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Northern Star

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The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

The Student News Site of Northern Illinois University

Northern Star

Blotter 3/7- 3/14

By Northern Star Staff | March 17, 2013

The following was taken directly from area police and fire department records, or DeKalb County court records. Anyone mentioned is presumed innocent until proved guilty in a court of law. Thursday 3/7 On Feb. 4, an officer was dispatched to NIU Health...

A cigarette-rolling machine ready to create a cigarette. With increased taxes on the sale of cigarettes more people are turning to roll-you-own cigarettes to save money.

Local businesses feels the effects of statewide cigarette tax

By Erin Kolb | March 17, 2013

Local Tobacco stores are seeing effects from a statewide cigarette tax increase of $1 in June and Cook County’s decision to raise the county’s tax even more. Patrick Garcia, employee at Huskies Discount Tobacco, 1023 W. Hillcrest Drive, said Cook...

Great computer games for free

By Josh Alfrey | March 17, 2013

Some of the greatest computer games you can play today won’t cost you a dime thanks to the very popular free-to-play model. The free-to-play model is unlike pay-to-play or subscription-based games because they are free-to-play games. No matter what...

ABC’s ‘How to Live with Your Parents’ will be a hit or miss

By Kevin Bartelt | March 17, 2013

After spending spring break binging on Netflix (don’t deny it), you are probably ready for a new show. Like for all of life’s problems, ABC has a solution. “How to Live with Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life)” is a refreshing sitcom that...

TwitchTV offers a social community for gamers

By Josh Alfrey | March 17, 2013

Gamers can watch, learn and connect with others through the video game broadcasting website TwitchTV. TwitchTV streams people playing more than 300 different video games from around the world. There is no limit to what games players can watch, with lively...

Margie Multon (right), Dekalb election judge of ten years, assists senior family and child studies major Jesmine Goins in the voting process for last year's presidential election. The voting took place at the St. Paul's Episcopal church on Normal Road on November 6, 2012.

DeKalb sees increase in early voting

By Erin Kolb | March 17, 2013

The number of early voters in DeKalb County is rising every year. John Acardo, DeKalb County clerk and recorder, said early voting, which is open for 40 days before Election Day, is beneficial to everyone involved. Acardo said there are many places to...

NIU almuna expresses her love for DeKalb through writings

By Ryan Chodora | March 17, 2013

Jo Fredell Higgins has used her writing skills to promote the history of local communities, including DeKalb. Born and raised in Peoria, Higgins is a teacher, photographer and an internationally published writer; she has always had a passion for writing....

‘Unremembered’ novel delivers unforgettable story

By Kevin Bartelt | March 17, 2013

Spring break was the perfect time to catch up on all the books you haven’t had time to read (thanks, midterms). With so many great options, it can be difficult to make a good choice. Fortunately, author Jessica Brody has made that decision a little...

Loss of tuition assistance grants hurts those from the front line

By AJ Edwards | March 13, 2013

Well, my fellow veterans of NIU, its official--the government failed to do its job, so it decided that one of the first solutions to that problem is screwing over the men and women who serve our country. That’s right: Let’s mess with our servicemen...

Raising minimum wage will only hurt employment rate

By Holly New | March 13, 2013

Raising the minimum wage will do more than increase paychecks. According to Eyder Peralta of NPR, President Barack Obama proposed raising the minimum wage to $9 an hour by 2015 in his State of the Union Address on Feb. 12. A little closer to home, according...

Tenure a misunderstood tool for protecting teachers

By Cody Laplante | March 10, 2013

When it comes to education, one issue in particular comes to everyone’s minds: tenure. Whether you are in support or in opposition to tenure, people have very strong opinions of this process, which is said to protect bad teachers. However, the simple...

Puzzles key to escape in “999”

By Ryan Chodora | March 10, 2013

There are many adjectives to describe the experiences that is provided by "999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors," but they would all be moot if I left out the fact that this game will control your sleep schedule, and it will live in your brain for...