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De cemb er 17, 2 014 • $1 .0 0
ELEVATE YOUR FEAST 10 ideas for easy holiday party snacks / D1 HIGH
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Woodstock grad drowns in Fla. Sanibel police: 19-year-old paddleboarding with girlfriend on vacation By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com A 2014 graduate of Woodstock High School drowned off the Florida coast Monday. Divers recovered the body of Chad Winter, 19, after sonar
found him Tuesday afternoon, about 24 hours after he fell into the water while paddleboarding. Winter had been paddleboarding with his girlfriend off the coast of Sanibel Island when he fell into the water, Sanibel Police Chief Bill Tomlinson said.
Property tax levy in CL to increase
He had been vacationing with his girlfriend and her family. “Apparently he had a medical condition, and an episode in which he may have blacked out and fell into the water and drowned,” Tomlinson said. Five different agencies be-
gan an immediate air and water search Monday, but the mission changed Tuesday morning from rescue to recovery. Winter’s body was found 300 yards from shore in about 10 feet of water, Tomlinson said. Winter was a student at
McHenry County College and loved skateboarding, according to his Facebook profile. His family flew to Florida on Tuesday morning, Tomlinson said. An autopsy is pending by the Lee County (Florida) Medical Examiner’s Office.
Chad Winter
SAGE YMCA TRANSFORMED
Council approves 1.43 percent hike By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – The Crystal Lake Public Library will not get as much money as it asked for under a levy approved Tuesday evening. In a 6-1 vote, the Crystal Lake City Council approved a 1.43 percent increase on its levy, one of six options presented to it by city staff. The increase looks at two portions of a property owner’s tax bill, the one going to the public library and the one going to the city, which goes toward pension costs and the Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department. Unlike most area municipalities, the city does not have a corporate levy. The Crystal Lake Library Board had requested a 4.01 percent increase on its portion on the levy, which along with the city’s proposed 1.3 percent increase would have raised property taxes on a $200,000 home by $16.01. Instead, the council decided to keep the library’s portion at 1.77 percent, the increase it would have been allowed under the state’s tax cap had it applied, Finance Director George Koczwara said. The difference represents about $100,000 less than what the library board originally requested. The owner of a $200,000 home would see their taxes rise $9.84 under the approved proposal. Council member Jeffrey Thorsen was the sole no vote, saying he felt no increase was appropriate. Council member Ralph Dawson had originally wanted to fulfill the library’s full request but said he voted for the decreased amount because a levy in some form must be passed in order to
See LEVY, page A5
Photos by Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Lifeguard Tim DCamp watches Monday as a member swims laps at the brand-new eight-lane, 25-yard competition pool at the Sage YMCA in Crystal Lake. The YMCA underwent a 42,000-square-foot expansion and remodel and will hold a grand opening Thursday. BELOW: A member checks in Monday with an employee stationed at the new front desk at the newly renovated Sage YMCA in Crystal Lake.
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Grand reveal planned for Thursday night
To view a video preview of the newly renovated and expanded Sage YMCA facilities, visit NWHerald.com.
By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Walking through the new automatic sliding doors into an entirely transformed Sage YMCA, Rene Glosny didn’t need much convincing before canceling her gym membership elsewhere. “We’ve been members here in the past, but we just weren’t com- previously left the “Y.” “Then my by the renovation.” ing in much,” the Cary resident husband brought my 11-year-old in Aside from a short punch list, said, explaining why her family the other day and was so impressed the $18.2 million, roughly 16-month
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Tax levy to stay flat
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In 5-2 vote, McHenry City Council keeps levy the same for fourth straight year / A3 STATE
Fox Valley Conference Hampshire’s Matt Bridges helps the Whip-Purs trounce Crystal Lake Central, 90-49, in conference opener / C1
Cameras in court allowed Illinois Supreme Court gives its approval for reporters to use devices in Cook County / B3
project to renovate the Sage YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago, 701 Manor Road, Crystal Lake, is set to be complete this week, culminating in a grand reveal event Thursday, Executive Director Robyn Ostrem said. She added that, like Glosny, those who decide to check it out will be wowed by its metamorphosis. “Essentially every square inch of this place has been renovated or built on,” she said, sitting in her
See YMCA, page A4
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