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Jan u ar y 1, 2016 • $ 1 .0 0
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24 16 Complete forecast on page A12
NWHerald.com
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN McHENRY COUNTY
Illinois sees 18-cent dip from a year ago By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com
See GAS PRICES, page A4
By the numbers • Illinois has the 17th most expensive gas in the nation. • The lowest it has gotten in Illinois was $1.93 on Dec. 10. • McHenry County average: $2.05 • State average: $2.20 • National average: $2.00 Source: GasBuddy
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2016 brings new state laws
County benefits from gas prices
CRYSTAL LAKE – Gasoline prices are about 18 cents a gallon cheaper in Illinois than they were a year ago and about a dollar a gallon cheaper than the year’s high in August. So when they start their seasonal climb in a few months, they’ll be starting from a lower floor, and the result will be less traumatic, said Gregg Laskoski, a senior petroleum analyst with the website GasBuddy. Businesses, families and municipalities are reaping the benefits. The city of Crystal Lake, for one, has spent 35 percent less on gas for its fleet of about 150 vehicles in 2015 than it did three years ago, Finance Director George Koczwara said. “Any savings we’ll take,” Koczwara said. “We have tight budgets, and we’ve had tight budgets for years now. With the craziness at the state level, we’ll take what we can get.” Some of those savings could wash away, however, if the city experiences a bad winter and the plow trucks have to be out on the road more, Crystal Lake Public Works Director Victor Ramirez said. The key thing driving the lower prices is that the price for crude oil also is down, Laskoski said. The U.S., Canada and Mexico have been stepping up their
LOW
Shaw Media file photos
TOP: A yellow lab cools off in a dog pool while playing catch with its owner at the Bark Park in Lake in the Hills. As of Friday, a new law takes effect that imposes criminal penalties on people who leave dogs and cats outdoors in extreme heat or cold that could result in injury or death. ABOVE: Owners play with their dogs at the Bull Valley Dog Park. The park, which opened in 2014 on the northwest corner of Country Club and Bull Valley roads in Bull Valley, costs between $60 and $125 per permit holder, and a sticker is required for each vehicle used to travel to the park.
Legislation takes effect for divorce, DUI, pet neglect, 911 calls, more tentioned, and some appear silly – at least in the context of debating whether pumpkin pie should be the Illinois lawmakers have never official state pie of Illinois rather let items such as the lack of a state than working on the state’s deep fibudget or a $110 billion unfunded nancial problems. pension liability get in the way of The following is a small list of passing a battery of new laws, and new legislation, from the signifi2015 was no exception. cant to the seemingly ridiculous. More than 200 new laws take effect Friday. Some are meant to Divorce keep us safe, others appear well-inState lawmakers last year re-
By KEVIN P. CRAVER
kcraver@shawmedia.com
wrote Illinois divorce law in its largest overhaul in 20 years. In one major change under Senate Bill 57, all divorce filings will be no-fault, meaning parties will no longer be able to file for divorce based on fault-based grounds, such as adultery, desertion or cruelty. Under the new law, parties seeking divorce must show that irreconcilable differences resulted in an irretrievable breakdown of the
marriage. Another major change rewrites child custody and visitation, which is now called “allocation of parental responsibilities.” Rather than focus on where children live and the time spent with each parent, the law now specifically allocates parental responsibilities based on factors such children’s
See LAWS, page A4
Election contests hover over Illinois’ top issues for 2016 The ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gov. Bruce Rauner speaks Dec. 2 outside his office at the state Capitol in Springfield. Illinois starts the new year without a state budget for a fiscal year that began six months ago.
CHICAGO – The elections hover over many issues facing Illinois in 2016, including the Republicans’ hold on a U.S. Senate seat, the size of Democrats’ majority in a gridlocked statehouse and whether the top prosecutor in Chicago survives angry fallout from a white police officer’s shooting of a black teenager 16 times. Below, Associated Press reporters provide a guide to what the year holds:
Election
The biggest campaign story is whether Republican U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk can hold on to his seat for a second term. Democratic turnout is strong in Illinois in presidential election years, and he is considered one
AP file photo
of the most vulnerable incumbents as Democrats look to retake control of the U.S. Senate. First, three Democrats will compete in the March 15 primary to challenge him: U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth, state Sen. Napoleon Harris and former prosecutor and Chicago Urban League CEO Andrea Zopp. Kirk faces two lesser-known GOP challengers in James Marter and Elizabeth Pahlke. The March primary also features a hot race for Cook County State’s Attorney. Two challengers – Kim Foxx and Donna More – look to oust Anita Alvarez, who faces criticism for taking a year to bring murder charges against white Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke after he shot black teen Laquan McDonald.
SPORTS
NATION
LOCAL NEWS
WHERE IT’S AT
Shutout win
Waterlogged
Taking effect
Alabama dominates Michigan State in Cotton Bowl / B1
Flooding in Missouri leads to evacuations, traffic trouble, damages / A8
Harvard-Woodstock enterprise zone offers incentives / A3
Advice ................................ B8 Classified........................ D1-3 Comics ............................... B9 Local News................A2-4, 9 Lottery................................ A2 Nation&World...................A8 Obituaries .........................A9 Opinion..............................A11
In Springfield, Republicans – with financial backing from wealthy Gov. Bruce Rauner – will look to chip away at Democrats’ big majorities in the House and Senate.
Legislature
Illinois starts the new year without a state budget for a fiscal year that began six months ago. At a time when lawmakers should be thinking about next year’s spending plan, it’s likely little else will rise on the agenda. Rauner, needing to fulfill campaign promises from a year ago, is demanding pro-business, anti-union changes to state law. Democrats, determined to maintain their hold over
See ISSUES, page A4
Puzzles ........................... D3-4 Sports..............................B1-4 State ................................... A5 Stocks.................................A9 TV listings .........................D4 Weather ........................... A12 Wheels ............................C1-6