Former Jacobs coach Hinkle doing well after health scare
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5, 2013
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Theater shooter pleads insanity Larimer’s girlfriend says case’s outcome won’t change anything By JOSEPH BUSTOS jbustos@shawmedia.com
James Holmes has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity
A former Algonquin resident who survived the Aurora, Colo., theater shooting that killed 12 people said that no matter the outcome of the criminal case, it won’t fix what happened.
Julia Vojtsek, who was the girlfriend of Crystal Lake native John Larimer, who was killed during a midnight screening of the “The Dark Knight Rises,” has been closely following James Holmes’ case through the criminal court system. Holmes is accused of open-
ing fire in a packed Denver-area movie theater last summer, killing 12 people and injuring 70 others. He is charged with multiple counts of murder and attempted murder, and prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. On Tuesday, Holmes’ plea of not guilty by reason of insan-
ity was accepted by a Colorado judge. The plea sets the stage for a lengthy mental evaluation. Judge Carlos Samour Jr. also determined that prosecutors can have access to a notebook that Holmes sent to a psychiatrist
See SHOOTING, page A5
Schools feel mental health crunch
Local victim John Larimer, 27, of Crystal Lake, was killed in a mass shooting July 20 at an Aurora, Colo., movie theater. Larimer died protecting his girlfriend Julia Vojtsek, formerly of Algonquin.
Millions spent on IRS training New report details agency’s excesses The ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lathan Goumas – lgoumas@shawmedia.com
Social worker Julie Carnes talks with a student in her office at Crystal Lake South High School. Carnes is one of the two social workers at the school.
State cuts, poor economy increase caseloads for local social workers By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com State cuts to mental health funding and a poor economy translate into more families without insurance, and schools are feeling the crunch. “I will have parents call and say, ‘I can’t afford to pay for the sessions. Could you see my students once a week?’ ” said Julie Carnes, a social worker at District 155’s Crystal Lake South High School. “We cannot assume the role of the primary services, but we try and see
those kids through.” In theory, school social workers provide intervention and counseling within the school walls and refer families to outside resources when the student needs it. Between state cuts or money troubles at home, more students are facing longer waiting lists or receiving fewer sessions, said Todd Keesey, a social worker at District 47’s Hannah Beardsley Middle School in Crystal Lake. Transportation and time constraints can make it even tougher to make those appointments.
From the fiscal 2009-10 budget to the one for 2012-13, the state of Illinois has cut $187 million from its mental health spending, a drop of 31.7 percent, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. That puts Illinois fourth in terms of cuts by percentage. “Who shores that up?” Hannah Beardsley Middle School Principal Ron Ludwig said. “Right here. We’re it.” Even if they do have insurance, many insurance companies
By the numbers n 145: Social workers in McHenry County area school districts in 2012 (about 9 percent work part time) n 105: Psychologists in McHenry County area school districts in 2012 (about 14 percent work part time) n 70,000-plus: Children in McHenry County area school districts covered by those social workers and psychologists in 2012 Source: Illinois State Board of Education. Some districts included above also enroll students from neighboring counties.
See SCHOOLS, page A5
WASHINGTON – Already heavily criticized for targeting conservative groups, the Internal Revenue Service absorbed another blow Tuesday as new details emerged about senior officials enjoying luxury hotel rooms, free drinks and free food at a $4.1 million training conference. It was one of many expensive gatherings the agency held for employees over a three-year period. One top official stayed five nights in a room that regularly goes for $3,500 a night. Another official, Faris F i n k , s t a y e d At issue four nights in a The IRS held room that regularly goes for 225 employee conferences in $1,499. F i n k w a s 2010 through later promoted 2012, at a toto head the IRS tal cost of $49 division that million, the staged the 2010 report said. conference in Anaheim, Calif., a position he still holds. He also has the distinction of playing Mr. Spock in a cheesy but slickly-produced “Star Trek” video that IRS employees filmed for the conference. A total of 132 IRS officials received room upgrades at the conference, according to a report by J. Russell George, the Treasury Department inspector general for tax administration. The tax agency paid a flat daily fee of $135 per hotel room, the report said, but the upgrades were part of a
See IRS, page A5
LOCALLY SPEAKING Zackery Rhodes and his mother Carmen Rhodes
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
McHENRY COUNTY
CARY
COUNTY AIMING TO KEEP TAX LEVY FLAT
TEAM LOSES POUNDS IN FITNESS CONTEST
McHenry County government will seek again to keep its levy flat and not collect an inflationary increase next fiscal year. The goal was part of the 2014 budget process approved Tuesday by the County Board on a 20-0 vote. The levy applies only to county government, which makes up about 10 percent of property-tax bills. For more, see page B1.
The more than 700 participants in Centegra Health System’s Break Your Boundaries wellness competition lost 4,032 pounds and 3,189 inches. Coilcraft in Cary had the winning team for worksites. Coilcraft’s Jeff Finch was the top male winner and Ashley Goodwin was the second place female winner. For more, see page E1.
CRYSTAL LAKE: Local soldier returns home to CL after six years serving abroad. Local&Region, B1
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