Penkava: Movie snack not worth your firstborn child
TUESDAY, JUNE 11, 2013
WWW.NWHERALD.COM
The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
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Hawks ready for media day circus Sports, C1
Betty White changing thoughts on aging Inside
Decision day for virtual charter State commission meets Tuesday; executive director recommends denying appeal By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com CARPENTERSVILLE – A nonprofit’s appeal to create a virtual charter school in the
Fox Valley spanning 18 districts would be illegal if authorized in 2013, according to the state charter school commission’s executive director. Director Jeanne Nowacze-
wski recently recommended to the nine members of the Illinois State Charter School Commission that they deny the controversial, online-only charter proposal because it
would violate charter school law because Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill last month that prohibits the creation of any virtual charter school until April 2014.
HOMEGROWN HOLIDAYS
The nonprofit Virtual Learning Solutions had wanted to open the virtual charter school this fall throughout numerous school districts in the Fox Valley, including
Being a tourist in our own backyard
Carpentersville-based District 300. The proposed opening date comes into direct conflict with
See CHARTER, page A4
Quinn: Combine pension proposals By KERRY LESTER The Associated Press
Photos by Lathan Goumas – lgoumas@shawmedia.com
Kayla Singleton (from left), Keith Franklin and Michael Morphew perform in a gun show Saturday at Donley’s Wild West Town in Union. By JOSEPH BUSTOS • jbustos@shawmedia.com When people enter Donley’s Wild West Town in Union, they are sworn in as “deputies” and can learn how to pan for gold pyrite, throw a lasso, shoot slingshots, throw tomahawks and even shoot popguns. The throwback to the Wild West era is one of several tourist attractions in McHenry County. And as residents plan their summer vacations, and check out where to visit, officials with the McHenry County Convention & Visitors Bureau want them to remember there are nearby places to go. “There’s a lot of different things to do,” said Jaki Berggren, the bureau’s executive director. “It’s not a place that is a household name, [but] we do have a niche.”
Donley’s Wild West Town Every day during the summer season usually means visitors for Donley’s, including groups from day care centers or park districts. Mike Donley, who helps run the attraction in Union, said 99 percent of visitors are from outside McHenry County. This is the 39th season for Donley’s,
which started as a museum. Eventually a restaurant and a banquet hall were added. There was no real master plan, Donley said. The entertainment is aimed at youngsters 3 to 11 years old. “That’s our niche,” he said.
See TOURIST, page A4
Noah Maloney, 7, of Bell Buckle, Tenn., throws a lasso at a plastic horse while visiting Donley’s Wild West Town. Noah and his brother, Seth, 5, came to visit their grandparents.
Voice your opinion: What’s your favorite tourist spot in McHenry County? Vote online at NWHerald.com.
CHICAGO – Gov. Pat Quinn proposed a middle route Monday between two rival plans holding up a solution to Illinois’ nearly $100 billion pension crisis, but it’s unclear whether Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan will support it. Quinn asked lawmakers to craft and approve legislation that would include both competing pension plans – one advanced by Madigan and the other by Senate President John Cullerton – when they convene next week in a special session to deal with the nation’s worst pension problem. M a d i g a n ’ s Gov. Pat p l a n , w i d e l y Quinn regarded as offering the most cost savings, would unilaterally impose pension changes on state workers and raise the retirement age. Cullerton’s plan gives state workers choices over what benefits to receive in retirement, something he contends would give it a better chance of being upheld by the state Supreme Court. Quinn proposes passing both in one single bill, essentially making Cullerton’s proposal a backup plan in case Madigan’s harsher solution fails a legal challenge. But Madigan would not commit to supporting Quinn’s proposal, suggesting it was too complicated and insisting his own plan was the best option. “This is like a lot of things in the Legislature, you can make it complicated if you wish or you can keep it simple,” Madigan said. “I think
See QUINN, page A4
LOCALLY SPEAKING
Mike Krebs – mkrebs@shawmedia.com
McHENRY
MARIAN CENTRAL
74-YEAR-OLD TRIED FOR SEX CRIMES
SCC TO JOIN CCL FOR FOOTBALL, SOCCER
A McHenry man accused of sexual contact with three neighborhood girls more than a decade ago waived his right to confront witnesses in the case. Jack Leo Smith, 74, of 2811 Myang Ave., is charged with three counts of predatory criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony, and aggravated criminal sexual abuse, a Class 2 felony. For more, see page B1.
Five Suburban Christian Conference schools, including Marian Central, will merge into the Chicago Catholic League for football and soccer in the 2014-15 school year. The SCC is losing seven of its members to the Metro Suburban Conference that year and needed other options, especially for football. For more, see page C1.
CRYSTAL LAKE: Wreck causes power outages and road closure. Local&Region, B1
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