Brandon Hardin’s goal: Stay off the stretcher
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McHenry County Hurricanes’ Dylan Devine takes big run ends in semifinals science step Local, A3
The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co. Brandon Bannon
Treatment court to honor newest grads
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raps up Demolition derby w fair well-attended county
Program designed for nonviolent defendants with mental illnesses By CHELSEA McDOUGALL
“How do you tell your doctor what you’re going through when you don’t understand what’s going on? Unfortunately, it took something like landing in the court program to get what I really needed.”
cmcdougall@shawmedia.com In one arrest, Michelle Ciccarelli was caught stealing a cart full of Christmas wreaths. Thirty-five wreaths to be exact. To this day, Ciccarelli can’t explain why she did it, but in some twisted way she’s glad she did. That’s not to say she doesn’t feel remorseful – only that it took hitting rock bottom before the Marengo resident got the help she didn’t realize she needed. “How do you tell your doctor what you’re going through when you don’t understand what’s going on?” Ciccarelli said. “Unfortunately, it took something like landing in the court program to get what I really needed.” After a 2011 retail theft arrest, Ciccarelli was accepted into McHenry County’s Mental Health Court. She and seven others are set to graduate Tuesday from the program. “I feel like I’m riding a bike and the training wheels are being taken off,” she said
Michelle Ciccarelli Soon-to-be graduate of the McHenry County Mental Health Court about completing the program. “It’s exciting because I was so afraid for so long.” The county’s Mental Health Court is designed for nonviolent defendants diagnosed with mental illness. In lieu of traditional punishment, the program diverts participants to treatment or other judicial recommendations. Once the program is completed, criminal charges are dropped or reduced.
Photos by Lathan Goumas – lgoumas@shawmedia.com
ABOVE: Fans watch the demolition derby Sunday, the final day of the McHenry County Fair, in Woodstock. TOP: Jason Birong of Richmond works with others on his demolition car before the demolition derby. By SHAWN SHINNEMAN sshinneman@shawmedia.com
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he reason Cody DeLano likes the demolition derby is simple, really. “I just like watching cars get smashed up,” said DeLano, watching the action through a chain-link fence Sunday evening. He’s not alone. They came out in droves Sunday for the demolition derby, the annual car-smashing event that effectively puts a cap on the McHenry County Fair. Fair goers enjoyed more
See MENTAL HEALTH, page A8
McHenry County Mental Health Court statistics n Since April 2007, 121 defendants have been accepted into the program n By Tuesday, 56 participants will have graduated from the program; of current graduates, seven have re-offended n 33 were discharged because
of rules and/or legal violations, or voluntarily withdrew for personal reasons n The program has a 73 percent retention rate
Source: 22nd Judicial Circuit Court, McHenry County Mental Health Court program
Two cars collide during the demolition derby at the fair. pitch-perfect conditions Sunday. A cloud cover moved in Sunday evening
as the engines roared, but it never brought rain. The weather had organizers
sure that attendance would be up once the numbers are tallied early this week. “Attendance has been extremely high because of the weather,” Fair Treasurer Tom Linneman said. Vendors agreed. Several remarked that their week had exceeded expectations and topped sales from last year. The Knights of Columbus corn stand – a joint effort by the organization’s Woodstock and McHenry chapters – was expecting to run out of corn by about
See DERBY, page A8
Fulfilling medical marijuana law will take time By SOPHIA TAREEN The Associated Press CHICAGO – Illinois has become the 20th state to legalize medical marijuana with some of the strictest standards in the nation. But the proposal will take many months to set into motion because of complex rules AP file photo and regulations. Marijuana is for sale for those who possess a medical marijuana card Here’s a closer look at the details: inside a dispensary in November in Nederland, Colo.
LOOKING FORWARD
Q: When will medical marijuana be available for purchase in Illinois? A: No one knows for sure, but estimates are several months to more than a year after the law takes effect Jan. 1. That’s because three separate state agencies – the departments of Public Health, Agriculture and Financial and Professional Regulation – must draft rules for patients, growers and dispensaries. Then
TUESDAY
STORYTELLING FEST TO BE AT LITH PARK The Larsen Park Storytelling Festival will be from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at 1211 Pyott Road, Lake in the Hills. The event features professional storytellers, a puppeteer and musical entertainers from the Chicago area. For information, call 847-458-3144 or visit www.aapld.org.
FRIDAY: ‘Elysium,’ starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, opens in theaters.
Matt Damon TriStar Pictures
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laws but implementation time has varied greatly. The longest was Washington, D.C., where medical marijuana was available for purchase just last month, 15 years after voters approved. Maine took less than a year. New Jersey took about three years and still only one dispensary is open in the state.
See MARIJUANA, page A8
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the rules must be approved by a legislative committee. Next comes issuing permits and setting up the 22 so-called cultivation centers where the plants will be grown. They’ll be set up in each Illinois State Police district, and state authorities will review security plans. The marijuana will be sold in up to 60 dispensaries. Nineteen other states and Washington, D.C., have implemented medical marijuana
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