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Ja n u a r y 7, 2 0 1 6 • 7 5 ¢

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Teacher HIKING IN THE NEW YEAR due in court today Herscher coach faces abuse charges in local incident

By MATT SCHURY mschury@kendallcountynow.com

ABOVE: Nathan and Natasha Markoutsis and Alyssa Shields listen to hike leader Mark Harrington read “Stranger in the Woods.”

LEFT: Nicholas Markoutsis makes a smiley face with fruits and vegetables for the woodland animals.

FAR LEFT: Hikers trek up Hepatica Hill during the New Year’s Day Hike at Lyon Farm.

Photos by Eric Miller - emiller@ shawmedia.com

Area residents of all ages turned out Friday morning to participate in the annual Kendall County New Year’s Day Hike at Lyon Farm near Yorkville. Among those leading the tour was Mark Harrington, a former Oswego resident, retired teacher and outdoor enthusiast. Those attending the free event were asked to bring a donation of three cans of soup, two to be donated to the Kendall County Food Pantry and the remaining can for a communal soup pot which was heated up and enjoyed by the participants following the hike.

A Herscher High School teacher is due at the Kendall County Court on Jan. 7 on charges of multiple counts of felony criminal sexual abuse and aggravated battery in connection with an incident involving students from that school at a Yorkville hotel last month.

The teacher, David Murphy, 29, is free on bond, which was set at $250,000 shortly after he turned himself in to Yorkville police David Jan. 1. According Murphy to conditions of his bond, Murphy must wear a GPS monitoring device and not have contact with any minors.

The Illinois High School Association’s website lists Murphy as head wrestling coach at the school located in downstate Herscher.

According to Yorkville police, the incident that led to the charges against Murphy occurred the weekend of Dec. 11. The Herscher High School wrestling team was competing that weekend in a tournament at Plano High School.

The charges involve five juveniles and one 18-year-old victim.

According to the Kendall County State’s Attorney’s Office, Murphy performed a series of acts on the teens during the course of one evening and the next morning.

Murphy also faces an additional misdemeanor charge of renting a hotel room for someone

See SEX CHARGES, page 6

SPORTS

LOCAL NEWS

WHERE IT’S AT

Plano gets OT victory

Looking back at 2015

Boys basketball team defeats Morris in consolation bracket of Christmas Classic / 12

Plano mayor: Progress made / 2 City schools on upward path / 3 County chairman eyes goals / 10

Forum.................................................... 5 Fire calls............................................... 9 Local news......................................2-10 Opinion.................................................. 4 Police reports...................................... 8 Sports..............................................11-12

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Vol. 41, No. 1 3 sections

2X NEWS • Thursday, January 7, 2016 • Plano Record / KendallCountyNow.com

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Mayor tells of progress in Plano

By LYLE R. ROLFE news@kendallcountynow.com Plano city officials have been busy during 2015 according to Mayor Bob Hausler, who took time recently to recall the past year.

He said one of the highlights for 2015 was word that the city will receive a $200,000 grant from the state for improvements to Foley Park. The city is expected to match the grant and the funds are to be used to build a walking path, expand the parking lot, and make a play area by the lake accessible for disabled people.

Hausler said they applied for the grant in 2014, and had hoped to receive it in 2015 and have the project completed in 2016.

However, because of its financial problems, the state has not released the funds, as has been the case with many state-funded projBob Hausler ects, he said. Once funds are received, Mayor of work will begin imPlano mediately, he said.

One project that is not dependent on the state is the development of a refuse transfer station in the industrial park on Eldamain Road, north of Menard’s and near Cornelius Road.

“We’re looking forward to starting construction in the spring,” Hausler said. The station will be operated by Groot Industries, which will transfer refuse for other areas in addition to Plano. In the past, trash was taken to transfer stations in Batavia or West Chicago. He said the new site will save fuel and energy costs and time for the refuse haulers.

The 40-acre site on which the transfer station and other industrial developments will take place is privately owned. Hausler said the city is looking forward to the site being fully developed and occupied with new businesses. The city has received easements to extend water and sewer lines to the site.

And this will provide revenue to the city on the basis of the tonnage that goes through the station.

Once it’s operating, it will help the city without having to tax the residents, he said.

The city also implemented a new website that is more user friendly.

Residents can sign on to receive notification of City Council and committee meetings and receive copies of agendas, minutes of meetings, and information packets for

Eric Miller file photo - emiller@shawmedia.com

The Plano Depot is illuminated for the holiday season last month. Expect a return of the annual Rockin’ Christmas event on Dec. 2-5, 2016. the City Council meetings in advance of the meetings.

The city also enrolled in 2015 in Illinois’ Debt Recovery Program through the Treasurer’s Office in the Illinois Department of Revenue.

If a resident is behind in payments to the city for water or other fees such as parking tickets, the city can notify the state and it will deduct the money from any funds the resident might have coming from the state, such as a state income tax refund. Even if a person moves from Plano to another city, the state will still divert the funds, Hausler said.

The state sends the money at no cost to the city, he said.

The mayor noted that Casey’s is building a new store at Ben Street and Route 34. This will be the company’s second store in the city, he said.

Hausler said the city entered into an agreement with R&B Associates, a surveying company, to map out Plano’s utility locations.

“It’s important to have a map of water and sewer lines and other utilities when we need to locate them to do work in the area.

It keeps us from making mistakes and digging in the wrong place.

And developers will know where the lines are before they start working in an area,” he said.

This information eventually will be placed on the city’s website, he added.

This past year, the city also refinanced the Lakewood Springs North and South Special Service Area bonds.

This can save homeowners in those areas as much as $300 in their bond payments, depending on which area they are in and the

size of their property, Hausler said.

Plano participated in several events during the year, he said, noting that the Ice Fishing at Foley Park raised $900 for the senior citizens’ dine out program.

“And in April we had a fun event downtown when DC Comic Super Hero Costume set a world record for money pledged in 24 hours for people dressed as a DC Comic Super Hero. The only U.S. cities participating were Plano and Los Angeles but they still set a world record because participants in Japan, Korea, Australia, France and other countries also were included,” Hausler said.

In May, the Annual Train Day Celebration was held at the downtown Amtrak railroad depot to promote train travel by Amtrak, he said. And this year it will be held on May 14 at the depot.

On May 19-22, a carnival will be held downtown to raise funds for the annual August Smallville Superfest, he said.

And Sept. 23-25, Oktoberfest will be held downtown. This event has been sponsored by the Wurst Kitchen for more than 10 years, the mayor noted.

On Dec. 2-5, the annual Rockin’ Christmas event will be held in the city.

During this time, the community donates food to be distributed to families and seniors in need.

Hausler said enough food was donated in 2015 to deliver boxes to 380 families and seniors in their own homes and in senior facilities.

This was up from 250 the previous year.

“We want more names of people in the community who need help.

Many seniors won’t ask for help, but will take it if offered,” he said.

The food boxes included a turkey for families and hams for couples and individuals.

Last August city officials met with residents to discuss their suggestion that a park district be formed. At a follow-up meeting, officials discussed a possible budget and suggested the city’s Park Committee offer recreation programs and learning opportunities for the residents rather than form a park district. More meetings will be held this year, he said.

Also in August, a meeting was held in Oswego for area cities to discuss having a Metra commuter rail service from Union Station in downtown Chicago to the Quad Cities.

This would require a dedicated commuter line, which would be expensive, so more study is needed, he said.

Because the state has a freeze on all funding, it is unknown when work could begin and be completed on the project, he said.

Hausler said the city has finally cleaned up the former Monarch Foundry site of asbestos that was spread around when the building was razed. Once they receive approval from the IEPA, eight acres of the land between the railroad tracks and U.S. Route 34 on the city’s east side can be sold for a commercial or industrial use.

“Getting this property back on the tax rolls and developed has been a huge goal for me,” he said.

Hausler said he has been serving on the Chicagoland Government Relations Committee of the International Council of Shopping Centers in Chicago.

The city has a booth each year at their annual event to attract new business to Plano. He said McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts were both brought to the city through this agency.

“We plan to stay in the organization and attend their events to attract new commercial development to the city,” Hausler said.

In 2015, the city completed several major street improvement projects, which included relocating sewer and water lines and paving.

The Rock Creek storm sewer project was completed in the older area of the city, and this year, Main Street improvements will be completed between Lew and Ben streets.

“A huge issue for city in 2016 is the state budget. The uncertainty of revenue from the state is a major concern for us that could affect all residents,” he said.

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Plano Record / KendallCountyNow.com • Thursday, January 7, 2016 •

NEWS 3

Schools debuted new programs in 2015 Goals include more rigorous math classes

By LYLE R. ROLFE news@kendallcountynow.com The past year was a good one for Plano School District 88 and Superintendent Dr. Hector Garcia is looking forward to a better one in 2016.

Academics, finances and school culture are three areas he keeps a constant eye on to see how they are doing.

He said the academics are doing well, the finances are adequate and the staff is working to constantly improve the school culture.

When Garcia came to Plano as superintendent four years ago, 46 percent of the students were receiving free and reduced meals, and that has increased to 59 percent and sometimes reaches 61 percent. This is something the district cannot control, he said.

The second critical factor is the per pupil expenditure, which for Plano is below the state average.

This means the district must allocate more resources to meet higher student needs, he said.

He noted that many school districts forget these items when comparing themselves to other districts. He recalled a former district he worked in whose per pupil expenditure was above the state average and only 15-20 percent of the students received free and reduced meals. “We had more funding and a lot less students who needed additional resources,” he said.

Garcia questioned whether it’s fair for a district to compare these facts when the figures are inversed, but noted that the more affluent districts often do this.

He said they should be fair. If they are funding students at higher level and other factors are at a different level, there are different types of comparisons.

But Garcia said Plano’s growth and improvements are areas that any district would be happy with.

And one of Plano’s improvements for 2015 was to implement a new way to help students and parents better understand the grades they receive. It is called a standard-based report card and is being used in grades K-6 at this time.

In the past, if a parent asked how their child was doing the teacher might say the student was doing OK. He or she might be doing C level work, which is average. But the parent would leave the session not knowing what their weak points were. A letter grade does not tell what the student knows or does not know.

Now a teacher can tell a parent how their child is doing on the essential points of a subject, such as addition, subtraction, fractions, division, multiplication, etc., in

math, so the parent can help the child with that item.

“This is the new way of giving feedback to kids on what they are doing well in and what they are not doing well in,” Garcia said.

He said they are fine-tuning this concept for kindergarten through sixth grade and are looking at how this might work for grades seven and eight, where a letter grade is more essential for them.

$1.4 million to refinance the bonds and this year it will dedicate about $1.3 million, he said. This means taxpayers will not see a payment on their tax bills for these bonds, he said.

The equalized assessed value of property in the district has dropped by more than 40 percent, but the district has maintained the highest financial rating the state gives, he said.

Challenging subjects

Garcia said the administration is now working with the teachers on implementing a new state law for teacher evaluations.

The former method was to watch a teacher in the classroom and write a report on how he or she was doing. Now the state says that by the start of the 2016-17 school year, the report must include student growth measures – how did the student improve.

He said they have been working with the teachers union on how to do this. And it applies to teachers from kindergarten through 12th grade, and all subjects ranging from math to physical education.

It covers every teacher in every grade and every subject, he said.

The district has been doing the growth factors for the past several years in their evaluations of school principals.

Another accomplishment for 2015 was that the district’s nurse was chosen as nurse of the year for the state of Illinois.

Also, four years ago, no one in Plano was recognized by the state’s Those Who Excel program.

This past year, the district had three individuals plus a team of teachers. ”We had the highest number of staff members represented in that program and I think we had as many staff members recognized as many of our bigger neighbors to the east,” he said.

The district has worked to be a good neighbor and this year distributed more than 1,000 book bags and supplies to students after partnering with a community agency.

And the district worked with area farmers through the Kane County Farm Bureau on their program to plant and harvest corn on 13 acres adjacent to the high school. Proceeds from the sale of corn were used by the local food pantry to help needy families in the district. ”We’re not where we need to be, but we’re trending in the right direction. We expect big things out of our students and we can help them get there.”

Garcia said this is his first superintendent job, but added that he has worked in some of the most affluent districts.

“I sat in the co-pilot’s seat watching and learning and I took notes on what worked and did not work there so I could apply the right things in Plano. What we’re structuring here rivals what is working in some of the most affluent school districts in Illinois,” he said.

Garcia said another improvement in 2015 was to move more difficult subjects into lower grades, noting that 54 seventh-graders are already taking algebra. And eighth-graders are now taking geometry for the first time.

“These kids are ready for these classes, and we give it to them because they can handle it. These students will be taking algebra 2 at the freshman level, pre-calculus at the sophomore level, and calculus at the junior level. This is the first year the students will need an additional math class for the senior year,” he said, adding that they probably will start teaching multi-variable calculus, a college-level course, for the seniors.

Four years ago, algebra was for the elite eighth-graders. Now the number of Plano students taking – and passing – algebra at the eighth-grade level is well above the state average.

For the coming year, Garcia’s goal is to increase the number of students taking geometry in eighth grade and being successful.

“The students have shown they can handle the rigor and now we’re going to continue to support them academically as well as with the courses they need,” Garcia said.

Plano is in year two of its dual language (English and Spanish), program, he noted. Most of last year was spent investigating how to implement the class. This means parents won’t have to take their children to an academy to learn another language when they are young, he said. It is helping the students who speak only Spanish.

Plano starts them in kindergarten and first grade and they become very prolific in both languages even though their parents may not know two languages. The kids go back and forth between the two languages with no deficiencies, he said.

Dual language isn’t mandated, but more and more parents are taking advantage of it for their children.

Garcia is confident that Plano will have students who are totally bilingual by fifth and sixth grades, something not many districts have unless they have lot of resources. And he noted that some area school districts have had problems implementing dual language programs.

This year District 88 also offered Spanish at the middle school level, he said, adding that it had been discontinued before he came here.

Talking teachers, staff

Eric Miller file photo - emiller@shawmedia.com

Plano School District Superintendent Hector Garcia at the 2014 graduation.

Garcia said they are now implementing intervention blocks in all the schools, something that was started in 2015.

He said students with a specific problem on a subject can receive more help during these intervention blocks, which could be 20 to 40 minutes long. And in some cases another teacher who has a different teaching method might be assigned to help the student during the intervention time.

Garcia also noted that more students are taking honors courses.

His first year here, 167 students were enrolled, and it has increased to 441 this year. AP (advanced placement) enrollment has gone from 51 to 413 students.

And Garcia noted that this is not because of an increased student enrollment; the entire student population for Plano has increased by only 15 since he came here.

Last year the district was recognized by Newsweek and ranked 64th for its AP program. “We think we can do better,” he said.

Garcia said Plano this year was the first in Kendall County and only one of 500 nationwide to offer AP Capstone.

AP Capstone is an innovative diploma program that provides students with an opportunity to engage in rigorous scholarly practice in the core academic skills necessary for successful college completion.

It is built on the foundation of two courses – AP Seminar and AP Research – and is designed to compliment and enhance the in-depth, discipline-specific study provided through AP courses. It cultivates curious independent and collaborative scholars and prepares them to make logical, evidence-based decisions.

Garcia compared the ACT scores of last year to this year and said they had more students improve from a 30 – one student last year and four this year. The content scores, which are on individual subjects, went from seven students posting a 30 to 24 students doing so.

Garcia said Plano’s graduation

rate was above the state average for the third consecutive year.

And students are taking more rigorous courses than ever before, he added.

The state says freshmen must take five credits and not fail more than one core class. Again, Plano is doing better than the state average, he said.

Part of the school culture is to have every student participate in a program, sport, club or other activity, and the administration urges the students to become involved. When Garcia came here, the participation rate was 64 percent. He thought this was a good number because other districts he worked in considered themselves lucky to hit 50 percent participation.

“At the end of last year, we had 75 percent participation and we expect to hit 80 percent this year,” he said, attributing this to the district’s athletic director interviewing every freshman at the start of the school year to talk about participation.

“We want every kid to be part of Plano. We don’t want them to just come here, spend the day, put the books down and go home. We want them to know that somebody cares,” he said.

And Plano’s school attendance rate averages 95 percent, which is way above the state average.

Tax issues

Financially, this was the first year the district had to pay $494,000 to Menard’s for their property tax settlement, he said.

The school district challenged Menard’s for the amount of property taxes it was paying each year and lost.

“Our challenge – and we led the charge – against Menard’s prevented more than $682,000 in taxes going into the community.

Because we challenged that, the money did not go to taxpayers.

Instead, all the taxing bodies redistributed that cost from their budget and the biggest one was the school district,” he said.

Garcia said the district refinanced its bonds for the second year. Last year it appropriated

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Happy New Year!

FORUM To the Editor: Little Rock Township held its annual “Senior Citizens Christmas Dinner” on Sunday, Dec. 13, at the Plano Middle School. There were 122 seniors served.

We would like to thank all of the seniors that attended. We hope they enjoyed the meal, music and door prizes. Music was provided by the Plano Middle School Band, conducted by Jen Scarborough.

The following businesses and people donated the door prizes, and we thank them for making this event possible: McNelis Tree and Landscaping Service, Casey’s General Store (Plano), Crowe’s Automotive Repair, (Hupp, Lanuti, Irion, and Burton), Randy McKirgan, Plano Molding, Rennetta Mickelson, Wendt’s True Value, Debbie Gillette, WOW Theater, The Wash House, NCG Cinemas Yorkville, Bob Hausler, Plano Liquor, Donut Emporium/ Plano BP, Busted Knuckles Tree Service (Somonauk), Dos Cominos Family Restaurant, First Insurance Group, Heartland Bank, James Novak Paving Inc., WSPY-Nelson Media, First National Bank of Omaha.

Thanks again to all of these businesses and individuals who made the donations. A big thank you to the Plano Middle School (Mark Heller), Randy Book and Deb Buis.

Also, we would like to thank the seniors that made a food donation to help out the Kendall County Food Pantry, to help others during the holidays.

And last, but not least, we would like to thank all of the people that helped set up, cook, run errands, serve and clean up. These volunteers are: Laurie Bedwell, Ben Carreno, Dwayne Love, Marie Bracken, Adam Carreno Jr., Alaina Carreno, Alyssa Carreno, Angie

Plano Record • Page 4

Carreno, Frank Carreno, Matt Vilmin, George Goehst, Rennetta Mickelson, Dick Wade, Tom Stejskal, Matt Olson, Dr. Hector Garcia, Colleen Garcia, Aidan Garcia, Shannon McNelis and Ed Coates. A very special thanks for Santa for joining us for this event.

Frank Carreno III Little Rock Township Supervisor Plano

New Year’s hike thanks

To the Editor: I would like to thank all the participants who made the New Year’s Day Hike a success. We were able to donate 86 cans of soup to the Kendall County Food Pantry.

Thanks also to the Kendall County Historical Society for the use of Lyon Farm, and to all the hike staff for their efforts.

Al Birdwell Oswego

What have you learned?

To the Editor: This is a huge year for America. By the end of this year, we will have weathered the political campaigning and inevitable robo-calls, and hopefully will have found ourselves taking our voting privileges seriously.

Election time is always important but this one holds even more weight as there is so much more at stake as to where we are headed.

Will we continue our turn to the left, or will we turn in a more conservative direction?

We must ask ourselves what we think of our Constitution. What do we think and believe about our founders in general? What do we think about this country’s birth? Were the newly-granted “rights” a positive or negative

thing for those living here? Will we elect leaders who desire to subvert the Constitution or uphold it? Will we be a government of, by and for the people or will these just be by-words?

Will we elect another despotic president, or will we elect someone who will restore this country to greatness with strong leadership abilities and a strong sense of government’s true purpose?

We just returned from a vacation in northern Wisconsin where two WWII veterans live.

We know them both and know the price they each paid in defending America, its ideals and foundations. It is an honor and privilege to know each of them. The younger of the two fought in the Battle of the Bulge. They are intelligent men and more committed to America than what I see now.

Who among our young college grads is willing to fight for our country? Often I see them making demands and protesting on city streets and wonder if they understand the truth of what makes America great. Do they understand that the past often is a predictor of the future?

Our political correctness and our obsession with human rights for some but not for others has caused us great distraction. We redefine things that are not ours to define in the first place. We stand for tolerance, yet don’t tolerate those of different opinions, and we penalize people in Draconian ways for having the “wrong” opinions. We view the Constitution as just another museum piece for earlier times. If this is where human reason and arrogance has brought us, then I would have none of it.

I don’t believe the lies we have had pushed into our faces and lives. I believe that life, liberty, and the traditional family are worth defending, and I hope others will believe

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likewise and vote accordingly. I can’t march off to war in the WWII sense, but I can march with my fingers in voicing the truth about where we are headed. In the last seven years, we should certainly have learned our lessons.

What have you learned?

Cindy Akre Plano

Will live up to commitment

To the Editor: On Nov. 30 I filed my nominating petitions with the State Board of Elections to run again for state representative of the 75th District, which includes Grundy, Kendall, Will and LaSalle counties.

I would like to thank the hundreds of local families who signed petitions this fall to place my name on the ballot for the March Republican primary. I am truly humbled by your support.

To them, and to everyone in our community, I pledge to run a strictly positive campaign.

To me, elections are about competing ideas and solutions to move our state forward, not a conflict of personalities.

Negative personal attacks only serve to distort the truth, malign the personal integrity and character of others, and deny voters the opportunity to make an informed choice based on facts.

From the day I first took the oath of office in August 2013, I have strived to live up to my commitment to be a state representative for everyone in our community, not just one political party or faction. I renew that promise again today.

State Rep. John Anthony 75th District R-Morris

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OPINION

Thursday, January 7, 2016 Plano Record • Page 5

Junk mail reveals site of God’s ‘phone booth’ REFLECTIONS Roger Matile A couple of weeks ago, I was chatting with a friend about how you can influence almost anyone in the United States by simply purchasing a mailing list and sending out pleas for money and power via the U.S. Postal Service.

Well, I’m not suggesting Uncle Sam is monitoring my conversations or anything, but since then, I have been flooded with an unprecedented deluge of junk mail from all points of the globe. It has been a truly amazing performance. So, in an effort to tunnel my way out from under this veritable avalanche of not entirely useless information, here are a few things I never would have found out about – or even wondered about – if I hadn’t opened all the junk mail each and every day (that the mail carrier showed up out in front of the Matile Manse): Looking for an intimate chapel to get married in? Try the Monte Casino Chapel at Thomas More College, Crestview Hills, Kentucky. The smallest church in the world, Monte Casino holds just three people at a time. It’s kind of like God’s phone booth.

Why is a bomb called a bomb, and not, say, a rutabaga? Or a beet? Says here the word “bomb” comes from the Greek bombos, which means a deep humming sound.

Doesn‘t seem to make much sense, does it?

We’re big – and I do mean big. The United States covers 3,623,420 square miles.

Having trouble reading that novel written in ancient Egyptian? Here’s a pointer: The Egyptians, in about 3000 B.C., used a check mark as the letter “T”. Does that help?

Let’s see here… you’re stuck on a desert island with nothing but a screwdriver.

What to do? Well, you can drink coconut milk – use the screwdriver to punch through the three ridges that are located on one end of the nut, and you then can drain off the liquid. Never cared much for the stuff, but maybe the desert island thing would whet a person’s appetite.

The U.S. Mail used to be a cheap way to send things. How cheap? Well, the Bank of Vernal in Vernal, Utah, is the only bank in the world sent mail order. The good folks in Vernal discovered in 1919 that it would be cheaper to mail enough bricks to their town to build the bank, seven to a package, than it would have been to have them shipped commercially. Now those were the days.

The “broad stripes and bright stars” that Francis Scott Key wrote about in “The Star-Spangled Banner” were a bit different

Letters policy The Plano Record’s Forum page provides our readers with a weekly opportunity to express their opinions on topics of community interest. Here are our guidelines: • Letters must be no longer than 500 words.

• Letters must be accompanied by the writer’s full name, address and home phone number. Only the author’s name and city of residence will be printed.

• We reserve the right to edit all letters for brevity and fairness.

• Elected and appointed public officials who write letters will be identified with their titles listed under their names. Officials who wish to write letters that are not necessarily representative of their agency’s view should preface their letters accordingly.

• The deadline for letters to the editor is noon Monday for the next week’s edition.

Here’s how to send your letter: By email: letters@kendallcountynow. com By mail: Record Newspapers, 109 W. Veterans Parkway, Yorkville, IL 60560

Photo provided

The tiny Monte Casino Chapel overlooks a pond on the campus of Thomas More College in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. than today’s. In 1814, the flag has 15 stars and 15 stripes, representing the original 13 states plus newcomers Vermont and Kentucky.

The word accord, overused these days on television news, comes from the Latin ad corda, which means “heart to heart.”

We have hands, elephants have trunks, and the black rhinoceros has a lip. Yes, a lip. The rhino’s lip is limber enough to pick up small objects almost as deftly as a person’s hand. Believe it or not.

Men, do you think your marriage ceremony took a long time? Get this: Amish marriage ceremonies usually last about 3 hours and 30 minutes.

Most people’s left foot is a bit bigger than their right foot.

Is the world really smaller these days?

Well, maybe not physically smaller, but it certainly is a smaller in relation to travel.

It took the Apollo astronauts as long to get to the moon as it used to take a stagecoach to cross England. Think about that for a minute.

The amoeba is considered the lowest form of animal life. Funny. I always thought it was the politician.

I bet you are wondering what happened to the family dinner. On any given day in America, roughly 50 million people buy take-out food at one of the nation’s 160,000 fast food restaurants. Have it your way, folks.

An ancient remedy for a toothache was to eat a mouse. Honest. It says so right here. Would I make up something that stupid?

Let’s you and me play the market a bit.

The highest price ever quoted for a single share of U.S. stock was $200,000 for a share of Berkshire Hathaway in August 2014.

That’s enough – playing the stock market is for chumps. And gamblers.

Pocket books have been around for a while. The first known pocket dictionary in the United States was published in 1788.

The city of Shanghai in China has the world’s largest municipal population.

Some 24.15 million people live in Shanghai.

For comparison’s sake, that’s roughly the combined populations of Illinois and Ohio.

Each eye of a duck has three eyelids.

No, l don’t know why.

It’s a seller’s market, fellows. There are about 20 million more men in the world

than there are women.

Send cash, check, or money order.

Modern banking dates from the Banco di Rialto, founded in Venice in 1587. The banco accepted demand deposits and permitted depositors to transfer their credits by check.

If you want to dig your way to China, prepare to be very warm. The Earth’s interior temperature increases by one degree for every 60 feet of depth.

The pupil of the eye expands as much as 45 percent when a person looks at something pleasing. Hubba, hubba!

The strongest bone in the body – the thigh bone – is hollow. It is also connected to the hip bone.

Bet you’ve been wondering what that final tower on top of the Empire State Building is for. No, it wasn’t built as a radio tower. It was originally built as a dirigible mooring mast.

Finally, today’s career tip: A professional perfume tester is known in the trade as a “nose.”

• Looking for more local history? Visit www.historyonthefox.wordpress.com.

Your Yorkville areastate state representatives…

Your Plano area representatives Here's how to contact your local state representative:

State Representative John Anthony R-Plainfield 75th District

State Representative Keith Wheeler R-Oswego 50th District

Office: 1421 N. Division Street Morris, IL 60450 Phone: 815-416-1475 Website: RepAnthony.com

Office: 959 Oak Street North Aurora, IL 60542 Phone: 630-345-3464 Email: office @RepKeithWheeler.org Website: RepKeithWheeler.org

State Senator Sue Rezin R-Morris 38th District

State Senator Jim Oberweis R-Sugar Grove 25th District

Office: 103 Fifth Street Peru, IL 61354 Phone: 815-220-8720 Email: SenatorRezin@gmail.com Website: senatorrezin.com

Office: 959 Oak Street North Aurora , IL 60542 Phone: 630-800-1992 Email: senatoroberweis @gmail.com Website: SenatorOberweis.com

Who are my state representatives? Check your voter registration card. The card lists the districts in which you reside.

6 NEWS • Thursday, January 7, 2016 • Plano Record / KendallCountyNow.com

December students, staff of month named at PHS PLANO RECORD Plano High School staff nominated students for “Student of the Month” for the month of December.

Students are nominated for PRIDE behavior, Personal Responsibility, Respect, Involved Academically, Demonstrates safe behavior, and Excellence in what they do.

Some reasons for nomination include helping other students learn in class, pushing oneself to full potential, working extra hard in class, setting high expectations for oneself and others, challenging classmates, being respectful, having a positive attitude, perfecting projects, and possessing problem-solving skills.

Students of the month of December are: Amber Barkes, Alexis Jude, Adela Martinez, David Rivera, Demond Williams, Elizabeth Metcalf, Hunter Beck, Joshua Farthing, Kathryne

Photo provided

Pictured are some of the students and staff for the month of December at Plano High School – Joshua Farthing, David Rivera, Demond Williams, Ms. Lisa Esmond, Shawn McCormack, Adela Martinez and Amber Barkes.

Rickerl, Ryleigh Johnson and Shawn McCormack.

Students and administration nominated staff members for “Staff Member of the Month” for December.

Some reasons for nomination include dedication to students and school, being creative, being a great PLC leader, teaching new curriculum, reading tests to help students, providing

tools to be prepared and successful, and being diligent.

Staff members for December are: Lisa Esmond, Rose Buss and Bibiana Baldwin.

Staff members are nominated by going above and beyond what is expected.

They have received a certificate as well as participating in a breakfast in their honor.

Faces multiple Class 3 felony charges • SEX CHARGES

Continued from page 1 knowing alcohol would be provided to minors, according to the state’s attorney’s office.

Charges relating to the first victim includes one count of Class 3 aggravated battery where prosecutors say Murphy knowingly made physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature.

Murphy is alleged to have pulled the victim’s pants back to expose her underwear, squeezed her buttocks and groped her breasts over her clothing.

Charges relating to the second victim include aggravated criminal sexual abuse. According to the state’s attorney’s office, Murphy knowingly groped the victim’s breast for the purpose of his own sexual arousal. That

charge is based on a position of trust, authority or supervision in relation to the victim.

According to the charges, while at a public place of accommodation – the hotel room – Murphy squeezed the victim’s buttocks, kissed her on the forehead and pulled back her pants to expose her underwear.

Murphy is charged with two counts of Class 3 aggravated battery toward another victim. The first count is knowingly making physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature with the victim in a public place of accommodation.

According to the charges, Murphy kissed the victim on the cheek and lips and squeezed her buttocks and pulled back her pants to expose her underwear.

A second count alleges

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he committed a Class 3 aggravated battery.

Murphy made physical contact of an insulting or provoking nature with her, put his arm around the victim, squeezed her buttocks while saying “last night was fun,” according to the state’s attorney’s office.

The fourth victim alleges Murphy squeezed her buttocks and pulled back her pants to expose her underwear.

The fifth victim alleges Murphy grabbed the victim by the throat and stated that “he was going to kill the [victim] and rip out [the victim’s] larynx,” according to the charges.

The sixth victim alleges Murphy grabbed her by the neck and shoved her into a hotel room door, saying: “If you don’t get them to open the door in 10 seconds I’ll break the [expletive] door down.”

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Plano Record / KendallCountyNow.com • Thursday, January 7, 2016 •

NEWS 7

New school clubs to cover photography, robotics, anime building and learning computer programming to design their robot to navigate through multiple simulations and problem-solving activities. The club would meet during the second semester of the present school year and is expected to have 25-30 members.

Heller said there are 34 different academic lessons or units related to robotics and computer programming that the sponsor can take them through.

And he noted that the robots can be reused by all classes. No sponsor has been chosen for this club, Heller added.

Benson said the National Hispanic Institute club would let students become more involved in NHI regional and national summer competitions, and would

help the students learn and reinforce their leadership and speaking skills.

It also would provide fundraising support for participating students as well as provide support for community organizations.

This club participates in the Great Debate, which allows high school freshmen to test and improve their communication skills through organized discussions and debates about issues that impact today’s Latino community.

Students gain confidence in public speaking and an appreciation of communication as a powerful tool of leadership. They also gain experience creating arguments, communicating them through powerful, eloquent expression, and carefully analyzing the ar-

guments presented by their peers.

Marisela Garcia, parent liaison for the district, is sponsor of the club, which will have 25-30 members.

The Red Cross Club is expected to have 10 to 12 members and would provide an opportunity to support themes of safety and support among the community and region, Benson said.

Members will learn skills that support the schools within the Plano district as well as in the community and region, he added.

Kenny Paoli, a Plano High School chemistry teacher, is the sponsor.

A Photography Club for five to six students was started in the fall to explore photography as an art form, Benson said. It will reinforce their artistic skills in a

photographic format while developing a better understanding of photography.

Julie Adamsik, a teacher in the Kendall County Special Education Cooperative, is the club sponsor.

An Anime Club is proposed for five to eight students to explore anime art animation. Sessions would reinforce and allow them to learn artistic skills in a two-dimensional format while developing a better understanding of animation.

Meetings would be held each Monday and art teacher Nicole Billips would be the sponsor, Benson said.

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Plano middle and high school students will have new clubs to participate this year.

The concept of the clubs was presented to Plano School District 88 Board members at last month’s meeting by Eric Benson, high school principal, and Mark Heller, middle school principal.

Board members approved the clubs for this school year and provided the necessary stipends to cover their expenses.

Benson and Heller proposed a robotics club for the middle school and four clubs for the high school – National Hispanic Institute (NHI), Red Cross, Photography and an Anime Graphic

Design Club.

Superintendent Dr. Hector Garcia asked the board to approve the concept, along with naming a volunteer staff member to act as a club sponsor.

Heller said one of their goals this year is to add additional academic opportunities for their students.

A recent student survey showed a high number of students are interested in participating in technology-related after-school enrichment clubs.

He said some meeting times will be arranged so they can bring in guest speakers.

Heller said the district would like to continue to build students’ technology skills by offering an after-school robotics club.

Students would focus on

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By LYLE R. ROLFE news@kendallcountynow.com

8 NEWS • Thursday, January 7, 2016 • Plano Record / KendallCountyNow.com KENDALL COUNTY SHERIFF’S REPORTS

Chipper missing A wood chipper valued at more than $500 was taken between Dec. 26 and Dec. 28 in the 11000 block of Fox Road, Kendall Township, the owner told Kendall County sheriff’s police.

Seat-belt violation Two people were injured in a one-car crash at about 6:10 a.m.

Dec. 29 on Brisbin Road south of Chicago Road in Seward Township, Kendall County sheriff’s police said. According to reports, a car driven by Angel A. Navarro, 26, of the 1600 block of West Galena Boulevard, Aurora, went out of control after going through standing water and struck a guardrail. Navarro and a passenger, Alexander J. Moreno, 26, of the 200 block of Fernwood Road, Boulder Hill, were both taken to area hospitals for treatment of minor injuries, reports said.

Navarro and Moreno were both cited for failure to wear a seat belt, reports said.

Theft report A debit card, gift card and cash were taken from a Yorkville man’s wallet between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Dec. 29 at a business in the 3800 block of Eldamain Road, Plano, Kendall County sheriff’s police said. The debit card was later used at two businesses in Plano, reports said. The case is under investigation.

License violation Johanna E. Bielby, 24, of the 0-99 block of Rocky Way, Boulder Hill, was charged with driving on a suspended license at about 8:35 p.m. Dec. 29 at Boulder Hill Pass and Hillstone Road, Kendall County sheriff’s police said.

Possession charge Forrest K. Pewett, 18, of the 1300 block of Kane Street, Aurora, was charged with unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia at about 8:25 p.m. Dec. 31 at Douglas Road and Seasons Ridge

Boulevard in Oswego Township, sheriff’s police said.

Unlawful drinking charge Collin M. O’Heron, 19, of the 200 block of Thornbury Court, Oswego, was charged with unlawful consumption of alcohol by a minor after a traffic stop at about 9:30 p.m. Dec. 31 at Briarcliff and Bereman roads in Boulder Hill, sheriff’s police said.

Warrant arrest Matthew R. Earle, 29, of the 2400 block of Sumac Road, Yorkville, was found to be wanted on three warrants at about 9:45 p.m. Jan. 1 in the 1200 block of Bridge Street, Kendall County sheriff’s police said. According to reports, Earle was wanted on a DuPage County warrant on a charge of assault, a DeKalb County warrant on a charge of DUI and a Grundy County warrant on a charge of DUI. Earle was taken to the Kendall County jail for processing, reports said.

License violation Kendall L. Diggs, 26, of Chicago, was charged with driving on a suspended license and possession of cannabis after a traffic stop at about 5:15 p.m. Jan. 2 at Fernwood and Pembroke roads in Boulder Hill, Kendall County sheriff’s police said.

License violation Damien M. Lewis, 32, of Chicago, was charged with driving on a suspended license at about 5:30 p.m. Jan. 3 at Washington and Harrison streets in Oswego, sheriff’s police said.

Illegal parking Crystal L. Alavrez, 30, of the 500 block of Hinman Street, Aurora, was charged with driving on a suspended license at about 6:55 p.m. Jan. 3 in the 1100 block of Cornell Lane, Bristol Township, Kendall County sheriff’s police said. According to reports, Alvarez was observed parking in a spot reserved for disabled persons at the Kendall County Public Safety Center. She was not in possession of a disabled parking placard or registration plate, reports said. She also was charged with operating an uninsured motor vehicle and unauthorized use of a parking space reserved for persons with disabilities, reports said.

License violation Joseph A. Vasquez, 19, of the 800 block of Columbia Street,

Aurora, was charged with driving on a suspended license and operating a vehicle with suspended registration after a traffic stop at about 9:50 p.m. Jan. 3 at Route 30 and Lincoln Station Drive in Oswego Township, Kendall County sheriff’s police said.

Warrant arrest Pablo J. Pena, 24, of the 0-99 block of Schomer Lane, Plano, was found to be wanted on a warrant on a Kane County charge of failure to appear in a driving on a suspended license case at about 2:25 p.m. Jan. 4 in Little Rock Township, Kendall County sheriff’s police said.

DUI charge Erica L. Ransford, 29, of the 1300 block of Light Road, Oswego, was charged with DUI at about 2:45 a.m. Jan. 1 in the 2500 block of Light Road, Kendall County sheriff’s police said.

According to reports, deputies found Ransford sleeping in her vehicle.

License violation Linda Salgado, 29, of the 0-99 block of Old Post Road, Boulder Hill, was charged with driving on a suspended license after a traffic stop at about 1:30 a.m. Jan. 1 at Route 30 and Orchard Road in Bristol Township, Kendall County sheriff’s police said.

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Car drives into Yorkville Rosati’s SHAW MEDIA A car jumped the curb and crashed into the Rosati’s Pizza restaurant in the 1900 block of Marketview Drive at about 10:20 a.m. Dec. 31, Yorkville police said.

According to reports, a juvenile driver was behind the wheel of a Toyota owned

by a driving school. When the juvenile attempted to park the vehicle, the driver pressed the accelerator instead of the brake pedal, police reports said. The car struck the building’s front and partially entered the dining area, reports said.

No injuries were reported to people in the vehicle or the building, police said.

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Warrant arrest Daniel A. Garcia, 22, of the 2200 block of Andrew Trail, Montgomery, was found to be wanted on a Kendall County warrant on a charge of failure to appear in court at about 6:20 p.m. Jan. 4, Kendall County sheriff’s police said.

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Possession charge David Gutierrez Jr., 22, of the 600 block of Lafayette Street, Aurora, was charged with unlawful possession of cannabis and drug paraphernalia after a traffic stop at about 8 p.m. Dec. 30 at Route 34 and Autumn Creek Boulevard in Yorkville, Kendall County sheriff’s police said. Gutierrez also was cited for having an expired registration and having no vehicle insurance, reports said.

A car operated by a driving student hit the Rosati’s location in Yorkville.

No one was injured.

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Speeding charge Nicholas C. Tadych, 21, of the 800 block of Arrowwood Drive, Oswego, was charged with speeding at about 11:35 p.m. Jan. 4 at Route 126 and Grove Road in Na-Au-Say Township, Kendall County sheriff’s police said. According to reports, Tadych was driving 117 mph in a 55 mph zone on Route 126 near Schlapp Road.

Warrant arrest Dexter J. Lessner-Cavillo, 24, of the 0-99 block of Hillstone Road, Boulder Hill, turned himself in to police on an active warrant at about 6:05 p.m. Jan. 4 at the Kendall County Public Safety Center, 1100 block of Cornell Lane, Yorkville, Kendall County sheriff’s police said.

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Plano Record / KendallCountyNow.com • Thursday, January 7, 2016 •

Police offer ways to avoid scams Important numbers

By MATT SCHURY mschury@kendallcountynow.com If you’ve ever gotten a call from someone purporting to be from the IRS, don’t feel too bad. They seem to be calling everyone.

“There was one on my answering machine saying the IRS has got a lawsuit filed against me and I have to call this phone number,” Yorkville Police Chief Rich Hart said.

Hart said he immediately saw the message for what it was – a scam – and deleted it. He added that if the IRS had sued him he would have been served notice in the mail and the agency would not leave a message on his home answering machine.

Hart admits it’s laughable that the IRS would call someone and just tell them they’re being sued but, he adds, scammers do it because it occasionally works.

Each year the Better Business Bureau releases a list of its top 10 scams, and for 2015 the tax scam involving the IRS is again number one. Also included in the BBB’s list are scams involving debt collection, sweepstakes/prize gifts, tech support, government grants, credit cards, working from home, fake checks and the foreign lottery.

According to data from the BBB, of the first 10,000 scam reports processed by the office, 24 percent were

Kendall County Sheriff’s Office: 630-553-7500 Oswego Police Department non-emergency line: 630554-3426 Montgomery Police Department non-emergency line: 630-897-8707 Yorkville Police Department non-emergency line: 630553-4343 The Better Business Bureau: 312-832-0500 about impostors pretending to be an IRS officer.

Kendall County Sheriff’s Deputy Michael Mrozek says these scams are designed to prey on people’s emotions. Potential victims should keep their wits about them and use logic and reasoning when confronted.

“A lot of times they will say they’ve won the Nigerian Lottery and the first question you have to ask is when was the last time you were in Nigeria,” he said.

“Educating the public is the best we can do.”

Hart agrees that you should stop and think before sending that check to the IRS based on a single phone call or mailing that money order to claim a tempting prize.

“They try to prey on your fears,” Hart said. “If it sounds like it’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be

true.”

If people are promising things or trying to scare you with a lawsuit or warrant, Hart added, that is a clue that it might be a scam.

“If governmental agencies are going to notify you of a lawsuit, you’ll usually receive it in person through a subpoena or summons,” he said.

Mrozek also reminds citizens that the police don’t give people a courtesy call before serving them with a warrant for their arrest.

“We’re not going to call you for a warrant, we’ll just show up on your doorstep,” he said.

Law enforcement agents recommend contacting your local police department if you think you have been the victim of a scam. Mrozek and Hart said that even if a victim doesn’t want to fill out a police report, at least telling officers about the scam will put them on notice that it is occurring so they can warn others.

“At the least get a hold of us and let us know what’s going on to stop it from occurring,” Mrozek said.

For instance, the sheriff’s office issued a press release about a phone scam involving someone pretending to be an officer and that the victim owed the IRS money.

“These phone scams are usually originating outside the U.S. and unfortunately we don’t have the manpow-

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Approximately 85 percent of scams reported to the BBB did not involve any stolen money, but among the top 10 scams, over $1 million was lost by victims, according to the BBB. “I’m sure they are really good at it and they make millions and millions of dollars,” Hart said. “They wouldn’t do them if they didn’t work.”

There was another recent scam reported to police where a person calls and tells the resident there is an issue with their home security system, and when they respond that they don’t have a security system the person disconnects.

“We haven’t had any reports of any residential burglaries or crimes being committed after that type of call is received, but we like to remind people to never give out any information because you never know how people are going to use that,” Mrozek said.

NEWS 9

LITTLE ROCK-FOX FIRE AND AMBULANCE CALLS Dec. 29 4:02 p.m., 1000 block of West Route 34, Plano, ambulance request 5:20 p.m., 400 block of East South Street, Plano, ambulance request Dec. 30 4:52 p.m., 4300 block of Dillon Street, Plano, ambulance request 8:18 p.m., 4300 block of Dillon Street, Plano, ambulance request Dec. 31 1:56 a.m., 1300 block of North Main Street, Sandwich, ambulance request 6:19 a.m., 8800 block of Kimball Court, Fox Township, ambulance request 8:21 a.m., 13600 block of Fox Road, Fox Township, ambulance request 8:49 a.m., 40 S. Linden Drive, Little Rock Township, ambulance request 1:17 p.m., 0-99 block of Meyer Road, Little Rock Township, ambulance request Jan. 1 5:47 a.m., 600 block of Edgelawn Drive, Plano, ambulance request

7:33 p.m., 2800 block of Sarah Court, Plano, ambulance request Jan. 2 9:41 a.m., 40 S. Linden Drive, Little Rock Township, ambulance request 3:03 p.m., 600 block of South West Street, Plano, ambulance request 5:55 p.m., Eldamain Road and Route 34, Plano, motor vehicle accident 10:01 p.m., 500 block of Ramsden Road, Plano, ambulance request Jan. 3 11:58 a.m., 500 block of Ramsden Road, Plano, ambulance request 3:29 p.m., 700 block of West Abe Street, fire alarm 7:42 p.m., 1300 block of Park Place, LaSalle County, ambulance request Jan. 4 11:29 a.m., 300 block of East Railroad Street, Sandwich, change of quarters 4:42 p.m., 1700 Creek Road, Little Rock Township, carbon monoxide detector 7:51 p.m., 100 block of Steward Street, Plano, ambulance request

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10 NEWS • Thursday, January 7, 2016 • Plano Record / KendallCountyNow.com

County chairman looks ahead Intends to bring up ‘per-diem-gate’

By MATT SCHURY mschury@kendallcountynow.com Kendall County Board Chairman John Shaw believes that 2016 could be a year that growth begins to return to Kendall County or at least the prologue to growth returning.

As Shaw begins the final year of his term on the County Board he sat down with the Record Newspapers to reflect on 2015 and look ahead to his goals for county government for 2016.

Shaw started his recap and look ahead with the fact that the county is currently negotiating five contracts with the Fraternal Order of Police that will have a huge impact on next year’s budget.

Shaw couldn’t get into specifics but did say there was some confusion as they try to sort out the details and there are some lively discussions over benefits and wages and other things.

“It just turns into the Bickersons,” he said. “Mr. [Bob] Davidson’s call to arms and his whole thing about being re-elected is that we have to cut taxes – taxes, taxes, taxes,” Shaw said.

He added that while cutting taxes is a noble endeavor there are certain realities the county has to face settling these contracts.

Turning toward the county’s Health Department, Shaw acknowledged that there is some fence mending needed. In November the County Board requested that the Health Department pay for a portion of their employees’ health insurance costs and benefits out of their department’s

budget instead of the county’s general fund.

“Mr. [John] Purcell came up with the idea that for a certain part of [health department employees’ salaries] benefits funded by us,” Shaw said. “Their budget is in the millions over there and it’s grown.”

Shaw said some of this animosity was brought upon by Dr. Amaal Tokars, health department director, addressing the board at a meeting this John Shaw fall.

“We were read a manifesto by Dr. Amaal Tokars that told us we were a bunch of bullies and I remember listening it and wondering what is she trying to say,” Shaw said. “It’s going to be interesting to see how this all turns out. It is a sad problem because there are a lot of good people over there.

There’s some hard feelings now.”

‘Per-diem-gate’

Shaw added that he might bring up the idea of switching County Board members to a straight salary instead of paying out a per diem for meeting attendance.

In addition to an $85 per diem for going to meetings, board members collect an annual salary and stipends.

They can also collect reimbursement for mileage as well as opt in to the county’s health insurance program and they can become vested in the state’s IMRF retirement system.

As Shaw put it he’d like to have “per-diem-gate” on

a meeting agenda soon for discussion.

In 2013 a Kendall County grand jury began investigating the per diem matter and the sheriff’s office interviewed 11 current and former board members. A committee was also formed to look into the per diem payments. The committee had been asking the 11 board members to pay back $45,997. The Kendall County State’s Attorney Office later determined the members owed just under $10,000 collectively.

Following the investigation, the County Board voted to switch from per diems to just salaries but the motioned failed.

“We voted on it a year ago and it was a tie,” he said.

Shaw doesn’t want to form another committee but plans to bring it up for discussion and see if there is any consensus.

“There’s an election coming up and maybe people would like to take time to hear,” he said. “It depends on what the rhetoric is when we come up to the primary.”

When asked about the prospect of growth returning to Kendall County in 2016, Shaw said he is optimistic.

“People have said, ‘Do you want the growth?’ Well, why wouldn’t I want the growth?” he said. “The encouraging factor is that the south end of Yorkville and across the Route 47 on the east side … they are still building houses out there.

I think that it’s starting to come back – the building.”

Townships should stay

Shaw mentioned that he sees a place for township government in Kendall County.

“I hear stuff all the time

ALR shares Christmas spirit

“I hear stuff all the time about doing away with townships, which to me doesn’t make any sense for Kendall County.”

John Shaw Kendall County Board chairman about doing away with townships, which to me doesn’t make any sense for Kendall County,” he said.

Shaw pointed out that the assessment department would have to hire 12 new employees if they no longer could use the township assessors.

He added that he also talked to Fran Klaas, county’s highway engineer, who doesn’t like the idea either.

“People are very demanding about their roads in the townships,” Shaw said, adding that maintenance and snow removal is done through the townships.

Shaw said it might make sense to eliminate townships in a county with larger municipalities that overlap but Kendall County still has a lot of unincorporated area.

“You go into Lisle or Naperville, Aurora, of course they are municipalities and they overlap,” Shaw said.

Photo provided

The American Legion Riders Post 181 of Sandwich helped celebrate and share Christmas with others at Mooseheart in North Aurora on Dec. 12. ALR members helped children see Santa, served cookies and hot chocolate, and coordinated craft projects as part of Mooseheart’s “Holiday Lights” show. Pictured are Selena Ringberg, AJ Torres, Karla and Ralph Torres, Santa, Dodie Whitmer, Bob and Cherie Mauer and Mel Herreid.

PLANO LIBRARY PROGRAMS Plano Community Library, 15 W. North Street, offers the following programs.

For information, call 630552-2030 or visit www. planolibrary.info.

New Life for Old Bags: Help make sleeping mats for the homeless. Volunteers will meet at the library on the second Saturday of every month to make “plarn” (discarded plastic shopping bags cut into strips for crocheting). Volunteers are also needed to crochet mats at home. Program meets from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Jan.

9. For information, contact Ceil Carey at jackandceil@ att.net or 708-846-1704.

Writer’s Group: Join other writers to discuss your work. Meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month in the Library Board Room. No registration required. Open to adults and high school students.

Meets from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 14.

KenGen Genealogy Group: Meets from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16.

Both experienced and new genealogy researchers will enjoy the KenGen Genealogy Group sessions.

*** Important Notice*** TO ALL KENDALL COUNTY 2016 INCOMING SOPHOMORE, JUNIOR, AND SENIOR UNIVERSITY STUDENTS You may be qualified for the Illinois Retired Teachers Association Foundation Moler-Austin Scholarship worth $4,500 if: You graduated from a KENDALL COUNTY high school, You have a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 Scale and

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In 2016, the Moler-Austin Scholarship is offering two $4,500 scholarships to KENDALL COUNTY high school graduates. Applications must be postmarked and sent to the IRTA office on or before March 7, 2016, and the recipients will be announced by April 21, 2016. The awards will be given as follows: one half in August for the fall semester with the balance to be awarded in January upon registrar verification of a 3.0 or above GPA on a 4.0 scale.

For more information or to obtain an application, contact the Illinois Retired Teachers Association Foundation 828 S 2nd Street Springfield, IL 62704 Telephone: Susan Goetz at (800) 728-4782 or Email susan@irtaonline.org

Plano Record / KendallCountyNow.com • Thursday, January 7, 2016 •

NEWS 11

Norway Plano coaches make Store perfect sideline duo GIRLS BASKETBALL

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By CHRISTINE BOLIN DASCHER cbolin@kendallcountynow.com Who exactly is the heart and soul of the Plano girls’ basketball team? According to head coach John Chernick, the answer is pretty simple – assistant coach Al Gruidl.

Gruidl, a retired history teacher and Class of 2010 Hall of Fame inductee at Plano, reunited with Chernick on the sidelines last year when Chernick was hired as the new head coach of the girls’ program. Gruidl has coached and taught at Plano since the early 1970s, is in his 70s and brings a certain something to the Reapers at practice and during games.

“Without him, I would have never been a head basketball coach,” Chernick said of Gruidl. “He and I just work very well together. He’s been a friend and a mentor. When this opportunity to take the program over again came around, one of the things that was mandatory for me was to have an assistant I could count on and really work with – someone I would have a good relationship with.

“The man knows how to run a practice, how to run a drill, how to motivate – and the kids love him. We’ve got a good group, but there are times when I’ve said to the kids, ‘Gruidl is 70 and he’s got more energy than you do.’ They may be going hard, but sometimes they have a hard time keeping up with him for two hours – I have a hard time keeping up with him for two hours.”

When told Chernick called him the heart and soul of the team, Gruidl’s response was simple and humble.

“I’m just here. I came here to help. I’m

just the assistant,” Gruidl said.

Chernick and Gruidl worked together on and off throughout the years, but when the duo was reunited last year, Chernick was thrilled he was able to work with him again at the high school level.

So what makes this duo work so well together?

“He likes offense and I like defense. He does all the offense, and I do all the defense,” Gruidl said of Chernick, a former student he coached at Plano. “We have the same sense of humor and we just get along.”

Gruidl gets along with the players as well, despite the 50-plus year difference in age.

“He brings a positive attitude and he’s a great defensive coach. He pushes us all individually and as a team. It’s good to have that role model – even though he’s older – he’s young at heart,” Plano senior Khiyana Magee said. “When we are all down or everyone is having a bad day, he picks us up and tells us to push through it.”

“When we started the season out pretty rough and didn’t have any wins for a while, one day at practice he told us he knew we had it in us and we have what it takes,” Plano senior Rylie Loux added. “From then on, we’ve all believed in ourselves more.”

Gruidl doesn’t plan on retiring from coaching any time soon. That is something Chernick is happy to hear.

“He’s already talking about what we can do next year, so he’s not going anywhere,” Chernick said. “He makes the job of being a head coach a lot more reasonable, always coming up with practice plans and drills and new ideas. ... I’m very grateful for that.”

PREP WRESTLING

Reapers’ lineup battle-tested

By KRISTIN SHARP ksharp@kendallcountyrecord.com Injuries and open weight classes only added to the recent challenges for Plano’s wrestling team, but head coach Joe Kampf knows it’s just preparing the Reapers for the a strong state series.

Plano (7-12) endured the two-day DeKalb Dual Team Tournament Dec. 29-30, and this week will face four duals before entering the twoday Princeton Invite – capping off a busy 12-day span.

“We’re progressing into the second half of the year,” Kampf said. “We have guys stepping up to the plate and giving everything they’ve got. [Princeton] is the toughest single-A tournament in the state. It’s exciting to go down there, but not going with a full team is kind of a letdown. We’re looking at the end of the year and making sure everyone is healthy. As I’ve told them, you’ve got to wrestle three days downstate.”

At DeKalb, Plano opened with a 61-9 loss to eventual runner-up Glenbard West.

Plano dropped a 42-28 match to Argo and finished the pool bracket with a 62-12 loss to Niles Notre Dame.

After the 0-3 start, Plano moved into the Orange Bracket and lost 64-17 to Plainfield Central and fell 59-18 to York before finishing the event with a 3933 win over Crystal Lake

South. All five of the Reapers’ opponents are Class 3A programs.

“It was rough. We went against some 3A teams and all of our weaknesses just got shown,” Kampf said.

“Moving forward, I’m assuming we’re going to be 2A, and we got a taste of what that’s going to be like and what level we need to compete at.”

No. 19-ranked Prospect won 41-24 over Glenbard West in the championship dual, while Moline topped DeKalb 37-27 in the thirdplace bout.

“We’ve had a few kids out of the lineup that were injured and a few kids that did not make certification

weight that day and couldn’t wrestle [at DeKalb],” Kampf said. “We were a little weak going in and we definitely could have wrestled better, but you win some and lose some.”

On Monday, Plano opened the January schedule with a dual against Class 2A’s fifth-ranked Kaneland and lost 44-33.

The Reapers are wrestling without three starters after Ivan Garcia suffered a broken ankle against York.

He will be out at least six weeks. Myles Mendoza is expected to miss another week with a shoulder injury, and Jake Krotz is also working his way back into the lineup from an injury.

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SPORTS

Thursday, January 7, 2016 Plano Record • Page 12

BOYS BASKETBALL: PLANO 60, MORRIS 58 (OT)

OT win pushes Reapers to 6-6 Plano earns consolation title

By CHRISTINE BOLIN DASCHER cbolin@kendallcountynow.com The Plano boys’ basketball team won the consolation championship and finished in 17th place overall as an unseeded entry in the Plano Christmas Classic with a win over No. 14 Morris, 60-58, in overtime on Dec. 30.

Plano senior Marcus Ramirez, who landed a spot on the All-Tournament team, hit the game winner at the buzzer in overtime against Morris. He finished with 15 points, seven assists and five rebounds.

“It was exciting,” Plano head coach Kyle Kee said. “To finish 3-1 in this tournament is very good for us. Marcus had an outstanding tournament. That’s what we need from him. When he gets going, he’s a tough guy to guard. He’s been doing everything for us.”

The game was tied at 55 at the end of regulation. Morris’ Tyler Spezio scored the Redskins’ lone bucket in overtime before senior Dahveed McKinney’s bucket for the Reapers (6-6 overall) tied the game again with 2:16 on the clock.

In the closing seconds, Morris held the ball for the final shot, but ended up turning it over with 9.4 seconds to play. After a Plano timeout, Ramirez found the ball in his hands and hit the game-winner in the lane as time expired.

“Before the play, I told Marcus [McKinney] to get me the ball and get out of the way,” Ramirez said. “I knew it was good.

It was a good moment. I couldn’t stop smiling.”

“At that point, we just let him do whatever he wanted to do,” Kee added. “He’s a senior, he’s our best scorer and we just let him go. I think it was so much better to do that than draw something up ... that was the plan.”

Dahveed McKinney (eight points) also stepped up, as his free throw at the end of regulation tied the game at 55.

“It was a tough free throw, and he nailed it,” Kee said of Dahveed McKinney. “He’s not a kid that will buckle under pressure. He was able to step up.”

“I was nervous, but my guys gave me a lot of confidence to shoot it and make it,” Dahveed McKinney added.

Morris (6-7 overall) led 18-7 after the first quarter and 27-18 at halftime. The Redskins led 44-34 going into the fourth

quarter before Plano outscored them 22-12 in the final frame.

“It was a tale of two halves,” Morris head coach Joe Blumberg said. “We didn’t execute our offense and we let them back into the game. [Plano is] a tough team to prepare for. Hopefully, we’ll learn from it.”

Junior Elijah Maisonet led the Reapers with 17 points and both junior Will Benson (nine points) and senior Marcus McKinney (five points) provided a nice spark in the fourth quarter.

No. 1 seed LaSalle-Peru won the 24team tournament with the 79-74 triple overtime win over No. 6 Dixon. No. 4 Newark was third after beating No. 2 Burlington Central, 66-58.

At 6-6 overall, this is the first time Plano has a .500 record this year. The Reapers resume action in 2016 on a three-game winning streak at Wilmington on Friday and at Somonauk on Saturday.

“It’s amazing how quick things can change,” said Kee, whose Reapers were 3-5 overall entering the tournament. “It was an outstanding tournament. I like where we are at right now.”

ABOVE: Plano junior Anthony Martinez rips down a big rebound on Dec. 28 against Indian Creek at the Plano Christmas Classic. LEFT: Plano’s Will Benson makes a shot over Indian Creek’s Charles Schmitt on Dec. 28 in the Plano Christmas Classic.

Photos by Eric Miller - emiller@ shawmedia.com

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Plano records 1 win at Amboy tournament Reapers finish sixth and move to 6-10 overall

By CHRISTINE BOLIN DASCHER cbolin@kendallcountynow.com Regardless of how the Plano girls’ basketball team finished at the Amboy Holiday Tournament, Reapers’ head coach John Chernick knows his team learned a lot and got the chance to play in four solid games.

Plano went 1-3 at Amboy and

finished in sixth place. The Reapers lost against Marquette Academy (61-47) and Indian Creek (7338) and beat Forreston JV (56-48) in pool play, but fell to Ridgewood, 56-48, for fifth place on Dec. 31.

The undefeated Indian Creek won the eight-team tournament with a 59-49 victory over Ashton-Franklin Center. Amboy went third with a 65-41 victory over Marquette and Forreston JV topped Somonauk, 44-26, for seventh place. Plano junior Bradi Gann landed a spot on the All-Tournament team.

Entering 2016 and games against Indian Creek, Wilmington and Somonauk this week, Pla-

no has a record of 6-10 overall.

“I’m happy with the tournament, as we got four tough games in,” Chernick said. “That will help prepare us for the upcoming schedule. As far as looking ahead, we hope to get on a little [run] heading into the [Interstate Eight Conference] tournament, and that’s about as far as I’m looking ahead. We are just looking to continue to improve each game and each practice.”

Plano was without senior guard Rylie Loux the last two days of the tournament, which had been pushed back a day due to icy road conditions and snow on Dec. 28.

Chernick said the Reapers gave it their best shot against Indian Creek, but the Timberwolves were just too much.

“We played well against Indian Creek, despite the score. They are that good,” Chernick said. “They will make a nice run in the state series this year.”

The game against Forreston was close at the end, but the Reapers hung on for the win.

“We played really well for three quarters against Forreston,” Chernick said. “They outscored us by 13 in the second [quarter]. We just kind of lost our heads for a while, but we settled in and finished well.”

Chernick said against Ridgewood, the Reapers just ran out of gas. They played on Wednesday evening against Forreston and had to turn around early the next day and cap the tournament.

“We were down early, took the lead late and just faded at the end,” Chernick said. “We just never seemed to get our legs underneath us after the short layoff, and we just seemed a step behind.”

After this week of action, the Reapers will play Kaneland in non-conference action on Jan. 12 before facing Coal City in conference action on Jan. 14. The I-8 Tournament is scheduled to start on Jan. 21.