Many gather at NIU to remember those lost in shooting
Local, B1
014 SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2014
WWW.NWHERALD.COM
75 CENTS
// C E L E B R A T I N G T H E A M E R I C A N S P I R I T // //
americanprofile.com file.com m
AMERICAN PROFILE • INSIDE The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
F E B . 16 1 6 -2 2 , 2 0 1 4
FIREARM LAW • BUSINESS, E1
Life in the fast lane with NASCAR’s
Danica Patrick
NASCAR’s Danica Patrick talks life in the fast lane
What does concealed carry mean for Illinois businesses?
AMERICAN CAN ROOTS The Old Farmer’s Almanac RECIPE E Italian Beef Sandwichess
Handy Hints Smart tips ips for the homee and shop
Sheriff’s office spending at issue MIDWEST EDITION
GOP primary candidates have different views on budget By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – Candidates for the next sheriff of McHenry County are at odds over the office’s budget – with one candidate calling its finances ballooning, while his opponent calls that view misguided.
extent that Prim cited. Prim blasted the office for a 35 percent increase in its budget from 2008 to 2012, saying he pulled numbers from a previous news release from the county’s website. The overall budget increase was 15.9 percent during that same time period, according to figures pro-
Bill Prim and Andrew Zinke are squaring off for the Republican party’s nomination to fill the office held by retiring Sheriff Keith Nygren. Prim, a retired Des Plaines police commander, says that spending at the sheriff’s office is out of control. While the overall budget did increase, it was not to the
Village finance director ousted
vided by McHenry County administration. Zinke, the McHenry County undersheriff, says the increases in the budget are tied primarily to employee salaries and benefits, by way of union contracts approved by the County Board. Of the sheriff’s office’s 409 employees, 323 are unionized,
the office said. “His opinion of the budget is naive, and lacks clear understanding of the budget process,” Zinke said. “… The only thing out of our control is salaries, health insurance and pension benefits. That’s not decided by the sheriff. It’s
See SHERIFF, page A7
David Gunkel Northern Illinois University professor of communication technology
Illustra
tion by
Kristin a
Peters
– kpete rs@sh
awme
dia.co m
What does it mean? n The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia last month struck down key parts of the FCC’s “Open Internet Rules” that enforced net neutrality and prevented Internet service providers from blocking Internet content and other services. n Free speech and open Internet advocates have argued that an unregulated Internet marketplace will allow providers, like Verizon and AT&T, to offer Internet services much like today’s cable TV services. n Broadband providers, like Comcast and Verizon, have released statements that they still intend to keep the Internet open to consumers. The FCC, meanwhile, could appeal the decision.
Court decision clouds future of net neutrality By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com A federal appeals court may have closed the World Wide Web as users have always known it. The decision last month from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia that prevents the federal government from enforcing net neutrality rules has riled free speech experts and open Internet advocates. They fear the ruling allows Internet service providers, like Verizon and AT&T, to dictate
See OUSTED, page A7
LOCALLY SPEAKING
McHENRY
FIRE VICTIMS COULD GET FUNDS SOON A plan is in place to distribute $4,000 raised to help displaced McHenry fire victims from a fundraiser that took place nearly three weeks ago. Organizers said the funds will be transferred to McHenry Township and will be ready to distribute on a caseby-case basis in about a week. For more, see page B1.
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
20 11 Complete forecast on A10
Follow the local, state and national races at NWHerald. com/election.
‘‘
By EMILY K. COLEMAN
LOW
Election Central
[The fear is that Internet providers] could start bundling access to Internet content the same way they bundle access to cable.”
ecoleman@shawmedia.com
HIGH
Andrew Zinke
THE END OF OPEN INTERNET?
Island Lake hears audit firm’s report ISLAND LAKE – The finance director who oversaw the misappropriation of nearly $400,000 in police pension funds was fired by the Island Lake Village Board Thursday evening. The decision came after a presentation from the village’s new auditing firm on its findings, including the amounts of money that were intended for the police pension fund but were instead spent on other village expenses. The presentation didn’t give any new information on the three-year misappropriation beyond updated numbers, but the Village Board wanted to have an official report before it made any employment decisions, said Village President Charles Amrich, who broke the Village Board’s tie. Trustees Mark Beeson, Tony Sciarrone and Keith Johns voted in favor of terminating Finance Director John Little’s employment. Trustees Shannon Fox, Thea Morris and Chuck Cermak voted against it. “I’m sorry it happened to him,” Cermak said. “I think he’s a nice guy. I know he’s
Bill Prim
CRYSTAL LAKE: CL South girls beat CL Central, 51-42, in final regularseason basketball game. Sports, C1
Where to find it Advice Business Buzz Classified
B8 E1-2 B10 E3-8
Vol. 29, Issue 46 Comics B9 Local&Region B1-4 Lottery A2 Movies B7
Obituaries Opinion Puzzles Sports
B4 A9 E7 C1-8
how users access Internet content, while certain broadband providers have argued that net neutrality rules are unnecessary. “There is concern now on the part of net neutrality people that without some specific statement from the government ... [providers] will now begin selecting what is provided to you on the Internet,” said David Gunkel, a Northern Illinois University professor of communication technology. Net neutrality was the idea behind the
See INTERNET, page A7