NORTHWEST
HERALD
THRILLING VICTORY
May 24, 2015 • $1.50
SUNDAY
Blackhawks beat Ducks, 5-4, in 2nd OT, tie the Western Conference final series at 2 / C1 NWHerald.com
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN McHENRY COUNTY
A TALE OF TWO MRAPS
HIGH
LOW
72 63
Facebook.com/NWHerald
Complete forecast on page A14
@NWHerald
Officials question housing estimate Some on Cary board say state data wrong on affordable homes By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com
H. Rick Bamman file photo – hbamman@shawmedia.com
The McHenry County Sheriff Office’s MRAP vehicle maneuvers down Sunset Drive in Holiday Hills after two McHenry County deputies were shot in 2014. Republicans and Democrats joined together recently to limit the ability of police departments in Wisconsin to acquire and use military vehicles and equipment. The unanimous vote by the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee came amid increasing national scrutiny of the militarization of local police forces.
McHenry County, military surplus and police militarization By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com McHenry County Sheriff’s Sgt. Eric Ellis and the rest of his SWAT team were on edge as they surrounded the Holiday Hills home of Scott Peters. Peters had just seriously wounded two deputies responding to a domestic disturbance call on the
About the Law Enforcement Support Office
morning of Oct. 16. When Ellis learned that Peters had an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, he realized that the armored Humvee that the SWAT team responded with might be inadequate, and the area did not afford his officers decent cover. He decided to call out the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected military vehicle
n Created in the early 1990s by Congress to transfer excess Defense Department equipment to local law enforcement offices at little or no cost. n Program has transferred more than $5.4 billion in property. n There are more than 8,000 law-enforcement agencies participating in the program. n More than $980 million worth of property was transfered in 2014 alone.
See MILITARIZATION, page A8
‘‘
It takes a lot of training and cash for something we completely don’t have a need for. It’s an expense we agreed wasn’t necessary and moved on.” Mark Eisenberg, Spring Grove village president
CARY – The Cary Village Board members on Tuesday took issue, many in fact, with a state-designated shortfall of affordable housing in the village. Like several other McHenry County communities, Cary fell below the state-decided and state-calculated threshold of 10 percent affordable housing stock, Community Development Director Brian Simmons said Tuesday during the Committee of the Whole meeting. According to the Affordable Housing and Appeals Act of 2003, falling on the “non-exempt” list means Cary has to draft a plan to address the shortfall using certain requirements as a base, Simmons said. He said the village has 197 houses deemed affordable by the Illinois Housing Development Authority, and 210 affordable rental units. It needs 181 additional units to reach 10 percent, Simmons said. That information is based off American Community Study census data. Algonquin recently approved a plan under the consent agenda during its May 5 board meeting, and the Fox River Grove board did so Thursday by a 4-1 vote. For Cary, however, it looks as though an approved plan is still a while away. Trustee Jim Cosler brought up a major concern, alleging the calculations from the IHDA – the administrator of the act – were skewed and
See HOUSING, page A2
Illinois medical pot businesses to battle black market for customers The Associated Press CHICAGO – When retailers open state-approved medical marijuana shops in Illinois later this year, they will face a distinct disadvantage in luring prospective patients across their thresholds: Marijuana will always be cheaper on the black market. So what incentives might entice those patients? Think cannabis-infused premium chocolate. Well-lit display cases that showcase buds as if they were jew-
elry. Informed employees who can guide each patient to the best strain for their needs. Dispensary owners in Illinois are thinking, too, about Tupperware-style education parties, spa-like interior design and good old-fashioned customer service – all ways to beat out their fiercest competitors: underground dealers. As the state’s pilot program lurches to life with the first marijuana expected to be sold in the fall, businesses are studying the strategies of veteran players in Colorado, Washington and California during
SPORTS
site visits and trade shows. Patient numbers have been low, with only 2,300 people gaining state approval so far. Some have complained about the fingerprint requirement to get a patient card, and others have said they’d rather stick with dealers who may also be their friends. How to lure the latter away from the black market is on the mind of Gorgi Naumovski, whose company, KPG, holds permits to open dispensaries in the southern Illinois cities
See MARIJUANA, page A2
STYLE
WHERE IT’S AT
Farm Bureau program
Advice .................... Style 8 Business ...................D1-10 Classified.....................F1-7 Community ....................B1 Local News...............A2-12 Lottery............................A2 Movies...................Style 11 Nation&World.......B4, 6-7 Obituaries ................... A13 Opinions ........................B2 Puzzles ........................F7-8 Sports........................C1-12 State .............................. B4 Style..........................Inside Weather ....................... A14
City Moms become savvy shoppers by learning about farms, food through tours / STYLE 6-7 BUSINESS
‘I gave my best effort’ Jacobs’ Van Vlierbergen can’t complain about third-place finish at state in 3A, giving her 6 top-5 state finishes / C1
AP photo
Kiva Confections CEO Scott Palmer (center) talks to a potential client at a marijuana trade show Wednesday at the Marijuana Business Conference & Expo in Chicago. The California company makes premium chocolates infused with cannabis.
Kalck’s celebrates 40 years Customers driving force behind family-owned butcher shop’s success in Crystal Lake / D1
adno=0312250
By CARLA K. JOHNSON