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Jan u ar y 7, 2016 • $1 .0 0
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Megachurch lays out CL plans Willow Creek presents drawings for 2,000-seat auditorium, campus By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – The new home for Crystal Lake’s Willow Creek Community Church could have a 2,000seat auditorium, an outdoor space with nature trails and a splash pad, gathering spaces and classrooms.
Church representatives laid out their conceptual plan for 100 S. Main St., the former site of Oak Industries and most recently the home of the nonprofit day care center Friendship House, during a Crystal Lake City Council meeting Tuesday evening. “Willow Crystal Lake needs a permanent home that
is a visible, centrally located space where individuals and families regardless of their affiliation with faith can gather for connection, recreation and growth,” lead pastor Marcus Bieschke said. “In essence, our desire is to create a beautiful, functional community center that would impact our entire region.”
The plans still need to go through the city’s planning and zoning process, and Tuesday’s meeting was designed as a way for church officials to get feedback. The church has met its goal of raising $8 million for the first phase, said Don Greetham, a stewardship pastor and operations director
for the church. The goal is to move forward with the next two phases over the next six to eight years, giving the congregation a break between phases. The purchase of the building and the 25-acre parcel it sits on was set to cost $7.5 million, according to the church’s website.
The response from the council members was overwhelmingly positive to the building’s design, a mix of glass, stone, wood and brick materials. The newest council member, Haig Haleblian, told church representatives that they “knocked it out of the
See MEGACHURCH, page A5
MCC outlines deal with UIUC
HOOVED ANIMAL HUMANE SOCIETY IN WOODSTOCK IN NEED OF HELP FOR FOUR-LEGGED RESCUES
Qualified engineering students can get automatic admission By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com
Photos by Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
Adoption coordinator Jenna Dickson smiles as she leads Pony Boy, a miniature horse, out of his stable Tuesday at Hooved Animal Humane Society in Woodstock. One of the horses’ owners had died and the widower is in poor health, leaving 14 miniature horses in neglected health when acquired by the Hooved Animal Humane Society.
Woodstock group: 14 rescued miniature horses recovering By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – Jenna Dickson expected to rescue only the miniature horses in the worst conditions when she headed to a farm in central Illinois. No more than six would be coming back to the Hooved Animal Humane Society in Woodstock, she thought. But then she saw all 14 miniature horses. “They kind of greet you at the fence, so you walk up and it’s like, ‘What cute little ponies. This will be great,’ ” said Dickson, the organization’s adoption coordinator. “And then you look at their feet. Some of them, their feet were so long and curling up [that] when they walked, their feet were flapping. “We can’t just leave some of them here to get worse,” she said. The first rescue came in early December after someone called
On the Web
Adoption coordinator Jenna Dickson holds a gnarled hoof removed from Pony Boy, a miniature stallion, Tuesday at the Hooved Animal Humane Society in Woodstock.
To view video about miniature horse Pony Boy, visit NWHerald.com. To view photos of the rescued miniature horses, visit NWHerald.com.
How to help To donate toward the care of the 14 miniature horses rescued by the Hooved Animal Humane Society, visit https:// www.generosity.com/animal-pet-fundraising/14-rescue-miniature-horses-in-need-of-support or hahs.org.
the Hooved Animal Humane Society to alert them to the animals’ deteriorating conditions. One of the owners had died, and the
See RESCUE, page A5
CRYSTAL LAKE – A new partnership established by McHenry County College is expected to create a direct path for qualified students to attend one of the top-ranked engineering schools in the country, the community college announced Wednesday. Selected students this fall can complete core math, science and English courses they will then be able to bypass once they transfer to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign College of Engineering, MCC officials said. In 2015, the University of Illinois’ engineering program was among the top 10 engineering schools in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report. “What’s happening is students come here, take the first two years of coursework at MCC, and then transfer,” Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Tony Miksa said. Officials added, based on spring 2016 tuition and fees rates at the University of Illinois and MCC, the potential cost-savings for a student over two years is more than $30,000. MCC’s executive dean of math, science, and health professions, Amy Maxeiner, said MCC was invited to take part in the engineering pathways program and the agreement was finalized over the past few years. “It’s unique in that students are guaranteed admission into U. of I.’s College of Engineering while completing their prerequisites at MCC,” Maxeiner said in a recent MCC news release. “This partnership is also one way MCC can provide qualified individuals for occupations in the STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] field.” High school seniors planning to attend the Crystal Lake-based college for the first time and who have mostly A’s and B’s and strong ACT math scores will be able to
See MCC, page A5
SPORTS
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PR freshman clinches win for Wolves over Marian Central / B1
Lake in the Hills smoke shop owner accused of selling marijuana / A3
Chicago examining cases of ex-lawyer accused of hiding evidence / A6
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