Author contrasts way U.S. fought World War II with Iraq
By James Fuller
Daily Herald Staff Writer
The conduct of the war in Iraq is distinctly different from World War II, and distinctly flawed in several ways, said Col. Michael D. Doubler Wednesday night.
Doubler, an author and military historian, critiqued the Iraq campaign for an audience that included a handful of WWII vets at the First Division Museum at Cantigny Park near Wheaton.
Doubler suggested there’s too much concern and empathy for Iraqi civilians and collateral damage at times.
“It was easier to kill the enemy when we dehumanized them,” Doubler said, reflecting on previous wars.
American troops can’t fire on an enemy without permission from officers, causing costly delays, he said.
“We missed Osama Bin Laden one time doing that,” Doubler said.
Another flaw is a general lack of a defined goal for the war and how to measure it, Doubler said. He called on national leaders to define the objective and inform the public about it.
Doubler then suggested destruction on a larger scale may be on the way. He pointed to the recent addition of chemical agents in enemy explosives.
“I would not be surprised if somehow a weapon of mass destruction is not somehow a part of the end of the war,” Doubler said.
At the same time, Doubler said there’s been too much description of war tactics in the media that has been useful to the enemy.
“We told them there was going to be shock and awe,” Doubler said. “You know the way we got shock and awe in World War II? We blew the hell out of them, and then the enemy told us that was shocking and awesome.”
Doubler criticized the overall lack of artillery the U.S. has used in Iraq as well as overly simple, reactionary tactics.
“I am befuddled by what we’re doing today,” Doubler said. “We’re trying to connect the dots. If we bomb certain things, (we think) the enemy will do this. Well, they’re not cooperating.”
American forces are extremely limited by the general lack of manpower and fatigue of the force because of lengthy tours, Doubler said. He estimated only 1 percent of America stepped up and volunteered to go to war following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“How much longer can we expect that 1 percent to carry the load?” Doubler asked. “We do not fully understand how thin that band of people is that are holding the line.”
Still, America cannot simply withdraw because terrorists are committed to kill Americans, Doubler said.
“We cannot pull out of there and have it turn into a nightmare,” Doubler said. “If it’s their nightmare, before long it’s ours.”
Thursday
Monday
Duckworth delivers funds, hope to vets at Wheaton shelter
By James Fuller
Even as the staff at the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton awaited Tammy Duckworth, a sign staked in a yard three doors away was a reminder of the political wars she’s already fought.
“Roskam for Congress,” read the sign.
Duckworth arrived at the shelter Wednesday with a new political war to wage: improved health care for veterans. Having lost her congressional bid to Republican Peter Roskam of Wheaton last year, Duckworth is now the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.
The shelter staff believes her firsthand knowledge of the physical and mental wounds of war will bring needed change.
Duckworth delivered the promise of a $128,000 check for the shelter Wednesday. It will be the first facility in the state to reap the benefits of a state scratch-off lottery ticket game earmarked for veterans.
She had already visited the facility last summer. At the time, she was in a wheelchair, and the facility hadn’t yet opened. Wednesday, she navigated steps with the aid of a new, $100,000 prosthetic right leg.
The shelter has been open for two months and is already at capacity with five residents and a waiting list.
Shelter officials want to expand to 20 residents as soon as next year. To do that, they’ll need more money and an easier process to get veterans enrolled in entitled benefits. Ideally, the shelter would like to become a line item in the state budget.
Duckworth said such a move must come from the state Legislature. On her end, she’s in the process of hiring a grant writer for the veterans affairs department, a position that hasn’t existed. She believes it will bring more federal dollars to Illinois veterans and facilities like the one in Wheaton.
She’s also developing a single form to guide Illinois veterans through all the programs they may qualify for. She’d also like to see a relaxing of medical privacy laws so the state can obtain names of veterans as they return home and enroll them in benefit programs faster.
Duckworth is to testify in Washington, D.C., next week about long-term care needs for veterans.
Among the possible topics is the looming closure of Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The Washington facility is under the magnifying glass after news reports of mice, cockroaches and squalor.
Duckworth spent the bulk of her recovery time at Walter Reed after losing her legs when a rocket-propelled grenade blew up the helicopter she was co-piloting in Iraq in 2004.
She said Walter Reed is a good example of why at least the health care portion of the VA budget must be mandatory. Walter Reed does fabulous work but lacks a fabulous facility, she said.
“My truck that I drive around, it’s got a six-CD changer built into the back,” Duckworth said as analogy. “Walter Reed has the six-CD changer, except that their six-CD changer is sitting on the front seat, plugged into the cigarette lighter. That’s how they operate.”
Duckworth said Walter Reed must remain open while the U.S. is at war, and for up to five years after to address injuries that will take time to surface.
She said Walter Reed deserves the “bad rap” it’s getting for the conditions, but the staff isn’t to blame. The now-infamous Building 18 at the heart of the squalor was condemned while Duckworth was a patient, she said, but was reopened to house an influx of patients.
“They ran out of space,” she said. “They are being forced to expand their services while their money is being cut.”
jfuller@dailyherald.com
Even as the staff at the Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans in Wheaton awaited Tammy Duckworth, a sign staked in a yard three doors away was a reminder of the political wars she’s already fought.
“Roskam for Congress,” read the sign.
Duckworth arrived at the shelter Wednesday with a new political war to wage: improved health care for veterans. Having lost her congressional bid to Republican Peter Roskam of Wheaton last year, Duckworth is now the director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs.
The shelter staff believes her firsthand knowledge of the physical and mental wounds of war will bring needed change.
Duckworth delivered the promise of a $128,000 check for the shelter Wednesday. It will be the first facility in the state to reap the benefits of a state scratch-off lottery ticket game earmarked for veterans.
She had already visited the facility last summer. At the time, she was in a wheelchair, and the facility hadn’t yet opened. Wednesday, she navigated steps with the aid of a new, $100,000 prosthetic right leg.
The shelter has been open for two months and is already at capacity with five residents and a waiting list.
Shelter officials want to expand to 20 residents as soon as next year. To do that, they’ll need more money and an easier process to get veterans enrolled in entitled benefits. Ideally, the shelter would like to become a line item in the state budget.
Duckworth said such a move must come from the state Legislature. On her end, she’s in the process of hiring a grant writer for the veterans affairs department, a position that hasn’t existed. She believes it will bring more federal dollars to Illinois veterans and facilities like the one in Wheaton.
She’s also developing a single form to guide Illinois veterans through all the programs they may qualify for. She’d also like to see a relaxing of medical privacy laws so the state can obtain names of veterans as they return home and enroll them in benefit programs faster.
Duckworth is to testify in Washington, D.C., next week about long-term care needs for veterans.
Among the possible topics is the looming closure of Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The Washington facility is under the magnifying glass after news reports of mice, cockroaches and squalor.
Duckworth spent the bulk of her recovery time at Walter Reed after losing her legs when a rocket-propelled grenade blew up the helicopter she was co-piloting in Iraq in 2004.
She said Walter Reed is a good example of why at least the health care portion of the VA budget must be mandatory. Walter Reed does fabulous work but lacks a fabulous facility, she said.
“My truck that I drive around, it’s got a six-CD changer built into the back,” Duckworth said as analogy. “Walter Reed has the six-CD changer, except that their six-CD changer is sitting on the front seat, plugged into the cigarette lighter. That’s how they operate.”
Duckworth said Walter Reed must remain open while the U.S. is at war, and for up to five years after to address injuries that will take time to surface.
She said Walter Reed deserves the “bad rap” it’s getting for the conditions, but the staff isn’t to blame. The now-infamous Building 18 at the heart of the squalor was condemned while Duckworth was a patient, she said, but was reopened to house an influx of patients.
“They ran out of space,” she said. “They are being forced to expand their services while their money is being cut.”
jfuller@dailyherald.com
Tuesday
Soft news feature: Where did post office clocks go?
Where did post office clocks go?
March 08 2007
James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
A clock on the left-hand side of the customer service counter greets patrons of the Washington Street post office in Naperville. Below it, a calendar of zebras tracks the date.
A cynic might say that setup allows customers to count down both the minutes and the days elapsing as they wait in line.
Some postal customers no longer get a chance to count the ticks as they get ticked off. Clocks are vanishing from post offices across the country.
The clock near Mary Becker at the always-busy downtown Elgin post office vanished at least six months ago, she said. Managers never explained to her or the other employees what happened to the clocks. So workers there developed their own theory.
"They have those secret shoppers come in sometimes," Becker said. "They don't want them to be able to see if it takes too long for someone to wait on them."
That may also be the working theory about why some post offices in Wheaton, Elgin, Naperville, Addison, Algonquin, Gilberts, West Chicago and Des Plaines, to name a few, no longer have clocks.
But that theory just isn't true, says Jim Mruk, U.S. Postal Service spokesman for Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin.
"There's no widespread effort to remove clocks from retail areas," Mruk said - unless you count what happened at the turn of the new century.
A stamp promotion in some post office lobbies involved clocks counting down the hours to the new millennium, Mruk said. The clocks were supposed to expire at the crack of 2000.
"They kind of took on a life of their own," Mruk said. "People figured out you could reprogram them to count down to other things. So a message went out that it's kind of time to bring all these clocks in."
Wall clocks soon followed.
Mruk said post offices were encouraged in the same message to create "clutter-free, professional retail environments."
"Is it better to let people see the menu boards so they can make an informed choice?" Mruk said. "That was kind of a no-brainer. In some cases, when they took the clock down it really didn't make any sense to put it anywhere else."
At the post office in Wheaton, a back-lit, blue and white menu board now advertises services ranging from stamps to packaging tape - just like a McDonald's menu. And at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday there was no wait for customers. And no clock for them to realize it.
March 08 2007
James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
A clock on the left-hand side of the customer service counter greets patrons of the Washington Street post office in Naperville. Below it, a calendar of zebras tracks the date.
A cynic might say that setup allows customers to count down both the minutes and the days elapsing as they wait in line.
Some postal customers no longer get a chance to count the ticks as they get ticked off. Clocks are vanishing from post offices across the country.
The clock near Mary Becker at the always-busy downtown Elgin post office vanished at least six months ago, she said. Managers never explained to her or the other employees what happened to the clocks. So workers there developed their own theory.
"They have those secret shoppers come in sometimes," Becker said. "They don't want them to be able to see if it takes too long for someone to wait on them."
That may also be the working theory about why some post offices in Wheaton, Elgin, Naperville, Addison, Algonquin, Gilberts, West Chicago and Des Plaines, to name a few, no longer have clocks.
But that theory just isn't true, says Jim Mruk, U.S. Postal Service spokesman for Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin.
"There's no widespread effort to remove clocks from retail areas," Mruk said - unless you count what happened at the turn of the new century.
A stamp promotion in some post office lobbies involved clocks counting down the hours to the new millennium, Mruk said. The clocks were supposed to expire at the crack of 2000.
"They kind of took on a life of their own," Mruk said. "People figured out you could reprogram them to count down to other things. So a message went out that it's kind of time to bring all these clocks in."
Wall clocks soon followed.
Mruk said post offices were encouraged in the same message to create "clutter-free, professional retail environments."
"Is it better to let people see the menu boards so they can make an informed choice?" Mruk said. "That was kind of a no-brainer. In some cases, when they took the clock down it really didn't make any sense to put it anywhere else."
At the post office in Wheaton, a back-lit, blue and white menu board now advertises services ranging from stamps to packaging tape - just like a McDonald's menu. And at 2:45 p.m. Wednesday there was no wait for customers. And no clock for them to realize it.
Wednesday
Diversity coverage: Black History in DuPage County
This story actually took several months of reporting whenever I got a free moment. Unfortunately, the DuPage County NAACP, and local African-American community simply hadn't received much media attention in about 30 years. As such, it took awhile to gain some trust and get people to open up about what they really thought
Black history in DuPage County
February 28, 2007
By James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
DuPage County is not exactly thought of as a hub for African-American life.
There are few black elected officials in the county’s history. There are a handful of churches with primarily black members. There are even fewer neighborhoods with mostly black households.
For those reasons and more, groups such as the DuPage County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People continue to blaze trails toward equality while maintaining a social support network.
Yet even as the NAACP sees accomplishments in the local black population, it fights to remind that same population those victories didn’t come without struggle. Longtime residents say younger blacks are too quick to believe the obstacles are gone.
Only 50 years ago, many of DuPage County’s blacks considered themselves lucky just to find a local place to live.
Most blacks in DuPage County back then lived in Wheaton but were relegated to two areas of the city. One was near Hill Street where the original Second Baptist Church stood. The other was by the intersection of President and Washington streets. Together, they were known as “The Hill” and “The Bottom.”
It’s not that blacks didn’t want to live outside those neighborhoods. They couldn’t.
Real estate agents wouldn’t show homes, banks wouldn’t loan money and homeowners wouldn’t sell to blacks.
Stuck at ‘The Bottom’
Blacks needed a fair shot at local housing and access to DuPage County’s jobs. This became the initial mission of the NAACP when it formed a branch in Wheaton in 1953.
The branch initially consisted of many whites, primarily Wheaton College students.
A breakthrough in housing didn’t come until 1966, when Claude Audley and the rest of the NAACP branch submitted a fair housing ordinance to the Wheaton City Council.
“I made it very clear what I wanted and that was integrated housing,” said Audley, now 87. He said most of the council scoffed at the idea.
That’s when the branch took to the streets with the county’s first civil rights march.
“The council was really afraid that we were going to tear up the city,” Audley said.
Wheaton passed the ordinance in 1967. Other DuPage communities soon followed.
“This changed the housing pattern in the Western suburbs forever,” Audley said.
Life in DuPage County is different now. Many blacks say they feel much more accepted, though many also say instances of discrimination or prejudice continue to occur.
In 1987, when the Rev. Andre Allen arrived with his wife and children in Wheaton to become the new pastor at Second Baptist — the home for the local NAACP in its early years — he was struck by how family-friendly the city was.
But on the second day of the move, Allen found a racial epithet painted on his garage.
“It was kind of a frightening experience,” he said. He’s had no similar experiences since.
Many blacks active in DuPage County today say one of the big challenges now is overcoming complacency within the black community.
Mario Lambert, a second vice president in the branch and, at 30, one of the younger members, said there’s a generation gap. After the equality struggles of the 1950s and ’60s, a generation of blacks were sheltered.
“With my parents, it was a general shielding away, sort of (like), ‘We don’t even want you to deal with the struggle,’æ” he said. I’ve heard that from other people about my age, too.”
That engendered a sense of empowerment but also a sense the struggle is over. That sentiment plays out within the NAACP branch, creating a subtle divide.
Not Granny’s NAACP
At a recent meeting of the branch in Lisle, about 20 people attended, many of them seniors. There were almost no twentysomethings. The rest, including branch president the Rev. Theresa Dear, are a generation in between.
“We are in a critical transition period right now,” Dear said as the branch announced its new officers. “The NAACP today is not your grandmother’s NAACP. You have to do more than read the constitution and bylaws. You’ve got to be active.”
The concern for some of the “old guard” is that they still have a place in the organization. Being active in Zady Odom’s day meant picketing and standing on corners to collect money to get the branch going. Her husband, Nathaniel, was one of the branch’s founders. He died at age 85 in 2003.
These days, Odom, 81, of Glen Ellyn, said she’s only slightly involved in the NAACP.
“What can I do?” she said. “The DuPage branch, the way it’s set up now with all the professionals and how they go to all the corporate organizations that support them, they’re not bothered with the way we had to do things.
“There’s nothing for a person on a lower level to go out and do,” she said. “Years ago, we were so small we could not go to places like Nicor Gas and get funding. They have people who do that now, and they get recognized. It’s just not the same, but it’s OK.”
Odom has seen the generation gap within her own family. Her oldest son is in his 40s and is just now taking an interest in local black history, she said.
“When the branch was organized in Wheaton years ago, it was bombarded with young black people who are now old black people,” she said. “Now most of our young people, when Black History Month comes along, they actually try to ignore it. Some of them, like my son, are just now beginning to recognize that they missed out on something along the way, part of their heritage.”
That reality makes some senior members a bit skeptical about the future.
Olivia Garth was president of the branch from 1987 to 1988. She fears a day when the DuPage NAACP exists “only on paper.”
“Too many people think everybody has arrived,” Garth said. “They think, ‘I don’t have to worry about Mr. Charlie doing anything to me. What do I need the NAACP for?’ People think it’s all equal today. It’s just more subtle.”
Squaring past, future
“Things have got to change, but don’t throw away the foundation,” Garth said. “Membership isn’t just for status. It’s not just, ‘Oh, I’ve got a card.’æ”
Others see the future of the group in the youth chapters being established at the College of DuPage, Benedictine University and Elmhurst College. The bridge to them may be people like branch vice president Lambert.
Lambert is quick to burden himself with multiple tasks and willing to make tough decisions on his own when needed.
At the same recent meeting, when Dear renewed the call for active participation, she singled Lambert out as a big part of the future of the NAACP.
“One day, when I leave this office, my prayer is that this man will lead this organization,” Dear said.
The president is elected by the membership. Until recently, Lambert was in charge of membership, a key role for ascension.
“If that was part of God’s plan, and the people believed in my ability, I would love to do it,” Lambert said.
As one of the younger members of the branch, Lambert sees the future as reaching out to younger members, but not abandoning the past.
“We’re really focused on recruiting right now,” he said. “It’s a work in progress. I can’t say we’re anywhere we want to be. I want to follow Rev. Dear’s strategy that we include the past leaders and the up-and-coming people.”
And so it plays out in Lambert’s own life.
Lambert recently lunched with the 87-year-old Audley in Lisle. Audley was reminiscing. Lambert was absorbing, strategizing.
“You have to use whatever methods you think are necessary to get people involved,” Audley said.
Finding new members may be like finding equal housing. And the struggle continues.
Black history in DuPage County
February 28, 2007
By James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
DuPage County is not exactly thought of as a hub for African-American life.
There are few black elected officials in the county’s history. There are a handful of churches with primarily black members. There are even fewer neighborhoods with mostly black households.
For those reasons and more, groups such as the DuPage County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People continue to blaze trails toward equality while maintaining a social support network.
Yet even as the NAACP sees accomplishments in the local black population, it fights to remind that same population those victories didn’t come without struggle. Longtime residents say younger blacks are too quick to believe the obstacles are gone.
Only 50 years ago, many of DuPage County’s blacks considered themselves lucky just to find a local place to live.
Most blacks in DuPage County back then lived in Wheaton but were relegated to two areas of the city. One was near Hill Street where the original Second Baptist Church stood. The other was by the intersection of President and Washington streets. Together, they were known as “The Hill” and “The Bottom.”
It’s not that blacks didn’t want to live outside those neighborhoods. They couldn’t.
Real estate agents wouldn’t show homes, banks wouldn’t loan money and homeowners wouldn’t sell to blacks.
Stuck at ‘The Bottom’
Blacks needed a fair shot at local housing and access to DuPage County’s jobs. This became the initial mission of the NAACP when it formed a branch in Wheaton in 1953.
The branch initially consisted of many whites, primarily Wheaton College students.
A breakthrough in housing didn’t come until 1966, when Claude Audley and the rest of the NAACP branch submitted a fair housing ordinance to the Wheaton City Council.
“I made it very clear what I wanted and that was integrated housing,” said Audley, now 87. He said most of the council scoffed at the idea.
That’s when the branch took to the streets with the county’s first civil rights march.
“The council was really afraid that we were going to tear up the city,” Audley said.
Wheaton passed the ordinance in 1967. Other DuPage communities soon followed.
“This changed the housing pattern in the Western suburbs forever,” Audley said.
Life in DuPage County is different now. Many blacks say they feel much more accepted, though many also say instances of discrimination or prejudice continue to occur.
In 1987, when the Rev. Andre Allen arrived with his wife and children in Wheaton to become the new pastor at Second Baptist — the home for the local NAACP in its early years — he was struck by how family-friendly the city was.
But on the second day of the move, Allen found a racial epithet painted on his garage.
“It was kind of a frightening experience,” he said. He’s had no similar experiences since.
Many blacks active in DuPage County today say one of the big challenges now is overcoming complacency within the black community.
Mario Lambert, a second vice president in the branch and, at 30, one of the younger members, said there’s a generation gap. After the equality struggles of the 1950s and ’60s, a generation of blacks were sheltered.
“With my parents, it was a general shielding away, sort of (like), ‘We don’t even want you to deal with the struggle,’æ” he said. I’ve heard that from other people about my age, too.”
That engendered a sense of empowerment but also a sense the struggle is over. That sentiment plays out within the NAACP branch, creating a subtle divide.
Not Granny’s NAACP
At a recent meeting of the branch in Lisle, about 20 people attended, many of them seniors. There were almost no twentysomethings. The rest, including branch president the Rev. Theresa Dear, are a generation in between.
“We are in a critical transition period right now,” Dear said as the branch announced its new officers. “The NAACP today is not your grandmother’s NAACP. You have to do more than read the constitution and bylaws. You’ve got to be active.”
The concern for some of the “old guard” is that they still have a place in the organization. Being active in Zady Odom’s day meant picketing and standing on corners to collect money to get the branch going. Her husband, Nathaniel, was one of the branch’s founders. He died at age 85 in 2003.
These days, Odom, 81, of Glen Ellyn, said she’s only slightly involved in the NAACP.
“What can I do?” she said. “The DuPage branch, the way it’s set up now with all the professionals and how they go to all the corporate organizations that support them, they’re not bothered with the way we had to do things.
“There’s nothing for a person on a lower level to go out and do,” she said. “Years ago, we were so small we could not go to places like Nicor Gas and get funding. They have people who do that now, and they get recognized. It’s just not the same, but it’s OK.”
Odom has seen the generation gap within her own family. Her oldest son is in his 40s and is just now taking an interest in local black history, she said.
“When the branch was organized in Wheaton years ago, it was bombarded with young black people who are now old black people,” she said. “Now most of our young people, when Black History Month comes along, they actually try to ignore it. Some of them, like my son, are just now beginning to recognize that they missed out on something along the way, part of their heritage.”
That reality makes some senior members a bit skeptical about the future.
Olivia Garth was president of the branch from 1987 to 1988. She fears a day when the DuPage NAACP exists “only on paper.”
“Too many people think everybody has arrived,” Garth said. “They think, ‘I don’t have to worry about Mr. Charlie doing anything to me. What do I need the NAACP for?’ People think it’s all equal today. It’s just more subtle.”
Squaring past, future
“Things have got to change, but don’t throw away the foundation,” Garth said. “Membership isn’t just for status. It’s not just, ‘Oh, I’ve got a card.’æ”
Others see the future of the group in the youth chapters being established at the College of DuPage, Benedictine University and Elmhurst College. The bridge to them may be people like branch vice president Lambert.
Lambert is quick to burden himself with multiple tasks and willing to make tough decisions on his own when needed.
At the same recent meeting, when Dear renewed the call for active participation, she singled Lambert out as a big part of the future of the NAACP.
“One day, when I leave this office, my prayer is that this man will lead this organization,” Dear said.
The president is elected by the membership. Until recently, Lambert was in charge of membership, a key role for ascension.
“If that was part of God’s plan, and the people believed in my ability, I would love to do it,” Lambert said.
As one of the younger members of the branch, Lambert sees the future as reaching out to younger members, but not abandoning the past.
“We’re really focused on recruiting right now,” he said. “It’s a work in progress. I can’t say we’re anywhere we want to be. I want to follow Rev. Dear’s strategy that we include the past leaders and the up-and-coming people.”
And so it plays out in Lambert’s own life.
Lambert recently lunched with the 87-year-old Audley in Lisle. Audley was reminiscing. Lambert was absorbing, strategizing.
“You have to use whatever methods you think are necessary to get people involved,” Audley said.
Finding new members may be like finding equal housing. And the struggle continues.
Covering Grief: The burial of Kevin Landeck
This was an especially tough story to report as the Landeck family was not providing any interviews to our paper, and they asked us not to come inside the church. The alternative was going to the actual grave and trying to paint a picture, which is what we decided to do.
Pride, patriotism, grief Police, veterans join in honoring Army captain after protests don't materialize
February 13 2007
James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
The red, white and blue of military service mingled with the black and gray tones of mourning Monday as family and friends gathered to bury Capt. Kevin Landeck.
The Wheaton soldier died Feb. 2 while serving in Iraq after an improvised explosive device tore through his military Humvee.
Wheaton police turned out in large force at St. Daniel the Prophet Church to address a planned protest of Landeck's services by the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church. The congregation travels the country protesting military funerals because they believe the troops fight for a nation that condones homosexuality.
The protest never materialized. Church leaders contacted in Kansas said they diverted their attentions to another funeral for a soldier in Montana.
The threat served to increase the level of patriotism at both the church and gravesite as veterans throughout the area turned out in anticipation of the protest and to show support for the Landeck family.
About 30 flags and even more salutes ushered Landeck's casket into the church. His family requested that media not enter the church.
After the services, Landeck's procession drove past Whittier Elementary School, which he once attended and with whose students he corresponded while in Iraq. Students gathered outside to wave and pay their respects to the soldier they considered a local hero.
Loved ones, including Landeck's parents, Richard and Vicki, and widow, Bethany, then huddled around a grave at Wheaton Cemetery to say final goodbyes.
Landeck's sister, Jenny, wore the pain visibly as she cupped her face with her hands and let the tears flow as the rest of her family watched silently.
A 10-soldier military detail began the 21-gun salute. The first round of shots pierced a long silence and the protective veil Landeck's wife wore. It was her time to cry. Her sobs increased as the sound of taps mixed with the odor of gunpowder in the air.
The detail of soldiers then conducted the ceremonial folding of the flag draped over Landeck's coffin. Once complete, a soldier dropped to one knee and handed it to Bethany Landeck, quickening the tears from the widow, who is also a soldier.
The scene repeated itself with a second flag given to Landeck's mother. She received the flag with a half-smile of pride and sorrow.
As the ceremony ended, Bethany Landeck approached her husband's coffin, bowed her head, and ran her hands slowly back and forth over the lid. In a final soldier's tribute, she stepped back, stood straight and saluted. Her husband was gone.
Her goodbyes were said. She walked away clutching the flag to her chest.
Pride, patriotism, grief Police, veterans join in honoring Army captain after protests don't materialize
February 13 2007
James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
The red, white and blue of military service mingled with the black and gray tones of mourning Monday as family and friends gathered to bury Capt. Kevin Landeck.
The Wheaton soldier died Feb. 2 while serving in Iraq after an improvised explosive device tore through his military Humvee.
Wheaton police turned out in large force at St. Daniel the Prophet Church to address a planned protest of Landeck's services by the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church. The congregation travels the country protesting military funerals because they believe the troops fight for a nation that condones homosexuality.
The protest never materialized. Church leaders contacted in Kansas said they diverted their attentions to another funeral for a soldier in Montana.
The threat served to increase the level of patriotism at both the church and gravesite as veterans throughout the area turned out in anticipation of the protest and to show support for the Landeck family.
About 30 flags and even more salutes ushered Landeck's casket into the church. His family requested that media not enter the church.
After the services, Landeck's procession drove past Whittier Elementary School, which he once attended and with whose students he corresponded while in Iraq. Students gathered outside to wave and pay their respects to the soldier they considered a local hero.
Loved ones, including Landeck's parents, Richard and Vicki, and widow, Bethany, then huddled around a grave at Wheaton Cemetery to say final goodbyes.
Landeck's sister, Jenny, wore the pain visibly as she cupped her face with her hands and let the tears flow as the rest of her family watched silently.
A 10-soldier military detail began the 21-gun salute. The first round of shots pierced a long silence and the protective veil Landeck's wife wore. It was her time to cry. Her sobs increased as the sound of taps mixed with the odor of gunpowder in the air.
The detail of soldiers then conducted the ceremonial folding of the flag draped over Landeck's coffin. Once complete, a soldier dropped to one knee and handed it to Bethany Landeck, quickening the tears from the widow, who is also a soldier.
The scene repeated itself with a second flag given to Landeck's mother. She received the flag with a half-smile of pride and sorrow.
As the ceremony ended, Bethany Landeck approached her husband's coffin, bowed her head, and ran her hands slowly back and forth over the lid. In a final soldier's tribute, she stepped back, stood straight and saluted. Her husband was gone.
Her goodbyes were said. She walked away clutching the flag to her chest.
Localization: Global warming in the eyes of evangelicals
A call for change Expert: Evangelicals, Bush must recognize global warming threat
January 24 2007
James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
One of the world's leading climate change experts told an audience of evangelical Christians Tuesday that global warming is real, it's being caused by humans and President Bush must recognize those facts.
The remarks by Sir John Houghton, former co-chairman of a worldwide conglomerate of scientists investigating the issue, prompted applause from his audience at Wheaton College.
The college recently came into the spotlight on the issue of global warming when President Duane Litfin became one of 86 evangelical leaders to sign a statement recognizing global climate change as a serious concern.
Litfin was not present for the Houghton's speech Tuesday but clarified his participation in the statement on the college's radio station recently.
Litfin said the statement was not meant to be political but to encourage stewardship. He also said he intended to sign the statement as an individual, not as president of the college.
Litfin, however, recognized he cannot divorce his name from the position.
"Many of us who signed it were saying that we are concerned about what we are seeing, and we think it has major implications for those of us in this world," Litfin said during the radio interview.
Litfin said the political and economic strategy should be left to the scientists.
Tuesday, Houghton said the appropriate strategy in the U.S. begins with the president taking the environment seriously.
Bush must expand his sources of information to the scientific majority that believes global warming is a serious threat, Houghton said, and stop listening to scientists who are part of an effort by the oil industry to illegitimatize global warming fears.
"You could count on one hand the people who are really credible scientists who are saying skeptical things (about the threat of global warming)," Houghton said.
He added that he's encouraged by the reactions of his fellow Christians as a whole, but discouraged by some evangelical leaders being unreceptive to the majority view of the scientific community.
More than 20 high-profile evangelical leaders have signed a statement in direct contradiction to the one Litfin signed.
"These are people who should know better, know their Bibles better," Houghton said. "I'm very discouraged by Christians who are so dyed in the wool, but in ways that are not Biblical."
Houghton said Bush must commit to and form a plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., with specific reduction targets for the next decade.
If that doesn't happen, greenhouse emissions from the U.S. will result in a 30 percent increase in global emissions by the year 2030, Houghton said. As the world's biggest polluter, U.S. emissions will eclipse the reduction efforts of all the nations who've signed onto to the Kyoto Protocol.
Christians should care about this, Houghton said, because the resulting global warming will cause prolonged droughts and raise sea levels to the point where some land will become uninhabitable.
Houghton said conservative estimates predict the creation of 150 million refugees by such displacement by 2050. That's roughly half the current U.S. population.
Global warming is about the creation and destruction of life, Houghton said.
"Creation matters to God," Houghton said. "And if matters to God, it should matter to us."
January 24 2007
James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
One of the world's leading climate change experts told an audience of evangelical Christians Tuesday that global warming is real, it's being caused by humans and President Bush must recognize those facts.
The remarks by Sir John Houghton, former co-chairman of a worldwide conglomerate of scientists investigating the issue, prompted applause from his audience at Wheaton College.
The college recently came into the spotlight on the issue of global warming when President Duane Litfin became one of 86 evangelical leaders to sign a statement recognizing global climate change as a serious concern.
Litfin was not present for the Houghton's speech Tuesday but clarified his participation in the statement on the college's radio station recently.
Litfin said the statement was not meant to be political but to encourage stewardship. He also said he intended to sign the statement as an individual, not as president of the college.
Litfin, however, recognized he cannot divorce his name from the position.
"Many of us who signed it were saying that we are concerned about what we are seeing, and we think it has major implications for those of us in this world," Litfin said during the radio interview.
Litfin said the political and economic strategy should be left to the scientists.
Tuesday, Houghton said the appropriate strategy in the U.S. begins with the president taking the environment seriously.
Bush must expand his sources of information to the scientific majority that believes global warming is a serious threat, Houghton said, and stop listening to scientists who are part of an effort by the oil industry to illegitimatize global warming fears.
"You could count on one hand the people who are really credible scientists who are saying skeptical things (about the threat of global warming)," Houghton said.
He added that he's encouraged by the reactions of his fellow Christians as a whole, but discouraged by some evangelical leaders being unreceptive to the majority view of the scientific community.
More than 20 high-profile evangelical leaders have signed a statement in direct contradiction to the one Litfin signed.
"These are people who should know better, know their Bibles better," Houghton said. "I'm very discouraged by Christians who are so dyed in the wool, but in ways that are not Biblical."
Houghton said Bush must commit to and form a plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S., with specific reduction targets for the next decade.
If that doesn't happen, greenhouse emissions from the U.S. will result in a 30 percent increase in global emissions by the year 2030, Houghton said. As the world's biggest polluter, U.S. emissions will eclipse the reduction efforts of all the nations who've signed onto to the Kyoto Protocol.
Christians should care about this, Houghton said, because the resulting global warming will cause prolonged droughts and raise sea levels to the point where some land will become uninhabitable.
Houghton said conservative estimates predict the creation of 150 million refugees by such displacement by 2050. That's roughly half the current U.S. population.
Global warming is about the creation and destruction of life, Houghton said.
"Creation matters to God," Houghton said. "And if matters to God, it should matter to us."
Digging through the records: Ex-Wheaton park director still being paid
James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
Rob Robinson isn't executive director of the Wheaton Park District anymore. He doesn't live in free park district housing. Nor does he live in Illinois.
But he'll still get paid for another month as if he was, a sum totaling a little more than $10,000, according to a copy of Robinson's resignation agreement.
Robinson's Sept. 20 resignation took effect immediately. At that moment he lost all his park district privileges. He turned in his park district cell phone. He relinquished the 2003 Ford Explorer the park district gave him to use for business purposes. And he had until the end of the year to move out of the free housing the district provided for him and his family.
Robinson is already out of that house, but he'll still see some money related to the housing down the road.
The park district places the fair market value of the free housing it provided Robinson at $25,000 for the year. Robinson must now include that as gross income on his taxes. For that, the park district will reimburse him up to $2,222 for the taxes owed.
But Robinson will receive more money for temporary housing the district provided while fixing up the park district home used to house the director. From Jan. 1 to June 30, the park district shelled out $24,000 in rent for Robinson and his family to live in temporary housing at 821 N. Wheaton Ave. That comes out to $4,000 a month in rent.
"It was basically a supply and demand thing," park board President Paul Fullerton said. "It was the only house we could find."
Robinson must also include the temporary housing payment in his gross income. The park district will reimburse him up to $9,600 for doing so.
Robinson exhausted all his personal and sick time before he left, which supports his statement about resigning because of health concerns.
However, the park district did cut Robinson a check for $4,662 for 73 hours of unused vacation time.
Unless he gets a new job before then, Robinson keeps his health and dental benefits until Jan. 31. That's also the last day he'll receive a paycheck under the resignation agreement, for a total of four months of severance pay since September. Before taxes and retirement contributions, that's about $40,000.
The Daily Herald obtained Robinson's resignation agreement through a Freedom of Information request, a process some park commissioners indicated was costly and burdensome on park staff this week.
Fullerton agreed the public should know the details of Robinson's resignation agreement. However, because it is a "dicey" employment issue, the park board paid for a legal opinion on what it could and should release. Fullerton said it does the same for all Freedom of Information requests.
"I'm into full disclosure and openness," he said.
Robinson did not respond to an interview request.
Under the resignation agreement, he is not allowed to make disparaging comments about the park district.
Rob Robinson isn't executive director of the Wheaton Park District anymore. He doesn't live in free park district housing. Nor does he live in Illinois.
But he'll still get paid for another month as if he was, a sum totaling a little more than $10,000, according to a copy of Robinson's resignation agreement.
Robinson's Sept. 20 resignation took effect immediately. At that moment he lost all his park district privileges. He turned in his park district cell phone. He relinquished the 2003 Ford Explorer the park district gave him to use for business purposes. And he had until the end of the year to move out of the free housing the district provided for him and his family.
Robinson is already out of that house, but he'll still see some money related to the housing down the road.
The park district places the fair market value of the free housing it provided Robinson at $25,000 for the year. Robinson must now include that as gross income on his taxes. For that, the park district will reimburse him up to $2,222 for the taxes owed.
But Robinson will receive more money for temporary housing the district provided while fixing up the park district home used to house the director. From Jan. 1 to June 30, the park district shelled out $24,000 in rent for Robinson and his family to live in temporary housing at 821 N. Wheaton Ave. That comes out to $4,000 a month in rent.
"It was basically a supply and demand thing," park board President Paul Fullerton said. "It was the only house we could find."
Robinson must also include the temporary housing payment in his gross income. The park district will reimburse him up to $9,600 for doing so.
Robinson exhausted all his personal and sick time before he left, which supports his statement about resigning because of health concerns.
However, the park district did cut Robinson a check for $4,662 for 73 hours of unused vacation time.
Unless he gets a new job before then, Robinson keeps his health and dental benefits until Jan. 31. That's also the last day he'll receive a paycheck under the resignation agreement, for a total of four months of severance pay since September. Before taxes and retirement contributions, that's about $40,000.
The Daily Herald obtained Robinson's resignation agreement through a Freedom of Information request, a process some park commissioners indicated was costly and burdensome on park staff this week.
Fullerton agreed the public should know the details of Robinson's resignation agreement. However, because it is a "dicey" employment issue, the park board paid for a legal opinion on what it could and should release. Fullerton said it does the same for all Freedom of Information requests.
"I'm into full disclosure and openness," he said.
Robinson did not respond to an interview request.
Under the resignation agreement, he is not allowed to make disparaging comments about the park district.
News that went national: High school prank gets nasty
No STD worries in ranch salad dressing prank at high school Authorities say student got idea from popular movie
James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
Tests show no need for Wheaton North High School students to fear any illness from exposure to salad dressing tainted with a peer's semen, authorities said.
Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 officials mailed a letter parents should have received Saturday saying there was no need for students to receive any medical testing stemming from the Dec. 6 prank.
That would indicate DuPage County Health Department testing on student Marco Castro turned up a clean bill of health in terms of transmissible diseases. Health department and school officials cited privacy laws in refusing to speak directly about Castro's tests.
Castro, 17, was charged with attempted aggravated battery and disorderly conduct after Wheaton police said he confessed to ejaculating into a container of ranch salad dressing in the junior and senior cafeteria.
Castro performed the act in a restroom, then placed the container back in the cafeteria, where it remained for up to seven lunch periods over two days, authorities said. District 200 spokeswoman Denie Young said at least two students reported eating the tainted dressing.
That may factor into upgrading the charges against Castro to a felony if those students go to the police.
Castro developed the prank after watching the movie "Jackass Number Two," which features a series of crude stunts, authorities said.
His antics have spawned several MySpace and Facebook discussion groups on the topic. Reactions from current and former Wheaton North students have varied from laughter to disgust.
Principal Jill Bullo clarified Castro's punishment at the school in her letter to parents.
"Please know that the student has been appropriately disciplined according to district policy and state requirements," Bullo wrote.
"In addition, he must earn the remaining credits he needs for graduation outside of the regular Wheaton North program."
Castro is due in court Jan. 24.
James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
Tests show no need for Wheaton North High School students to fear any illness from exposure to salad dressing tainted with a peer's semen, authorities said.
Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 officials mailed a letter parents should have received Saturday saying there was no need for students to receive any medical testing stemming from the Dec. 6 prank.
That would indicate DuPage County Health Department testing on student Marco Castro turned up a clean bill of health in terms of transmissible diseases. Health department and school officials cited privacy laws in refusing to speak directly about Castro's tests.
Castro, 17, was charged with attempted aggravated battery and disorderly conduct after Wheaton police said he confessed to ejaculating into a container of ranch salad dressing in the junior and senior cafeteria.
Castro performed the act in a restroom, then placed the container back in the cafeteria, where it remained for up to seven lunch periods over two days, authorities said. District 200 spokeswoman Denie Young said at least two students reported eating the tainted dressing.
That may factor into upgrading the charges against Castro to a felony if those students go to the police.
Castro developed the prank after watching the movie "Jackass Number Two," which features a series of crude stunts, authorities said.
His antics have spawned several MySpace and Facebook discussion groups on the topic. Reactions from current and former Wheaton North students have varied from laughter to disgust.
Principal Jill Bullo clarified Castro's punishment at the school in her letter to parents.
"Please know that the student has been appropriately disciplined according to district policy and state requirements," Bullo wrote.
"In addition, he must earn the remaining credits he needs for graduation outside of the regular Wheaton North program."
Castro is due in court Jan. 24.
Friday
Crime: "They could've killed me"
Saturday October 21 2006
'They could've killed me' Wheaton shopkeeper, friend beaten, robbed
James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
Two signs taped to windows of a downtown Wheaton shop Friday afternoon spoke to traumatic events that have put two Wheaton senior citizens in the hospital.
"Closed due to a robbery & beating," the signs read.
The victims, embattled shopkeeper Robert Sandberg, 68, and his friend Robert Cooke, 86, said it all started when a man at least 6 feet tall and 300 pounds entered Sandberg's Store for Men & Boys just before 8 p.m. Thursday.
The shop at 101 W. Front St. is known mostly for discounted apparel and eccentric ties. The man was interested in leather Chicago Bulls coats.
Sandberg showed the man his stock of coats and went to check a price. That's when the situation turned violent. It was either a large fist or a pipe that delivered the first blow.
"That's when - wham -and I must've passed out," Sandberg recalled from his hospital bed Friday.
The assailant, or possibly an accomplice, then turned his attentions to Cooke.
"I remember waking up and Bob was down on the floor with his head being bashed in," Sandberg said.
Cooke sustained injuries to the left side of his head and lost consciousness. Sandberg tried to escape out the back, and took more punches for his efforts.
"They could've killed me," he said. "I think that's what they were trying to do."
"They" refers to the presence of as many as three other men who were spotted loading leather coats in the back of an older-model, white Pontiac Grand Am or Grand Prix before driving away.
Both Sandberg and Cooke regained consciousness and went for help separately. Sandberg, with his bloody face and shirt, crawled over to an adjacent space he'd recently rented out. A worker was there painting.
"I said, 'John! John! They're beating the heck out of me,' " Sandberg said.
Police were dispatched to the shop at about 8:20 p.m. When they arrived, they found several leather coats missing valued at an estimated $9,000.
Both men were taken to Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, where they were still recovering from their injuries Friday afternoon.
Sandberg received at least five stitches and suffered cuts to his face, brow and one of his ears. He also has bruising on his jaw and nose. Cooke had bruising to the left side of his head. Both men expect to be released today.
Sandberg said he felt lucky to be alive but can't stop thinking about why someone picked his store to rob.
"Who do I have that don't like me?" Sandberg said. "I remember asking, 'Why are you doing this?' There were no answers to my questions, just a fist in my face."
Wheaton residents will recognize Sandberg's name for at least two reasons.
The first is that he's been in business for nearly 50 years. The second is his ongoing battle with city officials about his property.
Sandberg owns several storefronts downtown, all of which the city has been after him to fix up. Back in 1986, the city tried to force Sandberg to sell some of his property. Later, the city tried to take some of his buildings from him through eminent domain proceedings.
The legal battles have cost both sides thousands of dollars and appearances in courtrooms as high up as the Illinois Supreme Court.
Sandberg does not believe the city is behind the beating he received, but he does partially blame them for it happening.
"The city of Wheaton can spend (thousands of dollars) to take away my buildings, but they can't spend money for more police?" Sandberg said.
Police officials chose not to respond to Sandberg's comment, as they don't determine their own budget and staffing levels.
Wheaton police released partial descriptions of two of the suspects. The man who delivered the blows to Sandberg is described as being up to 6 feet, 1 inch tall, weighing 300 pounds and wearing a white T-shirt and gray pants. The second man, who possibly delivered the blows to Cooke, is described as about 6 feet, 1 inch tall and 180 pounds.
Sandberg's and Cooke's descriptions of the suspects differ somewhat, but both agree there were four total. Sandberg believes the robbery might be related to a shoplifting incident a couple weeks ago.
Anyone with information should call detective DeDe Magnier at (630) 260-2061.
Sunshine: Fight for public document goes to court
Thursday November 23 2006
Man sues Dist. 200 to get chief's contract Propaganda fears one reason the district says it won't give resident info
James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
A clash over information regarding how much money Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 Superintendent Gary Catalani earns is now headed to court.
Wheaton resident Mark Stern has sought a copy of Catalani's employment contract for the past 10 months. The contract includes information about Catalani's salary structure, his employment duties and how much money he'll take to the bank when he retires next year.
The district denied all of Sterns' requests and appeals as allowed under Illinois' Freedom of Information Act.
Stern then had two fellow members of his Educate 200 community group, Joseph Mahady and Michelle Senatore, make nearly identical information requests for the contract. The district denied those requests as well.
Educate 200 is most known for opposing the district's plans to relocate Hubble Middle School to Warrenville. The opposition has fueled emotional debate and animosity in the district.
Educate 200 members say they want Catalani's contract to serve as a reference point for when a new contract is developed for whomever is hired as his successor. In short, they believe Catalani gets paid more money than the local taxpayers can, or should, shoulder.
Catalani earned about $380,000 last year, making him Illinois' highest paid superintendent.
Hence the stage is set for another heated debate about pay when a new superintendent comes to town.
District officials say that fact played into their decisions to deny Educate 200 access to Catalani's contract. But in a broader sense, they don't believe the contract is a public document.
"Such records are personnel items not subject to the Freedom of Information Act," reads the response crafted by the district's attorney, John Relias.
A public document?
Relias' opinion says that the names, salaries, titles and employment dates of all public employees and officers are public records, but actual employment contracts aren't.
His opinion relies on an Illinois Appellate Court decision involving the Peoria Journal Star's request for performance evaluations of a Peoria school superintendent and a letter from school board members to that superintendent.
Initially, a judge ruled the newspaper had a right to that information. That was reversed on appeal because the letter and evaluations were located in the superintendent's personnel file. Employment contracts can also be part of a personnel file, according to the ruling.
Relias said there's also a privacy issue involved. For example, the district might be in violation of the law if it gave copies of a contract without the employee's consent.
The contents of someone's personnel file are justifiably private because it could contain things like disciplinary actions or reprimands, Relias said.
District 200 staff members further explained that if a separate file existed just for employment contracts, then they would be public. That file doesn't exist in District 200.
Attorney Shawn Collins, who's representing Stern, said the Peoria case Relias cites is irrelevant to this matter.
"First, we're not asking for the disciplinary records of any district employee," Collins said. "Second, that's too subject to manipulation. The district can keep secret any document that it wants to simply by putting it in a personnel file."
District officials have shown they are willing to give some members of the public copies of Catalani's contract.
The Daily Herald, in a blanket request for superintendent contracts in the area, asked the district for Catalani's in March and received it with no questions asked.
Catalani said the reason the Daily Herald got a copy of his contract and Stern didn't came down to trust.
Can trust be a factor?
Catalani said Stern and Educate 200 used information in the past to distribute propaganda about the proposed Hubble school relocation.
"They haven't used information they've had access to in a fair or honorable way," he said.
"They've misused it to promote their side of the story. So if my attorney says I don't have to give it to them, why allow them to have more information?"
In contrast, Catalani said he didn't hesitate to give the information to the Daily Herald because he believed it would be used fairly. Catalani said he would release the contract to Stern if it became a big issue in the news.
When the matter goes to court, Stern will likely have the support of the Illinois attorney general's office behind him.
Terry Mutchler, the agency's public access counselor, said the employment contracts of a public official are public record and should be given to anyone who wants to see them.
"It is clear that, consistent with prior case law, the General Assembly intended the public to have access to the specified types of information concerning public employees," Mutchler wrote in an opinion for the Daily Herald.
Stern provided a similar opinion from Mutchler he sent to the district in his appeals to the district, but to no avail.
Public pressure
The next tactic was to try and create public pressure for the release of the document. So Educate 200 used public comment time at a school board meeting a couple months ago to ask for Catalani's contract.
Catalani told the audience that the district had responded to the request. He didn't say the response was "no."
There is no court date scheduled for the case as yet. Collins said he expects the matter to be expedited.
"We filed a lawsuit because we were left with no other choice," he said. "This shouldn't be in court. If this all seems like a very big deal, unfortunately, that's because the district has made it this way."
For his part, Stern said he thinks Catalani has done a good job overall. But that's not what's now at issue, he said.
"It's not for the district to screen what public information the public will have or not have," Stern said. "It's to make public information publicly available and let the community decide what's relevant. If there's not something to hide, they ought to make it public."
Man sues Dist. 200 to get chief's contract Propaganda fears one reason the district says it won't give resident info
James Fuller Daily Herald Staff Writer
A clash over information regarding how much money Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 Superintendent Gary Catalani earns is now headed to court.
Wheaton resident Mark Stern has sought a copy of Catalani's employment contract for the past 10 months. The contract includes information about Catalani's salary structure, his employment duties and how much money he'll take to the bank when he retires next year.
The district denied all of Sterns' requests and appeals as allowed under Illinois' Freedom of Information Act.
Stern then had two fellow members of his Educate 200 community group, Joseph Mahady and Michelle Senatore, make nearly identical information requests for the contract. The district denied those requests as well.
Educate 200 is most known for opposing the district's plans to relocate Hubble Middle School to Warrenville. The opposition has fueled emotional debate and animosity in the district.
Educate 200 members say they want Catalani's contract to serve as a reference point for when a new contract is developed for whomever is hired as his successor. In short, they believe Catalani gets paid more money than the local taxpayers can, or should, shoulder.
Catalani earned about $380,000 last year, making him Illinois' highest paid superintendent.
Hence the stage is set for another heated debate about pay when a new superintendent comes to town.
District officials say that fact played into their decisions to deny Educate 200 access to Catalani's contract. But in a broader sense, they don't believe the contract is a public document.
"Such records are personnel items not subject to the Freedom of Information Act," reads the response crafted by the district's attorney, John Relias.
A public document?
Relias' opinion says that the names, salaries, titles and employment dates of all public employees and officers are public records, but actual employment contracts aren't.
His opinion relies on an Illinois Appellate Court decision involving the Peoria Journal Star's request for performance evaluations of a Peoria school superintendent and a letter from school board members to that superintendent.
Initially, a judge ruled the newspaper had a right to that information. That was reversed on appeal because the letter and evaluations were located in the superintendent's personnel file. Employment contracts can also be part of a personnel file, according to the ruling.
Relias said there's also a privacy issue involved. For example, the district might be in violation of the law if it gave copies of a contract without the employee's consent.
The contents of someone's personnel file are justifiably private because it could contain things like disciplinary actions or reprimands, Relias said.
District 200 staff members further explained that if a separate file existed just for employment contracts, then they would be public. That file doesn't exist in District 200.
Attorney Shawn Collins, who's representing Stern, said the Peoria case Relias cites is irrelevant to this matter.
"First, we're not asking for the disciplinary records of any district employee," Collins said. "Second, that's too subject to manipulation. The district can keep secret any document that it wants to simply by putting it in a personnel file."
District officials have shown they are willing to give some members of the public copies of Catalani's contract.
The Daily Herald, in a blanket request for superintendent contracts in the area, asked the district for Catalani's in March and received it with no questions asked.
Catalani said the reason the Daily Herald got a copy of his contract and Stern didn't came down to trust.
Can trust be a factor?
Catalani said Stern and Educate 200 used information in the past to distribute propaganda about the proposed Hubble school relocation.
"They haven't used information they've had access to in a fair or honorable way," he said.
"They've misused it to promote their side of the story. So if my attorney says I don't have to give it to them, why allow them to have more information?"
In contrast, Catalani said he didn't hesitate to give the information to the Daily Herald because he believed it would be used fairly. Catalani said he would release the contract to Stern if it became a big issue in the news.
When the matter goes to court, Stern will likely have the support of the Illinois attorney general's office behind him.
Terry Mutchler, the agency's public access counselor, said the employment contracts of a public official are public record and should be given to anyone who wants to see them.
"It is clear that, consistent with prior case law, the General Assembly intended the public to have access to the specified types of information concerning public employees," Mutchler wrote in an opinion for the Daily Herald.
Stern provided a similar opinion from Mutchler he sent to the district in his appeals to the district, but to no avail.
Public pressure
The next tactic was to try and create public pressure for the release of the document. So Educate 200 used public comment time at a school board meeting a couple months ago to ask for Catalani's contract.
Catalani told the audience that the district had responded to the request. He didn't say the response was "no."
There is no court date scheduled for the case as yet. Collins said he expects the matter to be expedited.
"We filed a lawsuit because we were left with no other choice," he said. "This shouldn't be in court. If this all seems like a very big deal, unfortunately, that's because the district has made it this way."
For his part, Stern said he thinks Catalani has done a good job overall. But that's not what's now at issue, he said.
"It's not for the district to screen what public information the public will have or not have," Stern said. "It's to make public information publicly available and let the community decide what's relevant. If there's not something to hide, they ought to make it public."
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