County resident pens church’s 150-year history
Local, A3
MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2013
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SPORTS, B1 • REDSKINS 45, BEARS 41 The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
Arkush: Bears fate rests on Cutler’s status Morrissey: Leader needed as defense falters
Matt Forte (22)
Interior work gets look for courthouse
Late harvest yields mixed results, area farmers say
By SHAWN SHINNEMAN
About the project
sshinneman@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – The city has taken a major step toward repairing one of the most distinct historical aspects of the Old Courthouse. On Friday, the Historic Preservation Commission expressed its satisfaction with the city’s commitment to a full restoration of the building’s dome and roof before turning its attention to the interior of the building. “It’ll be worth it in the long run,” said commission member Erica Wilson about the council’s decision to approve a bid that will restore the dome and roof in copper. The winning bid by Renaissance Restoration, which City Council members accepted Tuesday night, came in at $376,000. It’s about $90,000 over the cost estimate for the two projects in a baseline conditions report completed in 2012. That report suggested that the city would need to put about $2 million into renovations before selling to a private owner, who would need to spend a subsequent $2.7 million on the courthouse and sheriff’s house to bring the buildings in line with the city’s expectations. Officials decided to accelerate the process this summer, in part because an
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Eugene Weidner of Weidner Farms harvests soybeans Sept. 30 near his farm in Harvard. By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com John Bartman wakes up at 5 a.m., oils and repairs his equipment – and once the dew evaporates – harvests his crops. Even on rainy days such as the ones last week, the Marengo-area farmer has plenty to do, tilling the soil and preparing for the next
Bartman’s average yield was about 20 percent to 25 percent off the average, he said. Typically, he can get 130 bushels of corn off an acre, but this year he’s lucky to see 100 bushels. But Volkers said he is hearing good reports out of the rest of the county.
round of crops. “The 2013 harvest, it’s not a bumper crop, but unlike last year, we have something to harvest,” he said. Some areas in McHenry County, in particular around Marengo where the soil is light and sandy, were hurt by the lack of rain in July and August, McHenry County Farm Bureau manager Dan Volkers said.
Voice your opinion Do you go out of your way to get locally grown produce? Vote online at NWHerald.com.
n Renaissance Restoration was awarded the contract to restore the Old Courthouse dome and roof. n The work will cost an estimated $376,000. n The Historic Preservation Commission is compiling a set of suggestions of interior work that will be presented to the City Council at a later date.
See HARVEST, page A12 See COURTHOUSE, page A12
GOP may use ‘Obamacare’ as election fodder By DONNA CASSATA and RICARDO ALONSO–ZALDIVAR The Associated Press W A S H I N G T O N – “Obamacare” escaped unharmed from the government shutdown Republicans hoped would stop it, but just as quickly they have opened a new line of attack – one handed to them by the administration itself. While Congress was arguing, President Barack Obama’s plan to expand coverage for the uninsured suffered a self-inflict-
Inside Will 16 days of shutdown change anything? PAGE A6
ed wound. A computer system seemingly designed by gremlins gummed up the first open enrollment season. After nearly three weeks, it’s still not fixed. Republicans hope to ride that and other defects they see in the law into the 2014 congressional elections. Four Democratic sena-
LOOKING FORWARD Michael Fassbender
ry of the health care fight. “This is the law of the land at this point,” said Michael Weaver, a self-employed photographer from rural southern Illinois who’s been uninsured for about a year. “We need to stop the arguing and move forward to make it work.” It took him about a week and half, but Weaver kept going back to the healthcare.gov website until he was able to open an account and apply for a tax credit that
See OBAMACARE, page A12
20th Century Fox
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MYSTERY EVENT AT PALMER HOUSE “Dearly Departed: Tragedy at the Ice House” will be from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Colonel Palmer House, 660 E. Terra Cotta Ave., Crystal Lake. Tickets are $8 for adults, and $5 for seniors and children younger than 12. For tickets and information, call 815-455-1151 or visit www.cl-hs.org.
46 29 Complete forecast on A14
The week’s happenings in news, sports and more. Page A2
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Vol. 28, Issue 294 Local&Region A3-4 Lottery A2 Obituaries A4
Opinion Puzzles Sports
AP photo
Self-employed photographer Michael Weaver works the sidelines of a high school football game Friday in Jerseyville, Ill. It took him about a week and a half, but Weaver kept going back to the healthcare.gov website until he opened an account and applied for a tax credit that will reduce his health care premiums.
Get a
FRIDAY
Friday: ‘The Counselor,’ starring Brad Pitt and Goran Visnjic, opens in theaters.
Brad Pitt
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tors are facing re-election for the first time since they voted for the Affordable Care Act, and their defeat is critical to GOP aspirations for a Senate majority. Democrats say that’s just more wishful thinking, if not obsession. Although Obama’s law remains divisive, only 29 percent of the public favors its complete repeal, according to a recent Gallup poll. The business-oriented wing of the Republican party wants to move on to other issues. Americans may be growing wea-
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