SATURDAY, MARCH 8, 2014
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AMERICAN PROFILE
Don’t forget to set your clocks forward for spring
American music quiz: How much do you know?
NORTHWEST HERALD SPECIAL REPORT
Hebron president’s actions raise questions
Inside
Victim in Woodstock fire IDed Anita Kohl remembered for her dedication to teaching By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com
and JIM DALLKE jdallke@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – Anita Kohl made teaching her life and touched many lives during the 16 years she spent as an elementary teacher at Woodstock District 200, Superintendent Ellyn Wrzeski said. Kohl died Thursday night after a fire started in the first-floor room she frequently occupied inside her home at 509 E. Kimball Ave. in Woodstock. She was 73. “She touched the lives of many children in those 16 years,” Wrzeski said. “Teaching was her life, and it was something she was passionate about and something she lived for.” Kohl began at District 200 in 1988, when she taught at Westwood Elementary School. She would later move on to the district’s Verda Dierzen Early Learning Center, before retiring in 2004 at the former Clay Elementary School. Employees throughout the district office Friday were shocked and saddened to hear that Kohl was the victim of the fire, Wrzeski said. She called the loss “tragic and sad” for the district community.
See VICTIM, page A7
Ill. commended for renewable Some frustrated with Jacobson’s ‘chaotic’ management energy buys Photos by Kyle Grillot - kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Hebron’s Village President John Jacobson leads discussions during a Feb. 17 Village Board meeting. Jacobson awaits a court date Thursday in Walworth, Wis., Municipal Court stemming from October charges of operating while intoxicated, operating with prohibited alcohol concentration equal to or more than 0.15 percent and deviation from a designated lane. In January, Jacobson was pulled over by a McHenry County Sheriff’s deputy and about 3 grams of crack cocaine were found inside the vehicle, said Undersheriff Andrew Zinke.
By SHAWN SHINNEMAN
On the Net
sshinneman@shawmedia.com HEBRON – Not much of Hebron village government’s core staff remains since Village President John Jacobson took over. Gone is a public works director and his second-in-command. Gone is the village’s clerk. Gone is a longtime treasurer – and, only months later, her replacement. Gone – fired – is Paul Acutt, the police officer who arrested Jacobson for driving under the influence in 2011. Less than a year since Jacobson was elected despite pending drug charges, a Northwest Herald investigation has turned up details about the departures and additions to village staff under his guidance, and how he’s running the day-to-day operations of the village. Jacobson’s handling of a village truck to pay a consul-
To view a timeline of Jacobson’s arrests and his termination letter from McHenry County College, visit NWHerald.com/government.
Jacobson (left) talks with village trustee Jerry Bough during a February Village Board meeting. tant – without board approval – has raised legal concerns. The investigation also revealed new details into Jacobson’s dismissal from McHenry County College in February 2013, where it was alleged that the then-custodian was receiv-
ing and forwarding photos of naked children and adult pornographic images using the college’s email system. The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office and the college give differing answers as to whether a police report ever was filed in
the matter. In Hebron, some staffers have resigned, not commenting publicly about their reasons for leaving. Others have been fired. Their replacements, in many cases, bring a fraction of their predecessors’ experience. “Our village [staff] now consists of people who have no clue, and have no experience in what they’re doing,” Village Trustee Susan Ritzert said. Ritzert and at least one other trustee are questioning the way the village is being run. They’re
Purchases help encourage development of power sources By TAMMY WEBBER The Associated Press CHICAGO – Illinois has more cities providing 100 percent renewable energy than any other state, which has reduced pollution by the equivalent of removing a million cars from the road over the past few years, according to a report released Friday by national and state environmental groups. A 2009 state law allowed communities to buy their own electricity, rather than relying on a central purchasing agency. Since then, more than 600 Illinois cities and towns have adopted aggregation, which allows them to bundle residential and small business customers to buy cheaper electricity in bulk from smaller suppliers. Of those, 91 provide all renewable energy, either by buying it directly or buying credits that help fund renewable energy development, the report says.
See JACOBSON, page A9 See ENERGY, page A7
LOCALLY SPEAKING
WOODSTOCK
TEACHER CHARGED WITH BATTERY A music teacher at Olson Elementary School has been charged with battery for allegedly touching an 11-year-old female student inappropriately, police said. Jeffrey M. Steurer, 39, of Caledonia, placed his hands on the buttocks of the girl in an incident during the school day that took place Dec. 19, police said. For more, see page B1
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
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29 11 Complete forecast on A12
CRYSTAL LAKE: Golden Eagles take down Chargers, finish celebration on their home court. Sports, C1
Where to find it Advice Business Buzz Classified
B8 E1-2 B10 E3-8
Vol. 29, Issue 67 Comics B9 Local&Region B1-4 Lottery A2 Movies B7
Obituaries Opinion Puzzles Sports
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