Woodstock man gets probation for street racing
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2013
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School official defends stadium City of Crystal Lake, residents say district is disregarding code, concerns By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Leslie Schermerhorn on Friday defended Crystal Lake High School District 155, saying officials met every legal obligation before beginning work on renovations to the Crystal
ning construction. Obtaining city documents is simply a courtesy, she said. “Schools have a lot of discretion in their buildings,” she said. “The architects and building grounds manager present full plans, and they usually produce a document from the municipality, but
Lake South High School football bleachers. Schermerhorn, regional superintendent of schools for McHenry County, said district officials and architects presented all the necessary plans to her office, obtained the required permits and held a public meeting before begin-
Plan in place to find new RTA rep
they are not required to. It’s perfunctory.” Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley has said the district’s unwillingness to meet city zoning requirements leaves the city with two options: ignore neighbors who have complained about the proximity of the renovation to their
property and turn a blind eye to city zoning ordinances or file a lawsuit against the district. Shepley contends that zoning variations are needed because the project is more than 600 square feet, the structure
Gov. signs alternate revenue bond bill
JOINING THE ARMED FORCES
By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com
By KEVIN P. CRAVER
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Narvaez (left) talks Thursday to potential recruit Nyambi Flynn, 17, of Crystal Lake at the U.S. Army Recruiting Station in Crystal Lake.
Military standards tighten Local recruiters turning away about three of every four applicants By SHAWN SHINNEMAN sshinneman@shawmedia.com Local teens and young people seeking spots in the armed forces are up against tightened standards for acceptance. In a county that local recruiters say has no shortage of those looking to join the military, recruiters for the Army and Navy say they’re turning away about three of every four applicants – a number consistent with averages across the country. “It’s both good and bad,” said Navy Petty Officer Matt Schipper, a recruiter based in Crystal Lake. “We’re having to turn away people
that this would be a good option for. ... But it’s also allowing us to put the best that we can into the Navy.” The tightening of expected qualifications aligns with a drawdown of troops and comes as people continue to seek the military for its financial benefits rather than face an unsure job market. “It’s definitely gone up because of the recession,” Schipper said. “We provide them the means to take care of their finances.” Navy recruiters have started looking for better scores on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery, a military admissions test. Five or six years ago, Schipper
said, the Navy expected scores from successful applicants to be in the top 65 percent. Today, they’re looking for applicants to score in the top 50 percent. About 90 percent of those enlisted last year scored a 50 or higher. And it’s not just the admission test that matters. So far this year, 98.7 percent of those recruited into the Navy have high school diplomas. About 90 percent of applicants recently enlisted into the Army have a high school diploma, said 1st Sgt. Jeremy Edwards, who’s based in Libertyville.
See RECRUITERS, page A6
See RTA, page A6
LOCALLY SPEAKING
CRYSTAL LAKE
NO EASY SOLUTION ON D-155 BUDGET Coming off a year in which District 155 had an operations deficit of about $1.7 million, Ted Wagner, the district board president, said uncertainty on the revenue and expenditure sides could tilt fiscal 2014 closer to the goal of regaining a balanced budget or send the district further into reserve spending. For more, see page B1.
Linda Costoff, owner of Intrigue Fitness Lathan Goumas – lgoumas@shawmedia.com
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Which side are you on in the dispute over the stadium expansion? Vote online at NWHerald. com.
See STADIUM, page A6
kcraver@shawmedia.com McHenry County will have a new representative on the Regional Transportation Authority Board under an agreement between County Board Chairwoman Tina Hill and current representative Al Jourdan. Under the plan, Hill will keep the longtime GOP insider in his expired term while accepting applications for a successor. Tina Hill Once the County Board s u c cessor is chairwoman chosen, Jourdan will step down. Hill revealed the agreement after a Thursday meeting with Al Jourdan Jourdan. Current RTA “It’s an inrepresentative terim until we find and mentor and train someone through this open interview process,” said Hill, R-Woodstock. While state law gives Hill the power to nominate the county’s representative to the RTA Board, final approval rests with a majority of the 24-member County Board. Jourdan’s term expired April 1, but reappointment has been delayed twice because of turmoil at the RTA, and subsequently Metra.
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If McHenry County College decides to borrow through alternate revenue bonds, a new law taking effect next year will make it harder to do so and easier for taxpayers to challenge it. Gov. Pat Quinn on Friday signed into law House Bill 983, written by state Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, which limits most governments’ authority to issue the bonds. Alternate revenue bonds – known to municipal lenders as double-barreled bonds – rely on an identified revenue stream to pay them off. But if revenue falls short of projections, taxpayers are left to make up the difference through their property taxes. McSweeney said he introduced the bill after college officials indicated they could use the bonds to pay for a proposed expansion and repay the debt from a proposed health club. But he also cited the village of Lakewood, where taxpayers for years repaid bonds to pay for the purchase of RedTail Golf Course because golf revenues fell short of covering the debt. “I think this is going to protect taxpayers,” McSweeney said. “The problem with these alternate revenue bonds, like the Lakewood golf course, is that the taxpayers get stuck with the bill.”
See BOND, page A6
To learn more Read the text of House Bill 983 at the General Assembly’s website at www.ilga.gov.