Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
Taliban attack shows militant spirit unbroken The ASSOCIATED PRESS KABUL, Afghanistan – A Taliban attack at the gates of the Afghan presidential palace cast a cold light Tuesday on the course of a war that Washington remains committed to ending. A week after NATO forces handed all security operations to the Afghans, local forces fought off the attackers on their own, killing all eight militants without calling in any coalition help. But the assault also made clear that the Taliban’s fighting spirit remains unbroken and demonstrated their ability to bluff their way past two checkpoints and storm a highly fortified zone of the capital. The firefight took place in Ariana square, where President Hamid Karzai was apparently preparing for a speech later in the morning. The attack could complicate American efforts to try to get Karzai’s government to sit down with the Taliban to talk peace. U.S. President Barack Obama later talked with Karzai in a video conference that lasted more than an hour and covered issues including the peace process and
the newly opened Taliban political office in the Gulf nation of Qatar, Karzai’s office said without giving further details. The White House said Obama and Karzai affirmed that Afghanistan, not the U.S., must lead the reconciliation process. The leaders also said they still support meetings between Afghanistan’s High Peace Council and Taliban representatives at a political office the Taliban recently opened in Qatar. The Taliban have said they would continue fighting even as they pursued peace talks, and the attack served to drive that home, said Moeen Marastial, a political analyst and former member of the Afghan parliament. “The main point is the Taliban wants to show to the government of Afghanistan and to the world and to the powers who are working for the peace process that they are in power,” Marastial said. “They can come close to the palace, they can come close to the places where NATO is, where American forces are – they wanted to show to the world that ‘we can do it.’ ”
Hearing possible for July 8 • METRA Continued from page A1 because of a “difference in opinion” on the direction of the rail network. O’Halloran said the size of the “generous” payout was partly because Clifford had to uproot his family from California to take the job. Clifford, a former executive at the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority, joined Metra in 2011. He replaced longtime Executive Director Phil Pagano, who was accused of defrauding Metra out of about $475,000. Pagano committed suicide in May 2010 by stepping into the path of a Metra train. Clifford’s contract was set to expire in February. The Chicago Sun-Times reported Tuesday that Metra was not legally required to offer Clifford a severance package. It quoted experts including Thomas Lys of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management as saying that because Clifford re-
signed, he was not technically entitled to severance under his employment agreement. Franks spent Tuesday contacting House Speaker Michael Madigan and state Rep. Deborah Mell, chairwoman of the Illinois House Transit Committee, about conducting a hearing examining why Clifford received such a large severance and whether taxpayers should cover all the costs. Mell told the Sun-Times she will talk with other committee members about whether they should hold a hearing to determine why taxpayers are footing the bill for a “huge” severance. The hearing could come as soon as July 8, when Illinois lawmakers are scheduled to return to Springfield for a special session on pension reform, Franks said. “We are going to find out why,” Franks said. “The severance package certainly is not to the benefit of taxpayers.”
Continued from page A1 State Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale also is considering a bid, and his announcement is expected in mid-July. Brady, a senator since 2002, has staked out a position as a staunch social conservative. He opposes abortions even in the cases of rape and incest and has proposed a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between one man and one woman. He has supported creationism being taught in public schools. He scored a primary victory over six other GOP candidates in 2010, besting Dillard by only 193 votes. Moderate, suburban votes were split between Dillard, former GOP Chair Andy McKenna and former attorney general Jim Ryan, creating an opening for Brady. Quinn, a Democrat, defeated Brady that November by less than 1 percent of 3.6 million votes, a loss Brady today attributes to voters knowing Quinn better. While Brady is a strong campaigner, Roosevelt University Professor Paul Green said that a major problem was
South Africa: Mandela family gathers at home JOHANNESBURG – Members of Nelson Mandela’s family and tribal elders gathered Tuesday at the former president’s rural hometown in eastern South
Brady’s conservative views not resonating well with moderate and independent voters in the general election. “The reason he’s not governor is because it didn’t resonate up in Cook and the collar counties,” he said. Quinn, wrestling with the state’s pension crisis and low approval ratings, also is expected to face a crowded primary. Former White House chief of staff Bill Daley has announced he is running, and Attorney General Lisa Madigan is seriously considering a bid. Brady’s situation, Green said, could be different this time, and the wide primary field may not work again to his advantage. “One thing is different. There looks like there will be only one candidate coming from DuPage County which will make it a much different kind of race right off that bat. Now Brady will be running against Rutherford who is a fellow downstater. Dillard got shortchanged before, and now all of that will be working in his favor.” Brady said he isn’t concerned that the central Illinois vote could be split between him and Rutherford.
Wednesday, June 26, 2013 • Page A5
Africa, as concern grew for the 94-year-old leader who spent a third day in critical condition in a hospital, local media reported. The office of President Jacob Zuma said Mandela’s condition remained unchanged after
reporting late Sunday that his health had deteriorated to critical, alarming many South Africans as well as people around the world who regard the former president as a symbol of sacrifice and reconciliation.
Mandela’s family members held a meeting at his home in Qunu village in the Eastern Cape province, 600 miles south of Johannesburg, where the anti-apartheid leader grew up.
– Wire report
Marek: ‘It was just a wonderful, wonderful time’ • VETERAN Continued from page A1 “It was the thrill of my life,” Marek said Monday. “I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t think there was the slightest chance I’d even go to a game. “I never dreamed I’d be inside.” It didn’t come without some effort from Marek’s daughter, Sue Mlynski, who hoped to surprise her father with tickets to the Stanley Cup Final. She tried everything. She called TV and radio stations, newspapers and even the Veterans of Foreign Ware and United Service Organization, hoping someone – anyone – would have connections to get Marek tickets to a game. She called the Blackhawks’ front office, which said it would do what it could to include Marek in a pregame ceremony. But that wouldn’t happen until next season. Mlynski feared that would be too late. “Next year, he may not be here,” she said. The Hawks apologized. Mlynski kept searching for the hard-to-come-by tickets, even preparing to enter an NBC Chicago Facebook contest that offered entry to a Stanley Cup Final home game. That’s when the Hawks called back. They wondered
Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images
George Marek (left), who served in the U.S. Army between 1942-45, was honored by the Blackhawks on Saturday before Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. He was one of three service veterans to join the team’s anthem singer, Jim Cornelison (right), on the ice for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” whether Mlynski could have her father at the United Center before Game 5, where he would appear on the ice along with Cornelison. The news brought Mlynski to tears. Not wanting to ruin the surprise, Mlynski called Marek and asked him to lunch at a Bohemian restaurant in Schaumburg. But when the trip from McHenry County lasted longer than expected, Marek started to get suspicious. “I can’t wait to eat,” he said. “Let’s just go somewhere else.” Before long, the suburban sights gave way to Chicago’s skyline. Willis Tower came
into sight. Marek knew he had been had. Mlynski made the turn onto Madison Street. Marek’s mind started to run. “I started to wonder if she had possibly got me a ticket,” he said. “But I couldn’t figure out how.” Mlynski broke the news that Marek had been selected to appear on the ice during the pregame ceremony. She had taken his khaki uniform shirt, still filled with medals, out of storage and pressed it so that Marek would be dressed appropriately for the occasion. After a quick trip to ice level, Marek was wheeled onto the red carpet. As the
United Center organ began the opening bars of the national anthem, he saluted the flag hanging from the United Center rafters as Cornelison’s booming voice began what is one of the more memorable moments of the Hawks’ game day festivities. Afterward, Marek was ushered to a seat where he and his fellow veterans watched the Hawks’ 3-1 victory capped by Patrick Kane’s two goals. The group received a standing ovation during an announcement recognizing the three veterans, and their image appeared on the Jumbotron. “It was just a wonderful, wonderful time,” Marek said. “I just couldn’t believe it.” As Mlynski watched as her father sat at attention on the ice, tears welled up in her eyes. She said at that moment, everything Marek had been part of – including his tours of duty in the Battle of the Bulge and the D-Day invasion of Normandy – came flooding in. The fact his beloved Blackhawks had recognized him – on a night that brought them closer to the Stanley Cup – made the moment even more special. “It will be a night he will never forget. It’s a night I will never forget,” Mlynski said. “This will be something we talk about for the rest of our lives.”
Sports Authority manager: Gray championship hats most popular • GEAR Continued from page A1 flying off the shelves all across McHenry County after Chicago’s dramatic 3-2 comefrom-behind victory against the Boston Bruins on Monday night. “I’m already looking back to our 2010 sales [when the Blackhawks last won the Stanley Cup] as to where we were at this point then, and we’re actually beating that,” said Michelle Prigge, operations manager at the Sports
Authority. “It’s great for the business. It’s a great thing for everybody. It helps us out a lot, obviously.” Prigge said the gray championship hats are the most popular item. “They were gone in 10 seconds,” she said. “We’ve gotten some other hats in the meantime.” Another Crystal Lake Sports Authority, located at 4804 Cog Circle, saw similar customer reaction Tuesday as fans filed in to purchase the championship gear. “It’s good to have a Chica-
go team win,” store manager Sandy Baum said. “People love that. We’re doing a lot of business because of the Hawks.” Baum said sales have roughly doubled during Chicago’s playoff run, and she expects the spike in business to continue for another week or two. “Everybody is really excited and happy,” she said. “It’s really a great thing.” At the Flag Store in Crystal Lake, manager John McCall said championship merchandise will arrive by Thursday,
but people already have been in to pre-order gear and buy flags, banners and Blackhawks sweaters. McCall said the Blackhawks have given a major boost to the local business, as the store has seen a rise in sales starting with the series against Detroit. “It means maybe we can stick around for another year,” McCall said. “It’s a chance in a still recovering economy to sort of keep afloat. We’re not going to go buy Ferraris, but maybe I can pay for the old Toyota I’ve got.”
Initial Consultation
• The Associated Press contributed to this report
State Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale is considering bid • BRADY
8WORLD BRIEF
NEWS
Sara L. Busche, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Purdue University and Juris Doctor degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Before joining Gitlin, Busche & Stetler she was a social worker for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois. She is now an experienced family law litigator.
Q: What is the purpose of the initial clientlawyer conference? A: The main purpose is to determine what the client wants. The initial question to the client may be something like, “How can I help you?” Q: What can I expect will happen at my initial consultation with a divorce lawyer? A: There is no set format for these consultations. It varies from lawyer to lawyer and depends on such variables as the personality of a lawyer, the lawyer’s experience, how good a listener the lawyer is, whether the lawyer is knowledgeable so he/she can make projections as to how the divorce is likely to come out. What I can tell you is how I, and the other lawyers in my firm, conduct initial consultations. Q: What can I expect to take away from the consultation? A: Most people who are consulting about a divorce want to know where they will be
financially and in terms of the children after the divorce. Unlike many other lawyers, Gitlin, Busche & Stetler attempts to provide this advice as specifically as possible. For example, we will advise as to what the child support obligation will be; and we advise as to whether or not there will be maintenance/alimony and, if so, what approximate percentage of the payor’s income will be devoted to maintenance. As for maintenance there is also a question of the duration of the maintenance award (how long). We also advise as to the approximate likely duration of the maintenance award. The other financial area is the division of assets. We advise, in terms of percentage, approximately how the assets are likely to be divided between the husband and wife. Finally, we advise on issues of child custody and visitation. Q: What is the basis of Gitlin, Busche & Stetler attempting to give pinpoint advice? A: For the sake of the book, Gitlin on Divorce, A Guide to Illinois Matrimonial Law, by H. Joseph Gitlin, we made calculations of the Illinois appellate courts affirming maintenance awards, property awards etc. We make projections about these items based on a statistical average of what the appellate courts have affirmed. In divorce proceedings, however, trial court judges have very broad discretion. The statistical advice we give, therefore, is the best way of projecting what a trial court judge will do, but it is by no means pinpoint accurate. Trial judges, however, do not like to be reversed by the appellate court and in order to do so they should attempt to stay within the statistical range of appellate court decisions. Q:
reason I am seeking a divorce, or the reason I do not want a divorce. Will I be given an opportunity to state my reasons at the initial conference? A: Yes, certainly. The motivation for seeking a divorce, or resisting divorce is significant. Q: Does your firm charge a consultation fee for the initial consultation? A: Yes. We charge $150 in most cases, but there is a consultation fee of $300 if there is a pending divorce proceeding. Q: Why does your firm charge a consultation fee while most firms do not charge a consultation fee? A: Gitlin, Busche & Stetler charges an initial consultation fee because we provide a valuable service: projections as to the likely outcome of the case. Many lawyers are not going to go out on a limb by making projections. These projections are approximations, but the approximations are based on what appellate courts have approved. We have found, however, that at the end of the case the result is fairly close to our projections. After the consultation we make a memo of the initial conference, including projections, and mail a copy of the memo to the person who consulted with us. This memorandum contains the essential facts which were discussed during the consultation and memorializes all the projections we made. Q: What are the final matters addressed in the initial consultation? A: Approximately how long the proceedings will last, the amount of the retainer fee and the hourly billing rates.
I believe my lawyer needs to know the
GITLIN, BUSCHE & STETLER Practice limited to family law H. Joseph Gitlin • Sara L. Busche • Michael R. Stetler
111 Dean Street • Woodstock, IL 60098 • ph. 815-338-0021 • www.gitlin.com These Q&A’s are published as a service to the community. They are not designed to provide specific legal advice for a specific legal problem. For specific advice you should personally consult with a lawyer.