THURSDAY
May 2 1, 2015 • $ 1 . 0 0
GETTING SCREEN TIME
NORTHWEST
McHenry locations serve as setting for new film ‘The Casket’ / Play 8-9
HERALD RALD
HIGH
LOW
68 44 Complete forecast on page A10
NWHerald.com
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Bleacher case arguments begin Ill. Supreme Court justices quiz D-155, Crystal Lake attorneys over issue By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com SPRINGFIELD – Community High School District 155 – or any other school district in the state – could build a 20-story building next to homes or construct a farm with 20 head of cattle in the middle of a town, the school district’s attorney said Wednesday. The scenarios were laid out by two Illinois Supreme Court justices
as part of a series of questions that punctuated oral arguments in a case over whether the Crystal Lake-based school district should have followed the city zoning process when expanding its bleachers and building a new press box at Crystal Lake South High School. School districts have their own process, one laid out in state statute and one that would have given both the neighboring property owners and the city of Crystal Lake a voice if they
Voice your opinion Whom do you think the Illinois Supreme Court will rule in favor of in the Crystal Lake South bleacher dispute? Vote online at NWHerald.com.
had taken part, said Robert Swain, the attorney representing the district. The regional office of education re-
views each building permit request to see whether it meets life safety codes, and municipalities can request to be notified if building permits are filed, said Lisle Stalter, an attorney with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office representing the McHenry County Regional Office of Education. There is no record that the city of Crystal Lake filed such a request, she said. But the existence of that process does not mean the school district
PAYING FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
Closer look at student loans
doesn’t have to follow other applicable laws, said Victor Filippini, the attorney representing the city of Crystal Lake, adding that the guidelines looked at as part of the regional office of education’s review are different from zoning requirements. “A review by the regional office of education does not supplant zoning,” Filippini said. “Building regulations are a consistent, uniformly applied
See BLEACHERS, page A7
Medical care in Ill. prisons criticized By MICHAEL TARM The Associated Press
Photos by Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Prairie Ridge students Lucy Skerke (left), 18, Megan Shaver, 18, Ali Karacia, 18, and Sean McCracken, 17, look up college and financial aid information Monday at the college and career center at Prairie Ridge High School.
Knowledge, resources are key By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – When Brady Olson began shopping for colleges, he knew financial forethought would play a major role in his decision-making process. “When I picked out my college, I looked at what kind of law school benefits it had to offer,” said Olson, a graduating senior from Prairie Ridge High School who hopes to be a prosecutor or join the FBI. And even though he found a scholarship at the University of Kansas for thousands per year, including the years he plans to spend at the university’s law school, he still expects student loan debt, as for many other collegegoers, will be “a big burden” later in life. As of last June, 71 percent of students who earned a bachelor’s degree graduated with student debt, a U.S. Department of Education spokesperson said in an emailed statement. The average amount of debt was about $29,400.
As the end of the year approaches, local high school counselors and state and national experts have said student loan debt has become a commonplace idea for the college-bound, but there still seems to be much that people don’t know.
Think ahead For those like Olson who have a career in mind, there is a rule of thumb when thinking about student loans, said Betsy Mayotte, director of regulatory compliance for American Student Assistance. “Generally, you shouldn’t take out more debt than the anticipated entry-level salary for your chosen profession,” Mayotte said, pointing toward the Bureau of Labor Statistics as a source for that information. “But that’s a high water mark.” The same advice was given by Mark Kantrowitz, senior vice president and publisher of Edvisors.com. In an email, he said if total student debt after
Prairie Ridge students Lucy Skerke (left), 18, Sean McCracken, 17, and Megan Shaver, 18, look up college and financial aid information.
Resources for student loan information n Federal Student Aid – studentaid.ed.gov – provides information on federal student loans, eligibility for aid, help with FAFSA, and repayment options. n National Student Loan Data System for Students – nslds.ed.gov – allows students to access information about their Title IV loans and/or grant data. n Illinois Student Assistance Commission – isac.org – provides college planning assistance for Illinois students and their parents.
See STUDENT LOANS, page A7
CHICAGO – A scathing new report by court-approved researchers paints a bleak picture of medical care in Illinois prisons, describing extended treatment delays, haphazard follow-up care, chaotic record keeping and a litany of other problems. The 405-page report, based on prison visits over several months and access to thousands of prison records, suggests that shoddy care may have shortened the lives of some convicts, including a former Chicago street gang member who died of lung cancer. Promptly disputed by the Illinois Department of Corrections, the report was filed late Tuesday night About the in U.S. District lawsuit Court in Chicago in a class-action Inmate lawsuit against the Don Lippert, agency that overa diabetic, sees 49,000 inmates. brought the The department 2010 civil suit said in a statement that the re- that contends port “uses a broad “deliberate brush to paint an indifference” incomplete picture about Illinois of the comprehen- inmates’ sive medical sys- medical care violates tem in place.” The report close- the Eighth ly scrutinized the Amendment cases of 63 prison- of the U.S. ers who became ill Constituand died in recent tion, which years. There were, prohibits cruel it said, “significant and unusual lapses” in care in punishment. 60 percent of those cases, calling that rate “unacceptably high.” The report highlights the case of Edward Thomas, a one-time Gangster Black Disciple convicted of first-degree murder for throwing a rival head first down a Chicago elevator shaft, according to filings in his criminal case. The report doesn’t include names of inmates, but it included Thomas’ prison, age and the date of his death. A county coroner who did the autopsy on Thomas confirmed to The Associated Press that he was the inmate who died of lung cancer on Jan. 30, 2013. Thomas knew something was wrong when he began coughing up blood in 2012 at Galesburg’s Hill Correctional Center. Despite Thomas’ pleas for help, the report says it took doctors six months
See PRISONS, page A2
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WHERE IT’S AT
Tigers rally
Where’s Hart?
73-day roadtrip
CL Central scores 5 in 2nd half of semifinal; will play for title / C1
Woodstock candidate’s absence on oath of office raising questions / A3
Local woman starts cross-country ride to battle cancer / A3
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