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MONDAY, JULY 22, 2013
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BEACH VOLLEYBALL • SPORTS, B1
ON THE RECORD WITH ... • LOCAL, A3
Summer of success for first-year teammates
Cindi Stoffel describes having sons in military
Abby Marchewka (left) and Zoe Lindsey
New trial requested for Casciaro
OFF THE ROAD Village’s recent crackdown on all-terrain vehicles has disabled Union resident Dale Carr considering a lawsuit
Attorney claims prosecutors withheld crucial information By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – Mario Casciaro has added to the issues he believes led to being unfairly tried and convicted of first-degree murder. Among several new claims from Casciaro’s defense attorney, Brian Telander, the latest is that prosecutors withheld information that would have been crucial to the defense although they are obligated to disclose it. Casciaro was tried twice for the presumed death of Brian Carrick, a Johnsburg teenager who last was seen Dec. 20, 2002. Carrick’s body has not been found. Casciaro’s first trial ended in a mistrial. In April, a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. Jacob Kepple, a witness who testified at the trial, met with Telander after the verdict because Kepple said things were “bothering him” and he had information that never came out at the trial. That information, Telander said, would have been key to his defense had he known it existed. By failing to disclose what they knew, prosecutors deprived Casciaro of a fair trial, the defense attorney said. In their meeting, Kepple told Telander about alleged interviews with police. Prosecutors say those meetings never took place. “Telander’s been claiming for years that there are missing police reports. I deny that,” Assistant State’s Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division Michael Combs said.
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Dale Carr of Union drives his John Deere Gator on July 9 at his sons home in Harvard. For 16 years, Carr, who lost the use of his legs in a work accident, has used his Gator to get around the streets of Union. By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com
F
or the past 16 years, Dale Carr has climbed into his green-andyellow John Deere Gator from his wheelchair to navigate rural
Union. Until recently, when he was forced to abandon his last means of independent travel. After pulling over Carr in September, Union police told him he no longer
Personally, I don’t pull the handicap card. I don’t say, ‘Give me a break because I’m handicapped,’ but this is one time where I think I can.” Dale Carr, Union resident on the village crackdown on nonhighway vehicles in town could use his all-terrain Gator because of a village crackdown on nonhighway vehicles in town. A furious Carr family now blames a “power-tripping” village trustee who oversees Union’s ordinance committee
and a complacent board for its failure to consider permissible exemptions that would legally allow Carr to use the all-terrain vehicle.
Mario Casciaro, tried twice for the presumed death of Brian Carrick, is requesting a new trial. Casciaro’s attorney, Brian Telander, claims the prosecution withheld information crucial to the defense. Assistant State’s Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division Michael Combs denies that any police reports relevant to the case are missing.
See TRANSPORTATION, page A8 See APPEAL, page A8
Fate of Ill. income tax hike sets stage for 2014 battle Republicans: Possible Democratic plan an increase in disguise
“We hear it said that Illinois is a wealthy state, and it is, but there’s also this great disparity. We should have done this a long time ago.” Naomi Jakobsson D-Champaign on the proposed tax structure
By SARA BURNETT The Associated Press CHICAGO – Illinois lawmakers who approved a temporary income tax increase in 2011 knew it could lead them to a difficult decision: Allow the increase to roll back as scheduled in 2015 and cut state spending by about $7 billion, or cast the politically risky vote to make the tax hike permanent.
Now a third option has surfaced that could become one of the most contentious issues in the 2014 election campaign: It’s a proposal to change Illinois’ “flat” income tax structure, in which everyone pays the same rate, to a graduated or “progressive” tax, in which higher earners pay a larger percentage of their income than the less well-off. Influential Democrats sponsor-
LOOKING FORWARD
ing legislation in Springfield say the graduated tax – a system used by the federal government and 34 of 41 other states that charge an income tax – is the fairest form of taxation. They say a majority of Illinoisans would get a tax cut from the current rate, but the financially struggling state would take in more money because the wealthiest earners would pay more.
“We hear it said that Illinois is a wealthy state, and it is, but there’s also this great disparity,” said Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, a Democrat from Champaign who’s sponsoring the measure in the Illinois House. “We should have done this a long time ago.” But Republicans say it’s a tax increase in disguise and accuse Democrats of going back on their word that the 2011 income tax hike would be temporary. They note Democrats’ promises that the 2011 increase – from 3 percent to 5 percent for individuals – would help Illinois out of its financial crisis, yet two and a half years later, the budget has grown and the state still has a multibillion-dollar backlog of bills.
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The week’s happenings in news, sports and more. Page A2
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FRIDAY: “The Wolverine,” starring Hugh Jackman, opens in theaters. 20th Century Fox
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See TAXES, page A8
THURSDAY Algonquin Founders’ Days takes place Thursday through Sunday at a new location this year, Algonquin Lakes Park, 700 Lake Plumleigh Way. The event features a carnival, a social garden, music and other activities. For information, visit www. algonquinfoundersdays.com or call 847-658-5340.
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Opponents also say taking more tax dollars from the highest earners would further drive companies – and jobs – out of the state and put an unfair burden on small businesses and family farms. “It would be the final nail in the coffin for Illinois,” said Rep. David McSweeney, a Barrington Hills Republican. Both sides are predicting a difficult and prolonged fight. That’s because the Illinois Constitution mandates a flat income tax rate across all income levels. To change that, both chambers of the General Assembly would have to pass a resolution by a three-fifths vote to put a measure on
Vol. 28, Issue 203 Local&Region Lottery Obituaries
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