Book gives insight into the best foods to eat
TUESDAY, APRIL 2, 2013
WWW.NWHERALD.COM
The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
Planit Style, D1
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OPENING DAY SUCCESS CUBS, SOX BEGIN SEASON WITH WINS • Sale’s start beginning of a yearly tradition • Cubs’ Samardzija starts with gem SPORTS, C1 AREA SEES IMPROVEMENT AFTER LAST YEAR’S HOT SUMMER
Inching back to normal
LEFT: Cubs’ Jeff Samardzija RIGHT: Sox’s Chris Sale
2nd jury to weigh ’02 case Closing arguments set to start today in Casciaro trial By SARAH SUTSCHEK ssutschek@shawmedia.com
Photos by Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Harry Alten, co-owner of Alten Farms in Harvard, walks past this year’s seeds while getting ready for planting season. BELOW: Dennis Alten, co-owner of Alten Farms, works in the shed Friday while getting ready for planting season at his farm.
Farmers optimistic about end to drought conditions By SHAWN SHINNEMAN sshinneman@shawmedia.com On the National Weather Service’s map of drought conditions, a line snakes across Illinois, just touching the southeast corner of McHenry County. Below, the state has turned completely white, signifying – in the aftermath of a long, hot summer – that conditions have returned to normal. Above the line is yellow, showing that, while a late-winter surge of snow was vital in preparing the earth for spring planting, the county hasn’t made it all the way back just yet. “Subsoil moisture needs improvement, but the surface soil is adequate for the time being,” Marengo farmer John Bartman said. “I’m a bit concerned that if we do have a dry June or July, that’s going to be tough.” Bartman is hopeful that temperatures will continue to hover around 50 degrees. If so, he said, he could be out farming in a couple of weeks. What a difference a year makes. At this time last year, some farmers already had hit the fields to start planting, while others simply were wait-
ing for their crop insurance to kick in. A stretch of warm weather pushed up the spring routine last year, but continued heat and a lack of rain caused problems as the summer wore on. McHenry County spent the back end of the summer and front end of fall flirting with red on the weather service’s map, which signifies extreme drought. When the new year hit, the county had been downgraded to a drought classification of severe. It was still under moderate drought conditions at the beginning of March. But conditions continue to improve, and Bartman is approaching the season with optimism. When he heads out on his 700 acres of Marengo land, he’ll start by planting sweet corn, then corn, then move to wheat, soybeans and vegetables. He said he thinks there’s a “great possibility for a normal growing season.” Michele Aavang, a Greenwood farmer and president of the McHenry County Farm Bureau, said the condition
See DROUGHT, page A5
“I think that what we really need is to see some warmer temperatures to warm up the soil. At night, it’s still below freezing, so that doesn’t help.” Michele Aavang, Greenwood farmer and president of the McHenry County Farm Bureau ON THE NET: For the National Weather Service's map of drought conditions, visit www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/Drought.
LOCALLY SPEAKING Cary-Grove’s Jeremy Vasquez
H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
WOODSTOCK – After closing arguments this morning, a jury is expected to begin deliberations in a murder case that’s more than a decade old. Mario Casciaro, 29, is charged with first-degree murder in connection with the disappearance and presumed death of 17-year-old Brian Carrick in 2002. It’s the second time that Casciaro has gone to trial on a murder charge; the first trial a little more than a year ago ended with a hung jury. Carrick was last seen at 6:45 p.m. Dec. 20, 2002, at Val’s Foods in Johnsburg, directly across the street from the house where he lived with his parents. Prosecutors have said Casciaro used another man, Shane Lamb, as a “henchman” to collect on a drug debt Carrick owed him. While in the produce cooler at the store where all three worked, Lamb lost his
Mario Casciaro, 29, has gone to trial twice in connection with the disappearance of Brian Carrick. A jury is set to begin deliberations today in the second trial. Visit NWHerald.com for updates. temper and hit Carrick before leaving, he testified last week. Lamb has been granted immunity; Carrick’s body has never been found. Several witnesses were called by the defense Monday to impeach Lamb, including a friend of Casciaro, Stephen Denson, and a local attorney, Ed Donahue. According to Denson and Donahue, who recently represented Denson on a felony fleeing and eluding case, Lamb approached them while they were all at Blarney Island over the summer along with Casciaro.
See CASE, page A5
Cartels dispatch agents inside U.S. Suspected in nine nonborder states By MICHAEL TARM The Associated Press CHICAGO – Mexican drug cartels whose operatives once rarely ventured beyond the U.S. border are dispatching some of their most trusted agents to live and work deep inside the United States – an emboldened presence that experts believe is meant to tighten their grip on the world’s most lucrative narcotics market and maximize profits. If left unchecked, authorities say, the cartels’ move
FOX RIVER GROVE
McHENRY COUNTY
BOY SCOUTS GRILL TRUSTEE CANDIDATES
THIRD GENERATION STEERS ZIEGLER’S ACE
Improving parking, marketing the town and talking to more potential businesses were some of the ways village trustee candidates said they would help pursue economic development. Candidates for village trustee Monday addressed these issues during an election forum hosted by Boy Scout Troop 166. For
Cousins Brian and David Ziegler are the third generation to lead and grow the family’s hardware business, Ziegler’s Ace. The business has grown in the last eight decades to include nine locations in the suburbs, with stores in Elgin, South Elgin, Carol Stream, Huntley, Cary, Lake in the Hills and Crystal Lake.
more, see page B1.
For more, see page B4.
CARY-GROVE: C-G blew an early lead, but prevailed with a 13-10 win over Lake Zurich. Sports, C4
into the American interior could render the syndicates harder than ever to dislodge and pave the way for them to expand into other criminal enterprises such as prostitution, kidnapping-and-extortion rackets and money laundering. Cartel activity in the U.S. is certainly not new. Starting in the 1990s, the ruthless syndicates became the nation’s No. 1 supplier of illegal drugs, using unaffiliated middlemen to smuggle cocaine, marijuana and heroin
See CARTELS, page A5
WEATHER HIGH
LOW
40 20 Complete forecast on A8
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