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December 14, 2015 • $1.00
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MISSED OPPORTUNITY
Gould misses another late field goal as the Bears lose to the Redskins, 24-21 / B1 NWHerald.com
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D-300 to consider new technology plan Proposed one-to-one program would deploy 2,200 new Google Chromebooks By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com ALGONQUIN – If approved, a proposed technology plan for Community Unit School District 300 would put Google Chromebooks in the hands of students in first- through
eighth-grade next school year. After the district worked last year to address infrastructure needs in all the middle schools, District 300’s one-toone technology plan would deploy 2,200 new Chromebooks to enhance instruction and assist with testing, according
to Superintendent Fred Heid’s presentation to the school board. The plan also includes preschool and kindergarten students, who would receive iPads, which a district news release says have an “intuitive interface and a wide selection
of educational apps aligned to kindergarten readiness standards.” Infrastructure needs will be addressed at the elementary level starting in January and installation should be complete by August/September 2016, according to the presen-
tation. The Chromebooks would be used in a variety of ways, including to access textbooks that would be phased in over a few years, district officials said. First-graders would receive new devices each year as de-
vices roll up and they would be replaced every four to five years. In Heid’s presentation, he acknowledged that shifting toward digital learning to this degree can cause “discomfort.”
See TECHNOLOGY, page A10
Ill. police buy 2,100 cars with new law
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY FINAL 2 HOMES OF 2015
By JOHN O’CONNOR The Associated Press
Mary Beth Nolan for Shaw Media
Sisters Arianna (left) and Maria Rodarte play hide and seek Sunday in the hallway of their new home after a dedication ceremony. The family received assistance from Habitat For Humanity and will move in to their four-bedroom home in time for Christmas.
Habitat Home for the Holidays 2 McHenry County families receive new homes from Habitat for Humanity By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com HARVARD – Jesus Rodarte on Sunday taught a Habitat for Humanity volunteer how to say a Spanish phrase. “Bienvenido a casa,” he said. Welcome home. Rodarte was one of two McHenry County families who will be putting up a Christmas tree this week in a new home thanks to Habitat for Humanity of McHenry County. The organization on Sunday dedicated the final two homes of 2015, as crews of volunteers and the new homeowners worked vigorously to put the final trimmings on the homes – just in time for Christmas. Both in Harvard, one home was new construction that came on on land donated by Bank of America, and the second was a rehabilitation of an existing home. Christine VanEnige and Adam Alonzo got the keys to their 709 University St. abode after years of constant moves and rent that chewed up nearly all of their monthly income. Most recently, they were living with Alonzo’s mother in Harvard, who also lives
Mary Beth Nolan for Shaw Media
Habitat for Humanity of McHenry County executive director Jerry Monica (right) hands house keys to Adam Alonzo and Christine VanEnige Sunday during a dedication ceremony. in a Habitat house. VanEnige struggled to hold back tears during the dedication ceremony, as the couple’s 6-year-old daughter Izzy excited-
ly bounced through each of the a weight has been lifted off my home’s three bedrooms. Finally, shoulders,” she said. “This is it. VanEnige said, a steady home We’re here. We’re home.” where Izzy can grow up. “Getting those keys, I feel like See HOMES, page A10
LOCAL NEWS
SPORTS
SPORTS
WHERE IT’S AT
Frank Stallman
Hawks prevail
Showing value
On the Record With a Star Wars superfan / A3
Kane’s streak now at 26, Crawford has 2nd straight shutout / B2
Noah showed what he can bring to the Bulls when he gets his chance / B2
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SPRINGFIELD – Even a program that has put on the road thousands of new state police vehicles financed by a dedicated motorists’ fee has been caught up in the Illinois state budget debacle. A vehicle-registration surcharge that has raised $58 million and transformed the Illinois State Police fleet from a junkyard of overtaxed hulks to a stable of safe and more efficient cruisers is stalled because of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s moratorium on vehicle purchases. An Associated Press analysis of records obtained under the Illinois Freedom of Information shows the program has been successful in regularly removing from the highway pursuit vehicles that have surpassed their useful, cost-efficient and safe lifespans. A 2003 report maintained by the AP includes a squad car with 900,000 miles. The Rauner administration is reluctant to talk about it. The state police finally responded to AP inquiries last week, saying the Republican governor’s executive order to reduce spending has stalled purchases; those being outfitted now were purchased under former Gov. Pat Quinn. The 2008 law, sponsored by former state Rep. Jim Sacia, has produced more than 2,100 new squad cards and millions of dollars’ worth of lights, radios and other emergency equipment. Traditionally, the state budgeted for routine police-vehicle replacements, but the tough fiscal times that hit in 2003 – and that have never quite abated – pushed the cars further. “There were literal horror stories of state police responding to a critical incident and the car breaking down on the way, and they had to call a municipal officer to cover it,” said Sacia, a Republican from Pecatonica. “The danger factor was just utterly amazing.” An analysis of state-fleet reports that the AP has maintained from FOIA requests during the past decade shows encouraging numbers from the program’s regular vehicle replacement – officials recommend retirement after four years or 80,000 miles. The AP calculation shows that, at its worst in the spring of 2005, the entire state police fleet of 2,285 automobiles was, on average, 6.2 years old with an average of 112,841 miles. Nearly 75 percent of the fleet had more than 80,000 miles. As of this October, the 2,337 vehicles in the fleet averaged 3.8 years in age and just 62,607 miles. Only 36 percent of the vehicles’ odometers topped the 80,000 mark. “It makes all kinds of good sense,” said Eugene O’Donnell, professor of police studies at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. “People can see the direct benefit and it’s carved out and the money is for an exclusive purpose and it’s relatively painless for the motorist.” But state police spokesman Matthew Boerwinkle said Rauner’s executive order prohibiting the purchase of new vehicles includes those financed with dedicated funds.
See POLICE, page A10
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