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Jacobs loses late lead against Barrington, takes 4th place in Hinkle Holiday Classic / C1 NWHerald.com
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GLINIEWICZ TOPS LIST
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6 Northwest Herald file photos
1. Fox Lake Police Lt. Joseph Gliniewicz. 2. Melodie Gliniewicz (center), widow of Joseph Gliniewicz, attends her husband’s funeral Sept. 7 at Antioch Community High School. 3. Joseph Gliniewicz’s casket is wheeled into a hearse. 4. Custom Haircuts employees Cindy Gardanier (front) and Becky Claussen hang blue ribbon on their building Sept. 3 to honor Gliniewicz. 5. Lake County Sheriff’s Detective Chris Covelli (left) and Lake County Major Crimes Task Force Cmdr. George Filenko arrive Sept. 3 to brief the media on the Gliniewicz investigation. 6. Fox Lake Village Administrator Anne Marrin on Nov. 19 looks through boxes full of military surplus items Gliniewicz bought for the Fox Lake Police Explorer Post 300 program he oversaw.
OFFICER’S ACTIONS ROCK FOX LAKE WITH TRAGEDY, THEN SCANDAL By KEVIN P. CRAVER
MORE INSIDE: See the list of top news stories of the year on page A9.
kcraver@shawmedia.com FOX LAKE – In two months, the story of a fallen hero disintegrated into the story of a crooked cop who fooled his community and the nation. Fox Lake Police Lt. Joseph “G.I. Joe” Gliniewicz’s attempt to perpetrate one of the strangest hoaxes in local history by making his suicide look like he was slain in the line of duty is the Northwest Herald’s top local news story of the year, as voted by the newspaper staff. Gliniewicz, 52, was found shot to death Sept. 1 near an abandoned concrete plant after radioing in that he was chasing three suspicious
men, two white and one black. Law enforcement swarmed the area in a desperate and unsuccessful search for the killers. Gliniewicz was given a hero’s funeral at his alma mater of Antioch High School, where thousands of mourners and police officers from all over the country came to pay their respects. The investigation stretched into weeks and then months with no apparent progress in finding suspects. Talk that Gliniewicz might not have been a hero after all began to spread. Investigators confirmed those rumors, and
much worse, on the morning of Nov. 4. Records and deleted texts from Gliniewicz revealed he had been skimming thousands of dollars from the Fox Lake Police Explorer Post 300 youth program he led, and that he, in fact, committed a “cleverly staged” suicide out of fear of getting caught. The money, investigators revealed, was spent on things such as mortgage payments, personal loans, gym memberships, travel and visits to adult websites. Investigators also said Gliniewicz, before his death, attempted to “put a hit” on new Village Administrator Anne Marrin, whom he feared would discover his years of embezzling.
See GLINIEWICZ, page A9
MORE BEST-OF LISTS n SPORTS: Marian Central Hurricanes captured Class 3A high school volleyball championship. PAGE C1 n BUSINESS: Woodstock manufacturer Silgan Plastics to exit McHenry County. PAGE D1 n ENTERTAINMENT: Woodstock Theatre names Harold Ramis Auditorium. STYLE, PAGE 4 n ONLINE: Visit our online year-end review page at NWHerald.com/review/2015.
As Illinois shifts to SAT, area schools opting for ACT By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – As a precaution, Crystal Lake-based Community High School District 155 made plans to administer the ACT to juniors in the spring – this school year – at its own cost. Illinois has given high school juniors the opportunity to take the ACT for free since the early 2000s, but this year the College Board, provider of the SAT, was the successful
bidder for the state-contracted college entrance exam. The procurement is not final because the ACT has filed a protest, Illinois State Board of Education spokeswoman Amanda Simhouser wrote in an email Dec. 18. But regardless of how the process unfolds, funding statewide testing remains an overarching issue as long as the state’s now six-month budget impasse continues. “Our district has made plans to administer the ACT this year,” said
LOCAL NEWS
Moving on Woodstock’s Cindy Smiley to retire from role as executive assistant to the city manager, mayor; will remain city clerk / A3
District 155 director of curriculum and assessment Scott Kubelka. “We made plans with ACT in the event that ISBE was not going to support the funding of the exam.” In McHenry County, District 155 isn’t the only one that made this call early on. Juniors in Huntley Mike Moan Community School District 158 and Woodstock Community School District 200 also will
STATE
Fatal shootings in Chicago Police say 2 dead, 1 accidental, after officer responds to domestic disturbance call / B3 SPORTS
Free throws prove key Hurricanes hold off Gators in Consolation A championship of holiday classic / C2
be taking the ACT regardless of the state’s plan, officials said. “The state kicked it around so long, but we felt like our kids were in need,” District 200 Superintendent Mike Moan said. “So we decided we’re going to give the ACT one day at both high schools like we have the last 12 to 15 years.” Carl Vallianatos, McHenry High School District 156 director of curriculum and instruction, said funding the ACT internally isn’t likely for his district, but ACT prep has con-
tinued with 11th-graders this year. Kubelka said the cost to administer the exam – an exam educators say is crucial to any college application process – is $56.50 a student, including the writing portion. According to state records, the bid from the College Board totaled about $14.3 million. If the procurement is finalized, the contract would span three years, meaning if school districts wanted
See TESTING, page A2
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