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THE SIGNING Among other agreements in the two-year contract is one which gives the teachers a 10 percent raise the first year. They are guaranteed an 8 percent increase the second year, with the possibility of a 10 percent maximum through a cost of living index provision. • j ;v'.-.;n ̂ Almost 3,000 children in the elementary school district returned to classes Monday, Sept. 17, after teachers and board had spent much of the previous weekend in meetings aimed at conciliation. A considerable portion of the meeting was devoted to a discussion of proposed programs and various ways of raising money to finance them. In both cases, the board was adamant in insisting that other means of raising money than door-to-door solicitation must be used. One presentation was made by Cindy Arndt, an itinerant teacher in Gifted Education who spoke in regard to a proposed Northwestern university archeological program. Ms. Arndt explained it as an archeological dig in Kampsville, 111., for gifted junior high age students. They would be involved in a "learn through experience" situation, actually, doing the excavating, cleaning, sorting, lab work, etc., that is a large part of archeology. THE HANDSHAKE A minimum number of students involved would be 22, and a maximum, 30, with between two and five chaperones. The cost is $130 per student for a week and $65 for chaperones, which would include room, board, tools and equipment used, local transportation and teachers' fees. The board expressed support of the program but delayed any formal action until the next meeting, allowing more time for the school to decide on a means of raising the money. <s Dan DeRoche, assistant superintendent of educational services, again brought to the attention of the board a proposal which would give an outdoor educational experience to sixth graders at George Williams college near Lake Geneva, Wis. The scheduled week starts March 17. The cost of the program was listed at $6,915.15 and DeRoche said Parkland teachers would like approval for a Read-a-Thon to help finance the program. This, according to a cost breakdown, would account for $2,000 of the money needed. He hopes to make $200 through an Ecology club paper drive in November and tuition would account for another $1,800 of the total. There is an did saying that "old friends is best 'less you can cKteh A new one that's fit to make an Old one out off It was Just over a yearago that we met such a new friend when •young lady small of stature but large of intelligence, with bonus Qualities of wit and independence, entered bur office. Jean Kagan had come to occupy a desk In the news room that is in charge of things "mostly social". '•? That was in August of 1978. As November of 1979 approaches, Jean is leaving the community and we say a very reluctant goodbye. Jean has been a special kind of person. We have seen her charm a dissatisfied customer one moment, And the next take a pleasant but firm defense of a news policy. We have seen her quickly assume blame for something wrong, and just as quickly defend any attack on a co-worker. We have shared much - the anxieties of having the right amount of copy for the space available; the pressure of llewspaper deadlines; and the agony of errors that invariably at some time creep into any human undertaking. „ • We have even shared a common birth date in July. But most important, we have shared many laughs over the past IS months. As she leaves, we have happy memories of our Association, and not least among them will be the moments we have taken time to enjoy the small happenings that brightened our day, and occasionally, when they escaped a discerning eye, have also provided a chuckle for readers. • Jean has left us a Legacy of Laughs compiled over the past few \ months. . '4 Errors have a way of being injected into a wedding story, either through a nervous bride-to-be who doesn't read her notes before turning them in, or because of gremlins that persist in fouling up T. the keys on the office machine. •4 This time it was the operator who, in her effort to provide a masterpiece the bride would treasure forever, said she wore dotted Swill. Later, she persisted in her mistake by noting that the wedding guests ate Swill steak. But this was wily the start. One bride described her dress as Jiaving a crotched neckline and said she carried prairie winkle Hue flowers. Another referred to her maidron of honor and noted with all due solemnity that the couple had handed each mother a long stemmed rose during the recession. One bridesmaid wore a pheasant style dress in a church decorated with pine trees. And how about the couple that exchanged wows! But social news is not the only place to get a smile. The classified advertising section isn't far behind. Have you ever tried to buy a three-quarter Arabian, one- quarter horse? Or how about the employer who was in the position of screeming persons for the position. But when the gremlins show up in the obituary columns, of necessity a section of dignity, there is embarrassment to read that the deceased was survived by his four sins! v And the sports pages have not escaped. Recently, one team ran out of gay after upsetting two good teams. Then there was the Olumpics (for clumsy kids, no doubt). .? Or when was the last time you saw 5-hit bitching? "7* Some faux pas are miscellaneous in nature, like the Helping Paws column which deified one of the lowly of the animal world in . • this way: white female god found along the road. Another item in this column, inviting the adoption of a pet, had '111 the right reasons. The columnist began, "If you add a new Idtten to your mousehold"... and proceeded to state the advantages of this particular member of the cat world. STmagine the chagrin of the machine operator who found she had captioned the homespun philosophy of Grandma Sez to read Grandma Sex. And her absolute disbelief that an item on a sand fend gravel firm should emerge in type as sand and gruvel. If Or consider the mind boggling decision of the proof reader who tvondered whether perspective customers were really farsighted or were intended to be merely of the prospective variety. Then there was the item inviting the public to a particularly 'Jmmptuous noon repast. By the time the item reached our office jthe publicity chairman had found herself carried away with the ^extent of the food by announcing that the luncheon would be -available for the Hungary. , h Some of the above are ours - some are yours - but either way .they provided the chuckle we all need occasionally. They also 'brought an undeniable reminder that we humans are, indeed, fallible. 1. They remind us of another writer, in another place, at another time, who gave up after his account of a bottle-scarred veteran - was corrected, only to read the second time, battle-scared, after which the story wps no doubt dumped. For these, and other treasures of human error that have brightened our days, we are indebted to Jean. £ K.A.F. • > . • THE MCHENRY JPLAINDEALER "SERVING THE CHAIN-O-LAKES REGION SINCE 1875' VOLUME 104 NUMBER 26 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1979 2 SECTIONS 28 PAGES 20* Council Looks At Tax Debt City Attorney Bernard Narusis reported to the Council at Tuesday night's special meeting that the City of McHenry owes some back property taxes - some of which date from 1961. gomewhere along the line, a 1974 application for tax exemption for certain public lands was lost and had to be refiled in 1976. The result of this was that some unowned land or public property in Lakeland park, Petersen park, Whispering Oaks, the public library and the Green street parking lot have taxes due. In some cases the taxes range from 1961 to 1976 and in other cases the taxes due are for one or two years. The tax exemption ap­ plication was approved by the Department of Local Govern­ ment Affairs and took effect Jan. 1, 1977. In Lakeland park, Narusis said, there are about 17 or 18 lots, which are not buildable, and on which taxes are due. These are the lots which date back to 1961 and most of them Tree Bank Paving Debate Continues The controversy over the First United Methodist chur­ ch's paving of the tree bank along John street for parking purposes surfaced again at Tuesday night's special meeting of the City Council. Alderman Pepping said that the Council should have in­ formation which would show how many parking spaces are actually necessary in relation to the seating capacity of the church. Pepping pointed out that the present parking lot is already being expanded. A member of the congregation, Alderman Nolan explained that church plans to consolidate the two services presently offered will Require twice as many parking placed as before. Ms. Nolan went on to say that there is already a problem in getting out of the lot after the early service and added that parking on Center street, which is a practice now, is a traffic hazard. Alderman Pepping reiterated his request for information on just how many parking places would actually be needed. As a preface to a compromise proposal, Mayor Stanek said that the City cannot tell the church to take up all of the gravel which has already been laid and re-sod the tree bank. Stanek's proposal would be to pave half of the 17-foot tree bank from John street in and seed the remainder to achieve a pavement-grass-sidewalk effect. The question of whether or not to allow parking on the pavement would be addressed by the Council when more in­ formation had been received. are associated with the creek. Narusis suggested putting these lots up for auction at a "scavenger sale." In a scavenger sale, the back taxes are forgiven and the City could bid on the property if it decided the property was worth owning - as an access to the creek for example. Narusis said that there have been instances where property that no one wanted had been sold for a dollar or two. In any event, the City might be able to reclaim those lots for less money than paying the back taxes. In response to a question by Alderman Harker, Narusis estimated the City's total in­ debtedness for almost 20 years of taxes in the Lakeland park area at $1,000 a lot. Narusis said that about $2,200 was owed for Petersen park for 1974 through 1976. Further, Narusis said, less would have been owed if the original tax exemption application had not been lost. In Whimpering Oaks, taxes are owed^on all the greenways and walkways and Narusis said the dollar amounts here range from a little over $80 to more than $800 depending on the acreage of the land in question. The City owes about $160 for one year of taxes on the public library lot, Narusis said. The tax exemption ap­ plication for the Green street parking lot is still pending, Narusis said, and so the City owes for this property also. The Council decided to pay the taxes on the high priority items like Petersen park, the library and the parking lot, and let the Finance committee and Narusis dispose of the rest. Narusis also reported on the status of the lawsuit against the Winding Creek subdivision. Narusis said that two motions had been filed, the first of which asked that portions of the lawsuit be omitted as "im­ material. irrelevant and consisting of conclusions, not fact." The second motion called for a summary judgment which would effectively end any further litigation on the part of the objectors. In it, the City said that the objectors did not comply with a state law when they did not identify the shareholders of the Shamrock Beef and Cattle farm, which is the primary objector to the development. According to the law, Narusis said, any trust which files an objection must also identify the shareholders, their addresses and their percentage in­ volvement in the property. What had never even appeared in any of the transcripts, Narusis pointed out. was that 1 (Continued on page 18) | Urge Caution At Halloween Name School Principal that building. He was named to the position Tuesday evening following an executive session after the regular informational board meeting in District 15. La Shelle comes to his new administrative post after six years of leaching at Mount Carroll," 111., and some part- time administrative work. Although he received his ad­ ministrative degree in 1972, this is his first full time ad­ ministrative position. Interviewed Wednesday, he expressed an eagerness to get started in his new work, noting that his first responsibility will be to fill the fifth grade vacancy created when he left the classroom. ^ La ShelJe, his wife, and JAMES LA SHELLE children, Tiffinnie, 10, and A new teacher to Edgebrook Toni, 13, reside in Alden. Mrs. school this year, James La ' La Shelle is a psychiatrist with Shelle, is now the principal d School District 200, Woodstock. Alderman Harker pointed out that some of the residences along John street allow parking on their property up to the sidewalk. "Extra space is needed." (Continued on page 18) Incidents of people em­ bedding razor blades in apples and other fruit or impregnating Halloween treats with LSD, cocaine, heroin or PCD (an animal tranquilizer) have been reported in other counties and departments have issued some do's and don'ts for young trick- or-treaters this Halloween. Deputy Ed McFadden of the Sheriff's police advises parents to keep children in "block areas" -- areas that the parents neighboring states. Although such actions have not been reported in either the City or county of McHenry, they could Because they could, the McHenry County Sheriff's and City of McHenry police are familiar with. McHenry Police Chief George Pasenelli said, "Parents should take an active role in order to insure a safe Halloween." Depending on their ages, the hours the children .are out should be restricted. In the City of McHenry, trick-or- treat hours are expected to be the same as last year, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., according to Pasenelli. Council action will confirm the hours at Monday night's meeting. Children are encouraged to stay in groups, within familiar areas, Deputy McFadden said. McFadden also warns (Continued on page 18) VFW Club Burglar Target Twice Twice in a span of two days the McHenry VFW, 3002 W. Route 120, McHenry, was burglarized; the second time in .the same manner as the first and with the same results. On Oct. 17, someone pried open a window to gain entrance to the building and stole two cartons of cigarettes, 10 cigarette lighters, 2 pool cues and 5 gallons of soft drink. On Oct. 21, the window was broken and an AM-FM radio, a pool cue, five cigarette lighters, four 8*packs of beer and a carton of candy were stolen. At the Chapel Hill Country club, 2500 N. Chapel Hill road, McHenry, James Stavros, the owner, called the Sheriff's police when he saw a man lingering near the entrance and later wheeling two lounge chairs to his car. The man fled when the police arrived but was later found hiding behind the building. Two decorative roosters, some Indian corn, a bar glass and the two chairs were found in his car. Edward Bicek of Fox Lake was arrested for theft over $150. His bond and court ap­ pearance have not been set. Someone cut the lock off the storage trailer of the building trades class at Johnsburg high school and stole many of the tools, including electric saws and masonry equipment. William Wiser, of 5508 Fox Lake road, McHenry, reported the theft of a concrete saw from the back of his truck. McHenry builder, Marlon Gray, reported that someone had broken into a home under construction and had stolen a stove and a trash compactor. Steven Wohnrade, of 7216 Bull Valley road, McHenry, had his motorcycle parked in front of his home with a "For Sale" sign on it. Someone did not buy it, they stole it. Michael Tiess, of 5306 Highland, McHenry, found that someone had entered hi& garage and stolen his motor­ cycle. Two Wonder Lake residents, Thomas Lawniczak and Sam Marsala, have been the targets of gas syphoners. Lawniczak (Continued on page 18) Member Henry Nell moved to approve the program if money can be raised without the door-to-door approach. Mr. and Mrs. Steven Moore appeared before the board to suggest that more supervision be provided on the playground of Valley View school. Their son, Bryan, a third grader, was hurt recently in an accident in the driveway during pre-school play. By noon, the boy complained of not feeling well and after admittance to McHenry hospital, was found to be suffering from a concussion. , Dr. Richard Farmer, superintendent, agreed that more supervision would be desirable, but pointed out that just normal play would result in occasional injuries in spite of the supervision. He also noted that the youngsters are more active at this time of day but said he would check on the matter. Although Moore talked of 550 children on the grounds, school officials said about half the enrollment might be playing outside between arrival of the first bus at 8:35 and school opening 20 minutes later. Nell suggested a study might be in order comparing accidents reported at Valley View and other schools within the district . n Contract 't . " " • In District 15 -V --C : ' ' " ^ . . [ More than a month after the conclusion of the nine-day teachers' strike in Elementary School District 15, contracts for the board and for the McHenry Classroom Teachers association were signed at Tuesday evening's instructional meeting held at Junior high school. 'Tim Althoff, president of the board, and Judy Hamilton, who heads the MCTA, signed the contracts for their respective groups, ending a long period of strife and the aftermath of putting the contracts in order. STAFF PHOTOS-WAYNE GAYLORD