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CL rec center deal collapses Official says LITH property owner unable to meet district’s conditions By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – A recreation and aquatic center won’t be built at the 27-acre site off Ackman Road in Lake in the Hills. That’s despite the village of Lake in the Hills conditionally annexing the parcel more than a year ago under a deal with the Crystal Lake Park District. Negotiations finalizing the sale of the property at 8917 Ackman Road fell through because the owner was unable to meet one of the park district’s conditions, park district Executive Director Jason Herbster said. The property owner, Sara Wirkus, had an existing contract with a billboard company and while the park district was willing – though not happy – to keep the billboard, the company wanted two digital billboards, something the board felt was inappropriate for the neighborhood, Herbster said. The park district isn’t out the $625,000 it had agreed to buy the property for, but it has spent several thousand dollars in soil testing, other due diligence work and attorney fees plus a lot of staff time, Herbster said. He did not have an en R. Scott Helmch Illustration by
If you go n WHAT: The Crystal Lake Park District’s Board of Commissioners n WHEN: 7 p.m. May 21 n WHERE: Park district’s administrative offices, 1 E. Crystal Lake Ave.
exact dollar amount on how much the district has spent on the project. The establishment of a recreation and aquatic center now is back at square one, although staff won’t have to reinvent the wheel as it considers some of the sites it had evaluated the first time around, Herbster said, adding that some new sites also will be examined. Herbster plans on discussing the process with the district’s Board of Commissioners at its May meeting. “Location will always be one of those things that people are going to have pros and cons no matter where we decide,” he said, noting that there had been some critique of placing a Crystal Lake Park District facility in the village of Lake in the Hills, even though the property was bordered on three sides by the park district.
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Gambling hearings Count yourself lucky if your job bring expansion talks offers paid time off for being sick back into spotlight By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com
If your job doesn’t offer paid time off for being sick, you’re far from alone. About 40 percent of the private-sector workforce, and more than 10 percent of public-sector employees, don’t get paid sick time, according to government data. Of the workers who do, 4 million of them at any given time haven’t been on the job long enough to use it. And having paid sick time is no guarantee your employer will allow you to use it to care for a sick family member. A 2009 study by the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Economic and Policy Research concluded that the U.S. is the only developed country that does not guarantee some form of paid time off related to illness, which leaves it to employers or, in some instances, laws at the state and local levels. “As a result, each year millions of American workers go to work sick, lowering their own productivity and that of their coworkers and potentially spreading illness to their coworkers and customers. Other sick workers lose pay and risk job loss when they miss work to address personal and family health needs,” the study concluded. A bill working its way through the U.S. Senate seeks to change that. Under the Healthy Families Act, businesses that employ 15 or more people would be required to allow workers to earn up to seven paid sick days a year, and businesses with fewer than 15 employees would have to provide up to seven unpaid sick days a year. The bill also defines legitimate uses for sick days to include caring for family members and seeking medical attention such as preventative care. It does not add on to or supersede existing business policies that already meet the guidelines. Regardless of whether the bill becomes law or not, McHenry County’s largest private employer, and one of its many smaller employers, don’t see a problem with the idea because they already
READ THE REPORT You can read the text of the
By SOPHIA TAREEN
proposed Healthy Families Act at http://shawurl.com/1vip.
The Associated Press
VOICE YOUR OPINION How many paid sick days do you get in a year? Vote at NWHerald.com meet the proposed guidelines. With four employees plus owner Lori McConville, Marvin’s Toy Store in downtown Crystal Lake doesn’t offer paid sick leave. But what McConville can’t offer in terms of high-paying salaries, she tries to make up for with generous and understanding sick-time policies. “We try to make it family friendly so we can create schedules that are good for families rather than focus on the money side of things,” McConville said. If McConville’s store thrives and she adds more employees, she plans to keep that policy, she said. One reason is experience – she recalled her years working at a large nonprofit that didn’t allow taking sick time to care for loved ones, and often had to give up vacation days to do so. “I had two children … I had to make up a story and tell a mistruth,” she said. Not surprisingly, the odds of having access to paid sick time increase with salary. While 70 percent of private-sector workers in the lowest income quarter don’t have paid sick days, about 13 percent of workers in the highest quarter don’t have it either, according to government data accompanying the Senate bill. For those in the middle two quarters, the odds of not having paid sick time are about one in three. The numbers are much better for public-sector employees, where one in four in the lowest income quarter lack paid sick time, and fewer than one in 10 in the See SICK LEAVE, page A4
CHICAGO – With a budget deadline to attempt closing a roughly $6 billion shortfall weeks away, top Illinois leaders and lawmakers are putting the spotlight on revenue-generating plans to increase the number of casinos and slot machines in the state. Two Chicago hearings – one on Monday and the other planned for next week – are drawing on experts to mull proposals, a move that comes as attention to a possible Chicago casino appears to be heightened. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has advocated for a city casino for years. In 2013 he released a video pledging all revenues would go to schools. More recently, he’s been in talks with Senate President John Rahm Cullerton, Culler- Emanuel ton spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said. Gov. Bruce Rauner, who’s said he wouldn’t object to more casinos if communities wanted them, specifically noted Chicago during a stop in the city Monday. “I know the city would very much like to have a significant casino within the city boundaries and I am very open to considering that,” he said. “I want to make sure that it’s good for all the taxpayers and all the citizens, both of Chicago and the state of Illinois when we have that discussion.” Emanuel’s office didn’t return
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“I know [Chicago] would very much like to have a significant casino within the city boundaries and I am very open to considering that. I want to make sure that it’s good for all the taxpayers and all the citizens... when we have that discussion.” Bruce Rauner, Illinois governor messages seeking comment. House Speaker Mike Madigan’s spokesman, Steve Brown, would only say that Madigan has previously recused himself on casino votes. The plans before lawmakers include one calling for a state-owned Chicago casino. Another would also add four casinos in Chicago’s south suburbs and Vermillion, Winnebago and Lake counties. More legislation could emerge by the end of May when lawmakers face a budget deadline for the fiscal year starting in July. Revenue estimates for five new casinos have ranged from $450 million to more than $1 billion. Illinois has turned to gambling as a way to boost revenue before, including video gambling in recent years. But attempts to increase casinos failed when former Gov. Pat Quinn twice vetoed plans.
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