THURSDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2013
NWHERALD.COM
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STILLER’S ‘SECRET’ IS OUT ‘Walter Mitty’ a sweet story of daydream adventures In Pl@y
ALSO IN PLANIT PL@Y ... n 10 things to do this weekend n ‘Osage County’ review n Comedy show at Raue
Christmas on the job
Burned house to be razed Fire won’t affect church’s plans By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com
Lathan Goumas – lgoumas@shawmedia.com
Emergency nurse Nancy Lesko talks with a patient as she works in the emergency room at Centegra Hospital – McHenry on Christmas. While most businesses are closed, emergency response personnel work through the holiday, oftentimes not getting to see their family or loved ones.
Holiday is time to work for first responders, others in county By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com McHENRY – The Christmas shift was pretty slow for Jordan Lobitz, the operations manager at the McHenry Downtown Theatre, mostly, he thinks, because of the snow. “People are happier [than normal],” he said. “They also want to tip you, which never happens any other day of the year. It’s more fam-
ilies, too.” Lobitz doesn’t take the tips, he said. He recommends they donate them instead to the FISH of McHenry Food Pantry, which the theater collects food for. The theater also played host to sailors from Naval Station Great Lakes, a part of the day Lobitz particularly enjoys. With a carbon dioxide alarm going off, three reports of smelling a gas leak and a couple of ambulance
calls, the seven-member crew at McHenry Township Fire Protection District’s Station 1 had a busier day. They also helped out an older woman who wanted to visit her family but couldn’t get in and out of her home without help. “It’s Christmas,” Captain Joe Foreman said. “It’s goodwill to the community. If they wanted us to do it every day, then maybe someone would say, maybe you need to build
a ramp, but it’s Christmas. It’s a one-time thing.” The firefighters also had to take care of their regular duties, including washing the truck, doing a couple loads of laundry and cleaning the bathroom and other common areas. “I like to work Christmas,” firefighter Jenny Winkler said. “Christmas is always busy. You get
McHENRY – An unoccupied house that was extensively damaged in a fire earlier this month already was set to be torn down. The Chapel, a nondenominational church that has held services at McHenry West High School since 2010, bought the 12-acre property at 414 S. Crystal Lake Road in September with the intent of building a new church there. Five of the six buildings on the property are to be demolished, including the two-story house that was damaged in a fire Dec. 18, The Chapel said in a news release. The fire caused extensive fire and smoke damage throughout the house, according to a news release issued by the McHenry Township Fire Protection District at the time. No one was injured. Since the September purchase, The Chapel has started to clear the land and developed plans to demolish the buildings, according to the church. The campaign to raise money to build the new church is expected to take several years, its campus pastor, Jeff Pittman said, in a letter to the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission. The church would be about 25,000 square feet and could accommodate 400 people, according to city documents.
See WORK, page A10 See CHURCH, page A10
Pope delivers Christmas Day message By FRANCES D’EMILIO The Associated Press VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis offered Christmas wishes Wednesday for a better world, praying for protection for Christians under attack, battered women and trafficked children, peace in the Middle East and Africa, and dignity for refugees fleeing misery and conflict around the globe. Francis delivered the traditional “Urbi et Orbi” (Latin for “to the city and to the world”)
speech from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica to more than 70,000 cheering tourists, pilgrims and Romans in the square below. In his first Christmas message since being elected pontiff in March, he asked for all to share in the song of Christmas angels, “for every man or woman ... who hopes for a better world, who cares for others,” humbly. Among places ravaged by conflict, Francis singled out Syria, which saw its third
LOCALLY SPEAKING
Christmas during civil war; South Sudan; the Central African Republic; Nigeria; and Iraq. In Iraq on Wednesday, militants targeted Christians in two attacks, including a bomb that exploded near a church during Christmas Mass in Baghdad. The separate bombings killed dozens of people. The Vatican has been trying to raise concern in the world for persecution and attacks on Christians in parts of the Middle East and Africa.
“Lord of life, protect all who are persecuted in your name,” Francis said. Adding an off-the-cuff remark, Francis said he also was inviting nonbelievers to join their desire for peace with everyone else. The pope also prayed that God “bless the land where you chose to come into the world and grant a favorable outcome to the peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.”
See POPE, page A10
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WOODSTOCK’S FERGUSON COMMITS Woodstock pitcher Alex Ferguson, who had a standout high school season, considered NCAA schools on all three levels and recently committed to Division II Minnesota-Duluth, where he will pitch next year on an athletic scholarship. Ferguson was a Northwest Herald All-Area second-team selection last season and had his best game in the Class 3A Woodstock Regional opener when he struck out 14 Marian Central hitters in a two-hit 2-0 victory. Sports, B2
Kyle McCaughn
Joe Komaromy
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
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AP photo
Pope Francis delivers his “Urbi et Orbi” (to the city and to the World) message Wednesday from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican.