4 LOCAL NEWS • Saturday, August 2, 2014 • Section A • Northwest Herald / NWHerald.com
DeKALB COUNTY
Kishwaukee program trains future pilots By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com DeKALB – Ryan Yochum and Kalvin Parker knew they were taking their last flight together as they ascended into the sky over DeKalb. In a few days, their careers would pull them to different parts of the country. Yochum, 22, will be an officer in the U.S. Air Force, reporting for duty at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio on Monday. Meanwhile Parker, 18, will venture to Stanford University, where he’ll major in electric engineering. Yochum, an instructor with Fly America, the pilot school run out of DeKalb’s airport, and Parker, a student, had a connection before they began working together this summer. Both graduated from the Kishwaukee Education Consortium’s aviation program, which has been teaching students about flying for a decade. Some 40 KEC aviation students have gone on to become
pilots in the past decade, aiding an aviation industry that some fear could face a severe pilot shortage in the next two decades as pilots retire and standards and costs increase. On Tuesday, Parker flew circles over DeKalb in a Piper Warrior, a small single-engine plane, with Yochum in the passenger’s seat. They climbed to 2,000 feet, soaking in the views of cornfields, homes and businesses dotting green space below. About 15 minutes later, they landed the plane at DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport. “That was my last one,” Yochum said, head hanging, his feet on the earth. Yochum went through the KEC program in his junior and senior years at Rochelle Township High School, graduating in 2010. He went on to the University of Illinois, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in aviation human factors along with a handful of flying certifications from the school’s Aviation Institute.
Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
Kalvin Parker (left), 18, and Fly America instructor Ryan Yochum, 22, prepare to take off for their last flying lesson together Tuesday at the DeKalb Municipal Airport He returned to the area this summer to help other would-be pilots before starting his military service piloting drones. “I knew I couldn’t do anything else,” Yochum said. “I’m not a desk guy.” Parker, who graduated in May, also went through KEC’s
program his junior and senior year. He started flying lessons this summer. “I always just really liked planes,” Parker said. “Going on vacations, I enjoyed the flight as much as the place.” Although he didn’t get his private pilot’s license, Parker did hit a milestone with
Owner bought house ‘completely unfinished’ inside • CABIN Continued from page A1
Yochum’s help: flying an airplane unassisted. “It was awesome being up there alone,” Parker said. The number of hours flying with an instructor also in the plane before being able to soar alone can vary wildly, according to David Gillingham, who’s been a Fly America instructor for three years. He’s seen as little as four hours and up to 20 stand between a student and their first “solo,” as it’s referred to around the hangars. Bruce Griffith, work-based learning and special project coordinator for KEC, said students are different when they return to the ground after their first solo flight. “They float back, because they just did something most people can’t,” Griffith said. Earning a pilot’s license isn’t all about camaraderie and floating. It also requires a substantial investment. Gillingham tells students to budget about $9,000 to earn their private pilot license,
Reasinger retired from post office after 26 years • LOTTERY
The cabin was purchased in 1909 by William Fleming – the namesake of the road on which it sits. Historical society officials issued the log home a plaque in 1984, at the time commending its owners through the years for their efforts in preserving it. Charles, a financial trader, bought the cabin and addition in 1992 and put both through an intense rehabilitation. They sanded nearly every floor, dry-walled, painted, put up trim and did stone work and carpentry, among other tasks during what Charles called an “entire overhaul.” “This list would be too long to cover,” he said. “We bought a house that was completely unfinished on the inside.” Dozens of different types of reclaimed woods and stone work were used during the renovation. Charles said they tried to keep a rustic and traditional feel flowing from the cabin throughout the addition. A portion of the home was inspired by components collected from New Orleans, and carries a bayou theme. The home is now on the market for less than $100 per square foot, including the acreage on the property. “I lived there for nearly 20 years. My family loved that house,” Charles said. “We put a lot of love into rehabilitating that home.”
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The William C. Rider log cabin, occupying about 800 of the 4,779-squarefoot home listed for sale, was built in the late 1830s. LEFT: The interior of a Bull Valley home that was just re-listed for $475,000 on Fleming Road. Photos by Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Before work, Reasinger said she often stopped at the neighboring gas station, 4608 W. Crystal Lake Road in McHenry, to get a drink and a few lottery tickets. The routine, it seems, has paid off. Reasinger and her husband, Jack, said they’ve already met with a financial adviser who will help them plan for the future. But she added there are a couple more immediate indulgences for which the money will likely be used. “I retired [Thursday] from the post office … after 26 years, and I plan on going and spending time with my father in southern Illinois,” she said. “… I’d like to go to Florida and buy a house or condo and maybe just live down there permanently, or keep the house here for the summer and live down there in the winter. “So far, that’s all we’ve de-
• BILL
• JOHNSBURG Continued from page A1 In a complaint filed Thursday, the village argued that when the bank took ownership of the development, it also took on the developer’s obligations, which include putting the final grade on the roads and completing the landscaping, according to a news release from the village. “State Bank’s refusal to complete the improvements is an effort to place the cost burden squarely on the residents of Johnsburg, which is completely unacceptable,” Village President Ed Hettermann said in the release. Village Administrator Claudett Peters and village attorney Rich Flood were unavailable for comment Friday. The complaint was also not available through the McHenry County Circuit Clerk’s Office. Because of this, the Northwest Herald was unable to get a hold of State Bank. Hettermann said the legal action came after several attempts by the village to handle the issue out of court.
Rauner campaign defends the contribution • RAUNER Continued from page A1 criticism from Democrats, who say it’s a blatant attempt to buy votes by a political newcomer who has vowed to end Illinois’ well-known system of pay-to-play politics. “This is the guy who’s going to shake up Springfield?” said Rikeesha Phelon, Illinois spokeswoman for the Democratic Governors Association. “What a fraud.” Rauner spokesman Mike Schrimpf defended the move, saying it’s in keeping with the Rauner family’s long history of philanthropy. “For Bruce Rauner, this is putting his own money where his mouth is, helping create jobs, business opportunities, and a better life in African-American neighborhoods – a cause he has pursued in his private life for decades,” Schrimpf said. Allen said his organization invited both Quinn and Rauner to meet with them and pledge to spend some of their millions in campaign funds to open offices in black neighborhoods, run ads in black media and hire ex-offenders to do some campaign work. He said the group mem-
“The perception is you’re essentially having an auction, in terms of who’s the highest bidder. Whether it’s fair or unfair, people are going to connect those dots.” Kent Redfield, emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield and campaign finance expert bers are tired of empty promises from politicians and looking for a more concrete – and immediate – way to help their community. Rauner accepted the invitation immediately and agreed to their requests, Allen said, adding that they have yet to hear back from Quinn. During the closed-door meeting, first reported by WLS-TV, credit union member and activist Otis Monroe decided to take it one step further. He said he asked the venture capitalist to also pledge money as “citizen Rauner.” Even if the agreement didn’t break campaign finance laws, it creates a perception problem that can be “corrosive,” said Kent Redfield, an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Illinois at Springfield and campaign finance expert. “The perception is you’re
essentially having an auction, in terms of who’s the highest bidder,” Redfield said. “Whether it’s fair or unfair, people are going to connect those dots.” Redfield said Rauner’s handling of the seemingly offthe-cuff exchange may be a sign of political inexperience. But he runs the risk, if elected, of having a portion of the population believe he bought the election. Schrimpf, Allen and Monroe all pointed to a $55 million anti-violence program Quinn started in the weeks before his 2010 election, which he narrowly won thanks to heavy support from black voters. The program was intended to curb violence in Chicago neighborhoods, but a state audit recently found had “pervasive” problems, including misuse of funds. “Many would say the same thing about [the anti-violence program],” Monroe said.
cided to do.” Jack, who eight years ago retired from the post office, said he will keep his part-time job at the Veterans Assistance Commission in Woodstock. As the retailer of a winning ticket, the Mech Mart Marathon owners also benefited from Reasinger’s grand prize. Mini and Sudhir Nair, owners of the store in McHenry and two in Crystal Lake, were presented with a $10,000 check, or one percent of the overall prize. “This is the first time,” Sudhir Nair said of the large win. “It’s exciting. … This ticket can bring more customers.” The ticket on which Reasinger won, Fabulous Fortune, is a $20 ticket with a $4 million top prize, according to an Illinois Lottery news release. The release also said there are still five $1 million prizes and three $4 million prizes left unclaimed.
Voter turnout in April primary was 17 percent Continued from page A3
Official: Village has tried to settle issue out of court
which does not allow a pilot to charge for their services. To earn a private pilot’s license takes a minimum of 40 hours of instruction and solo time, though Gillingham said it typically takes about 55 hours. “That does not get you a job,” Griffith said. “In order to do that, you probably need a minimum of 1,500 hours, you need a commercial license, you need an instrument license, you certainly should have a multi-engine license. You should have an airline transport pilot’s license. It’s an expensive investment and not knowing what the return is going to be.” Although expensive, there are promising job prospects for would-be pilots, according to industry reports. Chicago-based aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co. this week projected that worldwide, the aviation industry would need 1.1 million new commercial pilots and maintenance technicians in the next 20 years.
ones that are impacting your daily lives.” Wheeler said her motivation was twofold – a potential pension shift to local school boards and the controversial plan in Oakwood Hills to build a power plant there. Voter turnout in April’s primary election was a pitiful 17 percent. Many of those races, including that of the next McHenry County sheriff, were decided by less than 100 votes. It’s not uncommon to see races come down to less than 20 votes. And these are the contests that have the larg-
est effect on residents of McHenry County, and specifically their property tax bills, Wheeler said, adding that it’s important for residents to take note of who’s making those locally important decisions. “School board members make significant decisions regarding taxpayer dollars at the local level,” Wheeler said. “Unfortunately, most people do not know much about their elected school board members and do not even vote in the elections where these people are chosen.” The bill was introduced and sponsored by state Rep. Ron Sandack, R-Downers Grove.
POLICE REPORTS Woodstock
a probation violation of unlawful contact with street gang • Savanna Kristine Victory, 20, members. 1520 Ginny Lane, Woodstock, • Joshua A. Ocampo, 19, 1224 was charged Monday, June 16, Walden Oaks, Woodstock, was with unlawful use of a credit card. charged Thursday, June 26, with • Daniel Mendoza, 40, 705 retail theft. Washington St., Woodstock, was • Salvador R. Huizar, 32, 310 charged Monday, June 23, with Chestnut St., Woodstock, was driving without a license, endan- charged Thursday, June 26, with gering the life or health of a child, two counts of possession of a fleeing and eluding, improper lane controlled substance. usage and disregarding a stop • A 15-year-old Woodstock boy sign. was charged Saturday, June 28, • Lucas A. Ruckoldt, 23, 10115 with domestic battery, interferMeadow Lane, Hebron, was ence with reporting a domestic charged Thursday, June 26, with battery and consumption of obstructing identification and alcohol by a minor.