TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2014
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Marian Central’s Derreck Caldez
Marian Central falls to Niles North, 76-69 Sports, C1
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Celebrity news and birthdays make a comeback Buzz, B6
Judge: Seiplers must pay $240K Former deputy, wife on hook for legal fees in lawsuit against sheriff By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com Former McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy Zane Seipler and his wife must pay $240,500 of Sheriff Keith Nygren’s legal fees as penance for lying under oath in Seipler’s lawsuit against him.
A federal judge ruled Friday that the Seiplers owe $210,247 in attorney’s fees and $30,252 in costs incurred in defending Nygren against a civil-rights lawsuit in which Seipler alleges he was fired in retaliation for blowing the whistle on racial profiling. Nygren alleges that Seipler was fired
because he wrote traffic tickets or warnings to passengers rather than drivers who did not have valid licenses. Judge Frederick Kapala granted the total billings by Nygren’s defense almost in its entirety, rejecting only $19,230 of what was requested. Kapala’s ruling did not speci-
Deficit to grow despite reform
fy what if anything is owed to McHenry County taxpayers and what is owed to county government’s liability insurance carrier. Seipler, also a local blogger, is running as a Republican to represent District 5 of the County Board, which includes most of Woodstock and parts
of Lakewood, Lake in the Hills and Huntley. Kapala ruled last March that the Seiplers would be on the hook for Nygren’s legal fees after concluding that they lied about how confidential disciplinary records obtained
See LEGAL FEES, page A7
Zane Seipler Ex-sheriff’s deputy
Keith Nygren McHenry County sheriff
HONORING MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
By KERRY LESTER The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD – Recent pension reform legislation has been hailed as historic and groundbreaking, but the $160 billion savings plan ultimately won’t make much of a dent in the state’s growing deficits, a report released Tuesday said. While the changes to the state’s major public pension systems will eliminate their unfunded liability over the next 25 years, the state’s deficit will increase to $13 billion during that time, according to the University of Illinois’ Institute for Government and Public Affairs study. Institute researchers had projected a $14 billion deficit – a $1 billion difference – if the state had not implemented pension reform. “The deficit has gotten off the front burner,” Institute Director Chris Mooney said. “And the pension solution, while important, in terms of [its effect on] the budget, it’s a red herring.” Mooney said the Institute’s study was released purposely as campaigns for the 2014 general election begin to heat up. “We want to make sure people know what’s going on, and don’t get complacent,” Mooney said. “This thing [this deficit] just drops like a rock regardless of what we do.” The study, which the institute calls its “Fiscal Futures Project,” made projections by estimating savings from the pension reform plan and assuming that the state’s temporary income tax increase will roll back from the current 5 percent to 3.75 percent as scheduled in January of 2015. Even if the temporary
See DEFICIT, page A7
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Bhante Sumana (left) and Bhante Somananda of the Blue Lotus Buddhist Temple lead a closing meditation Monday in Crystal Lake during the fifth annual Interfaith Prayer Breakfast celebrating the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. The theme for this year’s event was “My Dream for the World.”
DAY OF REFLECTION Annual FaithBridge event focuses on MLK’s legacy By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and people of many faiths from McHenry County gathered on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to reflect on human dignity in today’s world.
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Around 160 people attended FaithBridge’s fifth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast at D’Andrea’s Banquets in Crystal Lake and applauded Imam Plemon T. El-Amin, the keynote speaker from an Atlanta mosque who focused on King’s views on global citizenship. King, he said, would have much to
say on today’s headlines, from the gun violence in Chicago to the escalating violence in Iraq and the civil liberty concerns at the National Security Agency. “We are obligated to think about what Dr. King would have to say about
Plemon T. El-Amin
See REFLECTION, page A7
We are obligated to think about what Dr. King would have to say about everything going on today. They slayed the dreamer, but they did not slay the dream as long as we keep thinking about that.” Plemon T. El-Amin, Keynote speaker and imam from Atlanta
LOCALLY SPEAKING Mike Glasder
WOODSTOCK
McHENRY
SUPERINTENDENT CANDIDATES CHOSEN
FIRE CHIEFS SUE OVER PENSION DISPUTE
Candidate forums for the three finalists to be District 200’s next superintendent start Tuesday. During their designated day this week, each finalist will speak with staff members, tour schools and have a second closed-door interview with the board, in addition to the public forums, a news release said.
Two McHenry Township Fire Protection District battalion chiefs have sued the district over their pensions, arguing that the years they spent as full-time administrators should count toward their pensions. The two battalion chiefs are asking for those five years of creditable service. They are not seeking any damages. For more, see page B1.
For more, see page B1.
AP photo
CARY: For 2nd time in four years, Glasder finishes one spot out of Olympic contention. Sports, C1
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