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Jan ua r y 3 0, 2015 • $ 1 .0 0
HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING With pair of wins, Harvard remains undefeated in Big Northern Conference East / C1
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Ill. high court to rule on bleachers District 155 has submitted zoning request for controversial project to city By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com
and ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – The Illinois Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case between the city of Crystal Lake and Community High School District 155 over the controversial bleachers at Crystal
Lake South High School, according to the district’s attorney. The decision comes after an appellate court in September upheld a McHenry County judge’s ruling that the district was required to go through the city zoning process before building the bleachers, part of a $1.18 million expansion in 2013.
It was reported in October that District 155 was appealing that decision to the state Supreme Court. The school district’s attorney Robert Swain confirmed that justices took up the case Wednesday. “We are pleased and grateful that the Illinois Supreme Court is willing to hear this case because this question of law has never been decided
before,” District 155 Board of Education President Ted Wagner said in a statement. “We look forward to a definitive ruling from the state’s highest court on the important constitutional questions that are raised in this case.” The court’s decision to take up the case doesn’t translate to victory for the school board, Crystal Lake Mayor
Aaron Shepley said, adding that he is frustrated by the school board’s refusal to back down and consider the rights of the school’s neighbors. “As a lawyer, I have an awful lot of respect for the Illinois Supreme Court and I understand why they took the case,” he said. “There isn’t a single definitive opinion from the Supreme Court [on the
subject]. I understand that. What I don’t understand is why the board members need to be told the same thing for a fourth time because, at the end of the day, the Supreme Court is going to make a decision that the school board members aren’t going to like.” The news release in which
See BLEACHERS, page A9
Obama calls for higher spending Asking for $74B more in wake of rising economy By JOSH LEDERMAN and ANDREW TAYLOR The Associated Press WASHINGTON – Declaring an end to “mindless austerity,” President Barack Obama called for a surge in government spending Thursday, and asked Congress to throw out the sweeping budget cuts both parties agreed to four years ago when deficits were spiraling out of control. Obama’s proposed $74 billion in added spending – about 7 percent – would be split about evenly between defense programs and Barack Obama t h e d o m e s tic side of the budget. Although he’s sought before to reverse the “sequester” spending cuts, Obama’s pitch in this year’s budget comes with the added oomph of an improving economy and big recent declines in federal deficits. Taking a defiant tone, Obama vowed not to stand on the sidelines as he laid out his opening offer to Congress during remarks in Philadelphia, where House Democrats were gathered for their annual retreat. “We need to stand up and go on offensive and not be defensive about what we believe in,” Obama said. Mocking Republicans for their leaders’
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Samantha Gatz of Algonquin (left) and Katelyn Friesen of Crystal Lake listen as others speak about various issues they are facing during Bridge, a young adult group with the Evangelical Free Church of Crystal Lake. During the wintertime, they have weekly discussions on the church pastor’s sermon from the previous Sunday.
BRIDGING THE AGE GAP Area churches organizing groups catering to young adults By JOSEPH BUSTOS jbustos@shawmedia.com
I
nside the basement of Dirk Vause’s Crystal Lake house, a group of young adults gather and sit on the couches and chairs in a semicircle. Some have printed editions of a Bible, some are following along with the reading on their smartphones with Bible apps. The 10 people in the room are part of a group called the Bridge, which is part of The Evangelical Free Church of Crystal Lake. The group is meant for young adults age 18 to 30, Vause said. Groups such as the Bridge are a way church-
es are reaching out to young adults as they decide whether to continue being involved in organized religion. During the sessions, the group talks about the sermon from Sunday, and discusses the week’s reading and how it can relate to everyday life. “We literally just share how the week has been and deal with the sermon-based questions ... and where we’re at in [our] lives,” Vause said. “It’s very relational, very real. We blend theology with the practical.” The Bridge started when Vause saw the church had a youth group and a group for older
adults, but nowhere to go for young adults after they graduated from high school. “A lot of young adults didn’t mesh with kids or older adults,” Vause said. Vause said studies show young adults in the millennial generation are leaving organized religion. “We want you to continue exploring faith without walking away from it,” Vause said. Nathan Fisher, 26, of Crystal Lake is a part of two other adult groups in addition to the Bridge. He participates in the Axis at Willow Creek,
See AGE GAP, page A9
See OBAMA, page A9
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Lakemoor Village Board will wait to OK designs for $6M municipal complex / A3 SPORTS
Tighter state funding Rauner wants to increase spending on higher education, but he wants bureaucratic cuts elsewhere in education / B3
Super Bowl preview Hub Arkush: New England’s Rob Gronkowski the perfect combination of work and play / C1
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