FRIDAY
Febru ar y 27, 2015 • $ 1 .0 0
RAIDERS REIGN
NORTHWEST
Huntley girls basketball beats Boylan to win sectional / C1
HERALD RALD
HIGH
LOW
12 -6 Complete forecast on page A8
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Former county coroner indicted Charges against Lantz include forgery, two counts of official misconduct By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com
Marlene Lantz
WOODSTOCK – Former McHenry County Coroner Marlene Lantz was indicted Thursday on allegations that for more than 15 years, she never disposed of the remains of a dead baby that recently were discovered in the coroner’s office.
A McHenry County grand jury indicted Lantz on two counts of official misconduct and one count of forgery – each is a Class 3 felony. According to the indictment, from March 13, 1992, until Lantz left office on Nov. 30, 2012, she failed to dispose of the body of “Baby Reinert,” also known as “Baby Doe.” As part of her official
duties, Lantz should have buried the remains, cremated them or donated them to science, the indictment says. The indictment also says Lantz signed a death certificate saying the baby was buried and that the identity of the mother was unknown, and she did so knowing that such information was false. Prosecutors were not dis-
cussing details of the case, and the circumstances surrounding “Baby Doe” remain unclear. The case will be prosecuted by Chief of the Criminal Division Michael Combs, who said he wouldn’t discuss an open case. State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi also had no comment. Lantz and Bianchi are not political bedfellows. The former cor-
College-level experience
oner openly backed anyone running against Bianchi for state’s attorney, and supported Bianchi’s biggest political enemy, former Sheriff Keith Nygren. Most recently, Lantz supported independent candidate Jim Harrison in his failed bid for sheriff to replace Nygren.
See EX-CORONER, page A7
Tuition increase gets OK at MCC Board votes down infrastructure fee By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com
Photos by H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Woodstock High School senior Danny Robles concentrates while he works on his web design class project Wednesday. The number of high school students enrolled in one of three High School Plus programs at McHenry County College was up 31.3 percent last year compared with the year before, and much of the growth over the past five years has occurred within the college’s College in High School program.
Enrollment rises in county’s high school dual credit programs ing offered at seven high schools this fall will change that. McHenry County College had to CRYSTAL LAKE – More than get a waiver from the Illinois Com500 high school freshmen and munity College Board to offer the sophomores at half of McHenry classes to underclassmen, making County’s high schools are set to it one of a handful in the state to get their first taste of college this get the OK, according to school ofcoming fall. ficials. Dual credit courses, which are The move is the next step in classes where students earn both McHenry County College’s growhigh school and college credit, ing dual credit program, which have previously been territory for has seen the number of students the county’s juniors and seniors, but a computer literacy course beSee DUAL CREDIT, page A6
By EMILY K. COLEMAN
ecoleman@shawmedia.com
Woodstock High School’s graphic communications instructor Sandra Brainard (left) assists student Isaly Figueroa as she works on her project Wednesday.
CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County College students will pay $5 more per credit hour starting this summer, but a proposed $5 infrastructure fee won’t show up on the bill. The tuition increase was approved in a 5-3 vote by the McHenry County College Board of Trustees at its meeting Thursday evening, while the infrastructure fee died in a 4-4 vote. “What we’re doing is we’re actually increasing based on something we don’t know is going to happen,” said board Secretary Molly Walsh of Crystal Lake, who voted against both increases. The original staff recommendation brought to the board in January proposed a $10 per credit hour tuition increase on top of a new $5 infrastructure fee and was based on concerns that state aid could drop as much as 30 percent. More information has trickled in from Springfield, and based on Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget address last week, community colleges could have their revenue remain virtually untouched despite the other cuts he is proposing. “I’m kind of in a limbo,” said Robert Tenuta, the college’s chief financial officer and treasurer. “I’m still thinking that I might lose some money, but we don’t know exactly how much that is.” To make sure the college can handle a reduction, Tenuta made a revised recommendation earlier this month of a $5 tuition increase, expected to bring in an additional $613,000 a year, plus the
See TUITION, page A6
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Federal regulators approve tougher rules for broadband Internet providers / B3 SPORTS
Victim in train crash ID’d Woodstock 19-year-old killed at Metra crossing was student, volleyball player at McHenry County College / A3
Local swimmers head to state Seven swimmers from area aim to advance from Friday prelims to Saturday finals / C1
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