DeKalb 7th Ward Alderman Mark Powell told the Student Association Sunday that an alleged incident involving “threatening” phone calls made by The Northern Star Managing Editor Mike Lacy is under investigation by the DeKalb Police Department.

Powell said he requested the Star suspend Lacy because Lacy’s “judgement will be clouded by the investigation.”

Powell told the senate to take an “objective look at the Star because the student newspaper reflects all of the students at NIU. “I think you can do better,” he said.

“You have a very biased and unfair newspaper…that is not a Pulitzer Prize winning newspaper,” Powell said.

Powell was not able to comment further on the investigation because the senate voted to limit his discusion to seven minutes. “Hopefully (in the future)…I’ll be able to make some sort of statement…that would be the truth and would be fair,” he said.

Lacy confirmed his involvement in the investigation and said he was first questioned by police on Nov. 23.

Powell said Lacy refused to answer questions from the police, noting that “Lacy pleaded the Fifth Amendment and requested legal counsel” concerning the allegations.

In a letter to the Star adviser Jerry Thompson dated Dec. 3, Powell requested that Lacy be suspended “from his duties with the Northern Star until this issue is fully resolved.”

The decision to suspend Lacy from the Star’s editorial board was made on Nov. 27, The Northern Star Editor Jeff Kirik said.

Kirik said Lacy has been suspended from his editorial board position until the end of the semester. Lacy is no longer a decision-making member of the editorial board and does not participate in editorial writing or other responsibilities, he said.

The suspension was imposed “so there would be no appearance of a conflict of interest,” Lacy said. This means the Star’s editorial board is fvee to comment on the situation, he said.

Kirik said Lacy will continue to perform his other duties at the Star.

Lacy said he does not know when the threatening phone call complaint was filed with the police and has yet to be charged with any criminal wrongdoing.

“I’m not knowledgable in any way how the investigation is going. I’m in a position where I know very little,” he said.

Lacy declined to comment on Powell’s accusations and said he was acting on the advice of an attorney.