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2 Sections 32 Pogos 25c mcwsrt * c * oVp Miss McHenry Heide Bender aindealer is chosen county fair queen By Deborah Collar* Plaindealer Newt Service When Miss McHenry Heide Bender was announced as the winner of the county crown Wednesday night, residents here experienced a joy that had been long overdue- living in a com­ munity that can again be called the "home" of the McHenry County queen. ; That honor seems to come about every 10 years for the city of McHenry. Before Bender was bestowed the title this week, the last county queen from this area was Donna Humann in 1974. Previous to that it was Gail Marquart in 1962 -and Judy Freund in 1954. So this year the community was about due again. The 19-year-old, 5-8, 115 pound, blonde hair, blue eyed Bender said becoming Miss McHenry County, "was something I always dreamed of. I'd always dreamed of being on stage and being Miss McHenry att my life. I thought Miss Marengo (the first runner up) won." The beauty pageant winner explained she was shocked when her name was announced as the winner. "I couldn't believe it. I was so nervous. I didn't even have a prepared speed)," she said. Heide was sponsored by the American Legion Post. She is attending Cornell College in Iowa and plans to become an English teacher for junior high school students. She is the daughter of Walter and Carol Miss Harvard of 1983, Lynell Lahner, proudly gave up her crown as the last year's fair pageant winner. Miss Harvard smiled and said, "Fairs like this don't happen everyday. It takes a very special group of people to put a fair like this together. It takes a lot of hard work. I was honored to be the queen." Heide is the first pageant winner to receive a $500 Miss McHenry County scholarship donated by Holmstrom and Green Law Firm, Freund Funeral Home, and George Justen Funeral Home. Heide was asked in the com­ petition what she would do if she won $1 million in the lottery. She said she would have to ask heY father but probably invest most of it so most of it wouldn't be taken away in taxes. She also said she would buy her family gifts and put a great deal of it towards her education. Judges looked and narrowed down the 14 McHenry County young women representing 14 communities in the Miss McHenry County Pageant. Beauty, poise, and personality were all musts for the Miss McHenry County crown. The first runner up was Miss Marengo, Michele Merchut, 18, the daughter of Carl and and Diane Merchut. She was sponsored by the Marengo VFW Auxiliary. She plans to attend Elgin Community College. Second runner up was Crystal Lake, Jana Simonsen, 18. The daughter of Jerrol and Georgia Simonsen, Jana was sponsored by the Crystal Lake Park District. She is a Northern Illinois University student and plans to become a CPA. Third runner up was Miss Lake In the Hills, Michelle Key, 19, daughter of Shelby and Barbara Key. Michelle was sponsored by the Lake in the Hills Jaycettes. She is a student at Elgin Community College studying criminal justice and juvenile reform. Fourth runner up was Miss Woodstock, Michele Berlin, 19, daughter of Jack and Jane Berlin. She was sponsored by the Woodstock Chamber of Commerce and Industry. She is a junior at the University of Illinois majoring in music. Miss Harvard, Michelle Boppart, 18, was named Miss Congeniality. Knox Park pond hopes sunk again Miss McHenry Heide Bender, center, puts her hands to her face in amazement, as her name is announced as winner of the 1984 Miss McHenry County pageant. At left is Miss Crystal Lake Jana Simonsen, second runner up, and at right, Miss Plaindealer news service photo Marengo Michele Merchut, first runner up. The pageant was held Wednesday at the opening night of the fair. It has been 10 years since a Miss McHenry has been chosen a county queen. Oliver Mayor Joseph Stanek's push for a pond in the low area of Knox Park met with a second defeat in a sometimes heated discussion at Monday night's city council meeting. Stanek presented the council a modified proposal to construct a three-quarter acre pond in Knox Park at a cost of about $12,357. The original proposal was defeated by a 4-4 vote at the July 16 council meeting. . Stanek said water is flowing down the ditch line at a rate of about 20,000 gallons a day. Park Director Peter Merkel pointed out that in spring, the runoff collects and stands, making the land unusable for anything accent a pond. •lAld. Edward Datz (2nd) asked, "Where does it go? You've got a lake with water.lt will eventually fill up and over flow." Joseph Anziger, a Hebron man who builds ponds for a living, explained that the water dissipates into underground Streams and tiling systems. Aid. William Bolger: (1st) supported Stanek's position and said a pond would be an ex­ cellent way to finish the park. Opposition came from wards three and four. Aid. Frank McClatehey (3rd) said the pond not needed MM! MHPHI WHY P project was not bid. Stanet replied that he knew of no one else in that particular field. When Aid. Elizabeth Nolan (1st) commented that the existing situation was an eyesore and a danger, Aid. Ray Smith (3rd) said he "wouldn't buy that argument." . "It's more dangerous to walk down some of the sidewalks and streets. We made the decision at the last meeting. It's unusual to me...it's another item that has to be pushed through because of time. It's not proper," Smith said. Stanek commented, "Ray, you have consistently taken opposition to the parks until your constituency tells you it's good. This should be judged on its merits and not on per­ sonality." "You have consistently tried to jam something down our throats," Smith retorted. Aid. Gary Snell (4th) said the city had spent enough money on "fishing areas," citing funds spent on Boone Creek dredging, McHenry Shores, Fox Ridge and McCullom Lake. He said the money could be better spent in other areas. "This was in the master plan (for Knox Park) and like it or not the parks are the center for many people," Bolger said. Aid. William Bum (ind) said he could not deny that money cbuld be used elsewhere, but added this was a reasonable project and good for the city. "It's not strictly a fishing area, it's a collector for misguided springs. We should complete the park," Busse said. When it came time to vote, the council split 5-4. But, the motion still did not pass because six votes are needed for an ex­ penditure greater than $5,000 that was not bid. Property loss due to fires over $350,000 Property losses directly related to fire incidents totalled more than $350,000 in the McHenry Township Fire District last year, according to a report released recently by the Illinois State Fire Marshal's Office. The McHenry Township Fire Department responded to 312 fire incidents, including 145 fires which resulted in property damage amounting to $370,684 in direct property losses, two civilian injuries and no deaths to either civilians or fire fighters. The department also responded to 829 rescue calls, 27 false alarms and 97 other calls. Men and equipment from the district were called to assist other departments 14 times in 1983.' Overall in the state, 21,452 incidents were reported last year. The incidents include 4,193 fires causing $9,134,651 in property losses, 124 civilian injuries, 84 fire fighter injuries, three civilian deaths and no fire fighter deaths. The information was con­ tributed by 1,142 participating fire departments. Hearings on gravel pit cancelled City Clerk Barbara Gilpin reported at the last council meeting that Attorney James Green has called and cancelled proposed dates for upcoming plan commission and zoning hearings. • Green is the attorney for McHenry Sand & Gravel Company which has proposed an expansion of their Sherman hill gravel pit west around Valley View Elementary School. According to Gilpin, the firm is "evaluating" the project. . A look inside. e . e Fiesta Contest Results Page 3 • MCC Tuition Section 2, Pege 6 / Regular features Musin' & Meanderin' Pege 2 ' Obituaries Page 6 Helping Paws Section 2, Page 5 Twice Told Tales Section 2, Page 6 No-fault divorce law not new to Wisconsin Editor's Note: The tallowing it the last in a four- part McHenry Plaindealer series on .Illinois' new no-fault divorce law, which became effective July l. This article comperes our new law to that of neighboring state Wisconsin, where no-fault divorce has been in effect since 1977. By Mike Morsch Plaindealer News Service With the advent of Illinois' new no-fault divorce law, Illinoisans may find it easier to obtain a divorce simply because blame no longer need be proved. But in Wisconsin, a no- fault divorce law has been in effect since 1977. In fact, in Wisconsin, a no-fault divorce is the only type that can be granted. As of July 1, Illinois has no-fault divorce, which is a 12th ground for divorce based on "irreconcilable differences." Under the new Illinois law, three precon­ ditions must exist before application of the no-fault ground can be granted: efforts at reconciliation must have failed or be impractical; the parties- have to be separated for at least six months and agree, to the hearing; or two years of separation must exist at the time of entry of the decree. According to Wisconsin attorney David Rasmussen of Walworth, section 767.01 of the Wisconsin divorce law requires that: -Those seeking a divorce be informed of marriage counseling. -The court finds the marriage "irretrievably broken." -To the extent of the court's jurisdiction, there must be consideration of child custody, support, maintenance of either spouse, support of the family and disposition of property. Under the no-fault clause of the marriage being "irretrievably broken," the court can grant a divorce if the couple has been separated for 12 months. The court will ask the couple if the marriage is irretrievably broken," said Rasmussen. "If both parties answer 'yes,' the divorce can be granted. If one party is against a divorce, a 12- month separation must have occurred before the divorce can be granted. p TfilWW MitdlVk "A simple divorce, with no property or children involved, can take three to five minutes," continued Rasmussen. "That^s it. That's all you need." At the local level, divorce statistics show that thus far in 1984, 1,041 divorce cases have been filed in Kane County, 682 which have been disposed. In 1981, Kane County had 2,271 divorces filed, a number that dropped to 2,025 in 1982 but climbed again to 2,113 in 1983. In McHenry County, there were 897 divorce cases filed in 1982, 846 filed in 1983 and 422 filed thus far in 1984. At the state level, the 50,113 divorces granted in Illinois in 1983 is the lowest since 1979, when 52,133 divorces were granted. That number dropped in 1980 to 50,997 but rose to 51,536 in 1982. No statistics for 1981 were available. In Wisconsin, the numbers are considerably lower. For example, in 1982, only 21,371 divorces were filed while 22,762 were disposed. That number increased slightly to 21,551 filed in 1983 with 21,984 disposed. As stated earlier, there are now 12 grounds for divorce in Illinois. Under the old Wisconsin law, there were nine grounds for divorce: adultery; either party prior to marriage has been sent to prison for more than three years; willfull desertion for one year; treatment by one spouse that is cruel or inhuman; being a habitual drunkard for one year; lived apart for one year; pursuant to judgment of legal separation, have lived apart for one year; on the com­ plaint of the wife, the husband being of sufficient ability has refused or neglected to adequately provide for her; and either party has been involuntarily committed to a mental institution and remained there for one year. , Treatment by one spouse that is cruel or inhuman used to be the "catch-all" ground for divorce, accor­ ding to Rasmussen. "The new law (Wisconsin) is a much more intelligent law because it makes it possible to simply separate," said Rasmussen. "By even having divorce based on irretrievable breakdown, they (the legislators) have throvn in the easiest grounds on which to obtain a divorce." As to the future of the new Illinois law, Rasmussen is of the opinion that the no-fault ground will eventually be the only ground for divorce. "In my opinion, it will swallow up the rest of the grounds," said Rasmussen. "They (the other grounds) will be antiquated. No one will spend a lot of money to fight over other grounds when they can fight over just property." Concerning Wisconsin's divorce law, Mary Wagner- Malloy, a Kenosha, Wis., attorney presently running for the Wisconsin Senate, says that she hasn't decided if the law is a good one. "Emotionally, there is still a need to vent your spleen," said Wagner- Malloy of divorce. "There's still a desire to say how bad the other person is. "In the old days, people used to fight over which spouse was bad for the marriage," she continued. "But now the focus has been moved to who should lun custody of the children, becomes quite a traumat experience for children." As far as Wis present divorce Wagner-Malloy says i is quite simple. "It's cut and dried," she "But people Still h&\ emotional need I* angry." Friday August 3/1984 Number 104 Volume 108