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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
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Suit alleges sexual harassment Dan Rutherford is facing a lawsuit from a former staffer alleging sexual harassment.
Rutherford, GOP gubernatorial candidate, denies accusations By KERRY LESTER and SOPHIA TAREEN The Associated Press CHICAGO – The campaign for Illinois governor took a jarring turn Monday when a former state employee accused a Republican candidate, state Treasurer Dan Rutherford, of sexually harassing him and
Donation a ‘gift’ for McHenry resident
regularly forcing him to do political work on state time – allegations Rutherford denied as “absolutely, totally political.” Ed Michalowski, a former lawyer and director in Rutherford’s office, filed a federal lawsuit alleging Rutherford started making unwanted sexual advances toward him in April 2011, shortly after Mich-
alowski began working in the office. He said the harassment continued for more than two years. The lawsuit also claims Rutherford asked Michalowski to set up meetings with potential donors for campaign contributions and organize parades and petition drives while on government time.
At a news conference late Monday, Rutherford said the claims have no merit “whatsoever” and questioned their timing, coming just weeks before the four-way GOP primary. He said his office has documents and correspondence that refute the claims and that to his knowledge, there are no witnesses to the alleged inci-
dents of harassment. “I absolutely believe this thing smells of politics,” Rutherford said. Political analysts say the allegations could severely damage Rutherford’s chances, particularly among the socially conservative voters who
See RUTHERFORD, page A4
Snowmobilers Ryan Artner (left) of Huntley and Tim Monahan of Crystal Lake check a trail map before heading out for a ride at Glacial Park.
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Recovering after rare transplant By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com McHENRY – Darrick Rosinski has cried three times in his life: the day he married his bride and twice more when each of his children were born. Jan. 9 marked a fourth. It was Day 100. Rosinski had been living at the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic after being diagnosed with severe pulmonary hypertension almost a year earlier. The 57-yearold’s heart was failing. He needed roundDarrick the-clock care. Rosinski He needed a heart and lung transplant. Too sick to return to his McHenry home, Rosinski was admitted to the hospital in October 2013, where he waited for the vital organs. Each new day was now marked as a measurable milestone. Day 10. Day 25. Day 75. “I describe it as being on a sailboat with no wind. You can’t go forward, you can’t go back,” Rosinski said. “Every single day you’re waiting for this phone call. But in the back of my mind, I thought, ‘If I do get the phone call, that means somebody had to die for me to get their organs.’ ” Jan. 9, the phone rang. A new heart to pump his blood, new lungs for breathing life, would soon be his. He called his wife in McHenry. “He was crying and said, ‘I got the gift, hun,’ ” Linda Rosinski said. Even a month later, she still tears up. “It was an emotional roller coaster. We were then worrying about
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Photos by H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Snowmobilers Tim Monahan (front) of Crystal Lake and Ryan Artner of Huntley ride the trails recently at Glacial Park.
Local snowmobile riders take advantage of favorable trail conditions By JOSEPH BUSTOS jbustos@shawmedia.com So far this winter, Tim Monahan has put about 500 miles on his Arctic Cat snowmobile. The 30-year-old Crystal Lake resident lives close enough to the trails that he doesn’t have to put his snowmobile onto a trailer to find a place to ride for about three hours at a time.
“This winter has been phenomenal,” Monahan said. While many people can’t wait for the end of this winter, which has dropped more than 60 inches of snow in the Chicago area according to the National Weather Service, snowmobilers say they’ve been able to take advantage of the conditions this season. Snowmobile riders have hit the trails a lot more compared to the previ-
ous two years. Monahan loves snowmobiling so much that if he could do his grocery shopping with it, he would. “I think it’s a hobby or sport that not a lot of people do,” Monahan said. “When people see me on the sled, they think ‘He’s crazy.’ I’m doing
See SNOWMOBILE, page A5
See DONATION, page A5
LOCALLY SPEAKING
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
LAKE COUNTY
WOODSTOCK
JOHNSBURG MAN FACES SEX CHARGE
PENNY A GALLON GAS CAUSES FLURRY
A Johnsburg man was among 11 arrested during a National Day of Johns operation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Bryan Macey, 41, of the 5900 block of Meadowlark Lane in Johnsburg, was charged with solicitation of a sexual act. He was released from custody after posting a $1,000 bond. He is due in court Monday. For more, see page B1.
An error at a Shell station in Woodstock had gas priced at $0.011 a gallon, causing a flurry of traffic and police activity at the store. An employee at the gas station said nothing like that has ever happened in the five years she has worked there. Police arrived at the scene about 9:30 p.m. to find cars blocking traffic. For more, see page B1.
CRYSTAL LAKE: CL Central earns first win of season in game against Woodstock. Sports, C1
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