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Jacobs grad Evan Jager runs at new level ahead of world championships / C1 NWHerald.com
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Workforce agency in dire straits County Board to ease federally funded group’s strain over lack of Ill. budget By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – The McHenry County Board plans to give the county’s workforce agency some financial breathing room in the wake of the ongoing state budget impasse. The County Board will vote Tuesday to allow the McHenry County Workforce Network and the Workforce
If you go WHAT: McHenry County Board meeting WHEN: 9 a.m. Tuesday WHERE: County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock Investment Board to defer payments to the county to cov-
er salary and benefit costs for 90 days or until their funding is restored, whichever comes first. Although the workforce network is funded through a federal grant, the state Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity cannot legally disburse the funds without a state budget in place, board Director Julie Courtney said.
“We’re 100 percent federally funded. There’s no match from the state of Illinois, but we’re caught up in this mess until there’s a state budget,” Courtney said Monday. Personnel costs for the workforce network and the board’s 15 total employees will be about $276,000 for July through September, according to county records. The County Board will be made
whole once a state budget is approved and the funding is released. Illinois is in its second month without a budget since fiscal 2016 started July 1 without lawmakers approving one. Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed the budget approved by Democratic lawmakers, which is about $4 billion short. The first-year Republican gover-
nor, who ran on a reform platform, said he will not consider raising taxes to fill the gap without the General Assembly agreeing on implementing pro-business and anti-corruption reforms he’s seeking. Some immediate budget issues have been staved off. Court orders have ensured state workers still will get
See WORKFORCE, page A6
Colorado jury keeps execution as option
McHENRY COUNTY FAIR KICKS OFF WEDNESDAY
By SADIE GURMAN The Associated Press
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
McHenry County 4-H member Paige Behrens, 17, of Huntley washes and feeds her pig July 19 in preparation for the McHenry County Fair. Behrens and other 4-H members wash and feed the pigs about 6 p.m. every night.
4-H youth hard at work A family affair for many, program teaches leadership, teamwork
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By HANNAH PROKOP
[4-H members] really have a system and they work together, and that’s the thing about 4-H. It teaches you how to work together.” Michele Aavang, McHenry County 4-H Youth Foundation president
Inside: To view the McHenry County Fair 2015 schedule, turn to PAGE A5.
Voice your opinion: What’s your favorite part of the county fair? Vote online at NWHerald.com.
hprokop@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – For many McHenry County 4-H members, the program is a family affair. “Once you’re in 4-H, you never leave 4-H,” said Michele Aavang, president of the McHenry County 4-H Youth Foundation. This year, there are seven pigs in Aavang’s barn that will be shown in the 4-H show at the McHenry County Fair, which runs from Wednesday to Sunday at the McHenry County Fairgrounds, Route 47 and Country Club Road, Woodstock. The pigs have learned to be very quick on their feet, Aavang said, and some were found climbing feed bags after their diet was reduced. It’s all about the learning experience Aavang’s children and other 4-H members get while preparing the pigs for show. “They really have a system and they work together, and that’s the thing about 4-H,” Aavang said. “It teaches you how to
work together.” Jennifer Whittum of Genoa City, Wisconsin, is responsible for overseeing all of the 4-H livestock exhibitors at the fair. She was a 4-H member as a child, a tradition that started with her grandparents, who were 4-H leaders, and father, who showed livestock. “It’s kind of in my blood,” Whittum said. The 4-H tradition continues with her son, who is in the pre-4-H Cloverbud program. “The fair is our big showcase,” Whittum said. “There’s little kind of behindthe-scene details we take care of all year long.” There are 894 youths in McHenry County 4-H this year, including the 5- to 7-year-olds in the Cloverbud program, said 4-H program coordinator Janine Heidtke. Traditional 4-H programs are for 8- to 19-year-olds, she said. Projects can range from public speaking, to child development projects and
See 4-H, page A5
CENTENNIAL, Colo. – Jurors on Monday moved one step closer toward sentencing James Holmes to death for his Colorado movie theater attack, taking less than three hours to reject arguments that the former neuroscience student’s mental illness means he should not die. The decision clears the way for one last attempt from both sides to sway the jury, with gripping testimony from victims about their suffering and more appeals for mercy for the man convicted of murdering 12 people and trying to kill 70 more during the 2012 assault at a Batman movie. Crystal Lake native John Larimer was among those killed in the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado. Larimer, 27, died protecting his girlfriend, Julia Vojtsek, an Algonquin native, during a midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises.” Holmes, his reactions dulled by anti-psychotic drugs, stood as ordered and appeared emotionless as Judge Carlos Samour Jr. read the decisions. Robert and Arlene Holmes held hands, their fingers interlaced, and directed their eyes at the floor. With each unanimous “yes,” it became ever more clear that jurors believe their son’s crimes outweighed their testimony. She began to cry, and her husband held out a box of tissues. More tears flowed in the gallery. Rena Medek began silently sobbing when the judge read the name of her 23-year-old daughter, Micayla. Ian Sullivan, the father of Holmes’ youngest victim, 6-year-old Veronica Moser-Sullivan, closed his eyes when her name was read. Veronica’s grandfather, Robert Sullivan, glared at Holmes and nodded his head softly. “We are one step closer,” Joshua Nowlan said outside court, adding that he’s “very happy with the results.” Wounded by the gunfire, Nowlan used the cane he now needs to support his legs as a prop during the trial, to show how Holmes sprayed bullets from his assault rifle.
See COLORADO, page A5
STATE
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$45K in damage? Little insight
Storm damage limited in county, but Lake Co. tornado confirmed / A3
Crystal Lake police identify Huntley teen who crashed into church / A4
Rauner: Illinois to review new federal power plant limits / B3
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