UPDATE: Blagojevich to ask for $40 million for new NIU academic building

By Benji Feldheim - Daily Chronicle DeKALB - Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced Wednesday he plans to ask the state Legislature for a $40 million to build a new academic building to replace Cole Hall. A classroom in Cole Hall at Northern Illinois University was the site of a Feb. 14 shooting. The funds would be used to build a new classroom building as well as a memorial after Cole Hall is demolished, the governor said. Classes resumed at NIU on Monday for the first time since former student Steven Kazmierczak, 27, walked into a lecture hall in Cole Hall on Valentine's Day and opened fire, injuring 16 students and killing five before turning the gun on himself. University officials plan to keep the building closed for the rest of the semester.