On the record with ... social worker Dawn Vent Local, A3
MONDAY, MARCH 18, 2013
WWW.NWHERALD.COM
The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
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COLLEGE BASKETBALL • SPORTS, B1
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Musick: Tips for making your NCAA tournament picks
McHenry’s Britches Sikula wins frosh/soph state title
Illinois’ D.J. Richardson
Ill. lawmakers shift toward openness Slew of bills recently filed to improve government transparency By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com In past years, most bills filed by state lawmakers in the first few months of a new General Assembly were aimed at curtailing the public’s right to know. But lawmakers in this lat-
accountable to the public. One bill seeks to eliminate governments’ right to exempt preliminary drafts of reports from disclosure, which would make it harder for entities such as McHenry County College to withhold feasibility studies for proposed expansion projects.
est General Assembly sworn in Jan. 9 have broken with past practice and are on a transparency kick. About 20 bills have been filed this year that seek to strengthen the Freedom of Information Act, Open Meetings Act and other laws mandating that government be
posed open-government and taxpayer relief laws with taxpayer money. At least five bills seek to add more local government expenses to the state’s searchable online database. This newfound interest in
Several seek to make government lobbying groups paid by taxpayer dollars, such as the Illinois Municipal League and Metro Counties of Illinois, public bodies subject to sunshine laws. The Northwest Herald since 2011 has followed efforts by such groups to lobby against pro-
About this series “No More Excuses” is an ongoing Northwest Herald series about the public’s right to know in Illinois.
See TRANSPARENCY, page A12
Under scrutiny, job stats mixed
SIGNS OF CONFUSION
Quinn’s claims are not clear-cut By DAVID MERCER The Associated Press
Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
Village President Debbie Herrmann hammers one of her re-election signs recently in front of a business center on Route 176 in Island Lake.
Fate of political materials, regulations concerning them often unknown
By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com Each election cycle, some political signs go missing. And for the most part, that’s the end of the story. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office usually gets three
to five reports of missing or stolen campaign signs each election cycle, according to Freedom of Information Act officer Jan Weech. Debbie Herrmann, Island Lake village president, doesn’t think it’s a product of contentious races.
“I don’t necessarily think it’s the political opponents, as much as young adults doing mischievous things just for fun,” she said. Herrmann is in an intense race herself. Her opponent,
CHAMPAIGN – Gov. Pat Quinn has argued in recent weeks that Illinois is in the middle of a job-creation revival, but while some of his claims stand up to scrutiny, others don’t, and still others do not appear based on anything concrete enough to be sure. With state unemployment pushing back to 9 percent, the governor made jobs a critical theme in both his State of the State address and a speech presenting what he called the state’s worst ever budget. It was a note of optimism amid warnings about the state’s pension crisis and other bleak financial matters. “Our Illinois is a place where everyone has an opportunity to work,” Quinn said during the State of the State speech, “and where our companies innovate and grow.” It’s no surprise that “jobs” has become a key buzzword for Quinn, given how the state battles a reputation for being unfriendly to business. But some of his job statistics are based on theoretical economic formulas, and others appear extremely optimistic, such as a claim he makes about jobs from tollway and public works projects.
See SIGNS, page A12 See QUINN, page A12
LOOKING FORWARD
Dentistry for Today’s Family
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Author and essayist Joseph Epstein will present “Gossip: The Untrivial Pursuit” at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Woodstock Opera House, 121 W. Van Buren St., Woodstock. Tickets are $24 at 815-338-5300 or www.woodstockoperahouse.com.
FRIDAY: “Olympus Has Fallen,” starring Gerard Butler, opens in theaters. Gerard Butler in “Olympus Has Fallen” FilmDistrict
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38 18 Complete forecast on A14
The week’s happenings in news, sports and more. Page A2
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