PRAIRIE RIDGE BEATS JACOBS
June 8, 2014 • $1.50
14 ground-ball outs lead Wolves to 4-1 win over Jacobs in Class 4A McHenry Sectional final / C1
Caleb Aldridge
NWHerald.com
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN McHENRY COUNTY
HIGH
LOW
76 55 Complete forecast on page A12
Facebook.com/NWHerald
@NWHerald
D-155 hopes to avoid controversy District’s $8.5M school auditorium project could lead to changed zoning rules have been in discussions about the project, and the district is reaching out to nearby resiCARY – A planned $8.5 dents. million auditorium modernVillage Administrator ization at Cary-Grove High Chris Clark said the village School could lead to the vil- provided the district with 70 lage changing zoning rules to to 80 addresses of nearby resiaccommodate the project. dents and property owners so In an effort to avoid a sim- the district could send letters ilar controversy that hap- to them about the work. pened in Crystal Lake, Cary A zoning controversy where and school district officials a judge has ruled that District
By JOSEPH BUSTOS
jbustos@shawmedia.com
155 had to follow city zoning regulations when it built a $1.18 million set of bleachers at Crystal Lake South High School is under appeal. Neighbors next to Crystal Lake South complained about the bleachers being built too close to their backyards, and that the district did not receive a city variance. District officials contend all they needed to move forward
with a project is approval from the Regional Office of Education. Now with the $8.5 million Cary-Grove auditorium project scheduled to begin in August, there are discussions between the village and school district about helping the project move forward. The height of the auditorium is currently 22 feet. After the year-long project, the aver-
age height would be 38 feet, but there would be a fly-loft area for curtains and backdrops that will be 46 feet, 6 inches tall, said Jeff Puma, District 155 spokesman. It would not be occupied space. However, under the village’s zoning ordinance, there is a 30-foot height maximum on land zoned for schools. Staff does have the ability to grant a 10-foot grace area, bringing the
Beef, pork prices climb
maximum height to 40 feet. The school’s auditorium project would need a variance, which is a process the district does not want to go through, Clark said. “There is a concern if [the district] comes to the village of Cary and asks for zoning relief ... they would be acknowledging they do have to follow
See D-155, page A10
U.S. regains jobs lost yet also appears to be weaker By JOSH BOAK and CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER The Associated Press
H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Chef Santiago Suarez sears a steak for a lunch order at the 1776 Restaurant in Crystal Lake. If you plan to grill a lot this summer or go out to restaurants, plan on paying more for meat. A prolonged drought and a pig virus are driving up prices of beef and pork.
Factors include thinning cattle herds, disease in pigs By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com Grilling likely will cost a lot more this summer. Climbing demand from Asia combined with cattle herds thinned by droughts in the Southwest and unexpected storms in the West have boosted beef prices, and pork has been hit by an epidemic that has been killing farrows of piglets. “There’s been lots of different factors,” said Dan Volkers, the manager of the McHenry County Farm Bureau, but the results – higher prices – have been the same for consumers, restaurants, feedlot owners and butcher shops.
On the Web For a time line of rising meat costs, visit NWHerald.com. The price consumers are paying in the Midwest for ground beef was up 11.8 percent in April over the previous year and 4.4 percent over the previous month, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. A round, boneless, USDA Choice steak has gone up even more in price, skyrocketing 17.8 percent in one year, statistics show. While pork products also have climbed, some items are starting to come down in price.
BUSINESS
The price of ham, including bone-in and boneless cuts, has dropped 3.2 percent over the previous year and 8.2 percent over the previous month, while pork chops have somewhat leveled out, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Their cost nudged up 0.1 percent from March to April though it remains 6.9 percent higher than it was last year. When the price increases first started happening, people stopped buying, said Mike Mazzone, the owner of the independent grocery store Joseph’s Marketplace in Crystal Lake. “They go check out other stores to see if it’s cheaper, but when they see it’s gone up every-
where, they come back,” he said. People might be buying less meat but not by a huge percentage, and the prices are affecting what people are picking, Mazzone said. Rhonda Weidner, who bought Jones Packing Company in Harvard with her husband and brother a year ago, agrees, adding that the only market that’s really been hit is the roasters who buy whole hogs to roast. Her business, which deals mostly in custom orders but also operates a retail store, had to raise its prices slightly for the animals it purchases to resell, she said.
See MEAT, page A4
SPORTS
WHERE IT’S AT
Sterling ousts Marengo
Advice ...................Style 14 Business......................D1-4 Classified.....................F1-6 Community....................B1 Local News...............A2-10 Lottery............................A2 Nation&World............B4-7 Puzzles............................F3 Obituaries......................A9 Opinions........................A11 Sports.........................C1-12 State..............................B2 Style.........................Inside Weather........................A12
It marks the 2nd consecutive season Marengo lost to Sterling in softball sectional final / C1 STYLE
WASHINGTON – The U.S. economy has finally regained the jobs lost to the Great Recession. But go easy on the hallelujahs. The comeback is far from complete. Friday’s report from the government revealed an economy healing yet marked by deep and lasting scars. The downturn that began 6½ years ago accelerated wrenching changes that have left many Americans feeling worse off than they did the last time the economy had roughly the same number of jobs it does now. Employers added 217,000 workers in May, more than enough to surpass the 138.4 million jobs that existed when the recession began in December 2007. But even as the unemployment rate has slipped to 6.3 percent from 10 percent at the depth of the recession, the economy still lacks its former firepower. To many economists, the job figures are both proof of the sustained recovery and evidence of a painful transformation in how Americans earn a living. “The labor market recovery has been disappointing,” said Stuart Hoffman, chief economist at PNC Financial Services. “Even with the new peak, there is still a great deal
See JOBS, page A10
AP file photo
Job seekers sign in before meeting prospective employers Jan. 22 during a career fair at a hotel in Dallas. The U.S. economy finally regained the jobs lost during the Great Recession, but the comeback is far from complete.
IT’S TIME! SPRING A/C TUNE-UP
‘Dreamer’ finds calling Mike Dallas to open Scorched Earth Brewing Co. in Algonquin. Dallas plans to tap into a local thirst for craft beer. / D1
Heather Muse hosts “Paint & Sip” Participants are encouraged to bring their own favorite adult beverages and create a featured painting instructed by Muse. / Planit Style 8-9
adno=0277262
Don’t wait. Call to schedule your appointment.
ALTHOFF INDUSTRIES (815) 455-7000
Air Conditioning, Heating, Plumbing and Electrical
Lic # 058-194325