FRIDAY
August 8, 2014 • $1.00
SWEET CORN IN SEASON McHenry County vendors and producers say crop is faring well / E1 NWHerald.com
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Power plant foes hire attorney Lawyer files information request with Oakwood Hills; village business yet to resume By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com OAKWOOD HILLS – As residents wait for Oakwood Hills to resume village business after shutting down because of unspecified
threats, opponents to the proposed $450 million power plant have acquired legal representation to help in their mission. Stemming from an online fundraising campaign that has raised about $17,500 in 20 days, opponents
hired Woodstock attorney and former McHenry Mayor Steve Cuda to help challenge the effort to bring a 430-megawatt, natural gas power plant to Oakwood Hills. Cuda, who successfully defeated a proposed power plant in McHen-
ry County in 1999, said he has filed a Freedom of Information Act request with Oakwood Hills to obtain supplemental material, meeting minutes and any potential history
See POWER PLANT, page A6
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Consumers spent more in year after recession
‘BRING YOUR OWN BAG’ CAMPAIGN
Ill. spending growth outpaced U.S. since ’09 By DAVID MERCER The Associated Press
Photos by Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Maria Medina of McHenry loads grocery bags into her cart Wednesday while shopping at Angelo’s Fresh Market in McHenry. Angelo’s goes through 12,000 to 15,000 bags a week at a cost of 2 cents each.
Eco-friendly grocery shopping Defenders urge consumers to eliminate use of plastic bags By JOSEPH BUSTOS jbustos@shawmedia.com Marilyn Carlson came to Angelo’s Fresh Market in McHenry to pick up a couple of bell peppers, which she planned to use for dinner later in the evening. At the checkout lane, Carlson, a McHenry resident, had her few items put into a canvas tote bag she usually keeps in her car, instead of one of the store’s plastic bags. “I’m against the plastic bags,” said Carlson, who has used reusable bags for two years. “[Plastic
bags] take up room in the garbage can. They’re only good for trash.” Carlson’s attitude and practices would please the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County, who have started an educational Bring Your Own Bag campaign in order to encourage the reduction of single-use shopping bags. According to the BYOBag McHenry County committee’s mission statement, plastic bags cause long-lasting degradation
See BAGS, page A6
Wearing a year supply of plastic bags, Cynthia Kanner of the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County (left) and Abby Goldberg, 14, of Grayslake talk about plastic bag reduction to a group of children July 14 at the Woodstock Public Library.
CHAMPAIGN – Illinois consumers spent more in 2010, just a year after the worst of the Great Recession, than they had in the years before the economic downturn, according to new data released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. And the growth of consumer spending in the state has outpaced the country since that 2009 low. The new state-level data also included information on where consum- More inside ers spend the most money – housing Business esand utilities and tablishments and health care top the job numbers in list. McHenry County O n a v e r a g e , have increased consumer spend- since 2000, i n g i n I l l i n o i s and MCEDC i n c r e a s e d 1 1 . 3 continues its percent between efforts to con2009 and 2012. It nect businesses rose from $32,607 for growth, see a person in 2009 to $36,292 in 2012, the page E2. most recent year included in the data. Nationally, per capita spending increased 10.7 percent. In 2010, Illinois residents spent $33,690 annually on consumer goods, topping even the boom years in the early 2000s. That data wasn’t adjusted for inflation. University of Illinois economist Fred Giertz said the numbers provide one measure of the degree to which the state has rebounded. “It tells us that the economy is growing again and things are getting better, but it’s the same old story. It’s probably not growing as fast as it would have” without the recession, he said. But Giertz also said he wasn’t surprised that consumer spending in the state has outpaced the national average since Illinois residents have larger incomes.
See SPENDING, page A6
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State fair parade canceled
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Fair formally opens Friday morning after rain prompted officials to call off celebration / B2 LOCAL
Winning is no accident. Celebrating
Years
Herb Franks
Football 101
Purple Heart Day in county Monument honoring recipients of the award was unveiled on the courthouse steps / A3
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A quick burst of speed and a low center of gravity are all some defensive linemen need to get past the offensive line / C1
Congratulations to our friend and partner Herb Franks on his 50 year achievement.