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CHOOSE SIDES These patriotic and downright delicious side dishes may steal the show this Fourth of July / D1 NWHerald.com
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Questions mount on jail deal County Board puts sheriff on defense over contract costs WOODSTOCK – McHenry County Sheriff Keith Nygren advised the County Board not to act in haste when its decade-old contract to house federal inmates at the county jail expires next year. While revenues took a significant dip last year – the program grossed $542,131 compared to $2.5 million in 2012 and $4.6 million the year before that – Nygren called the program a winner that has brought almost $28 million into county’s coffers since the contract took effect. Nygren gave the 30-minute presentation to counter what he said was contradicting information about the program’s worth, fueled predominantly by a 2013 study aimed at attempting to capture more money per inmate per day. “Once it starts costing you money, it’s time to quit, but right now it’s a pretty good pony to ride,” Nygren said. But several County Board members expressed concern over what they said were two sets of numbers. In a testy ex-
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change, board member John Hammerand, R-Wonder Lake, questioned outright whether the program was in fact running at a net gain as Nygren said. “I can only make decisions as good as the information that’s received,” board member Paula Yensen, D-Lake in the Hills, said. County government in 2003 inked a deal with the federal government to house up to 256 detainees for the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, in exchange for $6.4 million to help pay for expanding the jail. Fifty of the beds are reserved for the Marshals, with the remaining 206 allocated for ICE. The contract stipulates the government can hold people
See CONTRACTS, page A4
Teen accidentally shot near Harvard Brothers didn’t think .22 caliber rifle was loaded By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com HARVARD – A 15-yearold boy underwent surgery Tuesday after his 12-year-old brother accidentally shot him in the abdomen with a .22 caliber rifle at a residence near Harvard. The two brothers started playing with the unsecured rifle they thought was not loaded when the 12-year-old boy pulled the trigger and shot his
“Teach [children] the consequences of pointing a firearm at somebody while not knowing whether it’s loaded. Every firearm should be treated as if it was loaded.” Lieutenant James Popovits McHenry County Sheriff
brother, said McHenry County Sheriff Lt. James Popovits. The two juveniles were under the care of a “couple
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Matt and Crystle Mariani of Crystal Lake have “always been planners,” said Matt, while discussing their outlook on financial planning and how it related to their October marriage. Like a growing number of couples, the Marianis discussed their finances before tying the knot. In the wake of the recession, more couples are tackling these issues head-on, according to an Experian Consumer Services survey of roughly 1,000 married adults.
Economy of matrimony Money has been the downfall of many marriages, so more couples discuss their finances before saying ‘I do’ By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Ahead of their October wedding, Matt and Crystle Mariani cut back on date nights and going out with their friends. The Crystal Lake couple are both planners, and they’re both savers. “It’s easy to ... say, ‘OK, we want to get married; next we want to get a house,’ and now we’re continuing to do that and plan together for one day [when] we’ll want kids and we’ll want to go on vacation,” Crystle Mariani said, sitting on the couch in the home the two bought and moved into last month. Arguments about finances early on in a marriage are the top predictor of whether a relationship will end in a divorce, according to a 2012 study by a Kansas State University researcher. “Money is an emotional issue with most of us,” said Jim Issel, a financial consultant with Exemplar Financial Network. “You’re bringing together two people from two totally different backgrounds, and it’s important to talk about it. It’s also important for people entering their second or third marriages.” Besides helping people plan for their retirements and advising them on their fiances, Issel is Matt Mariani’s stepfather. Issel’s wife, Ann Mariani-Issel, is a vice president with Dorion-Gray Retirement Planning in Crystal Lake. With both of his parents in the finance sector, Matt Mariani got plenty of advice on money management, although Mariani said most of it he learned through example.
It’s easy to ... say, ‘OK, we want to get married; next we want to get a house,’ and now we’re continuing to do that and plan together for one day [when] we’ll want kids and we’ll want to go on vacation.” Crystle Mariani Crystal Lake resident on financial planning with her husband
Money is an emotional issue with most of us. You’re bringing together two people from two totally different backgrounds, and it’s important to talk about it.” Jim Issel Financial consultant with Exemplar Financial Network They talked to him about preparing for retirement, saving, budgeting and being conservative with income, Issel said. The next conversation is life insurance. While much of the Marianis’ financial planning is unspoken, more couples are coming clean about their finances before tying the knot, ac-
cording to an Experian Consumer Services survey that compared couples married before and after 2008 and the recession. “People are getting the issue that money is the No. 1 issue,” said Dan Blair, a counselor and owner of Blair Counseling and Mediation in Crystal Lake. “They frequently come to get help on that issue, and they don’t just come to counselors. They go to banks and look online.” Finances have grown as an issue for Blair’s clients since 2008, he said, adding he typically sees three issues in this area: differing views on wants and needs, how to handle unexpected expenses, and a seeming inability to save money. The heightened awareness around family finances caused by the recession may not be the only reason more recently married couples are talking about money before they get married. For some of the Marianis’ friends, student loans are causing them to push back some milestones, including getting married or buying a home, they said. While student loans weren’t as much of an issue for them, Matt and Crystle Mariani – Matt works for Centegra Hospital – Woodstock’s concussion and cardiac clinic and Crystle is a special education teacher at Cary Junior High – decided to rent until they felt comfortable and stable enough to take the next step and buy a home. Now their focus is putting aside enough money to cover property taxes and household expenses because as first-time homeowners they don’t really know what to expect, Matt Mariani said.
See RIFLE, page A4
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Most TV sales slump, but big-screens have seen a jump in popularity among Americans / E1 LOCAL NEWS
U.S. ousted from World Cup The U.S. men’s soccer team ended its World Cup run Tuesday after a 2-1 loss to Belgium in extra time / C1
Storm damage scattered McHenry County did not sustain as much damage as expected from Monday’s storm / A3
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