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Driving school no longer open Parents, students have options after unexpected shutdown By JIM DALLKE jdallke@shawmedia.com
Lathan Goumas – lgoumas@shawmedia.com
A sign saying classes are canceled hangs Monday on the door of the Northwest Suburban Driving School along with a letter demanding rent from the property manager at the locations in Crystal Lake.
The state’s third largest driving school unexpectedly closed last week, leaving students wondering how to get credit for their coursework and parents scrambling to get their money back. Northwest Suburban Driving School, which has a main location in Crystal Lake and nine other branch locations across the northwest suburbs,
shut its doors for financial reasons Friday without informing students or parents. But according to Terry Montalbano, commercial driver’s license administrator for the Secretary of State’s Office, the agency has a plan in place to refund money and enroll students who need to finish coursework or behind-thewheel training into other driving schools. The secretary of state requires driving schools to put
Syria to dispose of chemical weapons?
up a surety bond in case the school has to close for financial reasons or is closed by the state. Northwest Suburban Driving School and owner Edward Pudlo Jr. had a $70,000 surety bond, Montalbano said, which will be used for parents to recoup money paid to the driving school for canceled lessons. Montalbano said parents who have paid the full amount in cash, which the driving school set at $400, should con-
tact the Secretary of State’s Commercial Driver Training office at 847-981-7455. Those who have paid by credit card are encouraged to contact their credit card companies and dispute the charges for the canceled lessons, which Pudlo will not dispute, Montalbano said. Montalbano said the secretary of state’s office already has contacted five driving
See SCHOOL, page A5
Illegal and hazardous
The ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON – In a rapid and remarkable chain of events, Syria welcomed the idea of turning over all of its chemical weapons for destruction on Monday, and President Barack Obama, though expressing deep skepticism, declared it a “potentially a significant breakthrough” that Read could head off more the threats of U.S. air strikes Obama that have set the conceded world on edge. he might The adminisnot get tration pressed ahead in its efsupport for forts to persuade a military Congress to austrike thorize a miliagainst tary strike, and Syria. Obama said the PAGE A5 day’s developments were doubtless due in part to the “credible possibility” of that action. He stuck to his plan to address the nation Tuesday night, while the Senate Democratic leader postponed a vote on authorization. The sudden developments broke into the open when Russia’s foreign minister, seizing on what appeared at the time to be an off-the-cuff remark by Secretary of State John Kerry, appeared in Moscow alongside his Syrian counterpart and proposed the chemical weapons turnover and destruction. The Syrian quickly embraced the idea, and before long U.N. Secretary-General Ban Kimoon did, too.
Law enforcement agencies watch for overweight trucks
H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
“When a truck is overweight, they take longer to stop, and they wear roads down quicker by putting all that weight on one section at one time,” said John Birk, deputy chief at the McHenry Police Department. “This damage can be seen through raised asphalt, cracking and potholes.” By LAWERENCE SYNETT lsynett@shawmedia.com
A
select group of law enforcement officers in McHenry County monitor trucks. They comb county and municipal roadways identifying overweight trucks and other violations with loads that are not only illegal, but also safety hazards. “When a truck is overweight, they take longer to stop, and they wear roads down quicker by putting all that weight on one section at one time,” said John Birk, deputy chief at the McHenry Police Department. “This damage can be seen through raised asphalt, crack-
ing and potholes.” It is the responsibility of trucking companies and their drivers to adhere to the long list of state and local laws, which include weight and size restrictions, as well as equipment and safety requirements, to name a few. Enforcing trucking laws has improved over the years with education and training for the trucking industry and law enforcement agencies alike, local experts agree. That effort has led to decreased citations and safer roadways. The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office issued 191 citations for overweight trucks between 2009 and 2012. That includes fines totaling
more than $422,000. The department has one dedicated truck enforcement officer who also handles accident investigations and several deputies with specialized truck enforcement training. The most overweight citations (74) were issued in 2010, which brought in more than $191,000 in total bonds. Last year, the sheriff’s office issued 48 citations, and through June of this year, 12 overweight trucks have been ticketed. The largest bond was issued in 2006 at a hefty price tag of more than $36,000, and the smallest – $95
See TRUCKS, page A5
“Education is the most important piece in this. You get a lot of smaller companies that don’t know the law. They need to understand what they are doing wrong and how to correct it, instead of it just being a revenue source.” Mark Fisher, McHenry Police Department Truck Enforcement Unit officer
See SYRIA, page A5
LOCALLY SPEAKING Billy Bahl
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
McHENRY COUNTY
CRYSTAL LAKE
ETHICS REFORM EFFORT UPDATED
TEACHER HEADED TO UKRAINE THIS WEEK
A McHenry County Board committee had some words of encouragement for the county Ethics Commission as it seeks improvements in the wake of criticism of its first-ever ethics hearing. Much of Monday’s discussion focused around the ordinance’s lack of a definition of what constitutes a frivolous complaint.
Kathrina Konfirst has moved from classroom to classroom in her career, teaching at Prairie Ridge, Crystal Lake South and Cary-Grove high schools. Her next move will take her slightly farther, as she prepares to travel about 5,400 miles to teach in Ukraine. Konfirst will leave for the Eastern European country this week.
For more, see page B1.
For more, see page B1.
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