steps.
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