TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2014
NWHERALD.COM
75 CENTS
Cary-Grove’s Alli Jakubicek
WINTER WEATHER • PLANIT STYLE, D1
Heart health calls for caution in the cold
GIRLS BASKETBALL • SPORTS, C1
CL Central, Cary-Grove advance at regional
Interfaith group hopes to reach out to schools
‘WITH A WINTER LIKE THIS, YOU CAN GET PRETTY WORN OUT’
LONG DAY PLOWING
Alleged hate crime sparks conversation By JEFF ENGELHARDT
“The incident that took place, that’s the exact kind of thing that we are trying to educate against. But it’s encouraging to see how the community in Crystal Lake has come to support the family.”
jengelhardt@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Leaders in the area’s faith community want an altercation at Hannah Beardsley Middle School that led to hate crime charges to be a catalyst for constructive conversation about embracing growing diversity. Members of FaithBridge, an interfaith consortium aimed at promoting respect and understanding among diverse communities, hope to reach out to Hannah Beardsley to develop a program that would encourage students to learn and talk about the diverse ethnicities and cultures in the community. The Rev. Carrie Smith, pastor at Bethany Lutheran Church and member of FaithBridge, said as the community becomes more diverse, more outreach is needed to make people of all backgrounds feel included and respected. “We feel we can come in and offer some resources and be able to help in that way,” Smith said of a potential program at schools. “What happened shows we have a lot of work to do and need to talk to each other and learn from each other.” Omid Babakhani, an eighth-grader at Hannah Beardsley, suffered two fractured clavicles after another student called him a Persian, headlocked him and slammed him to the ground shortly after the lunch hour on Feb. 10. The assailant was charged with aggravated assault and a
Jim Dallke – jdalke@shawmedia.com
McHenry County Department of Transportation maintenance worker Bob Westman plows the seven-mile stretch of Algonquin Road from Route 31 to Route 47 on Monday. Westman can cover more than 300 miles plowing up and down Algonquin Road during his 12- to 16-hour shift.
Miles add up as crews work to keep roads clear By JIM DALLKE jdallke@shawmedia.com
ALGONQUIN – If you were able to drive on Algonquin Road from Route 31 to Route 47 Monday, you have Bob Westman to thank. Westman, a McHenry County Department of Transportation highway maintenance worker, will have driven close to 300 miles plowing up and down the seven-mile stretch of road after his 12- to 16-hour shift. “With a winter like this, you can get pretty worn out,” he said. “But it gets to be something you really like to do. You enjoy doing it. Every storm is different.” Monday was Westman’s 27th anniversary at the McHenry County Department of Trans-
portation, but don’t expect a cake or celebration. Snow often fell heavy at times, and any moment not on the road could mean disastrous travel conditions for drivers. “Some newscasters said we could get as much as 1 to 3 inches an hour,” he said. “That would be real hard to keep up with.” Three and half inches of new snow was reported in Woodstock, with up to 4½ inches possible in southern parts of the county, National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Bardou said.
On the Net To view video of snowplowers at work, visit NWHerald.com.
Afternoon Drive Get the latest headlines emailed straight to your inbox each weekday afternoon by signing up for Afternoon Drive at nwherald.com/ newsletter.
See DRIVERS, page A4
Dr. Fazal Khan Co-president of FaithBridge and president of the American Muslim Community Organization
See CONVERSATION, page A4
Illinois gubernatorial candidates back new building plan By SARA BURNETT The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD – With the largest statewide public construction program in Illinois history nearing its end, all of the 2014 candidates for governor say the state should approve another one. But their ideas on what it should look like and how to pay for it vary. Gov. Pat Quinn, a Chicago Democrat seeking re-election, signed the current capital construction program weeks after
taking office in 2009. The sixyear, $31 billion statewide initiative was the first of its kind in about a decade, and Quinn’s office says it has been used to fix thousands of miles of roads, update transit systems and put thousands of people to work. Quinn has said he expects the Legislature to consider a new plan this spring. He told The Associated Press his administration is still looking into how to fund it, but suggested the state could eliminate some corporate tax breaks – which he described
as “loopholes” – to come up with some of the money. Lawmakers approved video gambling and tax hikes on liquor and other products to help pay for the current building program. “I really feel this is important if we’re going to have a strong economy,” Quinn said of a new statewide plan. All of the Republicans seeking the March GOP nomination – state Sens. Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard, businessman Bruce
LOCALLY SPEAKING
Warren Cotton
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Republicans
Democrats
Gov. Pat Quinn
See CANDIDATES, page A4
Tio Hardiman
Bruce Rauner
Kirk Dillard
Dan Rutherford
Bill Brady
Election Central: Follow the local, state and national races at NWHerald. com/election.
McHENRY COUNTY
CARY
2 DEMS COMPETE IN DISTRICT 14 PRIMARY
BEARS AWARD GOES TO C-G’S HUGHES
Two Democratic hopefuls in the 14th Congressional District are vying for the chance to unseat incumbent Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Winfield, in November. Issues in the race include the economy, transportation and job creation. The district includes parts of Kane, DuPage, DeKalb, Will, McHenry, Lake and Kendall counties.
Cary-Grove senior Matt Hughes’ giving attitude, as well as his athletic and academic excellence, earned him the Chicago Bears’ Community Champion Award, which he received Monday at Halas Hall from the National Football Foundation’s Chicago Metro Chapter. Hughes was one of three high school recipients of the honor. For more, see page C1.
For more, see page B1 Christina Butti
Gubernatorial candidates
CRYSTAL LAKE: Prolonged severe winter weather to blame for local blood shortages, says group. Local, B1
WEATHER HIGH
LOW
36 23 Complete forecast on A6
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