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MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR Johnsburg’s Collin Ridout was a standout in two sports this year / C1-2 NWHerald.com
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN McHENRY COUNTY
SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION SEASON
Summer upgrades
HIGH
LOW
86 72 Complete forecast on page A12
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Governor vetoes bill on FOIA Proposed limitations worried watchdogs By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com
H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
William Toyan & Sons Contractors employees Leo Villicana (left) and Frank Mora spread and smooth concrete Wednesday for the new base of the McCracken Field bleachers. The bleachers were damaged when a microburst hit McHenry as part of the larger storm system that leveled Washington, Illinois, in mid-November, said Kevin Weisenberger, District 156’s facilities manager.
Crews working on projects at several area schools By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com Summer has arrived. And so has school construction season. Many school districts across McHenry County are taking advantage of the mostly empty hallways to repave parking lots, repair roofs and upgrade classrooms. “It’s always the time for the upkeep and cleaning of the schools,” said Carol Smith, District 200’s spokeswoman. District 200 has a few small projects dotted around its schools, including replacing carpet at Dean Street Elementary School and fixing chimneys at Greenwood Elementary School, she said. Its two larger projects include an estimated $100,000 worth of repairs to
the transportation parking lot and the construction of two new softball fields at Woodstock High School for $200,000. The two fields – a smaller one for JV and a larger one for varsity – will bring the sport back to the school, Smith said. District 155 will begin an $8.5 million modernization of the 50-year-old auditorium at Cary-Grove High School. The work includes tearing down the old theater and building a new 650-seat theater as well as overhauling the accompanying lobby, multipurpose room, restrooms, dressing rooms and scene shop, district spokesman Jeff Puma said. The school’s main entrance also will be updated to enhance its security, he said.
Some of this summer’s projects by the numbers District 155’s $8.5 million auditorium modernization at Cary-Grove High School will raise the roof to 46 feet, 6 inches in some places. The installation of new boilers at District 15’s Hilltop Elementary School will cost $292,303, but because the installation process requires asbestos abatement, the price tag will climb an additional $31,200. Two new softball fields at District 200’s Woodstock High School will cost about $200,000.
Source: District 155 spokesman Jeff Puma, District 15 chief financial officer Mark Bertolozzi and District 200 spokeswoman Carol Smith
Gov. Pat Quinn took the advice of good-government groups and vetoed a bill that would place extra burdens, and in some instances costs of up to $100, on people filing Freedom of Information Act requests. House Bill 3796 cleared the General Assembly by wide margins in the rushed last days of the spring session. It would allow governments to identify certain requests as “voluminous,” delaying them and charging between $20 and $100 for electronic data. Quinn vetoed the bill Friday, stating that it penalized those “seeking to learn more about their government.” His veto message was not posted to the General Assembly’s website as of early Friday evening. All but one of McHenry County’s representatives in the House voted against the bill, which passed on a 7736 vote. Two of the county’s three Senators voted in favor of it, and Sen. Pamela Althoff, R-McHenry, was one of the bills’ co-sponsors. It passed the Senate on a 49-1 vote. Supporters, such as bill sponsor Rep. Robert Rita, D-Blue Island, said that governments need help because they spend too much time honoring excessive records requests meant to be a nuisance rather than legitimate requests for information. Althoff could not be reached for comment Friday. But opponents, like state Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, called the bill a “draconian step.”
NO MORE EXCUSES A special report
About this series “No More Excuses” is the Northwest Herald’s ongoing series about the public’s right to know in Illinois.
On the Net You can read the text of House Bill 3796 at www. ilga.gov. You can learn more about the Freedom of Information and Open Meetings acts at http://foia. ilattorneygeneral.net.
See SCHOOLS, page A4 See FOIA REQUESTS, page A4
Judge: No to term limits, redistricting measures in Nov. By SOPHIA TAREEN Bruce Rauner Republican gubernatorial candidate
The Associated Press CHICAGO – Measures that would allow Illinois voters to decide on lawmaker term limits and a new political redistricting
LOCAL NEWS
process can’t appear on November’s ballot, a judge ruled Friday, in a decision that could be a setback for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner. Cook County Circuit Court Judge Mary Mikva decided the measures didn’t meet constitutional requirements and ruled them invalid. Attorneys for the term limits group vowed to appeal, while the redistricting
group announced they’d scrap efforts for 2014. Rauner, who’s trying to unseat Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in what is one of the most competitive governor’s races nationwide, has made term limits a campaign cornerstone. In addition to railing against “career politicians,” his campaign sees the measure as a way to inspire supporters to vote.
STATE
WHERE IT’S AT
Election-year shenanigans
Advice ..................................C8 Business ........................... E1-2 Buzz.................................... C10 Classified........................E3-10 Comics ................................C11 Community ......................... B1 Local News...................... A2-9 Lottery..................................A2 Movies................................. C9 Nation&World.................B3-5 Puzzles .............................E2, 5 Obituaries ...........................A9 Opinions ............................ A11 Sports................................C1-7 State .................................... B2 Weather ............................. A12
Fake news releases latest twist in gov.’s race; both campaigns at fault / B2 BUSINESS
Movie memorabilia moment Crystal Lake man wins chance to drive car from first film of “Transformers” franchise to outdoor showing of movie sequel / A3
But his group and another supporting changes to redistricting have said the court case, and a separate signature verification process by election officials, has been laced with politics in heavily Democratic Cook County. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of business and community groups, but argued by well-known elections attorney Michael Kasper who’s represented top Demo-
crats, including House Speaker Michael Madigan. An opponent of term limits, Madigan is the longest serving House speaker nationwide at nearly three decades. “We always knew that the protectors of the failed status quo would fight this in court and that it would go to the [Illinois]
See BALLOTS, page A4
‘Eclectic’ offerings on menu Taste This Sandwich opens in Algonquin, serving milkshakes, sandwiches / E1
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Pair of questions kicked off ballots