Arkush: Secondary locked in, but lacks depth
Sports, C1
TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 2013
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CRYSTAL LAKE SOUTH TOURNAMENT • SPORTS, C1 The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
BOYS PREP GOLF SEASON OPENS Excitement wears off with rough start, high scores
CL South senior Sean O’Neil
Bond raised for man in sex assault case
Should you head to work sick?
By JIM DALLKE jdallke@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – A Florida man charged with sexually assaulting two girls under 13 years old had his bond raised to $500,000 on Monday. Robert Q. Maron’s bond originally was set at $200,000, but McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Zalud said Maron has shown a “pattern of being a sexual predator to children of a certain age” and is a risk to flee back to Florida. Maron is charged with two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child stemming from incidents dating to the late 1990s when he allegedly had sexual contact with two girls, Zalud said. Maron was arrested in Florida and sent to Illinois, where the crimes occurred. The charges are Class X felonies and he could be sentenced to life in prison. Zalud cited Maron’s alleged history of sex crimes, including an incident in 1999 when he had sexual contact with a then-13-year-old female relative while she was sleeping, and an incident
Handling paid time off tricky for employees and businesses
By LAWERENCE SYNETT lsynett@shawmedia.com
M
ary Jo Mutchler knows the importance of a day off from work. The mother of two wasn’t afforded much time off while performing administrative duties part time the past six years, so she cherished the days she did have. That often meant heading to work sick and saving those days for family emergencies. “The only time I took a sick day for myself was when I had strep throat,” said Mutchler, 45. “When you work part time, you can’t afford to call in sick,
and I was always taught to try my best to get in to work. I try to only use them for my kids. When they are sick is more important than when I am sick.” Now working full time administratively for a local school district, the Crystal Lake resident accrues more sick time – a balancing act for many residents who often put their families ahead of their own well-being. Workers are receiving fewer sick days than they have in the past, according to data released this month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
By SOPHIA TAREEN The Associated Press
“I try to be responsive because some employees have children or elderly parents, and naturally sometimes they aren’t sick but they have to attend to family needs.” Michael Skala, McHenry County Board member Photo Illustration H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
where he played truth or dare with a group of girls under 13 and encouraged them to pull their pants down. Also in 1999, Maron Tasered his wife in her sleep after they had an argument where Maron’s wife declined to have sex with him, Zalud said. Maron was never charged in those incidents. His defense attorney, Public Defender Angelo Mourelatos, argued these were “mere allegations” and Maron did not have a criminal past. McHenry County Judge Sharon L. Prather disagreed and increased Maron’s bond to $500,000. Maron’s preliminary hearing is set for Aug. 30.
Ill. interstate speed limit to be 70 mph
See SICK, page A6
LOCALLY SPEAKING
Robert Q. Maron of Florida is charged with two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child stemming from incidents dating to the late 1990s. Maron was arrested in Florida and sent to Illinois, where the crimes occurred.
CHICAGO – Motorists will be able to drive a little faster on Illinois’ rural interstates under legislation signed into law Monday by Gov. Pat Quinn, a move that puts Illinois in line with dozens of states that already have a 70 mph or higher speed limit. The law, effective in January, is targeted toward roadways in less populated areas and bumps up the speed limit from the current 65 mph. Eight counties with urban areas, including Chicago’s Cook County, can opt out. The Illinois State Police and Quinn’s transportation chief opposed the increase, arguing higher speeds would translate into more accidents, but neither pushed their objections Monday. The measure had wide support on both sides
WOODSTOCK
CARY
CITY COUNCIL MAY REDUCE IMPACT FEES
DISTRICT 26 ADDS ONE MORE TEACHER SPOT
City officials are hoping a proposed break in impact fees for residential developers will encourage growth. The Woodstock City Council is set to vote Tuesday night on an adjustment to the city fees, which go toward balancing the fiscal impact per new individual on services such as schools, parks, libraries and streets..
With students set to return to the classroom in District 26 next week, officials have found a need for one more teacher at Deer Path school. The District 26 school board approved adding a first-grade teacher to Deer Path to bring the total amount of first-grade sections in the building to four. For more, see
For more, see page B1.
page B1.
RICHMOND: Rockets’ starting backfield up in the air as season opener against Johnsburg looms. Sports, C1
Gov. Pat Quinn signed into law Monday legislation that would boost the speed limit of rural interstates to 70 mph. The law will be effective in January. of the aisle. Quinn focused on keeping Illinois in line with regional and national trends. Several of Illinois’ neighboring states – Indiana, Iowa and Missouri – already have speed limits at 70 mph or more. “This limited five milesper-hour increase will bring Illinois’ rural interstate speed limits in line with our neighbors and the majority of states across America, while preventing an increase in excessive speeding,” Quinn said in a
See SPEED, page A6
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