WEDNESDAY
July 30, 2014 • $1.00
RIND AND DINE A straightforward summer treat, but here are three recipes offering you different ways to eat watermelon / D1 NWHerald.com
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Holdup on plant requested Developers ask for more time to address residents’ concerns By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com
Committed to fair’s future Amid space concerns, officials choose to stay at fairgrounds By SHAWN SHINNEMAN sshinneman@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – Twenty years ago, a sale of county-owned land shrunk the fairgrounds and posed a since-unanswered question. Where – in 10 or 20 or 30 years, as the county continued to grow – would the fair be held? Now, as the McHenry County Fair kicks off, a year after a new beef barn was unveiled at the site, organizers said they’ve made a decision to recommit to the space off Country Club Road near Route 47. “The board this past spring made a movement that we are committed to this location,” said Tom Linneman, treasurer of the McHenry County Fair Association. “Financially, it’s very hard to pick up the infrastructure, the buildings. So we’re committed to continue to improve this location and make it the best we possibly can.” Gates open at 7 a.m. each morning and close at 10 p.m. each night, Wednesday through Sunday. As always, those who attend have several options for entertainment, from carnival rides
and games to vendors and 4-H shows. And demolition derbies and tractor pulls and pageants. And lots and lots of food. Linneman hopes for a large turnout. Particularly, he wants to see fairgoers who haven’t been out for a few years. He said improvements both minor and major have impacted the experience. “We’ve done a lot of work throughout the years trying to find different ways [to control] flow of traffic, flow of people,” he said. “Trying to make sure our guests and vendors and everyone is very happy when they come.” Capital improvement money this year went to a new water system at the fairgrounds and to replacing fencing and gates around the sheep barn – further commitments, Linneman said, toward staying at the current location. Organizers started chatting about a move about 20 years ago when the McHenry County Division of Transportation sold its land to a developer – who brought in Jewel-Osco at
Photos by Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Danielle Menge, 9, and Sophia Fabian, 9, both of Hebron, work to clean a cow Tuesday outside the beef barn in preparation for the McHenry County Fair in Woodstock. Jim Karnable of Antioch helps others by sheering a Suffolk sheep Tuesday in preparation for the fair in Woodstock.
On the Web For a full schedule of McHenry County Fair events, visit shawurl.com/fairschedule.
For more photos from McHenry County Fair preparations, visit NWHerald.com.
See FAIR, page A4
"Financially, it's very hard to pick up the infrastructure, the buildings. So we're committed to continue to improve this location and make it the best we possibly can." Tom Linneman, treasurer of the McHenry County Fair Association
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Conrad Anderson Senior engineer for joint project manager Enventure Partners mistake,” Anderson said of the time developers thought they would need to address concerns. “We want time to address all the concerns from the community and that is going to take time. Now we know all the concerns. We were guessing before.” The zoning hearing, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Crystal Lake Holiday Inn on 800 S. Route 31, will still
See PLANT, page A4
Court records: Victim was shot 2 years ago By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – William J. Ross on Tuesday made his first courtroom appearance since being charged with first-degree murder, more than six months after a woman’s badly decomposed body was found in his McHenry home. William J. R o s s , 6 2 , Ross previously was charged with concealing the homicide of 49-yearold Jacqueline R. Schaefer. Her remains were discovered in November inside a bag and sealed room at Ross’ 518 Country Club Road home. He was no longer living
there, and the house had sat vacant for more than a year and a half. According to latest criminal complaint, Schaefer was shot Sept. 11, 2011. She was identified through DNA testing. Authorities remain tight lipped about what new evidence ties Ross to the alleged crime. At an earlier court date, prosecutors ordered that DNA samples be taken. “Unlike on television, forensic and scientific testing takes a great deal of time,” said Michael Combs, chief of the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Criminal Division. “We have more evidence now than when we charged him with concealment.”
See MURDER, page A4
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Trent Harp (left), 13, of Marengo leads his steer into the trailer Tuesday before heading to the McHenry County Fairgrounds. The 66th annual fair will begin Wednesday and runs through Sunday at the fairgrounds on Country Club Road in Woodstock.
OAKWOOD HILLS – Developers for a proposed $450 million power plant in Oakwood Hills want a continuation until October to address resident concerns, delaying Thursday’s scheduled time for more public comments on the project. Conrad Anderson, senior engineer for joint project manager Enventure Partners, said developers noted a plethora of concerns from residents, school board members and doctors during presentations and open houses that project officials need more time to address. He said after the 90-minute public comment session Thursday, developers decided to take time to create an information memorandum on each concern they have heard and offer solutions to residents by the proposed Oct. 9 zoning meeting. “We made a mistake and we are trying to correct that
“We want time to address all the concerns from the community and that is going to take time. Now we know all the concerns. We were guessing before.”
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