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LIFE & CULTURE, 6A
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THE DAILY ILLINI The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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UI working to improve Willard Airport DAILY ILLINI STAFF REPORT
OLIVIER DOULIERY MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union address during a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday night.
Obama tries to rewrite legacy BY DAVID LIGHTMAN MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Tuesday followed a familiar script for presidents entering their sixth year, as he tried to revive his waning political clout while shaping his legacy. Obama delivered his State of the Union address to an American public increasingly skeptical that he can help ease their economic pain. His influence on Capitol Hill, while never robust, has all but vanished. He knows his historic fate is largely out of his control. Obama is the fourth of the last five presidents to serve second terms. Like Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush before him, Obama tried to write his own
history by promoting signature policies and themes that were part of their election mandates. Obama’s pitch was a plea for a more sound, more equitable economy. Corporations prosper, he said, yet “inequality has deepened.� He urged civility and common purpose. “I believe this can be a breakthrough year for America. After five years of grit and determined effort, the United States is better positioned for the 21st century than any other nation on Earth,� Obama said. But he also got tough: If Congress won’t act, he said, he will. “So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that’s what
BY ANGELICA LAVITO
SEE STATE OF UNION | 3A
What do you the of the president’s State of the Union address? COMPILED BY ELEANOR BLACK STAFF WRITER
“I agree that his goals are very lofty, and he’s really dreaming big right now, but a lot of the things he’s doing sound like he can attain them, I think. But one of the things I don’t really think he can is tax reforms.
“He talks a lot about how he’s planning on fixing all these problems, especially stuff like students being able to get into college and infrastructure — which are two that matter most to me. I liked his ideas for it, I don’t know if it will come into fruition or not, but the idea behind it is good.�
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“It’s encouraging that he’s trying to maintain security around the world not only through military force and deploying forces, but also through helping countries that need help, countries that have civil war, countries hit by natural disasters.
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community interest and discussions among business groups. “It’s important to local economy,� Carter said. He added that there needs to be better air service and competitive fares in the area and that “this is a major step forward.� The task force currently seeks a consultant to help create a plan to attract better air service over time and to sustain that air service, Carter said. “The air industry is so dynamic right now that you have to have contact with airlines to get flights,� Carter said. The University will help fund the consultant who would work with the task force and the Champaign County First group. Should the task force not reach its goal, the University would not leave the airport business, Kaler said, stressing Willard’s importance to the community. “A thriving airport is a competitive necessity for a global university,� Kaler said.
Champaign community site debuts online
I’m going to do,� Obama pledged. Obama announced executive action to raise the minimum wage for people working on new federal contracts to $10.10. Congress would likely not have agreed. He’s also bypassing Congress to allow people to have new “starter� retirement savings accounts. Such actions probably will chill further his relations with a Congress where Republicans already lead the House of Representatives and the Senate’s center-left Democrats are inching away from a president highly unpopular in their states. Obama’s pitch Tuesday was a plea to fin-
YOUR VOICE
“He spoke about how Michelle Obama’s initiative has helped obesity rates, which is what I study, so it’s really interesting that he’s acknowledging that there’s been an issue with obesity.
In an effort to attract more flights to Willard Airport, the University has commissioned a task force that will examine how to give the airport more competitive fares and better air service. The task force comprises University representatives, public officials and members of the local business community. Early in the summer of 2013, University President Robert Easter and Chancellor Phyllis Wise were approached in a meeting by representatives from the Champaign County First group and the Economic Development Commission’s airport committee, campus spokeswoman Robin Kaler said in an email. The task force members were recommended by the commission’s airport committee and the First group. Task force chair Steve Carter said the implementation of the task force was a response to
STAFF WRITER
Champaign City Council members received a preview of Neighbors of Champaign, the city’s new website, at their meeting Tuesday night. Neighbors of Champaign is a communication outlet that aims to improve the flow of information between different members of the community and the city. Council members were given the opportunity to provide feedback on the website. “I think it’s a great idea and a nice way to connect the community,� said Deborah Feinen, council member at-large. Neighborhoods can register to share and receive information about events occurring in the community. The website will strengthen the city’s capability to foster connections among neighbors, neighborhoods, the city organization and the community, according to the study session report. “We really want to help strengthen the relationships
between these citizen volunteers, and we are working so hard to engage with them,� said Kevin Jackson, Neighborhood Services Director. The website will feature a calendar of events, news and notices, neighborhood registry, neighborhood geographic information maps, a neighborhood leaders forum, neighborhood notification, volunteer opportunities, a photo gallery and community resources. “The pictures represent various neighborhood events as well as pictures sent to us,� said Colleen Madera, administrative assistant. “We plan on changing the pictures frequently, and our goal is to showcase events happening around the city.� Users can register to receive notifications about volunteer opportunities that interest them. General volunteer opportunities will be posted on the website. The neighborhood registry will provide users with a pro-
SEE WEBSITE | 3A
Potholes continue to form with the frigid temperatures BY MIRANDA HOLLOWAY ASSISTANT DAYTIME EDITOR
With colder temperatures and extreme winter weather comes a greater risk for potholes to form. “If something’s worse, it’s because we’re having a worse winter,� said Kris Koester, Champaign Public Works public information officer. “Also with that, us taking people off the streets more and putting them behind the plows, that’s less time they’re filling the potholes, so of course they’re going to be more noticeable.� While the process known as the freeze-thaw cycle is not solely to blame for the creation of potholes, it does contribute to pothole creation, said John Collins, Urbana Public Works operations director. Freeze-thaw occurs when moisture gets under the asphalt concrete layer of pavement. When this moisture freezes, it pushes up on the asphalt. When this moisture thaws, either naturally or through
the appliance of salt, the pavement breaks up, Collins said. “We’ve had some snow, and we’ve salted it. And then we get more precipitation, and that moisture itself freezes,� Collins said. “We’ve had temperatures that go up 40 degrees after being down to 10 or 15 degrees, and anytime that temperature fluctuates above or below freezing is when we’ll have potholes.� The freeze-thaw cycle is not the only issue pavement faces, said Civil Engineering Professor Imad Al-Qadi. The asphalt-concrete type of pavement is made up of aggregate and is held together by asphalt binders, which acts as a glue. When moisture gets into the pavement, it can strip the aggregate of the binder, much like peeling a banana, AlQadi said. After the aggregate is stripped of the binder, it can begin a process called traveling in which the
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aggregate starts to move apart, AlQadi said. As the movement progresses, it is possible to start seeing a pothole. Some of the research being done at the Illinois Center for Transportation involves moisture damage for asphalt concrete pavement, AlQadi said. He said the low temperatures can also affect the asphalt-concrete pavement. Low temperatures can cause stresses on the pavement and create cracks, which can grow as the cycle of low temperatures continue, AlQadi said. Smaller cracks, however, do have the ability to heal themselves in asphalt-concrete if the low temperatures do not last long. “If major cracks develop then that would allow the moisture to get in, and you end up with major problems, including potholes,� AlQadi said.
When Champaign residents see potholes around town they can take advantage of the public works’ department’s app SeeClickFix. The app, which launched last year, allows people to take photos of the problem. Then, it geolocates where the photo was and adds it into the database to be fixed, said Champaign Public Works public information officer Kris Koester. The resident who submits the photo will receive a notification when the request is added into the database and when it is fixed.
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