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What does the government shutdown mean? Thus far, consequences are minimal; debt ceiling deadline could change that By KEVIN P. CRAVER A The new federal fiscal 2014 rang in at midnight Monday without a plan to fund the government. For the record, this shutdown is the 18th since 1976, when Congress started using
kcraver@shawmedia.com
We’re into Day Three of the shutdown – OK, the partial shutdown – and civilization did not come to an end.
its current budget process. But if this continues for long, there will be some negative consequences. And if we blow the more important deadline in about two weeks to raise the debt
ceiling, it could get really bad. You have questions? We have answers.
More inside President Barack Obama brought congressional leaders together for the first time since a partial government shutdown began, but there were no signs of progress toward ending an impasse that has idled 800,000 federal workers. PAGE A4
Grandma will still get her Social Security check. Medicare and other programs and entitlements that do not require
Q What’s staying open?
See SHUTDOWN, page A5
Glitches persist in insurance coverage
Route 14: ‘Road paved with gold’ ed Photo provid
ke Historical
by Crystal La
Society
Farmland used to line bustling corridor
Ill. residents face issues with website By CARLA K. JOHNSON The Associated Press CHICAGO – Illinois officials thanked state residents for their patience Wednesday, the second day of a new online health insurance marketplace where consumers have run into frustrating glitches when they tried to sign up for coverage. For the second day, a new Illinois website routed people to a state Medicaid enrollment site or to a federal website, depending on household income. The Medicaid side of the system appeared to be working smoothly, with more than 5,000 applications submitted online. But problems with the federal website continued to prevent many people in Illinois and elsewhere from setting up accounts, comparing insurance policies and enrolling for coverage under the nation’s new health care law. Federal officials said the delays were caused by the high traffic on the HealthCare.gov site, possibly a sign of intense public interest in the new options offered through the law. With prices nearly impossible to access on the site, the federal government released some cost information late Tuesday for policies available in Illinois and more than 30 other states. The new information shows prices by county, in certain age categories and certain family situations.
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Route 14 in Crystal Lake near King Street is seen Sept. 18. This is the same stretch of road shown in the above photo, taken circa 1940. By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com
C
RYSTAL LAKE – As George Mueller gazed out the window of his Mueller’s Interior furniture store, he saw the familiar sight of traffic on Route 14. For nearly 20 years, the road known as Northwest Highway has been the key to his dream of owning a successful business that even managed to expand during difficult economic times. “It is the street paved with gold,” said Mueller, reflecting on the vast business expansion he has seen in two decades. “It is the artery, the main vein of Crystal Lake. Take that away from the city, and we’re done.” Now lined with hundreds of businesses stretching from Route 31 to Route 176, Route 14 has become the economic driver of
“Downtown really did die there for a while. When you pull the big two food stores out of there, that’s what happens. The trend was clear that 14 was going to be where the growth was going to happen.” Ralph Dawson, Crystal Lake councilman who has lived in the city since 1939 Crystal Lake and a catalyst for the sustained growth it experienced in the 2000s. But it wasn’t always box stores and boutiques for Crystal Lake’s main road. Crystal Lake Councilman Ralph Dawson has lived in the city since 1939. Where he now sees Chickfil-A and McDonald’s, he once saw chickens and cattle on the vast farmland that surrounded the then two-lane highway. While Route 14 was lined with
mostly farms and homes, Dawson said, there was still plenty of character and fun times to be had at the roadhouse where a Walgreens now stands or any of the four restaurants in what was known as the Virginia Corridor, where Route 14 and Virginia Road run into each other. It started to change in the 1950s, Dawson said, when the two main grocery stores left the downtown area for Route 14 locations. Soon after, businesses started slowly fol-
lowing, including a 24-hour truck stop that was a hotbed for long-distance travelers, especially for the milk trucks taking deliveries from Harvard factories to Chicago. “Downtown really did die there for a while,” Dawson said. “When you pull the big two food stores out of there, that’s what happens. The trend was clear that 14 was going to be where the growth was going to happen.” By the 1960s, Route 14 was starting to take the shape it has today as businessmen interested in the increasingly attractive real estate flocked to the area. Mr. A’s Italian Beef – one of the longest-tenured businesses along the highway – came in 1968 after owner Bob Amoroso was advised by his grammar school gym teacher that Crystal Lake would be a great place for a second location.
See ROUTE 14, page A5 See INSURANCE, page A5
LOCALLY SPEAKING
HUNTLEY
MAN DIES AFTER BEING RUN OVER Marco O. Aguilar, 59, of the 1400 block of North Green Meadows Boulevard in Streamwood, was working inside a maintenance building when he was struck by a vehicle being used to prep and grade the floor, according to a news release from McHenry County Coroner Anne Majewski. For more, see page B1.
Lexi Harkins Kyle Grillot - kgrillot@shawmedia.com
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WOODSTOCK: Crystal Lake Central girls golf takes win in annual Fox Valley Conference Tournament. Sports, C1 Vol. 28, Issue 276
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5 DEBIT CARD TRANSACTIONS + 2 ONLINE BILL PAYS
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1. Offer good for New Checking Accounts only. To receive $100, you must: 1) open a new Community Checking Account AND either A) Perform 5 debit card transactions and 2 online bill pays OR B) 5 debit card transactions and 1 direct deposit. Either set of requirements must be completed for 2 consecutive statement cycles before $100 will be credited to account. Only 1 $100 bonus per household. The $100 bonus is considered IRS 1099 reportable. Offer expires 12/31/13. 2. The Crystal Lake Checking Account requires initial deposit of $100 to open. Fees, such as overdraft charges and fees for special services, may apply. A closing fee of $10.00 will be charged if account is closed within 6 statement cycles of opening. ©2013 Crystal Lake Bank & Trust Company, N.A.