Jimmy Buffett responds to columnist’s praise of song
SUNDAY, JANUARY 5, 2014
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The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
Planit Style, 2
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WOODSTOCK RESTAURANT
CAROL GRIVETT
Angelo’s sold, to be remodeled Business, D1
Organist marks 65 years at CL church Planit Style, 8-9
NEW AND FAMILIAR FACES IN GOP RACE FOR GOVERNOR
Overhaul of development rules picks up County ordinance headed soon to public hearings By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com
DAN RUTHERFORD
KIRK DILLARD
WHO’S WHO ON THE BALLOT By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO • sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com
W
ith the holidays over, Illinois voters will be treated to another dizzying season – one that involves campaign ads, stump speeches and soundbites. The March primary season has arrived. Republican voters in McHenry County will soon choose a challenger to
Gov. Pat Quinn from a crowded field of new and familiar faces. Elections generally favor incumbents, but many view Quinn as vulnerable since he narrowly won his first full term as governor in 2010. With a legislature dominated by Democrats, Republicans are also eager to send their
first candidate to the Governor’s Mansion since former Gov. George Ryan left embroiled in scandal in 2003 that eventually sent him to prison. For a look at the four Republican candidates on the March 18 primary ballot vying to challenge Quinn in November, see PAGE A9.
WOODSTOCK – After three years, the McHenry County Unified Development Ordinance will soon begin to enter the final stretch. The County Board Planning and Development Committee and the Zoning Board of Appeals are expected to finish their joint review of a second draft later this winter, with Planning and Development Committee Chairman Joe Gottemoller, R-Crystal Lake, hopeful that the ordinance could be ready for public hearings by March. The committee and the zoning board have met almost weekly for much of the past 12 months to do a line-by-line review of the 21-chapter ordinance, which when approved will guide building and development in unincorporated areas. The ordinance updates and combines all of the county’s development-related ordinances, such as those now covering zoning, signs and subdivision planning, into one to make the rules easier to follow and enforce.
On the Net You can read the draft version of the proposed unified development ordinance at http://shawurl.com/ xmq. Gottemoller anticipates that the committee and the zoning board will finish their review over the next four meetings. They will then have to go back to tackle some potentially contentious issues, such as agritourism and electronic billboards, as well as review items they directed county planning staff to change. Two groups of residents interested in horses and watersheds have requested meetings with the officials as well. At least four public hearings will be scheduled countywide for the public review, and residents will be able to submit comments online as well. The current schedule by the county Planning and Development Department anticipates that the ordinance will go to the full County Board for
See RULES, page A10
Some schools want to eliminate voting sites By NEDRA PICKLER The Associated Press
BRUCE RAUNER
GLEN RIDGE, N.J. – Some schools want to end their traditional role as polling places because of security concerns since the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, leaving their communities without easy alternatives for voting sites. A presidential commission has been hearing from election officials across the country worried about schools trying to move balloting out of their buildings. Among them is the Glen Ridge School Dis-
BILL BRADY
LOCALLY SPEAKING
CITY WEIGHS AQUATIC OPTIONS
more, see page B1.
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
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5 -19 Complete forecast on A12
CRYSTAL LAKE: PR’s Ryan Gilbert scored 10 points, and the Wolves defeated Grant, 64-42. Sports, C1 Vol. 29, Issue 5
Where to find it Business D1-2 Classified F1-4 Local&Region B1-6
See VOTING, page A10
McHENRY A combined aquatic and recreation facility is not looking like an option, according to McHenry city staff conclusions based on a recently completed feasibility study. The McHenry City Council hired Dewberry Architects in August to develop a plan for a proposed facility that would cost about $8 million. For
Prairie Ridge’s Ryan Gilbert
trict, a prosperous community less than 20 miles from Manhattan where the Linden Avenue and Forest Avenue Elementary Schools are now closed to balloting. The picturesque two-story schoolhouses in quiet neighborhoods had long welcomed residents on Election Day. Now, red signs posted at entrances instruct visitors they must ring the bell and show photo ID to cameras above the doors before they can be buzzed in. The district strengthened access control last year after
Lottery Obituaries Opinion
A2 B5 A11
Planit Style Inside Puzzles F3 Sports C1-10
Have a safe and Happy New Year!
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