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Many simple ways to take basic mac and cheese to a whole new level / D1
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Plan centers on Camp Algonquin MCCD’s revised Fox Bluff proposal would save 4 buildings at site By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – The former Camp Algonquin site would be the focal point of the 279acre Fox Bluff Conservation Area under a proposed master plan being considered by the
McHenry County Conservation District. About five miles of trails would loop through the area with the half south of Allen Road guiding hikers past a series of historic buildings, a section designed to recognize the first settler family to
Emanuel, Garcia to face off in runoff
move to the county and other markers to highlight the role noted landscape architect Jens Jenson played in the camp’s design, said the district’s planning manager, Amy Peters. Three of the four buildings included in the plan were set to be demolished under the
last proposal, but the McHenry County Historic Preservation Commission and the McHenry County Historical Society’s board had protested the move, pointing to the camp’s century-long history. The camp was created in 1907 as part of a nationwide
trend of charitable organizations bringing urban children to the country to get fresh air and get away from the disease and unsanitary conditions of the slums they lived in. The revised master plan back before the Board of Trustees and the public pro-
poses saving four of the 40-odd buildings located at the site: a century-old dairy barn, the recreation hall, a small counselors cabin built in the 1950s and one of three dormitories built by the Tribune Company,
See PLAN, page A5
‘THERE IS INDEED RECOVERY TAKING PLACE’ IN McHENRY COUNTY
Spending millions, Chicago mayor fails to clinch race By SOPHIA TAREEN The Associated Press CHICAGO – Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel failed to capture a majority of the vote Tuesday in his bid for a second term, an embarrassment for the former White House chief of staff who now faces a runoff this spring against Cook County Commissioner Jesus “Chuy” Garcia. The result exposed possible vulnerability for an incumbent who has widespread support from Rahm Emanuel business leaders, national name recognition and raised millions of dollars in campaign funds. He participatJesus “Chuy” ed in half a dozen debates Garcia and forums and received a last-minute boost from President Barack Obama. Still, he wasn’t able to capture the more than 50 percent necessary to avoid an April 7 runoff against Garcia, a former alderman and state senator, who finished far below Emanuel’s vote total but far above the other three challengers. “We have come a long way, and we have a little bit further to go,” Emanuel told supporters. “This is the first step in a real important journey for our city.”
Kyle Grillot for Shaw Media
Life Spine Inc. corporate controller John Sluzynski (left) and accounting manager Charles Crookshank work Friday at the company’s recently purchased 58,400-squarefoot headquarters in Huntley. Office space vacancy rates are falling, indicating an uptick in the market and more tenants filling empty buildings, according to CoStar’s fourth quarter 2014 market report. Life Spine is one of those businesses, having moved its headquarters to a Huntley location that had been vacant since 2000.
Market for office space improving But experts say recovery is slower in McHenry County
By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com In October, a medical device company moved its headquarters from Hoffman Estates to Huntley, occupying more than 58,000 square feet of previously vacant office space. Life Spine Inc.’s move follows an upward trend of more filled office space in metro Chicago and in suburban areas, including McHenry County. In Huntley alone, business development Coordinator Margo Griffin reported a 25.7 percent decrease in office vacancy since the second quarter of 2012. “The village of Huntley has seen a marked increase in office tenants over the past two years, especially
with businesses related to the medical field,” Griffin said in a statement. “Many of the new offices are locating close to the active adult community of Del Webb’s Sun City and near the new hospital.” While the office vacancy rate for the county at large has not yet returned to its pre-recession rate – 17.4 percent in 2006 – there has been a definite decline, according to data from CoStar, a Washington, D.C.-based commercial real estate information company. The data provided includes more than 600 properties containing more than 5.7 million square feet. Since the fourth quarter of 2010, when the vacancy rate was at its
See OFFICES, page A5
See RUNOFF, page A5
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Suspect allegedly jumped into red van Tuesday after robbing PNC Bank in Fox Lake / A3 NATION
Quest for title in jeopardy Burlington Central stuns Marengo, 73-71, in high-scoring, back-and-forth BNC East conference matchup / C1
Funding deadline looms In a bind, Republicans in the U.S. Senate offer vote on clean Homeland Security bill / B5
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