DECKING THE HALLS
November 30, 2014 • $1.50
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CLASS 7A CHAMPIONSHIP GAME: PROVIDENCE 31, CARY-GROVE 28
‘GREAT SEASON, BOYS’
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Ill. video gambling is raising eyebrows By DAVID MERCER and JIM SUHR The Associated Press
Photos by Lathan Goumas – lgoumas@shawmedia.com
Cary-Grove’s Matt Sutherland (left) and George Hartke react after losing the Class 7A state championship game Saturday against Providence Catholic at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign. BELOW: Cary-Grove’s Tyler Pennington is taken down during the first half of the game.
Cary-Grove’s legacy will be as winners despite loss VIEWS Joey Kaufman CHAMPAIGN – This time, there was no long line of high fives waiting for a giddy Cary-Grove football team. There was just one long solemn march to the south end of Memorial Stadium. Tears streaked down the Trojans’ cheeks. Heads sank. Seniors Jason Gregoire and Willie Hartke wrapped their arms around one another as if to will themselves toward the stage to receive the second place trophy. Fans tried to console them. “Great season, boys,” yelled one. It was, and yet it ended like a season does for nearly every high school playoff team across Illinois, with a loss and with teenage boys crying. In the Class 7A champi-
onship game on a cool Saturday night, Cary-Grove fell to Providence, 31-28. The loss marked the lone blemish for the Trojans (13-1) this season. It prevented them from securing what would have been the school’s second state title. It should
n More coverage of Cary-Grove vs. Providence. PAGES C1-2
hardly, though, spoil an otherwise banner run. Asked afterward how history will view the 2014 Trojans, coach Brad Seaburg didn’t hesitate to offer a response. “A very dominant group that played a great team in the state
championship game and just came up a little short,” he said. “But was a source of pride for a lot of people in our community. Were great role models for our younger guys. It was a great, great season.” He’s right. Try this. Before Saturday, Providence had given up 38 points in four playoff games (14 of them coming in garbage time in the semifinals against Mt. Carmel). And coming out of the Blue Division of the Chicago Catholic League, the Celtics were, of course, battle tested, led by a smart quarterback in Justin Hunniford and an offense littered with Division I talent. Still, Cary-Grove, using that little ole triple option offense, went out and put up 28 points, running the ball 62 times and amassing 343 yards of total offense, nearly equaling Providence’s total of 346. On the big stage, under the lights, the Trojans went toe-to-toe
See LEGACY, page A10
n View more photos from the game online at NWHerald.com.
CHAMPAIGN – Since video gambling began in Illinois two years ago, the slot-like terminals have been showing up in places lawmakers never imagined – floral shops, laundromats, liquor stores and gas stations. They’re also now the main attraction at dozens of storefront bistros and cafes geared toward women. Video gambling has become a big business for the state, but it’s also raised some second thoughts in the process. Since the first terminal was turned on in 2012, it has generated $210.8 million in tax revenue for the cashRead more strapped state govMarengo ernment officials hear and $42.2 backlash on million for local gov- proposed video e r n m e n t s gaming expansion o n m o r e at gas stations. than $3 bil- PAGE A3 lion in wagered cash, according to the Illinois Gaming Board. The terminals also have meant significant money for businesses, such as the Arabian Knights Farms and Training Center, an equestrian center in Willowbrook, southwest of Chicago. The horse barn makes most of its money on weddings and parties for income, some of which can be seasonal, owner Michael Vena said. “There’s no money in horses. ... In the middle of winter, this will help,” Vena said, talking about the three gambling terminals tucked into a red-carpeted, plywood-walled room in his barn. They bring him $1,750 a month in profit. One of the sponsors of the video-gambling bill when it was approved in Springfield in 2009 says the spread of the machines into some of these places isn’t what he had in mind. “It was never our intention to turn florists’ shops into places for gambling,” said Rep. Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat. “And so, it’s something that needs to be looked at, for sure.” The intent was to legalize and regulate a business already operating illegally in many bars and social clubs. Under the law, the key requirement is a liquor license, with each license-holder eligible for three to five machines.
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Marengo alderman hearing criticism on idea to add terminals at gas stations / A3 BUSINESS
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See GAMBLING, page A10