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\ V McHenry m «since 187 5 aindealer 9 Wednesday May 30, 1984 Number 85 Volume 108 2 Sections 34 Pages 25* h.«m.iOw> x-< \ ' >• V'*"^ FS'&W "* : & RMSSfe Vt»v?v * »' M>?HflNi|p*,'*f? pS& . » * \tgjm' mm'm 'JMi Plaindealer photo by Anthony Oliver A personal Memorial Day observance Memorial Day was an untraditionally personal observance for salute did not take place, but fallen war heroes were not forgotten, McHenry area residents Monday, as local ceremonies were can-' as is shown by these American flags, placed atgravesites in St. celled due to inclement weather. The musical tribute and rifle Patrick's Church Cemetery. Computer program praised by District 15 school board By Marion Olsen Plaindealer news service There watgeod news and bad news at the McHenry District 15 Elementary School board meeting last week. The good news was that kindergarteners and first graders may know more about computers than their parents. And, because of Parent Teacher Organization funding, the Hilltop library will be open to Hilltop students for six weeks this summer. The bad news is that there will be no summer school for elementary school children this year because not enough students registered. Refunds will be made to the 22 students who signed up. Volunteers play an important role in District 15 good news reports, according to Asst. Supt. Dan DeRoche. For example, he introduced to the board a former systems engineer at IBM and a former second and third grade teacher at Woodstock who direct the computer " volunteer program at Landmark School. Referring to this year's 42- member volunteer group as "Computer moms", Mrs. Mar gey Schweitzer described how she and Mrs. Nancy Macari have organized a program where volunteers can assist in teaching children how to learn with computers. The two mothers have spent hours and weeks making it easy for parents and teachers to provide individualized computer lear­ ning programs for the children. Previewing, reviewing, in­ dexing and writing programs is. part of what the two women are doing, while consulting with teachers to be sure computer activities correlate with curriculum goals, according to Mrs. Marcari. DeRoche scolded the women for their modesty. "They have tailor-made and blended the available software to the curriculum guide," he said, "They tot* a two-foot high stack of catalogs and wrote a sum­ mary of what they felt would be appropriate for the grade level. Mrs. Schweitzer, familiar with more sophisticated com­ puter hardware, praised the school's computers. "It's sur­ prising what they can do; they do a lot." She sees the students being able to assist their parents in using computers and she plans to hold sessions for parents. She suggested a computer parent's group, which can exchange experiences with their own home computers. "There is no career area that will not be touched by com­ puters," she predicted. Board President Arthur Newbrough told the women, "You two exemplify the kinds of things we can get from working Auto dealers react to 'closed Sunday' law By Cliff Ward Plaindealer news service A proposal to repeal a ban on Sunday car sales in Illinois, which received varied reaction from local car dealers, has been rejected by the Illinois House less than two weeks before the rule was to be enforced for the first time. Lawmakers voted 57-48 Wednesday, May 23 against striking the 1982 law from the books. The law, upheld last month by the Illinois Supreme Court after a long legal battle, is to be enforced beginning June 3. Supporters of the repeal said the ban was passed when new car sales were lagging and dealers needed a way to cut costs. With car sales booming, they argued, the "blue law" is no longer needed. "Die state of Illinois should not ... be involved in telling an individual entrepreneur when he can open or close," said Democratic Rep. Richard Mautino of Spring Valley, sponsor of the bill. Mautino's sentiments were echoed by some local dealers. "We haven't been open on Sunday for 15 years," Ray Benoy of Benoy Motor Sales in Woodstock said, but he added that he didn't think legislators should tell dealers when they should be opened and closed. "How can you pick on this one segment of the business world and say you can't open on Sunday?" Benoy said. "It's still a free country," he added. "It A look inside. • • • 1 NIMC Fund Drive Section 2, Pege 2 Wonder Leke Boerd Pege 9 Regular feature* Twice Told Teles Section 2, Pege 11 So 1 Heer Pege 4 should be the perogative of the dealer." John Reichert, whose Reichert Chevrolet and Ord- smobile Sales dealership is open on Sundays, said he was disappointed with the Sunday closure order. He characterized the law as "very discriminatory" because it singles out car dealers. Sunday, he said, is good day for business because husbands and wives can be together to shop for a major purchase, such as an automobile. Both Reichert and Benoy said they didn't think it would affect sales to a great extent, but Reichert said, "I still don't like someone telling me when I can be open and when I can be dosed." Opponents, with the strong backing of many car dealers, argued that only a few auto "supermarkets" want to do business on Sundays and that allowing them to do so would make it more difficult for smaller dealers to compete. • Rep. Ted Leverenz (D- Maywood) also argued that mandatory Sunday closings make it easier for dealers to hire better salesmen because the dealers can guarantee them Sundays off. Woodward Ford-Mercury sales manager Steve Mertel said he favored Sunday closings. "We think it's fantastic," he said. "Everybody needs to have McHenry man wins $3 million in Lotto with parents." m regular business, the board approved a Chapter I Proposal for 1984-85 to fund the MERIT Remedial Reading program at a cost of $53,140. The program will include using computers to individualize learning. The board also approved a building budget amencknent, which changed the per student dollar allocation for 1984-85 from $29 to $32 for kindergarten, $34 to $37 for grades one through five and $40 to $43 for grades six through eight. The change will allow building administrators and staff to plan and begin to requisition textbooks and other instructional supplies for the next year. The board appointed William Landis as school district treasurer and accepted the standard form of agreement between owner and architect for the district energy and life safety work. Who says it can't happen here? A McHenry man was one of three big winners in last Saturday's Lotto drawing, winning more than $3 million. According to state Lottery officials, Frank A. Smiesko, of McHenry, won $3,012,560. He will receive $150,628 each year for the next 20 years. Smiesko was unavailable for comment Tuesday morning. The winning ticket, bearing the numbers 12-19-20-23-28-29, was purchased Friday morning at Bell Liquors, 4610 W. Elm St., McHenry. Store manager Ja Kalvelage said it was the first time Smiesko has played Lotto and, in fact, the ticket was purchased by his wife. He said that in talking with Smiesko, the numbers all had some significance, being special dates: birthday, anniversary, etc. The other two $3 million winners were from Bensenville, IL, and North Riverside, EL. LDTTO *1 .OO MAY26/84 G 12 19 20 23 28 29 MAY26/84 H 04 13 14 21 24 34 1460-8102-5338 40700/0356D WK21 MAY28/84 1460-8102-5338 CLAIM <3012560.00 DO NOT CASH--FILE CLAIM FORM 1494-0011-8351 10700/0078T Shown top is a copy of McHenry resident Frank Smiesko's winning Lotto ticket, and below the claim ticket, which verifies his $3 million prize in Saturday's drawing. ; v Paratransit begins in Nunda Township a day off, and it's not detrimental to business." He said the law would be good for the salesmen who have families and those who put in the 10-12 hour days that are common in the industry. "If you're working nine to five and your customer is working nine to five, you have to adjust your hours accordingly," Mertel noted. "That means if you set up an appointment at 8 o'clock at night, you hav^to come in." He also said he did not see the act as an infringement on the rights of dealers. "If the auto industry (dealers) were able to sit down and get together, then we wouldn't need the Assembly telling us what to do," he said But Rep. Tim Johnson (R- Urbana) said the Sunday sales ban is "socialism," regulating when consumers can shop, and that the ban is in effect only because of the strength of the car dealers' lobby. "If you vote against this bill, don't ever come back here and talk about government in­ terference in private enterprise because that would be the epitome of hypocrisy," Johnson sarid. Car dealers who had done business on Sundays, most of them in the Chicago area, complained enforcement of the ban would mean they woukl lose business and be forced to lay olf By Cliff Ward Plaindealer News Service Another transportation link in the southeastern portion of McHenry County became a reality last week when paratransit service was established in Nunda Township. Township and Regional Transportation Authority of­ ficials, including RTA interim board member Jeff Ladd of the Woodstock area, gathered at the township offices on Bay Road for a morning ceremony. "This will hopefully provide for those that don't have a car or for the handicapped at a minimum charge," Township Supervisor Anita Sherwood said. She added that the township will be paying for its 25 percent share of the cost of the mini-bus system with federal revenue sharing dollars. "None of the taxpayers' money will be used," she said. Ladd characterized the new Dial-A-Ride service as another link in the chain that, hopefully, will see the eastern and southeastern portions of McHenry County blanketed with paratransit systems. The county's most populous township, Algonquin, does not have a paratransit system and the RTA's head of paratransit systems, Lollie McKeon, said the transit agency is "not that close" yet on a paratransit program for Algonquin Township. However, she said "there's a high level of interest" in bringing the system to Algonquin Township. "The tiexibilty we have in developing contracts is quite great. The next step is getting people to realize the convenience of the system." The Nunda system's transfer points will allow township riders to transfer to Crystal Lake RTA Dial-A-Ride buses at the railroad station and the Crytsal Lake American Legion. Township riders will be able to transer to McHenry's paratransit system at the McHenry-Nunda Library and at Northern Illinois Medical Center after the facility opens in late June. The Nunda system will also travel to Island Foods in Island Lake even though the grocery is not in the township. The 15-passenger mini-bus is lift-equipped for wheelchair passengers and service will be available from 8 a.m. to noon and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fares are $1 for adults and 50 cents for \ senior citizen", and disabled persons, students and children ages 7-11 with the RTA's Special User's* Travel Card. Children under 7 ride free when accompanied by a fare- paying passenger. Those who wish to travel via the Nunda Township Dial-^- Ride service may call 459-4048 from 8:30 a.m.-l p.m. a day in advance to make arrangements. Innocent verdict found in restaurant armed robbery By Angela Burden * Plaindealer news service A not guilty verdict on charges of armed robbery and unlawful restraint was returned last week by a jury which had deliberated about four hours on the case. Stephen F. Brant, 24, of Palatine, was found not guilty of the charges connected with a Feb. 25,1962, sawed-off shotgun incident at the Long John Silver restaurant, 4313 W. Elm St., McHenry, where employees were forced into a freezer and $1,400 was stolen. Testimony in the three-day trial indicated that the restaurant manager, Jackie Geissler and another employee, Jim Davis, were threatened by intruders, one of whom was armed with a sawed-off shotgun. Two other co-defendants in the robbery, both with prior con­ victions, did not come to trial. They reportedly cooperated with the state and negotiated pleas, according to defense lawyer David Mattenson. Judge Henry Cowlin presided over the trial, which started, with jury selection early last week, in 19th Judicial Circuit Court, Woodstock. Assistant State's Attorney Gary Pack prosecuted the case.