BLACKHAWKS GAMEDAY WRAPPED AROUND SPORTS WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS Game 5: Detroit at Blackhawks 7 p.m. Saturday, NBC-TV
Complete coverage inside Online: NWHerald.com/blackhawks
Saturday, May 25, 2013 •
The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
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GIRLS SOCCER STATE SEMIFINALS
AMERICAN PROFILE
Johnsburg falls, set for 3rd place match Sports, C1
The growing popularity of public pathways Inside
Olivia Jansen
Early start for county assessors
FLOOD REMNANTS MOSTLY CLEARED
Record appeals spur effort By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com
Photos by H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Thor Forsberg of Barrington prepares Friday to take his 1973 Trojan F25 boat “Hagar IV” out on the Fox River at the Port Barrington Marina. BELOW: The view of the river from the stern of Forsberg’s boat. Memorial Day is the unofficial start of the boating season.
Safe to go back in the water But boaters cautioned about debris, invasive species By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com A turtle sunned itself on a tire Friday morning as Thor Forsberg of Barrington pulled his 1973 Trojan F25 away from the dock. The tire was one of the few remaining remnants of flood debris that littered the Fox River. A few broken piers, uplifted trees and demolished duck blinds dotted the river’s edge. Most of the large debris has been cleared out of the water, Fox Waterway Agency Executive Director Ron Barker said. The agency and volunteers have been cleaning up since the April flood. “There were pieces of dock and even some boats
that had drifted loose that were floating around out there,” he said. The debris restriction has been lifted, which means conditions are safe for the average boater.
“So long as they keep their eyes peeled and watch where they’re going, they should be fine,” Barker said. “If we didn’t feel that way, we wouldn’t have it open.” But despite the reopening
– and the start of a holiday weekend – only a few boaters were out Friday morning on the southern branch of the Fox, a lot fewer than in previous years, Forsberg said. Thor and his wife, Lisa, have two young boys, Luke and Lars, 4 and 7, so they typically avoid the water over the crowded holiday weekend. He thinks others might not head out because of the cool weather and overcast skies forecast for the weekend, as well as lingering concerns over high gas prices and the economy. Some waterfront businesses are still feeling the
See BOATERS, page A9
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LOCALLY SPEAKING
PARSONS QUALIFIES FOR STATE FINAL Woodstock senior Tyler Parsons experienced being close enough to touch the state finals once before, and he did not care to feel that way again. Parsons returned more determined at the IHSA Boys Track and Field State Meet, and he qualified in 15.16 seconds – the eighth-fastest time from Friday’s preliminary heats. For more, see page C1.
Ryan Yazel, 13, of Crystal Lake
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
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CRYSTAL LAKE: Lundahl Middle School participates in the 15th annual 24-Hour Challenge. Local&Region, B1 Vol. 28, Issue 145
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WOODSTOCK – It’s something of a drag to have to start the process of appealing next year’s property-tax bill when you’re not even done paying this year’s bill. But assessments for the county’s 17 townships are going to be published several months earlier this year, given the ever-increasing number of frustrated property owners who are appealing them. Assessments for Richmond Township, typically the first to be finished, likely will be published the first week of June, McHenry County Supervisor of Assessments Robert Ross said. Richmond Township last year published in late July. “This gives us more time
What it means Townships have begun the annual process of publishing property-tax assessments for 2013 that will be used to calculate next year’s property-tax bills. The process is starting months earlier than in previous years to help deal with the ever-increasing number of homeowners who are appealing their assessments. Assessments for Richmond and Greenwood townships are anticipated to be published in early June. Homeowners have 30 days from the day assessments are printed in a newspaper of record to file an appeal. and more opportunity to get our work done in light of the number of appeals and review requests,” Ross said.
See ASSESSORS, page A9
Ill. House OKs guns plan Quinn opposes By JOHN O’CONNOR The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD – Gun owners could carry concealed weapons in Illinois, the last state in the nation to prohibit it, under legislation that swept through the House Friday with the backing of the powerful Democratic speaker from Chicago, a city torn by violence despite what critics claim are the nation’s toughest firearms restrictions. The historic 85-30 vote would allow the carrying of concealed guns, a legislative task compelled by a federal appeals court ruling
How they voted The bill passed 85-30. Local state Reps. Jack Franks, D-Marengo; David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills; Mike Tryon, R-Crystal Lake; Barb Wheeler, R-Crystal Lake; and Tim Schmitz, R-Geneva, voted for the bill.
and precipitated by House Speaker Michael Madigan’s turnabout. But its obliteration of all local gun laws, including Chicago’s ban on assault-style weapons, drew
See GUN PLAN, page A9