Helmchen: Gay marriage ruling a bittersweet victory
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2013
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Judge backs approval of Centegra plan
HOMEOWNER FOUND IN LAS VEGAS
Skeletal remains bring charges
WILLIAM J. ROSS
Lawsuit delayed Huntley project By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Police from the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office don protective masks and footwear Thursday before entering a house on the 500 block of North Country Club Drive near McHenry as they collect evidence. The owner of the home, where the skeletal remains of a woman were found earlier this week, has been charged with concealing her death, according to the sheriff’s office.
Man in custody accused of concealing homicide WOODSTOCK – The owner of a home near McHenry where the skeletal remains of a woman were found earlier this week has been charged with concealing her death, according to the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office. William J. Ross, 62, of 518 N. Country Club Drive, remains at the Clark County Correctional Facility in Las Vegas, Nev., on a felony charge of concealment of a homicidal death. Deputies were called to the residence near McHenry in an unincorporated area of the county around 2 p.m. Wednesday after the caretaker of the home found skeletal remains inside a bedroom of the home, Undersheriff Andrew Zinke said. The woman, who has not yet been identified, appeared to have been dead for some time. A criminal complaint filed in McHenry County Court said Ross put the body in a plastic bag and sealed the room where her remains were found. Investigators learned that no one
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518 N. Country Club Drive, where skeletal remains of a woman were found this week
UNINCORPORATED McHENRY
had been living in the home for more than a year and a half, Zinke said. The caretaker had maintained the exterior of the property for more than a year. The homeowner was identified as Ross, Zinke said, and through the use of telephone records, it was determined that he was residing in the Las Vegas area. The U.S. Marshals Service and po-
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
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lice in Las Vegas took Ross into custody Thursday. The McHenry County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy was performed Thursday, but they released no information about the case on Friday. “Our focus is on identifying the victim and notifying the family,” Zinke said. “This is an ongoing homicide investigation with a lot of unanswered questions. We are hopeful to bring closure to someone’s family relatively soon.” Bob Jones, a neighbor of Ross’ in McHenry, said he believed a woman had been living in Ross’ residence for a couple of years. More than a year ago, Jones no longer saw her around the neighborhood. “She was living there, and then everybody thought she had moved out because you only saw [Ross]; you didn’t see her anymore,” Jones said. Soon after, Ross moved out of the residence as well, Jones said. Bond for Ross has been set at $100,000.
• Reporters Jim Dallke and Shawn Shinneman contributed to this report.
GIRLS PREP VOLLEYBALL
CL SOUTH ONE WIN AWAY FROM STATE At the beginning of the season, the Crystal Lake South volleyball team set a goal to reach the state semifinals, and the team is one win away from reaching that goal. At 6:30 p.m. Saturday, the Gators will face Lake Zurich in the Class 4A Huntley Supersectional with a chance to appear in next weekend’s state tournament. For more, see page C1.
David Cormalleth
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By LAWERENCE SYNETT
CRYSTAL LAKE: Ceremony at McHenry County College celebrates area veterans. Local&Region, B1 Vol. 28, Issue 313
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HUNTLEY – Centegra Health System cleared another hurdle in its efforts to build a new hospital in Huntley. Will County Judge Bobbi Petrungaro backed the Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board’s approval of the $233 million project in a decision issued Friday. The Oct. 23 groundbreaking on the 128-bed acute care hospital was delayed because of a yearlong lawsuit filed by competitors Mercy Health System, Advocate Health Care and Sherman Health after the state board reversed two previous rejections of Centegra’s application. “During this three-year process, we remained confident that this hospital project was in the best interest of the residents who call our community home,” Centeg-
ra’s chief executive officer, Mike Eesley, said in a news release. The complaints filed by the three competitors contended that the ruling should be reversed because Department of Public Health staff said the proposal did not meet three of the state’s 20 standards, including there being a need in McHenry County for the proposed project and that it does not unnecessarily duplicate health care and clinical services in the area. The state board disagreed with the staff assessment, determining that, with growth for the area estimated at 13 percent, the project would meet future need. Despite the lawsuit, Centegra has been moving ahead with the design and permitting processes. Detailed designs presented to the Huntley Plan Commission show a five-story
See CENTEGRA, page A7
Jury deadlocks on arson charges By JIM DALLKE jdallke@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – After deliberating more than nine hours, a jury found Joseph Ziegler guilty of burglarizing a Pistakee Highlands home but could not reach a verdict on the fire that left the home uninhabitable. The prosecution argued the fire was the end result of an Aug. 8, 2012, argument between Ziegler and Nick Pennington, who lived at 5107 Westwood Drive in Pistakee Highlands. The burglary conviction carries a potential prison term of up to seven years, while the arson charges carry a minimum prison sentence of six to 30 years. Ziegler could be retried on the arson charges. Prosecutors said Ziegler believed Pennington stole
Joseph Ziegler was found guilty of burglarizing a Pistakee Highlands home, but the jury could not reach a verdict on the fire that left the home uninhabitable. his drugs, and vowing revenge, Ziegler tried to burn Pennington’s home. But they said Ziegler missed his target and instead torched Roseanne Aitken’s home at 5113 Westwood Drive. Defense attorney Edward Edens argued that there wasn’t fingerprint evidence, traces of accelerant on Ziegler’s clothes or an eyewitness to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ziegler was guilty.
See ARSON, page A7