HHH for Timberlake’s ‘20/20 Experience’ ALSO • Rihanna comes to Barrington • Non-alcoholic bar to open in Crystal Lake • Tina Fey’s ‘Admission’ HHH • Easter events and activities In today’s PL@Y
THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013 • NWHERALD.COM • 75 CENTS
The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
BRIAN URLACHER • SPORTS, C1
COLD PERSISTS • LOCAL&REGION, B1
Bears say goodbye to longtime linebacker
Spring hasn’t sprung yet for McHenry County
HIKING THE BOTTOM LINE
Wage plan raises ire
Board boosts pay of appeal reviewers By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – The McHenry County Board gave a raise, over a handful of objections, to a Board of Review that heard another record year of assessment appeals. County Board members voted Tuesday evening, 19-3, to grant 2.5 percent raises to the review board’s three primary hearing officers. The raises, retroactive to the Dec. 1 start of the county fiscal year, increase Chairman Jan Hevert’s salary to $31,677, and the salaries of members Mark Ruda and Clifton Haughton to $30,765. The Board of Review, which consists of three primary members and 12 alternates who receive a $125 per diem when they are called in, heard more than 10,000 appeals for assessments that will determine this year’s property-tax bills, Supervisor of Assessments Robert Ross told County Board members. “I couldn’t be prouder of the McHenry County Board of Review,” Ross said. County Board member Diane Evertsen, R-Harvard, did not question
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Mario Lopez of Crystal Lake washes dishes Wednesday while working at the Village Squire in Crystal Lake. Lopez has been a busboy at the restaurant for the past four months.
Area businesses have mixed views on higher minimum pay in Ill. By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com Recent calls to raise the minimum wage in Illinois received a mixed reaction from McHenry County businesses, as special interests on both sides of the issue prepare for a looming wage debate in Springfield. Local business groups, such as the McHenry Chamber of Commerce, argued that any increase in the minimum wage would slow economic growth and force small businesses in particular to cut back on staff hours and new hires to conserve costs. But at least one local owner said he welcomes higher pay for his low-income workers. George Karas, who owns Village Squire restaurants in Crystal Lake and McHenry, said the benefit of increased worker productivity outweighs any potential damage to his personnel budget. “By raising the minimum wage, I would raise my expectations for them in making this a better place for customers,” Karas said. “Minimum wage equals minimum ser-
vice. That’s how I see it.” Karas admitted that his position puts him in the minority among his fellow business owners, who traditionally resist minimum wage increases that would saddle them with more expenses. Statewide business groups such as the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and the Illinois Retail Merchants Association immediately denounced Gov. Pat Quinn’s call last month to raise the state’s minimum wage from $8.25 an hour to at least $10 an hour during the next four years. Since then, state Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Chicago, has started negotiating a bill that would achieve Quinn’s call for a double-digit minimum wage. Illinois already has one of the highest minimum wage rates in the nation, ranking fourth behind Vermont, Oregon and Washington. But Kimberly Drew, a policy associate for the Chicago-based Heartland Alliance, said
BY THE NUMBERS: Illinois minimum wage
$8.25 – current Illinois minimum wage Largest minimum wage rates by state (per hour): $9.19 – Washington $8.95 – Oregon $8.60 – Vermont $8.25 – Connecticut $7.25 – Federal minimum wage
Source: U.S. Labor Department Previous minimum wage rates in Illinois: • Through June 30, 2007: $6.50 an hour (tipped employees $3.90 an hour) • July ’07 to June 08: $7.50 an hour • July ’08 to June 09: $7.75 an hour • July ’09 to June 10: $8 an hour • July ’10 to present: $8.25 an hour (tipped employees $4.95 an hour)
Source: Illinois Labor Department See WAGES, page A4
LOCALLY SPEAKING
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ALGONQUIN: Jacobs grad Johnny Moran talks past bracket busting at Northern Iowa, March Madness. Sports, C1
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State Senate OKs pension reform plan By REGINA GARCIA CANO The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Senate President John Cullerton’s test run of pension reform, designed to show the financial world that lawmakers could take the smallest step toward fixing a gaping $96.7 billion hole, barely won approval Wednesday – on the second try – casting doubt on a mess that has vexed legislators for more than a year. The Senate voted 30-22 to reform one state pension system facing financial trouble, but it was the largest of five, the Teachers’ Retirement System.
See PENSION, page A3
Under a new program approved Wednesday, freshmen at Richmond-Burton High School this fall will be required to purchase Chromebooks, a Google product that falls between a tablet and laptop. It has a keyboard like a laptop but doesn’t have the same kind of operating system, which can be susceptible to viruses and can get bogged down. For more, see page B1.
Johnny Moran (right)
See APPEALS, page A4
A5 Inside F9 C1-5