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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2013
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Undersheriff withdraws complaint Zinke’s lawyer says they did not intend for charge against blogger to go forward By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com
Andrew Zinke
WOODSTOCK – The attorney for Undersheriff Andrew Zinke is withdrawing his client’s ethics countercomplaint against local blogger Cal Skinner – a complaint he alleges they never moved for-
Action against Syria builds
ward with in the first place. Attorney Mark Gummerson withdrew Zinke’s complaint in a Monday letter to the McHenry County Ethics Commission, which was scheduled to hear it Thursday afternoon. Gummerson said neither he nor Zinke will attend the hearing.
In the latest wrinkle in what already has become an acrimonious race for McHenry County sheriff, the letter alleges that someone else wanted the Zinke complaint to move forward to further damage Zinke’s 2014 campaign. But county staff members
counter that the decision was straightforward and not political: Zinke filed a complaint and the McHenry County Ethics Commission was legally bound to move it forward. Gummerson had filed a motion for sanctions against Skinner at the July 25 hearing at which the
FOUR GENERATIONS IN BUSINESSES MORE COMMON
See COMPLAINT, page A6
Hultgren campaign gets fine of $2.5K By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com
The ASSOCIATED PRESS DAMASCUS, Syria – Momentum appeared to build Tuesday for Western military action against Syria, with the U.S. and France saying they are in position for a strike, while the government in Damascus vowed to use all possible measures to repel it. The prospect of a dramatic U.S.-led intervention into Syria’s civil war stemmed from the West’s assertion – still not endorsed by U.N. inspectors – that President Bashar Assad’s government was responsible for an alleged chemical attack on civilians Aug. 21 outside Damascus that the group Doctors Without Borders says killed 355 people. Assad denies the claim. The Arab League also threw its weight behind calls for punitive action, blaming the Syrian government for the attack and calling for those responsible to be brought to justice. British Prime Minister David Cameron recalled Parliament to hold an emergency vote Thursday on his country’s response. It is unlikely that any international military action would begin before then. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said U.S. military forces stand ready to strike Syria at once if President Barack Obama gives the order, and French President Francois Hollande said France was “ready to punish those who took the heinous decision to gas innocents.” Obama is weighing a response focused narrowly on
commission dismissed Skinner’s ethics complaint against Zinke. Skinner alleged that an email sent by Zinke to all 24 members of the County Board amounted to campaigning on taxpayer time and resources.
Lathan Goumas – lgoumas@shawmedia.com
Mike Wells (from left), 59, Bonnie Rankins, 66, Phil Grandt, 24, and Linda Thorson, 65, stand Thursday at Guardian Electric in Woodstock. For the first time in American history, the workforce spans four generations.
Multigenerational trend Employees must adapt in workplace By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO • sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com At age 48, Jane Wachter sees herself as a mentor to the many younger workers who have started at Guardian Electric Manufacturing in Woodstock since she began at the company 29 years ago. As the decades have passed, Wachter has seen waves of younger workers eager to mesh with her generation and even the older generations that populate Guardian Electric, which employs a diverse range of workers from their early 20s to their late 60s. The dynamic provides her the opportunity to impart her practical knowledge of a trade that involves building custom-designed parts for the U.S. military, airplane companies and an assortment of other industries.
See MULTIGENERATIONAL, page A6
Lathan Goumas – lgoumas@shawmedia.com
Debbie Smith (left), 52, and Rosy Salinas, 25, work Thursday at Guardian Electric in Woodstock.
Voice your opinion: What generation do you least enjoy working with? Vote online at NWHerald.com.
See SYRIA, page A6
WOODSTOCK – The Federal Elections Commission slapped U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren’s campaign with a $2,500 fine for failing to report more than $83,000 from his first election in 2010. Under a negotiated agreement hashed out with the FEC, Hultgren for Congress also must strengthen its internal controls to prevent a repeat occurrence, and send a staffer to an FEC seminar. An FEC audit revealed that Randy the campaign Hultgren for the Winfield Republican, first elected in 2010 to the 14th Congressional District, understated its income by $83,278. Of that, more than $74,000 was in contributions and almost $9,000 in loans. Redistricting after the 2010 U.S. Census extended the 14th District to include all of McHenry County except for Algonquin Township. Voters elected Hultgren to a second term in 2012. In a statement, Hultgren for Congress said it cooperated fully with the FEC and adopted its recommendations. The shortcomings identified in the FEC audit were handled through the commission’s alternate dispute resolution system and not its enforcement arm. “We are glad this matter is now closed and look forward to working with the FEC in the future to ensure compliance with its reporting requirements,” the statement said.
See HULTGREN, page A6
LOCALLY SPEAKING
PREP VOLLEYBALL
HARVARD
PRAIRIE RIDGE FALLS TO LAKE ZURICH
EXPECTED GRANT TO GO TOWARD ROAD
Some growing pains were to be expected when Prairie Ridge stepped onto the volleyball court for its season opener Tuesday against Lake Zurich. The Wolves, with four seniors and eight sophomores on the roster, got off to a rough start, falling behind 16-9 in Game 1 and couldn’t recover en route to a 2-0 (25-16, 25-18) loss.
The promise of a $150,000 grant has helped Harvard repair a broken down road on the north end of town. With help from state Sen. Pam Althoff, R-McHenry, the city secured the grant from the state’s Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity to grind and resurface Northfield Avenue between Route 14 and Eighth Street. For more, see
For more, see page C1. Secretary of State Jesse White Lathan Goumas – lgoumas@shawmedia.com
MARENGO: Jesse White awards Marengo-Union Library grant for new space. Local&Region, B1
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Vol. 27, Issue 240
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