The heat was on at the District 428 School Board meeting Monday night as the board heard arguments to adopt an excessive heat policy.

The board was presented with facts and ideas by two women at Monday’s meeting in the stifling South Commons at DeKalb High School, 1515 S. Fourth St.

While no one argued air conditioning as a viable option for the school district, the women pointed out that many classrooms do not have fans and brought forth temperature readings taken by teachers.

In the basement of Huntley Middle School, considered the cooler of the two floors, the temperature registered 96 degrees. The temperature taken by a window in the shade last week at Lincoln Elementary School reached 106 degrees.

"This is a lawsuit waiting to happen," said Melissa Butts, of Huntley Middle School, about the high classroom temperatures.

Lincoln School representative Mary Bauling presented the board members with a print-out charting the excessively high heat indexes, pointing out the detrimental effects once the index reaches into the orange and red danger zones that begin at 95 degrees. Bauling said multiple parents have reported signs of heat exhaustion in their students.

She recommended the schools provide information for parents regarding the effects of heat and also recommended creating a standard to follow when extreme temperatures strike the area since the district already has a plan in place for early dismissals.

"I just don’t think it’s a safe or productive learning environment," Bauling said. "I know it’s not convenient for working parents, but it’s the health of our kids."

Also taken care of in this first school board meeting of the school year was an introduction of the new teaching staff in the district, a summary of the summer school programs and preliminary enrollment numbers. Enrollment is up about 15 to 20 students, reaching 5,378 students as of Friday.

Linell Lasswell, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, said that there is generally an influx of students when NIU begins classes, so the enrollment numbers will continue to shift for about the first 10 days.

Lasswell also said that the district has been able to accommodate the new students so far by shifting the overflow to other schools but that there is also a waiting list for the pre-kindergarten and early childhood classes in the district.

Another item tackled in Monday’s meeting involved the approval for the Huskie Stadium agreement. The single disapproving vote came from board member Mike Griesbaum who was disappointed with the lack of alternate facilities for the high school sports programs.

"We get hosed on this deal," Griesbaum said, adding he has yet to see the cost-effectiveness of using the NIU facilities for sporting events.

With hopes high, nerves up and ambitions running wild, this year’s bunch of NIU freshmen say they are ready for the upcoming year - away from home and familiar faces.

While moving into the residence halls last Thursday, many students expressed excitement as well as uncertainty.

"I’m looking forward to meeting new people, and I’m excited for classes to start," freshman accounting major Elizabeth Nikolic said.

Many agreed the location of NIU is appealing, based on the fact that it’s far enough away from home to feel independent, yet close enough that going home always is an option.

But staying in their residence halls or going home won’t be the only option faced.

Some freshmen come into to school holding uncertainties about their major. Jessica Montana is one of those students.

"Yeah, that’s undecided," Montana said of her major.

New plans for the expansion of Kishwaukee Community Hospital could be announced in the next few months.

Kishwaukee has been the DeKalb-Sycamore area’s leading healthcare provider for the past 28 years, but it is now looking to improve on the needs of the entire DeKalb County health system.

Kevin Poorten, Kishwaukee Health System president and CEO, along with the Kishwaukee Board of Trustees, has been gathering data, analyzing market studies and looking at growth trends in an effort to come up with a "strategic master plan" to deal with the future needs of the health system.

"We’re doing research to see what the community will look like 20 to 30 years from now and try to understand the needs given community growth, access and central location in the market," Poorten said.

"[Kishwaukee] is taking a risk based on the needs of the community. Planning is the very best way to make the best judgment," said Jim Ciesla, NIU public heathcare administration professor.

Not only is Kishwaukee looking to provide for the needs of their primary market, which includes DeKalb, Sycamore and Cortland, but it also is looking to expand its reach to fulfill the needs of its secondary market, which includes all communities outside the primary audience in DeKalb County.

Population growth and access from the entire DeKalb community are key issues that are to be looked at, Poorten said.

Departments such as the outpatient center, radiology and laboratory are starting to get to their capacity, Poorten said. Outpatient care is rapidly becoming the most desirable and affordable use of the health care system for people to use, Ciesla said.

There are five main options that are being considered for possible expansion plans.

The first option would be the "minimum investment." This means that there would be no changes to the current facility at all.

The second option is to remodel the current facility on Bethany Road with very little to be expanded.

The third option is to expand and remodel the current facility. This may include building a patient tower with more beds and renovating the current departments within the hospital.

The fourth option is to replace the current facility with a new facility at the same location on Bethany Road. The fifth option is to replace the current facility with a new facility on a new site. Possible sites have not yet been named.

The options that are being given the most serious consideration are options three, four and five. Future community needs seem to be great enough for the Board of Trustees to lean toward eliminating options one and two, Poorten said.

Kishwaukee plans to hold meetings on Thursday and Friday to discuss the needs of the community and the five main options.

Kishwaukee invited community leaders from DeKalb County and local doctors and physicians to participate in focus groups at the meetings. Plans are expected to be released by the end of the year.

New academic programs, outreaches to other schools and new translation courses are in store for the Center for Southeast Asian Studies.

With the help of the U.S. Department of Education, the Center for Southeast Asian Studies received a $1.4 million grant to expand its programs.

The grant is a 47 percent increase from a similar grant received in 2000. The grants are awarded every three years to support efforts to increase the number of trained specialists in world languages and cultures.

Of seven National Resource Centers for Southeast Asian Studies, NIU received the largest grant. Some of the institutions included Cornell University, University of Michigan and the University of California at Berkeley.

NIU offers a minor and a graduate concentration in Southeast Asian Studies. Courses are offered in the region’s history, religion, languages, literature, anthropology, geography, music, art history and government.

"These grants are awarded in three-year cycles," said Julia S. Lamb, outreach coordinator for the center. "[Our main goal] is to let the NIU community know about Southeast Asia, as well as be more visible on campus, in the local community and the larger community."

One of the important things the center is trying to establish is to create partnerships at different levels, with different groups.

"After Sept. 11, 2001, Congress, as well as the president, approved new money for national education because not enough people were available to be hired who were fluent in these key areas," said Susan Russell, director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies. "The priority areas were south Asia, central Asia and northeast Asia. Security concerns related to southeast Asia hit the radar after these funds were approved."

The increasing cost of textbooks has left NIU students scrambling to find used books in order to save a little money.

It is not unusual for a full-time student to spend up to and more than $400 on a semester’s worth of books, said Roxie Nance, a senior OMIS major and employee at the University Bookstore.

Nance said it’s common for business or science students to spend $500 to $600 on books, while other majors such as English tend to be lower, at around $300.

"People complain, but they have to get them," Nance said.

Despite not seeing as big of a difference between the cost of books for different majors, John Silletti, a junior business major and employee at the Village Commons Bookstore, 901 Lucinda Ave., agreed.

"A lot of people look for the used ones," Silletti said. "I’ve had one person today complain on the prices."

Silletti said textbooks are an expense students simply cannot avoid, but also do not have extra money for.

Freshman accounting major William Scott was upset at the cost of his new books. Scott said he expected to pay nearly $400.

"I’m a little surprised at the price," he said. "I’m having trouble finding used books."

The cost of textbooks seemed to come as a shock, especially to freshmen.

"It’s a lot more than I thought it would be," freshman engineering major Andrew Miller said. "I’m glad to get it out of the way."

Others had anticipated the high cost.

Richard Armour, a freshman computer science major, came in expecting to pay about $650 for textbooks.

Wayne Brady

Here’s a story about a man named Brady.

Kevin Selover, marketing coordinator of NIU’s Convocation Center, hopes this story has a happy ending, as tickets went on sale Thursday for comedian Wayne Brady’s appearance at the arena.

"I think he’s an excellent fit for the Convocation Center," Selover said. "Wayne Brady & Friends" will perform at the arena, 1525 W. Lincoln Highway, at 8 p.m. Nov. 1. The show will feature Brady and other comedians improv-ing, singing and dancing.

Eric Schultz, assistant director of ticketing, said the mix has widespread appeal. He expects the event to draw 3,500 to 4,500 people of varying ages.

"Wayne Brady appeals to many different audiences," Schultz said. "We’ve had calls from people of all ages - young people, middle age people, to people in their 60s and 70s."

Eric Shapiro, a junior communication major, plans on attending.

"He has a very unique sense of humor. He doesn’t miss a beat with his improv. I am looking forward to it," he said.

Selover said people will not be disappointed.

"Wayne Brady brings a lot to the table," he said. "He does a lot of improv which is his forte. He is also a very talented musician, so he does some singing. All around, it’s a lot of entertainment from just one man."

Reserved tickets, ranging from $18 to $45, are available at all Ticketmaster locations, the arena box office, Ticketmaster.com or by phone at 312-559-1212.

Rascal Flatts & Co.

Country music sensations Rascal Flatts, Chris Cagle and Brian McComas will perform at NIU’s Convocation Center as part of County Music Television’s Most Wanted Live concert tour in September.

"Last year’s country lineup, Diamond Rio, was a huge success," said Selover. "This year we decided to go with a younger band such as Rascal Flatts and figured their pop crossover would be a good fit for the Convo Center."

The tour will come to the arena, 1525 W. Lincoln Highway, at 7 p.m. Sept. 29. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

Rascal Flatts has become popular with CMT viewers through their six CMT videos, two of which reached the top spot. The band’s self-titled debut album, which included the smash hit "I’m Movin’ On," has gone platinum.

Cagle has had five videos appear on CMT with two reaching the No. 1 position on the CMT Top 20 countdown. He won the CMT Flameworthy Breakthrough Video of the Year with his hit video "I Breathe In, I Breathe Out," a No. 1 hit single from his debut album "Play It Loud."

Rising star Brian McComas recently made his first appearance on CMT MOST WANTED LIVE to perform the hit single "99.9% Sure (I’ve Never Been Here Before)," from his self-titled debut album. So far, the single has been on the chart for over 16 weeks.

Tickets are $29.50 and are available at the arena box office and at all Ticketmaster locations, by phone at 312-559-1212 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

No fewer than 70 citations, including open container violations and possession and consumption of alcohol by minors, were issued by DeKalb police between Thursday night and Sunday morning in the Greek Row area.

Official numbers for the weekend were not available by press time.

Matt Harrison, a freshman computer science major was among those cited Thursday night.

He said as he and his group stepped out onto the sidewalk after leaving a party, they were approached by two undercover officers.

Harrison described one officer as wearing a pink shirt with khaki pants, while the other had a camouflage fisherman’s hat on.

Richard Armour, a freshman computer science major, also was cited for having an open container in a public way.

Armour said he was approached by a man who turned out to be an undercover cop "dressed like an ’80s guy."

Both men said they were carrying beer cans when the officers approached them.

In a potential move that could affect both DeKalb residents and students alike, the city council will take the first step in voting on revisions to both the municipal motor fuel tax and the city sales tax.

The municipal motor fuel tax would call for an ordinance that would create a two-cent-per-gallon gasoline tax to be used specifically for road construction and other maintenance projects.

If this were approved, anyone purchasing gasoline at any outlet throughout the city of DeKalb would contribute to the tax.

Secondly, the city sales tax proposal calls for an increase of the DeKalb home rules sales tax increasing from its current 3/4 percent to 1percent.

Another aspect of the proposed municipal code calls for the reduction of taxes applied to single purchases from $3,333 to $2,500. Therefore, the maximum one would pay for a single purchase would be $25.

Both proposals are only first votes, which means a finalized vote and subsequent execution of both wouldn’t take place until the Sept. 8 meeting. Both also are being proposed to help strengthen the city’s budget.

Another first vote the council will discuss is the prohibition of parking on newly renovated Miller Avenue between Linden Place and Wooley Avenue. Parking, for the most part, would be restricted along the north side of Miller Ave. in an effort to appease residents and promote safe driving on the street.

The restriction of parking on the north side of Miller Avenue would be installed from 1 a.m. to 7 p.m., the same it was before construction. Administrative Services Director Linda Wiggins suggested students also should take this potential restriction into affect as parking citations have been issued before with classes within a close proximity to Miller Avenue.

The DeKalb City Council meeting will take place 7 p.m. today at the Council Chambers, 200 S. Fourth St.