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NOTABLE NUMBER Woodstock North's Josh Jandron closing in on 1,000-point milestone / C1
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Officials: Inmate program a success
ROAD SALT USE DOWN But mild December weather doesn’t ensure mild winter
Road crew’s service hours spike in 2014 By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com
Photos by H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
ABOVE: Crystal Lake public works employee Tony Polizzi completes a pre-storm vehicle inspection on a plow truck Friday while preparing equipment for the predicted rain-ice mix on Saturday. By this time last year, the city had gone through 2,800 tons of salt in 21 weather events, compared to 483 tons and seven events so far this season. TOP: Crystal Lake plow trucks line up to be loaded with salt Friday as crews prepare for the storm predicted for Saturday. through 2,800 tons of salt in 21 weather events, compared to 483 tons and seven events so far this season – not including the winter weather CRYSTAL LAKE – The salt bin is full at the expected to hit the area this weekend and the Crystal Lake Public Works Department – a not start of next week. very common occurrence, its director said. A mild December isn’t predictive of what Only a trace of snow fell this December in the rest of winter might look like, the National Chicago, tying it for the least snowy December Weather Service said in an analysis of the Chion record, according to the National Weather cago area’s 15 least snowiest Decembers. Service. And in the two months before that, The Januaries that followed those Decemthe city saw just shy of 3 inches of snow. bers were almost perfectly divided among The weather is in marked contrast to last much below average (20 percent), below avyear’s monster winter. erage (13 percent), near average (27 percent), By this time last year, the city had gone above average (20 percent) and much above
By EMILY K. COLEMAN
ecoleman@shawmedia.com
average (20 percent). The last two Decembers in which only a trace amount of snow fell – those winters happened to be 1889-90 and 1912-13 – had below average snowfall for the season, but March 1890 had 9.4 inches of snow, well above the March average of 5.6 inches, the analysis said. If the winter continues to be mild, the savings in overtime could offset the budgetary effects of last year’s salt shortage, which are still being felt this winter, Crystal Lake Public Works Director Victor Ramirez said, adding
See SALT USE, page A4
WOODSTOCK – The past year meant another successful one for the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office jail inmate road crew program, officials said. The sheriff’s office Corrections Bureau Road Crew assisted municipalities throughout McHenry County during the cleanup season that ran from April 21 to Oct. 10. Among the services provided were: • 2,183 hours of trash collection • 272 hours of painting • 1,526 hours of brush and tree removal • 685 hours of asphalt paving and patching • 112 hours of paint recycling • 706 hours of other various jobs, such as cleaning and installing fencing Workers completed 5,484 hours in 2014, up from 2,876 the year before. They cleared trash from 322.5 miles of road and easement, which filled 609 garbage bags, the sheriff’s office reported. Only inmates with a nonviolent history are allowed to participate in the program. Inmates selected for the Road Crew Program must pass a medical physical and will have their criminal history reviewed. Sheriff’s officials said the participating inmates must not have discipline issues in the jail, and no negative history involving previous work assignments. Corrections officers supervise workers and ensure the workers and community are safe while they are assisting the communities. The sheriff’s office road crew assisted 15 townships last year – Alden, Algonquin, Chemung, Coral, Dorr, Dunham, Grafton, Greenwood, Hartland, Hebron, Marengo, McHenry, Nunda, Richmond and Riley. Harvard, Wonder Lake, Woodstock, Marengo and the McHenry County Department of Transportation also were assisted.
More U.S. sanctions for North Korea in Sony hacking case The Associated Press HONOLULU – Opening a new front in its cyber spat with North Korea, the United States slapped new sanctions Friday on government officials and the North’s defense industry in its first public act of retribution for a cyberattack against Sony. Despite lingering doubts by
the cyber community, the U.S. insisted that North Korea was to blame. The White House warned that this was just the opening salvo in the U.S. response. While the fresh sanctions will have limited effect – North Korea already is under tough U.S. sanctions over its nuclear program – American officials portrayed the move as a swift and decisive response to North
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Korean behavior they said had gone far over the line. Never before has the U.S. imposed sanctions on another nation in direct retaliation for a cyberattack on an American company. “The order is not targeted at the people of North Korea, but rather is aimed at the government of North Korea and its activities that threaten the United States and others,”
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Empty seat ahead in D-300
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NATION
Hub Arkush: Jay Cutler is not the Bears’ biggest problem, and also not likely to be going anywhere for a while / C1
See N. KOREA, page A5
LOCAL NEWS
School board has 4 seats up in election, but only 3 people have filed to run / A3
Quarterback quandary
President Barack Obama wrote in a letter to House and Senate leaders. With this round of sanctions, the U.S. also put North Korea on notice that payback need not be limited to those who perpetrated the attack. The 10 North Koreans singled out for sanctions didn’t necessarily have anything to do with the attack on
What are the sanctions? Those sanctioned include North Koreans representing the country’s interests in Iran, Russia and Syria. Any assets they have in the U.S. will be frozen, and they’ll be barred from using the U.S. financial system. Americans will be prohibited from doing business with them, the Treasury Department said.
Wis. Legislature flexing power At awkward time, Wisconsin Gov. Walker faces rift with fellow Republicans / A7
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By JOSH LEDERMAN