NIU still counting on state

Northern Illinois University officials said they hope they'll get another chance at state money to remodel the lecture hall where five students were gunned down during a Valentine's Day shooting spree.

They wanted to begin construction this year and have Cole Hall reopened by 2010, but that's unlikely without a new capital construction program.

State lawmakers are gridlocked on a capital program and left town Saturday without approving one. School officials said they are optimistic funding will come later this year after receiving assurances from top lawmakers that they'll try to get a capital agreement -- with Cole Hall funding -- approved by the fall.

Until then, the school hopes to get $2.6 million in federal grants to offset some of the mounting costs related to the shooting -- a price tag estimated at between $8 million and $10 million.

The money will help pay for things like classroom upgrades, mental health services and emergency planning, said Harold Kafer, a dean at the school working on recovery efforts.