Musick: Hawks’ Bollig is back where it all began
SATURDAY, APRIL 19, 2014
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Crystal Lake teenager who drowned ID’d No foul play suspected in death of CLC freshman By SHAWN SHINNEMAN sshinneman@shawmedia.com
and JIM DALLKE jdallke@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – A 15-year-old Crystal Lake boy who died Thursday night after being rescued from a pond was identified by the McHenry County Coroner Friday as Jose A. Esquivel. An autopsy determined the preliminary cause of death was drowning, according to a news release from the coroner. Esquivel was pulled from the water by emergency responders Thursday night after about an hour and a half of searching a pond located behind a home at 6100 Haligus Road in unincorporated Crystal Lake. He was taken to Centegra Hospital – Woodstock, where he was pronounced dead at 11:43 p.m. Emergency crews arrived at the scene just after 9 p.m. and located the boy at 10:37 p.m.
Photos by H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Nichols Farm and Orchard owner Lloyd Nichols describes the possible weather damage to one of the concord grapevines at the orchard. Nichols ranked this past winter as one of the harshest since he started the farm in Marengo 36 years ago. Nichols and his family grow more than 1,000 fruits and vegetables at the orchard each year. “It’s too early to see what happened yet. ... We definitely pushed the season back,” Nichols said. “We are looking at a relatively short growing season.”
Wait for warm weather Area farmers are ready, but conditions not quite right rying,” Alten said. “If the sun keeps shining, we will start planting.” Farmers across McHenry Whether it’s a frigid winter County have their tillers and or summer drought, weathtractors ready, as they wait er conditions throughout the for warm and dry year can dictate a enough conditions farmer’s ability to to begin planting We just have produce a healthy crops and put becrop. But the deep to wait for the freeze that lasthind them a long, harsh winter. all winter in right time. If it ed Grain farmer McHenry County starts raining has caused cooler Harry Alten has spent the month temperatures and snowing the soil fertilizing his 600for farmers at a acre farm in Har- next few weeks, critical juncture. vard for the plantAs April conthen we will ing season, while cludes, farmers waiting for sunnithe county are start worrying. in er days to heat the entering the traIf the sun keeps ditional planting soil. Out near Woodto produce shining, we will window stock, cool soils optimal crops. also are putting start planting.” Farmers generally farmer Michele have from the end Harry Alten Aavang slightly of April to mid-May behind planting to plant crops and Grain farmer schedule, while give them enough John Bartman time to harvest behas the advantage of Maren- fore fall, Bartman said. go’s drier and sandier soils as “If you are planting corn he readies to plant corn and in June, the problem is that in beans this spring. October you could have an ear“We just have to wait for ly frost and may end up killing the right time. If it starts rain- your crop,” said Bartman, a ing and snowing the next few weeks, then we will start worSee FARMING, page A6
By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO
sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com
Document cites $450M slash in general state aid Todd Nichols checks the level of a planter Friday before making adjustments and putting down rows of sweet corn seeds in Marengo.
Kyle Grillot – kgriillot@shawmedia.com
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SPRINGFIELD – Most of Illinois’ 860 school districts would see cuts in funding if the state’s temporary tax increase is rolled back as scheduled, according to a document being circulated as part of Illinois Democrats’ campaign to preserve the tax hike and push to update the state’s school funding formula. The document, released by the caucus this week, cites what would be a total of
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No suspicious circumstances or foul play is suspected, according to the coroner’s release. Esquivel was a freshman at Crystal Lake Central High School, where he ran track and field and cross country for the school.
See IDENTIFIED, page A6
$450 million in general state aid cuts to schools. But a few schools, mainly in Chicago’ suburbs, would actually receive more money despite the state’s drop in revenues, because the complicated, 20-year-old funding formula would consider them poorer. Republicans quickly disputed the figures. They said the Democrats are exaggerating the extent of the cuts needed and could manage the state’s finances better by finding savings elsewhere. Senate Democrats estimate Illinois will have a $3 billion budget gap next year. About $1.6 billion of that is because the temporary income tax increase lawmakers approved in 2011 is
See CUTS, page A6
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For more photos from area farmers preparing for proper conditions to plant this year’s crops, visit NWHerald.com.
UNION
BOARD OKS ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLES
WOODSTOCK: Owners Jim and Laura Powell look to establish Off the Rails as a staple in their community. Business, E1
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The Union Village Board recently voted to allow disabled residents to ride all-terrain vehicles along local roads and reversed a stance that sparked controversy over equal rights in the rural town. “It’s been tough ... but we made a good ordinance,” Village President Robert Wagner said. For more, see page B1.
Al and Judy Degutis
Bill Eschman Head coach of the Crystal Lake Central cross country team
Democrats: Schools could face major cuts
LOCALLY SPEAKING
Ellie Powell
“The cross country, track guys are a tight bunch. We preach family, and that’s how we treat everybody. [Esquivel] was a part of our family. He was the type of kid that everybody gravitated to. He fit in right from the start.”
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