BEARS VS. PACKERS September 28, 2014 • $1.50*
Morrissey: Bear’s can’t ignore green and gold elephant / C1 HIGH
LOW
77 51 Complete forecast on page A12
NWHerald.com
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN McHENRY COUNTY
Facebook.com/NWHerald
LAWYER VS. LAWMAN A look at candidates for sheriff By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com
@NWHerald
Soccer a therapy for area Marine Jacobs grad plays at MCC
WOODSTOCK – The race to become the first new county sheriff in 17 years can be summed up in one phrase: The lawman vs. the lawyer. Voters have a choice for the person to replace longtime Sheriff Keith Nygren, who opted not to seek re-election for a fifth term. There’s Republican candidate Bill Prim, a 27-year police veteran who retired as a commander from the Des Plaines Police Department. He faces Independent candidate Jim Harrison, a one-time deputy who spent the past 22 years as a Woodstock-based labor, employment and civil rights attorney. Each sat down with the Northwest Herald to discuss the issues running up to the Nov. 4 election.
By JOE STEVENSON joestevenson@shawmedia.com
ON SUPPORTERS Prim has the endorsement of McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi along with members of the GOP establishment. He scored a narrow primary election win, and with it picked up support from many of the county’s Republican leaders who had backed Nygren’s hand-picked candidate, Undersheriff Andrew Zinke. The schism between the State’s Attorney and Sheriff’s Office have been widely publicized, often pitting the two offices at odds. The era of discord will end if Prim is elected, he said. “I wanted to build bridges, [it was] one of my principle goals,” Prim said. “Now we can say that we’ve accomplished that pre-election. So we can create a working environment free of obstacles.” “There’s been some contentious relationships in the past between the Sheriff’s Office and other elected officials in the county,” he continued. “We consider these both ineffective and expensive.”
Photos by H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
TOP: McHenry County Sheriff candidate Jim Harrison is seen at his campaign office Friday in Woodstock. BOTTOM: McHenry County Sheriff Candidate Bill Prim heads to his next appointment after stopping for coffee Thursday in Crystal Lake.
See COUNTY SHERIFF, page A11
CRYSTAL LAKE – Graphic and disturbing images reside in Matt May’s mind, constant reminders of the brutality of four deployments with the U.S. Marine Corps. “I’ve seen things human beings shouldn’t see,” May said, “people’s legs getting blown off, people getting shot in the head and stuff like that. I saw my best friend die, that kind of stuff kind of lingers in your head forever.” May, a 2004 graduate of Jacobs High School, has dealt with post-traumatic stress disorder like many other Marines and soldiers do after returning to civilian life. While May believes joining the Marines in 2007 was still the best thing he ever did, as it molded and shaped him as a person, he is determined not to become a statistic. “I lost four good friends to suicide [after they returned to the U.S.],” May said. “Twenty-two vets kill themselves every day.” May went through counseling and medication, but these days he undergoes therapy at the same place he did as a child – on a soccer pitch. May is a 28-year-old freshman forward for McHenry County College, closer in age to his coach Karl Smith than his teammates. After a 10-year layoff, May worked himself back into shape and made the Scots (4-5-1), where he starts at forward and has scored five goals. Smith says some of the Scots play to get to bigger schools or to grow as young men, while May plays to help heal. “They’ve tried this and that [therapy], it would sort of work,” May said. “But being on the field, I don’t think about anything but this right here. I’ve
See SOCCER page A11
Governor candidate Rauner visits Crystal Lake to rally volunteers By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Tucked away in a shopping center, behind a store window covered in campaign signs, Bruce Rauner rallied the troops. It was the second time in two weeks the Republican
candidate for Illinois governor visited McHenry County, but Rauner told a crowd of about 40 staffers, volunteers and local candidates that they can’t give up on Cook County or voters who traditionally vote Democrat. The event had a fabulous turnout, said Diane Evertsen,
BUSINESS
a McHenry County Board member and secretary for the Republican Party of McHenry County. Evertsen has been active in the party since the early 1970s, but this election has been the most energized she’s ever seen the state party. “We have young people,
We have middle-aged people, and obviously, seniors are still involved,” Evertsen said. “The combination of the age groups and the quality of the candidates has really brought people out. It’s really very refreshing to see that kind of energy.” Melanie Moehling started
SPORTS
WHERE IT’S AT
Conference enrollment
Advice ............... Planit 8-9 Business .....................D1-5 Classified.................... F1-6 Community ....................B1 Local News............... A2-11 Lottery............................A2 Movies..................Planit 11 Nation&World........... B5-7 Obituaries ............... A9-10 Opinions ........................B2 Planit ........................Inside Puzzles ........................... F5 Sports........................ C1-11 State ...........................B3-4 Weather ....................... A12
Kishwaukee River Conference football projections indicate reshuffling could continue / C1 INSIDE
Business of bowling
Showcasing art
Despite falling numbers nationally, local alleys have steady use / D1
Creators of First, Fourth Fridays collaborate on photography exhibit / Style 6-7
volunteering for the Republican Party of McHenry County on Friday, going door-to-door in the area around her Marengo home. “We need some change in Illinois,” she said. “My husband said to stop complaining, to go or get off the pot.” Sharon Bills of Woodstock
also is new to politics, but she’s thrown herself in fully, becoming a Republican precinct committeewoman for Grafton Township and recruiting her friends after first dipping her toe by becoming an election judge.
See RAUNER, page A11
BRING SUPERIOR SERVICE TO YOUR HOME 24/7
815-455-7000 ALTHOFF INDUSTRIES, INC. HEATING, AIR CONDITIONING, PLUMBING, ELECTRICAL adno=0286423
Lic #058-194325