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muviTttn aegvgies of tl has** extended (figa^ions as it Three Burned House Blaze An 11-month-old child, Jennifer Johnson, was listed in fair condition in the St. Antheay hospital hurn center in Rockford Tuesday morning, where she was transferred after she was burned when Are swept through her home (above) at 5801 Acorn Path in Pistakee Highlands. Her mother, Theresa Johnson, was admitted to McHenry hospital and another child, Christy Johnson, 2^, was treated and released. The damage, estimated by McHenry Township Fire Chief Glenn Peterson at between $30,000 and 140,000 to the building and contents, is clearly visible in both photographs. Below is a look at the inside of the home through the front door after the fire. We live in a serious world. In fact, after living through the past'couple of months it is downright grim. Public Pulse letters the past two weeks have reflected what must be the "end of the rope" for some who have been forced. by the weather to the written word of newspapers and the listened word of radio and TV. Our friends and neighbors are angry - they are angry about ,many things-and they arejteWing the world around McHenry. In a long career in the newspaper business, we Have kqp\jtgi no period in which the ae^^ies of the community h^gor extended in so many directions as it grows. As one o^d timer put it. "A city of progress is a city of problems." And problems there are. Development, with enough restraints for orderly growth and sufficient leeway for progress, has been a touchy subject for the county. It has pitted conservationists against builders, although even this designation might be open to argument. Copservationists do not like classified as opposed to and progress, and most qCtiiaTi are not. And builders resent any implication that they are against an orderly y an wth» gro - It is at this point that we find ourselves on the 28th day "of February The Special Zoning committee 6f the county has Three members of one family narrowly escaped death when fire swept through their wood bungalow home at 5801 Acorn Path, Pistakee Highlands. Saturday afternoon. Jennifer Johnson,' 11 months old, was taken to McHenry hospital, from where she was transferred to the St. Anthony hospital burn unit in Rockford, suffering bums on the hands and arms and smoke inhalation. Her mother. Theresa Johhson, received lacerations and burns and was admitted to McHenry hospital for treat­ ment. A Second child. 2'L. year- old Christy Johnson, was treated locally and released from the hospital. Fire Chief Glenn Peterson said |v>th Richard Johnson and his wife had returned after working a long shift. He returned to town for license plates and Mrs. Johnson remained with the two children. Suddenly, at about 2:30, the young mother noticed fire emanating from the kitchen area. She managed to help the older child out a bedroom window, after which she ran to get neighbors to help in rescuing the baby from the burning building Peterson estimated damage to the home at between $30,000 and $40,000. including the building and its contents. Although the flames are known to have started in the kitchen area, exact cause of the blaze has not been determined. Peterson said the Illinois Arson department representative and Sheriff's detectives are assiting him in learning the exact cause of the fire.. Company II i.Johnsburg) answered the call and was assisted by Company I < McHenry) which brought additional water About 7 o'clock Saturday evening, it was necessary to clear the Long John Silver restaurant on Rt 120 of patrons when the electrical panel started on fire Damage was estimated at between $5,000 and $6,000. VOLUME 103 NUMBER 61 WEDNESDAY. FEBRUARY 28, 1979 2 SECTIONS 26 PAGES 20' Rail Service Reduction Plan Of CATS Assailed McHenry and Richmond city officials assailed the planned reduction of rail service to the northeast McHenry county area at a transportation planning session held Feb. 21 at Woodstock by the Chicago Area Transportation Study (CATS). Mayor Joseph Stanek ex­ pressed the feelings concisely when he told the CATS officials that they should fire all the planners and use the money which would be saved from their salaries to rebuild the tracks (between Crystal Lake and Richmond). Steve LaBue. building in­ spector at Richmond, added "You're talking about taking away our cheap form of sub­ sidized transportation just as Chief Dies Scout Bank Target For Meanest Thief The Meanest Person title has been bestowed on many over the years, but probably none has qualified better than the thief who stole money belonging to Cub Pack 142 of McHenry. One den in the 41-member pack has been meeting in the home of the cubmaster, Edward Fowler. Last week, while Fowler and his wife were working, someone broke in and stole $35 from the Cub bank and took $3 in change in den club dues from a bank. They added to the $38 another $20 from a jewel box belonging to Mrs. Fowler, who is treasurer for the pack. Other valuables were untouched. The money taken had been collected for the Blue and Gold banquet, to recognize the accomplishments of the boys and to honor their leaders. Remaining in the bank was $252 in checks belonging to the pack. WII.LAKI) BYdlOYVSkl Williard Bychowski. 51, police chief at Spring Grove for 12 years, died of a heart attack early Monday morning. Feb 26. . Mr Bychowski also had served as captain of the Spring Grove Fire department for 10 vears made its revised report to the McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals. Now the final drafting of the proposed amendment to the county zoning ordinance will be un­ dertaken The opposition has spoken out. Th^ backers have defen­ ded. It is likely the finished product will not completely satisfy everyone but hopefully will be a compromise that accomplishes the goal of producing an orderly growth without proving detrimental to any special interest group. With such rapid growth, and considering the uncertainties of a future that depends on wise decisions, the task of those burdened with the respon­ sibilities of producing a good product is monumental. As we look back years from now. the advantage of hindsight will reflect on successes and failures of men and women who were forced to trust in judgments for which there was often too little time. In this issue there is a Public Pulse letter from William Howenstine. a conservationist who has spent a lifetime of effort in trying to preserve resources before it is too late. Whether one agrees with his views about this particular ordinance or not, his concern for the land about us is un­ deniable and his challenge to protect it is something everyone must feel K A F MCC To Hold '79 Restart Everybody needs a chance to start this year over again. Because of difficulties with the blizzards. McHenry County college is giving people a chance to "restart" 1979. MCC is holding a Spring mini- semester. The college is calling the new offerings of transfer, occupational and adult education courses '79 Restart. MCC's '79 Restart includes 12 credit classes that have been scheduled especially to meet the needs of people who decided not to register for the regular Spring semester because of the bad weather. The semester will begin March 12 and will end in May along with the regular credit classes. To complete the work for the three credit classes in the shorter time, classes will meet for three hours at a time, two days a week. The college's '79 Restart also includes the regular adult education classes, seminars and credit secretarial science courses that normally begin later in the Spring Whether one signs up for a credit class like blueprint reading or introduction to philosophy or whether he chooses a backgammon or tennis adult education class. '79 Restart is a way to begin this year anew. The classes being offered by MCC this Spring are especially designed to meet such needs as those of: -individuals who want to break into Spring through concentrated study, -high school students who want a headstart on earning college credit. -college students who want to accelerate their programs, and -individuals who want to earn college credit in a short time span The credit classes have been scheduled both during the day and evening to accommodate Eight State Scholars At Marian From Area Thomas J. Parsley, principal of Marian, has announced that 27 Marian students have been named 1979-80 Illinois State Scholars. Of the 32.377 students who took the ACT examination for State Scholar purposes. H.862 have been named State Scholars and represent nearly every high school in the state Students trom Marian are Marguerite Cristy. Julie A Huff and David G. Kozial. from Wonder Lake. Michele A g a s o l i n e b e c o m e s unavailable". He predicted that the northeast McHenry county would "die". The discussion about the shortened service (termination at McHenry for the C & NW commuter trains) came at the conclusion of the CATS presentation of the proposed test networks which would show the present and future bus. train, rapid transit and freeway routing for the entire six-county region Bruce Mainzner, RTA transportation planner, noted that the CATS planning com­ mittee had updated the former 1995 plans to include proposals up to the year 2000 and it en­ visioned operating commuter service only as far.as. McHenry., on the C & NW and as far as Fox Lake on the Milwaukee road. Mainzner indicated that the RTA was negotiating for turn­ around facilities at McHenry. Bruce Hunter. Richmond trustee, and LaBue im­ mediately objected and asked Mainzner what had happened to a Richmond village govern­ ment proposal for an area transportation center at the intersection of the two railroads of Richmond. This would have car parking spaces, facilities for storing commuter trains and transferring to busses, they said Mainzner downplayed the suggestion and noted the low ridership from McHenry to Richmond which he said caused the RTA. with the agreement of McHenry county officials, to propose the suspension of the service. Hunter and LaBue retorted that the service is so bad that no one will use it under the present conditions. And they inquired about the status of the ICC ruling on continuing the passenger service. When Mainzner saidHhat he schedules Most day classes will meet at the MCC campus while most night classes will meet at Crystal Lake South high school Registration for credit classes is one week only, Monday, March 5. through Friday. March 9. One may register by phone or in person. Kegistration hours are 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday Kegistration for adult classes and seminars will continue up to the first day of classes. didn't know. LaBue exploded, "Don't know. If you're not up on it. how can you plan?" and referred to the need for con tinued service in the light of declining gasoline supplies. Mainzner then explained that the ICC was not involved with the passenger service, but that the RTA had full jurisdiction, and it was a decision by RTA to cut the service. He indicated that arrangements were being made to service Lake Geneva passengers by bus. Mainzner tried to lay off part of the responsibility for the curtailment decision on local officials. Stanek and Hunter protested and Steve Aradas, planning director for McHenry county, stated that the county Planning commission and the County board were not part of that decision. Aradas claimed it was imposed on the county. Stanek declared that he had written to numerous officials of the various agencies concerned advocating that rail service be maintained to the state line and the track and facilities be improved Stanek said he also supported the new Waukegan Freeway, <FAP 420) which he formerly had been told would not be active in his lifetime. He pointed out that a federal grant for $78 million of the $87 million cost is now being processed, and he believed it would be good for the area Attendance was less than a dozen local persons as John Orzeske, deputy director of CATS, opened the information presentation with an ex­ planation of the planning process and the CATS organization He said tran sportation studies first began in 1955 and originally included Chicago. Cook and DuPage counties Coverage was eventually extended to Will, Kane, Lake and McHenry counties, all of which now are included in the Northeast Illinois Planning Commission (NIPC) region Oh the policy committee of CATS. Orzeske said, are the Illinois secretary of tran­ sportation. a CTA board member, representatives of the mayors group, officials of suburban railroads 6nd other local officials including Jim Rakow. McHenry county superintendent of tran­ sportation, and Paul Taylor, county transportation planner. Because of the many changes in the environment, variations in population estimates and availability of federal money, efforts are under way to update the transportation plan for the region Being developed are (Continued on page 16) Chambers To Sponsor Seminars On Stress "How to cope with stress on the job" will be covered in a seminar on Stress Management next month sponsored by McHenry County college and by Chambers of Commerce in McHenry county The seminar, at Lakeside center in Crystal Lake, will be led by the Rev James Bidle on the evening of Tuesday. March 13. and all day Wednesday. March 14 To register or for more in formation, telephone McHenry County college Malone. Ruth A. Marshall. Craig E Parman and Colleen P Sweeney from McHenry; and Susan Wilcoski from Rich­ mond. INFORMATION NICillT School District 15 has rescheduled Parents' In­ formation night, cancelled Feb. 15 due to bad weather, to March 14 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. at J'arlcland school Today is the final day to display your 1979 Illinois license plates. Secretary of State Alan Dixon has indicated that police will begin ticketing vehicles without the new license plates as of 12 01 a.m. Thursday, March I. Above, a woman finishes attaching her^ew plate to her vehicle, just one day before the deadline. This is the first year the new. five-year-plates for Illinois are being used. In the upper left hand corner of the rear plate is visible the sticker which indicates when the license plate will expire. STAFF PHOTO-JOE DEHN THE MCHENRY PLAINDEALER SERVING THE CHAIN-O-LAKES REGION SINCE 1875 Crash Kills Former McHenry Man A former McHenry man lost his life early last Friday morning when the car in which he was riding reportedly was cut off on a freeway in the heart of Dallas. Texas. Brian Diedrich. 21. of 2635 S. Marsalis. Dallas, was killed instantly. The driver of the car. a friend, was not seriously injured Mr. Diedrich had just been named kitchen manager at the Captain Cooks chain restaurant in Dallas He and another em­ ployee were returning home from work at 2:30 Friday morning when the semi-truck, driving in zero visibility because of fog, cut off the car. The younfji man was a 1975 graduate of McHenry high school He went to Texas to live about a year and a half ago. BRIAN DIKDRK II Icy pavement was reportedly responsible for a two-car collision on Country club road in Dorr township, which in­ volved a McHenry area driver. Friday morning Lorraine M Foreman. 4804 Bonner drive told Sheriff's police she was northbound on a one-lane driveway when she saw a vehicle approach south bound. She reportedly tried to stop, but her car slid on the icy pavement into the approaching vehicle driven by Arthur L Bedelier. Crystal Lake Bedelier indicated he was travelling at about 20 mph when he saw the Foreman vehicle approaching He said his unit was stopped when it was struck Neither driver was reported" injured in the mishap A two-car accident occurred last Thursday evening on Shorewood drive in McHenry as one driver backed from a driveway. Brian W Brabec. 2804 N Shorewood. told Sheriff's police he was northbound on Shorewood when he saw the backup lights on a vehicle backing from a driveway at 2908 Shorewood He reportedly sounded his horn as the car backed onto the roadway and applied his brakes, but slid into the right side of the car driven by Margaret Jagiello. 2908 Shorewood Ms Jagiello told police she was backing out to straighten out when her vehicle was struck by the Brabec vehicle. Neither driver was injured in the collision