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Lamb pleads out on gun charges Could face up to 40 years for aggravated possession of stolen firearms By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com
Shane Lamb
WOODSTOCK – Shane Lamb, the man at the center of controversy surrounding the prosecution of Mario Casciaro, pleaded guilty Monday to aggravated possession of stolen firearms. But the open plea agreement between the defense and prose-
cution leaves the impending sentence up to a judge, prosecutors said. Lamb could face up to 40 years in prison. Judge Sharon Prather accepted the plea, McHenry County Assistant State’s Attorney Robert Zalud said. Lamb, who was charged with stealing a safe containing guns from a McHenry condominium in
April, faces a sentence of six to 40 years, Zalud said. The offense is a Class X felony. Zalud explained the open plea means there was no agreement between parties as to what Lamb’s sentence should be. “A negotiated plea means you negotiate the sentence,” he said. “But there was no agreement on our end. We want the maximum
sentence in this case, and [the defense doesn’t].” “They will have the opportunity to put on evidence in mitigation. We will have the opportunity to put on evidence in aggravation,” Zalud added. Typically, the maximum sentence for this offense is 30 years, but Zalud said an extra 10 years was added based on the number
of guns stolen in this case. In order to seek special sentencing, prosecutors would have to prove that between 11 and 20 guns were stolen. There were 12 guns allegedly stolen in this case, Zalud said. Zalud said he and Assistant State’s Attorney John Gibbons
See CHARGES, page A4
McCULLOM LAKE POLLUTION CASES
DOW SETTLES PA. CANCER SUITS
Shaw Media file photo illustration
Rohm and Haas’ main research and development facility is seen in Pennsylvania. Dow Chemical Co. quietly settled the brain cancer lawsuits brought on behalf of the next of kin of two researchers at Rohm and Haas, where several employees got brain cancer, five of them in one hallway.
Legal action in death of 2 Pa. researchers spurred McCullom Lake suits By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com Dow Chemical Co. has quietly settled lawsuits filed by the next of kin of two chemists whose brain cancer deaths after working at a Rohm and Haas research center indirectly led to the McCullom Lake brain cancer lawsuits. Dow, which bought Philadelphia-based Rohm and Haas in 2009, settled the two lawsuits without fanfare or announcement in the months before Dow’s decision to settle 33 cases alleging that air and groundwater contamination from
Hsu and Barry Lange, were two of five researchers in one hallway of the company’s Spring House Tech“Coincidence or nical Center north of Philadelphia Cluster?” is the who died of brain cancer. Four of Northwest Herald’s the five died of deadly glioblastoma ongoing coverage multiforme brain cancer, which is about the McCullom typically seen in about three people Lake brain cancer per 100,000. lawsuits. At least another dozen brain cancer cases besides the five neighboring employees have been reported Rohm and Haas’ specialty chemical among the research center’s former plant in Ringwood caused a cluster employees. It was the willingness of Philaof brain and pituitary tumors in delphia attorney Aaron Freiwald and around McCullom Lake. The chemists, the late Charles to sue the chemical giant in 2005
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that led the original three McCullom Lake plaintiffs – three former next-door neighbors diagnosed with brain cancer – to reach out to him. He filed their lawsuits in 2006 – a Pennsylvania judge last month approved the McCullom Lake settlements, the details of which have not been disclosed. “On behalf of the families, we were pleased to have this long litigation come to a successful conclusion,” Freiwald said. The Spring House cases had a number of similarities to the alleged McCullom Lake cancer cluster. People who lived or worked
next to each other developed the same kind of brain cancer, and the company denied any culpability. And in both cases, epidemiology studies that concluded nothing was amiss – conducted by Rohm and Haas’ corporate epidemiologist in the Spring House cases and by the McHenry County Department of Health for McCullom Lake – withered under significant concerns over their scientific integrity. Dow settled last July with the widow of Lange, who died of glioblastoma multiforme brain cancer
See DOW, page A4
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On behalf of the families, we were pleased to have this long litigation come to a successful conclusion.” Aaron Freiwald, Philadelphia attorney that sued Dow Chemical Co. in 2005, which led the original three McCullom Lake plaintiffs to reach out to him. He filed their lawsuits in 2006.
Despite Pedcor outcry, only 3 on Cary ballot for 3 trustee seats By JOSEPH BUSTOS jbustos@shawmedia.com CARY – After all the controversy that surrounded the planned Pedcor Investments apartment project at First and Pearl streets, which led to the creation of a political action committee, only three names will appear on the spring ballot for the village’s three trustee positions up for election.
Ellen McAlpine, Erin Hauck and Steve Degnan-Schmidt were the only three people to file election petitions last month to run for the Cary Village Board. A c c o r d ing to village minutes, all three also have spoken at board meetings in support of the planned Pedcor
apartment complex, which is using low-income housing tax credits to help pay for its construction. The terms of trustees Karen Lukasik, Bruce Kaplan and Robert Bragg end in the spring. Lukasik previously had said she would not run, but received much encouragement to throw her name into the race, especially after word got
out a developer was considering whether to propose building affordable senior housing along Three Oaks Road. So Lukasik, who was against the Pedcor project, began collecting signatures. However, Lukasik did not file election petitions by the Dec. 22 deadline. People who wanted to run for election in Cary needed to gather between 140 and 222
nominating signatures. Kaplan had announced he would not seek re-election. Bragg pulled a packet, as well, but decided not to run. Last summer, as vocal opposition to the Pedcor project grew, a group called Cary Matters formed to speak out against the project. The group eventually became a political action committee.
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Its chairman, Jim Cosler, even pulled two election packets candidates take out when collecting signatures. According to Cary Matters’ quarterly report filed with the state board of elections in September, the group raised more than $1,900, and spent about $1,500 on legal fees. Phone calls to Lukasik and Cosler seeking comment were not returned Monday.
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