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Friday, May 3, 2013
GABRIEL STONE • FAITH, C1
NIU BASEBALL
Mysterious artifact on display in Jerusalem
Huskies aim for first MAC regular-season title Sports, B1
Nature Trail restoration underway Resident says public pressure was key in spurring effort By JILLIAN DUCHNOWSKI
jduchnowski@shawmedia.com
DeKALB – If you walk down the Nature Trail, you might see the yellow tags still on the hundreds of shrubs crews planted Thursday. The efforts represent much of the restoration that ComEd, the DeKalb Park District and the DeKalb County Forest Preserve have planned in response to the public outcry last year over ComEd clearing
taller trees from around the power lines. The 1.3-mile trail runs from North First Street near Timber Trail to Sycamore Road near Greenwood Acres Drive in DeKalb. “What we did [Thursday] is a sustainable plan,” DeKalb Park District Executive Director Cindy Capek said. “The plant material that was put in was selected to work with the transmission lines but also to beautify the Nature Trail.”
They plan to plant about 25 trees within the next week and plant prairie seed within the next month or so, Capek said. Crews will prepare the ground before planting the seed, but Capek expects it will take a few summers for the prairie to grow to full height. Two temporary signs explaining the restoration effort will be posted on the site. It was a collaborative effort. ComEd provided more
than 400 plants, as well as some of the labor and other materials. The DeKalb County Forest Preserve planted 110 more shrubs a couple of weeks ago on the Nature Trail near the Generation Link Trail; forest preserve leaders recently took control of about 1,000 feet of the Nature Trail. As crews maintain the prairie grass and remove invasive
See RESTORATION, page A4
Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com
Kevin Bock of the DeKalb Park District plants a buttonbush Thursday along the DeKalb Nature Trail near Sycamore Road and Greenwood Acres Drive.
NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER
Seeking ‘a prophetic voice’
State House OKs Madigan pension plan DeKalb-area officials split By DAVID THOMAS
dthomas@shawmedia.com with wire reports
Photos by Rob Winner – rwinner@shawmedia.com
Joan Vancil (from left to right) of Sycamore and Nancy Tucker and Christine Militz, both of DeKalb, hold hands Thursday while praying for the sick and hurting of DeKalb County during the National Day of Prayer event outside the DeKalb County Courthouse in Sycamore.
Event brings people together to pray for local, state and national leaders By DAVID THOMAS
dthomas@shawmedia.com SYCAMORE – Cheryl Lienhard attends the National Day of Prayer every year, but she felt this year was very important. “Our nation has so many issues right now that only God can deal with,” Lienhard, of Sycamore, said. “It’s way too big for government. Only God can deal with our issues right now.” Lienhard was one of the many people who gathered Thursday on the lawn in front of the DeKalb County Courthouse to pray for the nation. The National Day of Prayer is held the first Thursday of May each year.
See PRAY, page A3
On the Web: View more photos and a video from the Na-
tional Day of Prayer event in Sycamore at Daily-Chronicle.com.
The Somers family of DeKalb, including Bryley (from left to right), 2, her mother, Kallie, and her father, Nathan, pray during the National Day of Prayer event.
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SPRINGFIELD – DeKalb-area lawmakers split on a plan approved Thursday that would tackle the $97 billion shortfall in the state’s retirement system by increasing employee contributions and decreasing benefits, the first victory for across-the-board pension reform in four years of debate. Shepherded by House Speaker Michael Madigan, the House voted, 62-51, in favor of a plan he says would reduce pension liability by $30 billion and fully fund the systems by 2044 for state employees, university workers and school teachers. “This obviously does not meet every request. This obviously does not make everyone happy,” Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, said during more than an hour of floor debate. “We’re all familiar with the severe fiscal problem of the state and the fiscal problems of the pension systems are a large part of that problem.” Rep. Robert Pritchard, R-Hinckley, voted against Senate Bill 1 because not all of the interested parties signed off on the proposal. He said it would set up a challenge in the courts. “We are going in the right direction, but all of that is going to be for naught if it’s tied up in court if we don’t address some of these issues,” Pritchard said. Rep. Tom Demmer, R-Dixon, voted yes, adding that he felt the courts would find their efforts to be constitutional.
Rep. Robert Pritchard R-Hinckley
Rep. Tom Demmer R-Dixon A plan to tackle the shortfall in the state’s retirement system by increasing employee contributions and decreasing benefits had area lawmakers split. • Pritchard voted against Senate Bill 1 because not all of the interested parties signed off on the proposal. • Demmer voted for the proposal, saying he felt the courts would find their efforts to be constitutional.
See PENSION, page A2
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