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The Daily Illini
Monday April 9, 2012
www.DailyIllini.com
The independent student newspaper at the University of Illinois since 1871
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Vol. 141 Issue 128
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Local tobacco shops targets of drug raid
Eggs out of the basket
Champaign police crack down on synthetic marijuana sales BY RAFAEL GUERRERO STAFF WRITER
Two local tobacco shops were raided Tuesday by Champaign police as part of a statewide campaign against illegal synthetic drugs. More than $55,000 worth of synthetic drugs were taken from these two shops. In addition to the local shops, Bloomington-Normal businesses were also raided that day — more than 6,000 packages of products with a street value of approximately $110,000 were confi scated from Bloomington-Normal and Champaign. The businesses affected in Champaign were Global Tobacco and Smoke Shack. A total of 873 packs of synthetic material were taken from Global Tobacco, with a street value of about $13,000, and 1,811 packs were taken from Smoke Shack, with a street value of about $44,000. These raids were all part of “Operation Smoked Out,” a project from the Attorney General’s offi ce aimed at removing these synthetic drugs from Illinois stores. Ingredients found in the drugs were made illegal in January. As a complement to that law, Attorney General Lisa Madigan is also proposing legislation that would defi ne synthetic drugs and ban their use as well as increase the penalties for selling them. After holding an emergency summit on synthetic drugs in November, Madigan has turned to store sweeps this year. Since then, law enforcement agencies in Illinois have prioritized searches and raids
Don’t pick them up: Bats with rabies make appearance in Illinois early this year CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Rabies may bring to mind stray racoons, possums and squirrels, but officials from the Illinois Department of Public Health are warning students to beware of one more animal: bats. Last week, the department, or IDPH, announced More onair: Tune in that warm winter temto WPGU 107.1-FM at p e r a t u r e s led 5 p.m. to hear more have about the early bat to earlier migration in Illinois bat activity increasing to stay safe. the risk of exposure to rabies. The first rabid bat in Illinois has been found this year, and the two individuals suffering bite wounds are currently receiving treatment. Bats are the primary carriers of rabies in Illinois. According to the IDPH, rabies is a virus that affects a human’s nervous system and is spread through the saliva of an infect-
ed animal. In 2011, 49 bats tested this region becoming active earlier in the year because warm positive for rabies. Lisa Powers, graduate student weather brings them out of hiberin integrative biology, researches nation sooner in order to feed. bat conservation in Illinois and “Their goal is to get out as soon said only half a as the weather percent of bats is warm enough actually carry for insects to be rabies. Despite flying around, this, she said and they go into feeding mode,” people may be she said. “They more likely to get rabies from are just lita bat versus tle bug-eating another animal. machines.” “Most peoHowever, ple — if they Powers doesn’t see a skunk, it entirely agree wouldn’t occur with the IDPH to them to go that earlier bat and pick it up,” activity will Powers said. increase a per“But bats are son’s exposure LISA POWERS, so tiny; they’re graduate student in integrative biology to rabies. smaller than “I guess I a mouse and would have to they’re weird and interesting, so talk to (the IDPH) and find out people are more tempted to pick what their rationale is behind it,” she said. “I mean, the bats are still them up.” Powers said she noticed bats in coming out, and they’re still doing
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“Their goal is to get out as soon as the weather is warm enough for insects to be flying around, and they go into feeding mode.”
The Daily Illini Editorial Board’s take on the legalities of using and selling synthetic drugs turn to Page 4A.
in order to eliminate the mass distribution and consumption of the drugs. “Bloomington, Normal and Champaign have significant numbers of college students who have been enticed to purchase and use these illegal and dangerous products,” Madigan said in the press release. “Retailers in these college towns should be aware that law enforcement will soon be walking through their front door to ensure that these dangerous, illegal drugs are not for sale.” Synthetic drugs tend to contain chemical compounds that mimic effects similar as those created from taking cocaine or methamphetamine. According to a press release, poison control centers nationwide received almost 3,000 calls related to synthetic marijuana use in 2010; that number jumped to nearly 7,000 calls last year. In the press release, Champaign police Chief Anthony Cobb said he was thankful for the support from other law enforcement agencies in combating the drug. “With these businesses sitting in the heart of our campus community, keeping our teens and students safe is a priority for our department,” Cobb said in the statement. Steve Mag, manager of
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WILLIAM SHI THE DAILY ILLINI
Seen among a sea of hands, Shanna Diller, assistant director of marketing for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics, of Champaign, throws plastic Easter eggs to the crowd during the Illini baseball game. Illinois played against Indiana at Illinois Field on Easter Sunday.
BY EMMA WEISSMANN
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the same thing they always do, they’re just doing it earlier. So I don’t know that people are any more at risk than they would be otherwise.” The bats students are most likely to encounter are eptesicus fuscus, or Big Brown bats, Powers said. They usually reside in older campus buildings and sometimes find a home in students’ apartments, according to Susan Northrup, warden for Champaign County Animal Control. “The buildings (at the University) are so old that they do have bats in them, up in the rafters,” she said. “Some of them find their way to student apartments after they’ve been bothered by movein week.” There have been 5-10 instances per year of students getting bitten by bats on campus, according to David Lawrance, medical director at McKinley Health Center. If a bat bites a student, it is important that he or she get tested for
See SYNTHETIC POT, Page 3A
“With these businesses sitting in the heart of our campus community, keeping our teens and students safe is a priority for our department.” ANTHONY COBB, Champaign Chief of Police
See BATS, Page 3A
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Talent show kicks off 1st annual Korean Week; cultural, social events open to public RSO hopes to increase communication among Korean international students, various Korean clubs on campus Traditional Korean song, a modern dance and Korean form hybrid and Korean-style yoga marked the beginning of Korean Week, as 14 students performed in acts displaying all three of those talents in the Korean Student Association Talent Show at Foellinger Auditorium on Saturday. The show, which about 400 students attended, kicks off the University’s first annual Korean Week hosted by the Korean Student Association, or KSA, one of the largest organizations for Korean students on campus. Albert Kim, organizer of the KSA talent show and senior in Business, said the talent show allowed students to demonstrate their skills. “I am relieved to fi nish the show successfully,” Kim said. “The whole team and I have put a lot of effort in this show. Although there were some little problems, everyone seemed to enjoy the show at the end.” Audience members evaluated each performer using an iClick-
er, and the performers with the top three scores received prizes. Hyewon Jung, member of KSA and freshman in LAS, said she enjoyed the show. “I haven’t (ever) seen that many Korean people in one place,” Jung said. Thirteen events have been planned for the rest of the week, which will culminate in a Korean baseball tournament on April 14. The event’s themes range from cultural, social and academic and are open to the public. Un Yeong Park, president of KSA and graduate student, said there were two reasons for hosting Korean Week. “We heard that Korean international students are (felt) invisible on campus, because they are living on their island; they don’t try to pull themselves out of their island,” he said. “They prefer communicating with just each other. That’s the first reason.” The second reason, he said, was that in addition to increasing communication amongst Korean international students, Park also wants to increase communication amongst the various Korean clubs
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BY PULU WANG STAFF WRITER
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Korean week events What: “Samulnori” Korean traditional percussion Where: The Quad When: Tuesday at 5 p.m. What: Travel around the world — Korea Where: The Quad When: Wednesday at 11 a.m. What: Korean dish sale Where: The Quad When: Thursday at 11 a.m. What: “Korea and I” with guest speakers Where: Illini Union room 314A When: Thursday at 4:30 p.m. on campus. “There are many small-sized student organizations, (but) there is no initial team to make (them) work together,” Park said. “I’d like to have one voice to show (everyone) our Korean culture
See KOREAN WEEK, Page 3A
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Opinions
ROSIE POWERS THE DAILY ILLINI
Participants perform in the “Illinois Got Talent” show, sponsored by the Korean Student Organization on Saturday. The show served as the beginning to this year’s Korean Week, a week-long celebration of Korean culture through campus events and lectures.
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