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WEDNESDAY, JULY 10, 2013
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pot regulation Area communities waiting on whether Gov. Quinn will legalize medical marijuana By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO • sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com
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ommunities throughout McHenry County are waiting to see whether Gov. Pat Quinn will legalize medical marijuana before making revisions to their respective zoning codes that would regulate it. Some officials in Huntley, Lake in the Hills and other areas have even expressed doubts on whether they would want to attract the handful of marijuana dispensaries and cultivation centers allowed under the bill awaiting Quinn’s signature. The lone exception is Fox Lake, which already has changed its zoning code that regulates where and how a marijuana dispensary would operate. “Nobody on the board op-
Medical marijuana in the U.S.
posed it,” Fox Lake Mayor Donny Schmit said. “Everyone has either had a friend or family member with cancer or some other illness, so nobody opposed the concept of medical marijuana. We didn’t want to wait to the very end and scramble and not be prepared for it.” Fox Lake’s proactive approach to a bill that other communities haven’t even contemplated was a product of opportunity, Schmit said. The board was in the process of updating its zoning code, and members felt it would be wise to include regulations for medical marijuana. Any potential marijuana dispensary in Fox Lake
• California became the first state to legalize medical marijuana in 1996. • Since then, 18 other states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana. Those states are Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington. Source: The National Conference of State Legislatures
See REGULATION, page A5
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and blast Quinn’s motives By KEVIN P. CRAVER
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kcraver@shawmedia.com Lawmakers overrode Gov. Pat Quinn’s amendatory veto of their concealed-carry bill Tuesday, the last day before a federal court ruling was to invalidate the state’s total ban on carrying concealed weapons in public. House and Senate lawmakers in special session rejected Quinn’s proposed changes – they had passed their compromise bill with veto-proof, three-fifths majorities. All of McHenry County’s representatives voted to override the veto, with the House voting, 77-31, and the Senate voting, 41-17. House lawmakers overrode the veto without comment. “The governor’s veto was not policy-oriented. It was 100 percent for his own political
Do you think the concealed-carry law will affect people’s behavior? Vote online at NWHerald.com.
benefit, so it got the debate it deserved – none,” said state Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo. However, the Senate first debated and passed a trailer bill that would incorporate several minor recommendations. That bill passed the Senate but failed to garner the needed three-fifths majority in the House. Although the bill passed, it likely will not be until later this year at the earliest that concealed-carry licenses can be obtained.
See CONCEALED CARRY, page A6
Sordid testimony leads off drug trial Accused’s fiancée: I had sex with detective By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – A Crystal Lake man admitted to possessing small amounts of morphine in a trial that opened Tuesday with scandalous testimony. Christopher L. Branham, 44, was charged in April 2011 with multiple drug felonies, including a Class X, which is punishable by between six and 30 years in prison. Halfway through the trial, McHenry County Judge Sharon Prather ruled the prosecution had not sufficiently proven that Branham was guilty of a possession of more than 15 grams of a controlled substance with the intent to
Christopher L. Branham, 44, was charged in April 2011 with multiple drug felonies. deliver, therefore dropping the Class X felony. Instead, he was allowed to enter a guilty plea on a lesser drug charge. Early on in the trial, Branham’s fiancée, Charity Meyers, testified she developed a relationship with McHenry County deputy Jason Novak before Branham was charged. The two had sex just hours after Branham was arrested, she said.
See TESTIMONY, page A5
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HARVARD: 26-year-old neighbor rescues boy in canoe accident that left one dead. Local&Region, B1 Vol. 28, Issue 191
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Concealed carry now law in Ill. Lawmakers override veto
McHENRY COUNTY McHenry County sheriff candidate Jim Harrison has accused opponent Bill Prim of being lax in his former supervisory role at the Des Plaines Police Department. Officer John Bueno was reinstated to the police department in June after an arbitrator ruled the city unfairly fired him. Bueno had been dismissed in March 2012 after accusations of excessive force. For more, see page B1.
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