Woodstock woman of year touches many lives
SUNDAY, APRIL 21, 2013
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GIRLS TRACK AND FIELD The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
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As water drops, cleanup to start Area officials prepare for recovery after flooding By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com Algonquin and McHenry officials kept a constant eye on the Fox River on Saturday as they prepared for water levels to crest and the subsequent cleanup effort to begin. The torrential rain earlier in the week has caused water levels to spike along the Fox River, flooding numerous residential areas in communities like Algonquin, McHenry and Johnsburg. Algonquin residents living
around LaFox River Drive have felt the greatest consequences, with properties near the downtown area being flooded on both sides of the river, said Mike Kumbera, assistant to Algonquin’s village manager. Village staff have been monitoring the floodwaters around the clock, and they placed sandbags at six different points along the river for property owners to use to guard against rising river water. “The river crest is still
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ahead of us, so we’ll keep monitoring conditions and providing sandbags for residents, until the waters recede and at which time we can begin recovery efforts,” Kumbera said. The Fox River in Algonquin was at 12.44 feet Saturday evening and is expected to crest Sunday morning at 12.53 feet, lower than previous National Weather Service estimates. The high waters, nearly three feet above flood stage, continued to shut down pub-
lic areas along the river, including Cornish Park. Areas also were blocked within the Riverfront Park, where water reached the top steps of the park’s gazebo. Homes and businesses throughout Illinois have been inundated with water and thousands of people have been evacuated. Gov. Pat Quinn toured several flooded communities along the Fox River Valley on Saturday and designated four more counties as
See CLEANUP, page A7
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Aidan Barnett (left), 11, and his uncle, Luke Barnett, both of Fox River Grove, try spearfishing for carp Saturday in the flooded areas surrounding houses on Bayview Road in Fox River Grove.
Churches forge new links Faith communities use new technology to connect with members By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com
By SHAWN SHINNEMAN sshinneman@shawmedia.com
John Jacobson Hebron president-elect Despite pending felony charges for possession of crack cocaine, John Jacobson, 65, took 61 percent of the vote against incumbent Frank Beatty, who’d held the Hebron village president position for 16 years.
T
he Rev. Ken Gibson has grown accustomed to leading worship services with video projectors and pulldown screens that didn’t even exist inside the Grace Lutheran Church in Woodstock a few years ago. Parishioners at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Crystal Lake were encouraged to take out their smartphones during a recent Ash Wednesday Mass and register for the church’s new Flocknote service, a multimedia messaging system that allows churches to communicate with members. Elsewhere in Crystal Lake, First United Methodist Church has begun initial talks about developing a mobile app that would feed information about the church directly to members’ phones and tablets. “If you are putting the gospel in a format that people are understanding, you have to put that information in a technological perspective,” Gibson said. “It doesn’t do any good if you are not reaching out to how people listen now.” Technology, from smartphones to social media, has forced congregations across McHenry County and the country in recent
HEBRON – In the closing minutes of his final meeting as village president, Frank Beatty turned the attention to a man sitting in the chair nearest the door of the Village Board chambers. John Jacobson, who eight days earlier had defeated Beatty, sat cross-legged in jeans and a light blue button-up. “I want to congratulate Mr. Jacobson for winning the election,” Beatty said, prompting several members of the crowd to twist in their seats. “He did an outstanding job of campaigning, and I really appreciate that he stepped up and came forward and ran for office.” Jacobson nodded in appreciation. It was a rare public moment of communication between a couple of candidates in a town that has largely kept quiet after the surprising result of the April 9 election. Despite pending felony charges for possession of crack cocaine, Jacobson, 65, took 61 percent of the vote against incumbent Beatty, who’d held the position for 16 years.
See TECHNOLOGY, page A7 Grace Lutheran Church Pastor Amanda Bergstrom presents the sermon during the contemporary worship service April 14. Behind her is the projector screen the church has used for several years. Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
See HEBRON, page A8
LOCALLY SPEAKING
WOW! THAT WAS A LOT OF RAIN!
FOX RIVER GROVE
AUTHOR AIMS TO INSPIRE CHILDREN Aaron Reynolds’ world is a world where carrots come alive, chickens eat chips and salsa and cowboys fight pirates. The Fox River Grove author uses his visits to schools to encourage children to read. Through his presentations, he said, he likes to include the children, such as encouraging them to make salsa or solve a mystery with him. For more, see Planit Style 8.
Neus Vilchez
Monica Maschak – mmaschak@shawmedia.com
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57 43 Complete forecast on A14
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