NIU’s window to the world has undergone a recent facelift.

On Thursday, the university Web site changed to reveal a new format.

"We wanted the new Web site’s appearance to coincide with the return of the students," said Melanie Magara, assistant vice president for Public Affairs. "Then they could learn the system as the year goes by."

Navigational improvements and updating the appearance were among the goals inciting the Web site’s change.

"Our main page is how we make an impression on the world," said Magara. "It’s mainly promotional in nature and we wanted it to attract future students."

Some of the new perks of the Web site include audience pages, geared to target individual groups such as faculty and staff or current students.

The Web site was also designed to be more accessible to people with disabilities through the implication of navigation codes.

"If a person uses a screen reader instead of a mouse, the cues that are embedded within the codes will make it easier to choose topics to view," said Jennice O’Brien, communication manager for electronic media. "That way, the user could quickly skip through topics that they don’t want to see."

So far, student responses have been mixed.

"I didn’t really like it," said junior business major Andrea Huizenga. "I couldn’t find what I wanted to find very easily."

On the other hand, the Web site has had a few good reviews.

"I thought that it was more organized than the other [previous] Web site," said junior sociology major Lisa Bonn. "I really like how they change the pictures too. It makes it look more sophisticated."

The previous Web site was in place for over a year.

Hola compadres, my name is Matt Knutson and I will be Casey Toner's No. 2 this semester.

And so begins the Toner/Knutson reign over the 12-page section known as the Weekender.

For those who don't already know, this section is geared toward and for entertainment. Not only the world of entertainment, but the entertaining events that NIU and surrounding areas have to offer.

Most of you reading this probably think NIU is the most boring and mundane of all colleges in Illinois. To those people, I say, "Rubbish."

We intend to bring the fruity goodness of NIU's entertainment scene to your attention.

And you need to bring it to ours. So if there's anything remotely entertaining, write, e-mail, send a telegram, smoke signals or carrier pigeon, because we want to know. In the words of Jerry Maguire, "Help me help you."

The Weekender is here to serve you and your entertainment fixation. We are looking forward to feedback. Let's hear it.

University and DeKalb police responded to a reported carjacking near Barsema Hall about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.

According to University Police, the victim reportedly picked up the suspect on the street prior to the incident.

UP Officer Grzesiak said the victim walked to the station to report the incident. He said that she seemed “pretty upset.”

She immediately was taken by an ambulance to Kishwaukee Community Hospital, where she was treated for injuries and later released.

The carjacker was described over the radio as a Hispanic male in his early 20s from Sycamore. He spoke little English and went by the name Okie or Odie. He was allegedly seen prior to the incident asking for a ride at 7-Eleven, located at 930 Annie Glidden Road.

At press time, DeKalb Police were searching for a four-door white Honda Civic.

For NIU football’s sophomore wide receiver Sam Hurd, his pinnacle as a Huskie football player, so far, came last season at DuSable Hall when asked for an autograph by a fan and classmate.

When fellow wide receiver P.J. Fleck was a freshman four years ago, he had no such experiences.

“When I first got here, you didn’t really tell people you were on the football team,” said Fleck, a fifth-year senior. “They’d say, ‘Oh, we got a football team?’ Now, you walk around with your head held high.”

When NIU kicks off against top 25-ranked Maryland at 6:35 p.m. today at Huskie Stadium, a sellout is expected. The game will be broadcast nationally on Fox Sports Net.

“It will be the best-covered Northern Illinois event in the school’s history,” said Mike Korcek, NIU’s sports information director for the past 32 years.

The TV show “48 Hours,” which will chronicle the life of former NIU offensive lineman Shea Fitzgerald, who died in June at the Chicago porch collapse, is one of many media outlets that will be at the game.

“Am I supposed to put the Washington Post in the stands?” Korcek said. “It’s even tighter than Toledo or [Bowling Green] last year. I may have to put [Chicago Bears General Manager] Jerry Angelo in the stands because the press box is so full.”

While there still are minimal paid seats left, and no seats for the student section have been sold (students are admitted for free on a walk-in basis), the Premier Club section of middle and red seats on the west side are sold out for the first time ever, Korcek said. If the game does sell out, students will be put in the upper corners on the west side of the stadium.

The hype for this season - NIU being named preseason No. 1 in the MAC - was always something NIU coach Joe Novak saw when he first arrived here in 1996. But along the way, he didn’t always fully trust his plan.

“I was hoping for it to get to this point,” Novak said. “I had a lot of doubts and doubted a lot though.”

The extent of the build-up has been a little overwhelming for him.

“Everywhere I go people just seem really excited about our Huskies,” he said. “There are so many bad things out there in the world, that for our school and our town to gather around our team like this is something really positive.”

DeKalb County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a transient Tuesday night in Cortland who was found sleeping in a storage shed in Cortland.

Deputies were patrolling the area where they discovered James D. Stewart, 41, of an unknown address, sleeping at the Cortland Mini-Storage, 4232 Stephanie Drive.

After further investigation, Stewart also was found to be past due to register as a sex offender.

According to the Illinois State Police Web site, sex offenders are required to register annually for a 10 year period upon release from the department of corrections as well as notify both the new and former law enforcement agencies of a change of address within 10 days of moving.

Stewart was taken to the DeKalb County Jail on charges of criminal trespassing to real property, theft of services and unlawful failure to register as a sex offender.

He was held in jail pending a bond hearing and was still in custody as of press time Wednesday.

For the past few months, DeKalb city officials and aldermen have analyzed logical measures to ease what is quickly becoming a beleaguered city budget.

Doing so, however, hasn’t come without some disagreements between aldermen, and it could come to a head at the upcoming Sept. 8 council meeting.

For more than two years, DeKalb has had to find alternatives to ensure the city doesn’t fall further onto hard times because of either a lack of funding from the state or decreased health revenues. To combat, DeKalb has considered raising a multitude of city taxes.

Currently, proposed tax increases are being tabled for motor fuel and city sales. The proposal, which calls for a motor fuel increase of two cents per gallon and a city sales tax increase of 1/4 percent, is expected to undergo a final vote on Sept. 8 .

Mayor Greg Sparrow recently voiced his displeasure over a rise in gasoline taxes, citing it as unnecessary and instead wishes to increase the city sales tax alone by 1/2 percent.

In an effort to eliminate the plan before it ever materializes, Sparrow publicly stated he would attempt to veto the proposed motor fuel tax increase. This, however, cannot happen unless five aldermen provide an overriding vote of his veto.

“We have a city council form of government, not a mayoral form of government,” said Fifth Ward Alderman Patrick Conboy, who favors the motor fuel tax and is one of the five votes currently overriding Sparrow. “Our mayor is saying if I don’t agree with what the aldermen say, then I will veto it. Even if the majority want it, he’s going to impose his will and frustrate the process.”

Conboy said he feels it’s difficult to justify a 1/2 percent increase in city sales tax because it would make DeKalb one of the highest sales taxed cities in the state.

“One approach then would be not to increase sales tax significantly and supply money from a gas tax,” Conboy said. “I don’t believe we should fund the whole deficit. We however can cut the shortfall, show some frugality otherwise we’re going to encourage more expenditure and an added burden to the city.”

Fourth Ward Alderman Michael Knowlton, one of the two aldermen supporting Sparrow’s plan to veto a motor fuel tax, said such a tax would promote greater gasoline sales outside of DeKalb.

“You’d see people driving outside of DeKalb looking for cheaper gas,” Knowlton said. “And by raising the sales tax 1/2 percent, we would take care of the deficit and won’t have to revisit this until 2004.”

Knowlton added that a motor fuel tax increase focuses on one group of people whereas a city sales tax would inclusively impact DeKalb residents.

“[Motor fuel taxes] don’t take care of the overall problem at all,” Knowlton said.

Seventh Ward Alderman James Barr, the second alderman to support Sparrow’s veto, said the idea of a motor fuel tax indicates to him that it would provide little advantage to both the city and its residents in the future.

“The simplest solution is not always the best solution,” Conboy said.