Construction in DeKalb and the surrounding areas is focusing on improving infrastructure while also attracting new business and better jobs to boost the economy.

Park 88, a 460-acre real estate development located near I-88 at Peace Road, is designed with the idea that manufacturing, distribution, office space and service/retail businesses would be attracted to a facility which, according to Economic Development Planner Chad Bryden "will be heavily landscaped throughout."

Park 88 will be a corporate park with 21st -century amenities that would cater to businesses looking to "take advantage of lower land values and development costs and a well- educated labor force," Bryden said.

Jim Connors, DeKalb City Manager, also said that businesses would like to take advantage of the economic growth near I-88 where companies such as Nestle, Goodyear/CTI and 3M have corporate offices.

"Park 88 is a very significant park development that will have a variety of business and industrial uses that will add substantially to the economy in DeKalb," said Connors. "For example, this would give NIU students more job opportunities during their college programs to utilize their skills in areas such as business and graphic arts."

Other than Park 88, construction around DeKalb slowly is winding down as winter months near.

According to Joel Maurer, DeKalb assistant city engineer, except for a new traffic light at the intersection of Annie Glidden Road and Stadium Drive to be activated Wednesday, there would be no new construction projects that would affect NIU students until the spring, when West Taylor Street could have some road closings while a bridge near Lyons Park will be under construction.

The I-88 eastbound lanes from DeKalb to Rochelle will fully open soon depending on weather conditions, said Jan Kemp, spokesperson for the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. There will be an ongoing pavement repair project on Route 251 from Rochelle to Rock Falls that would last for the next couple of weeks.

The I-88 eastbound lane to the I-290 Eisenhower underpass isn't scheduled for completion until this time next year and the lanes on the adjoining ramp will not be fully opened until the beginning of November.

It was sugar.

The powdery white substance found in a letter sent to Kaneland High School in Maple Park, which subsequently forced the evacuation and closure of the school on Friday, turned out to be sucrose, according to the results of a test done by the Illinois Department of Health on Monday.

Testing of the letter, which was received at the school at 10 a.m. Friday morning, was conducted by the IDPH at the request of the Kane County Health Department.

Officials in the school's main office received and opened the letter on Friday.

The school also received word Saturday that the material in the letter did not contain anthrax spores based upon a separate test done by SET Environmental of Wheeling.

As NIU students study for midterm exams and mark the end of the first half of the semester, planning for spring semester classes cannot come early enough.

As of Oct. 15, times, dates and location information of spring classes became available to students via an online search engine. Students are able to search for their desired course, find out the necessary information and choose which class section best suits their schedule. Necessary updates and information changes are made nightly to the spring schedule of classes. Students should expect to receive the Spring 2002 schedule book around Oct. 31.

Bruce Oates, assistant director of registration and records, said that students should meet with the individual department advisers within their major regarding class selection.

"The most important thing students can do is talk to their adviser," Oates said. "Those are the people who really have the expertise to help students determine what classes they should take."

Starting Nov. 12, students will be able to register for spring classes either by calling the TRACS telephone number at 753-8900 or by registering online through the TRACS Web site on NIU's WebConnect page at http://www.reg.niu.edu/connect.

"My adviser is there to tell me what classes I should and should not take for my intended major," said freshman business major Naor Boxer. "After meeting with my adviser, I hope to be able to schedule my classes for next semester and successfully finish my freshman year."

Oates said that while students can begin searching for information on the Internet about spring classes, they also will receive a copy of their DARS report, the degree audit reporting system, which shows students where they stand academically at NIU.

"They should be getting fairly soon a copy of their DARS report that shows the student what courses they have received credit for," Oates said. "[Students] should probably take that with them to the advising session."

Freshman business major Pradeep Jain said that the DARS report helped show him what options were available for the spring semester.

"It [the DARS report] told me what classes I have taken this semester and what choices I have for next semester," Jain said. "It puts me on the right track to graduating with the best education possible."

Oates added that it is beneficial for students to receive help from advisers about choosing the right classes. Students can get an idea of what classes they may want to take and then look at their DARS report to determine what requirements they have fulfilled and what requirements they still need to fulfill.

"It's good to have someone look at your information and have them make sure you're on the right path," Oates said. "Advisers are a wonderful resource and I think we have good advisers on this campus, they really care about the students."

To schedule a meeting with an academic adviser, interested students should call 753-0448 or contact their major department for more information.

For Mary Tan, psychic powers are not just a way to pay the bills, but rather a gift to share with those who are open to the experience.

Tan is the owner of Psychic Readings by Mary, located at 1303 Sycamore Road She offers people a chance to have completely private, confidential tarot card, astrology chart, palm and psychic readings, or a combination of any two. The prices of these different readings vary, with special rates on weekends as well as special rates for students. Tan also makes it a point not to charge by the hour, allowing herself as much time as she needs to talk with her clients.

Tan has had this ability, which she considers a gift, since she was a child.

"My mother and grandmother also have this gift, and I now see signs of it in my four-year old daughter," Tan said.

Tan, originally from West Virginia, moved to DeKalb two-and-a-half years ago and began her business. Tan said being a psychic is a good way to help people who have different decisions to make and issues to sort out in their lives.

People go to psychics for help in dealing with decisions, future occurrences, entertainment or just to have someone to talk to, Tan said. Tan also said she takes a lot of pride in her readings and says she has never been wrong. She also cautions people to be weary of fakes.

"People need to be careful because there are only a handful of real psychics left in the world," Tan said.

Although Tan has the ability to make predictions for many people, there are some people that she is not able to read for, including herself, her family and other psychics.

"I cannot make predictions for my family because it would be selfish to worry about them all the time, rather than the outside world," Tan said.

Tan believes the most important thing people should remember when going to a psychic is that their own comfort is the most important. If someone doesn't feel comfortable in a situation, they should trust their intuition and leave.

"A lot of people walk in skeptical and walk out a believer," Tan said.

Tan has many regular clients who come as often as once a week, and she welcomes any skeptics who want a first-time reading.

Susan McMasters surprised much of the landlord-tenant fact-finding committee last week with her last-minute reservations about the proposed ordinance, which is supposed to appear before the DeKalb City Council for first reading tonight.

Last Monday, McMasters, owner of Horizon Management and a member of the fact-finding committee, expressed reservations about several provisions in the ordinance.

McMasters' comments came as a shock to Mason Properties owner Jim Mason and Don Henderson, director of NIU's Student Legal Assistance. Both are members of the fact-finding committee as well.

"I was not aware any member of the task force had objections to the recommendations," Henderson said.

At Monday's meeting, McMasters mentioned several specific instances in which she felt that the one-hour clause, a provision which requires landlords to notify tenants of all visits except for emergencies by at least one hour, could cause a problem for her business.

According to the proposed ordinance, a landlord has the right to enter an apartment "upon reasonable notice and at reasonable times." Reasonable notice is described as one hour prior notice in advance of entry, or in the event of an emergency.

McMasters brought up several instances in which she felt that the one-hour clause would pose a problem. In one example, she said she would not be able to prove whether a tenant had a pet in his or her apartment if the person was given an hour's notice before her visit.

Mason replied to McMasters' concerns and said that these issues would not be a problem.

"This situation is already provided for in the ordinance," he said. "These issues have been addressed & you need to read the ordinance."

Henderson said that after the meeting, McMasters e-mailed committee members, aldermen and city staff accusing city attorney Margo Ely of changing several provisions when she converted the committee's recommendations into ordinance form.

Henderson said the e-mail also indicated that McMasters had objections to provisions that prohibit confessions or judgements clauses. McMasters said the committee had not discussed adding the provision.

Confessions or judgements are legal terms in which a person who owes another money can be sued without their knowledge. The use of such wording is only legal in three states, and cannot apply to consumer transactions in Illinois.

He also said the committee didn't specifically mention the issue, but members decided to make it clear that landlords can't include illegal provisions in their leases.

"We felt that making it illegal to include such wording in a lease would be within the spirit of what we are trying to do," Henderson said. "Confessions and judgements are archaic and unfair procedures. Why even play with this? Just make it illegal."

Henderson said he hopes that this is not going to create factions within the committee, considering the committee has said publicly that they are comfortable with the ordinance compromise since it was first introduced last year by former Sixth Ward Ald. Aaron Raffel and Fifth Ward Ald. Patrick Conboy.

"I would hope that she is merely commenting on a few issues that concern her and is not ditching the whole thing," Henderson said. "I felt that the committee had come to a consensus before we made the recommendations to the council."