Arkush: Battle of backs will be settled in finale
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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013
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Voters to decide how chair picked McHenry County Board members approve referendum to be placed on March ballot By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – Voters will get to decide next year whether they want to elect the McHenry County Board chairman. Board members voted 19-4 on Tuesday evening to put a referen-
LITH teen always had a ‘big smile on her face’
dum on the March 18 primary ballot asking voters whether they want to elect the chairman to four-year terms. The committee that forwarded the resolution had amended it to two-year terms, but board members changed it back on a 15-8 vote. The County Board presently elects the chairman from among its
24 members when new board members are seated the month after each November election. The Lake County Board does the same, but voters in Cook, DuPage and Kane counties get to directly elect their board chairmen. Will County voters elect a county executive. If approved by McHenry Coun-
ty voters, they will get to popularly elect the chairman starting with the 2016 election. The chairman would in essence be a 25th member, but would not vote except to break a tie. “We’re on the verge of turning this office back over to the people,” said member Nick Provenzano, R-McHenry, who led an effort earlier
this year to get the question on the April ballot. But opponents said that direct election fixes something that isn’t broken. While Ersel Schuster, R-Woodstock, has fought for years for rules to limit the chairman’s
See CHAIR, page A6
When municipalities step in
Weyers died after she was struck by vehicle By LAWERENCE SYNETT lsynett@shawmedia.com LAKE IN THE HILLS – A Lake in the Hills teen whose life was cut short Monday will be remembered as always having a smile on her face, her family said. Emily Weyers, 18, was struck and seriously injured by a vehicle Monday night on Algonquin Road west of Oakleaf Road in Lake in the Hills, police said. She was taken by ambulance to Sherman Hospital in Elgin, where she was pronounced dead. The teen was walking home from Joe Caputo & Sons Fruit Market on Randall Emily Road in Algonquin, Weyers where she worked in the deli, said her brother, Joe Weyers. “With the injuries she sustained, the doctors said there was nothing they could do,” said Weyers, 29. “I got the phone call saying she was in a car accident around 10 p.m., and by 10:30 p.m. the doctor came in and told us she was dead. Our lives forever changed from that moment on in a drastic way.” Emily Weyers graduated this spring from Dundee-Crown High School, where she was involved in student theater productions, band and the color guard, said Chris Columbaro, associate principal at the high school. She also was a founding member of the LGBT Club and was actively involved in the Anime Club. “Emily really soaked up the high school experience and developed great relationships with not only the students, but teachers and staff as well,” Columbaro said. “Everyone
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
The site of the former Dobyn’s House (left) can be seen Friday from the Cunat Bridge on the McHenry Riverwalk. The city of McHenry owns the land and hopes to develop and sell it.
Purchases of fallen private property not always popular By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com
Shaw Media file photo
First tee at the RedTail Golf Club in Lakewood, which was funded through alternative revenue bonds. The club now is profitable, pulling in about $55,000 last year, Lakewood Village President Erin Smith said.
A partially built golf course that went bankrupt. A historical courthouse falling into disrepair. A lot that has remained vacant since a fire destroyed the restaurant that once stood there. In each case, the local municipality bought the property with the hope that public ownership could turn the space around – or at least keep it from dragging
down neighboring properties. The municipalities don’t expect to make their money back dollar for dollar, but they point to other economic improvements made possible by the purchase, such as the preservation of open space and quality of life improvements for residents. These cases aren’t necessarily routine, but they’re not extraordinary either, Woodstock City
See PURCHASES, page A5
See TEEN, page A5
LOCALLY SPEAKING Justin Nolen
WONDER LAKE
WOODSTOCK
TESTIMONY STARTS IN STABBING CASE
CITY COUNCIL TO LOWER IMPACT FEES
The murder trial for Richard G. Nielsen, 53, began Tuesday with opening statements from attorneys and testimony from witnesses of the Feb. 6, 2012, alleged crime. Nielsen was charged in connection with the stabbing death of 34-year-old Jeremy Lechner. The trial is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. Wednesday. For
City Council members Tuesday unanimously voted to lower impact fees, saying developers would see the reduced rates as a small but practical reason to choose Woodstock and lauding the move’s symbolic implications. Councilman Mike Turner called impact fees a tax and said any break would help developers. For more, see page B1.
more, see page B1.
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
HARVARD: Hornets feed off head coach Tim Haak, and they’re hoping it leads to a big season. Sports, C1
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