By Anthony Oliver never . flooded since they were plow.'1 piabxfeaierHerawN«w«service * built," Schoen said. "There He admitted that waves were were snowplows on Kane created as the truck moved It was termed a "classic Act Avenue, moving water onto through the water, which of God" by Mayor William McCracken Field and Concord reached depths of eight inches. Busse, referring to rains that Manor flooded in 10 minutes. I "It sure looked like they were inundated the city last Sunday wonder if anyone questioned if plowing to me," said one night. the water would stop at the apartment resident. Be that as it may, residents of chain link fence." The residents said they the Concord Manor apartments Schoen said there were six heard large pumps that night wanted someone to do flooded apartments and the and Halvensleben said ab- something about their damaged basement, which is used for solutely no pumps were used by belongings and they turned to storage, was "filled to the the city. the city. brim. Busse said, "The water ex- Speaking for about 20 Public Works Supt. Paul J. ceeded the capacity of the residents attending Wednesday Halvensleben contended that culverts. There were no night's council meeting, Philip , none of the city trucks have snowplows that I saw and it F. Schoen Jr., alluded tiiat the plows^on thj^at^teii time of wouldta?^crousto^cwwater SSmiagecmSTinan area tfit and1 one* backhoe1were^alltbie go." ba» not known such flooding, city equipment used thatnight Halvensleben outlined the The apartments are located at that location. city's activities that night. He north of McCracken Field and The backhoe was used to keep noted that nearly six inches of water damage to items stored in the grate clear in the culvert water f fell in a 24-hour period, the basement was reportedly between Edgebrook and "At 10 p.m., the township extensive. McHenry Junior High Schools, called me and said Kane Avenue Schoen said residents had "-fljebnly thing3ucwSkS was flooded," Halvensleben seen city trucks , using employees could do was keep said. The city used one backhoe snowplows to push water from the storm inlets clear," and a truck that carried the road and nearby school onto Halvensleben said. "I can tin- barricades. the field. derstand where the backhoe lty 10:45 p.m., the water was "These apartments have bucket could be construed as a eight indies deep on Kane Tip leads to arrests A Crime Stoppers tip made to the McHenry Police Depart ment earlier this week resulted in the arrest of two juveniles for the Coast-to-Coast burglary last Sunday. McHenry Police Chief Patrick Joyce said two 15-year-old youths were arrested in con nection with the break-in. The youths reportedly used a sledge hammer to chop a hole in the rear wall of the store during the stormy weather Sunday. Joyce said McHenry detec tives were able to recover all the items taken in the burglary, including .22-caliber and .357- caliber ammunition, a .22- caliber pistol, a pellet gun, and binoculars. CL woman is injured A Crystal Lake woman was taken to Northern Illinois Medical Center (NIMC) following a one-vehicle accident last weekend. • Helen Szmuc, of 5917 S. Route 31, Crystal Lake, told police she lost control of the car on the wet Svement and the vehicle went 0 a ditch on the east side of 1 road, striking a cement culvert. i wet •fiesta Days begin Sunday, registration at 8 a.m. No pre- Governor George Ryan, who July 21 at 9 a.m. at Petersen registration is required. The will also make An appearance on Park with the fullest < and show will (continue until* .p.m.,. the Main Stage in the Beach broadfest example of "Let Us with awards being presented on Area at ^proximately 1 p.m. You" of all of the the Main Stage at the Beach. These family activities are gght days of this 1985 festival. Family activities and kiddie sponsored by Citizens for to three hundred show- rides will also begin at 9 a.m. Community Action: £ Setter Car Show, which will begin its sponsored by Lieutenant Churth, Districts No. 15 and 156 By Steve Metsch FUrindHttar Herald toff writer The invasion continues. After plotting their strategy all winter, they slowly awakened when the temperature began to climb. Near the end of June, reinforce ments arrived to aid the attack. Then, under the cover of dark ness, they quietly moved across lawns, gardens and streets. One by one, the opposition's fortresses fell by the wayside, seemingly unable to stem the tide. < The invaders knew no boundaries. The mightiest walls of concrete and brick can't hold them off. If they're hungry, they think nothing of ransacking a local garden. If they're sleepy, any cool and dark resting place will do. ' Time, it seems, is the only hope left for humanity. Once autumn rolls around, the invasion will have McHENRY concluded. In the meantime, the pa tience of home-owners, gardeners and bug haters will be 'severely tested. "They" are earwigs, those pesky,, beetle-like creatures with pincers on their hindquarters whose inva sion of Northern Illinois has been a smashing success. From McHenry County to Cook County, from Rockford to Cary, few people haven't seen theannoying insects marching around their yards or homes. And, unfortunately, while temporary measures against the earwig army exist, it will be back in full force next summer. Bruce Spangenberg, extension ad visor for the University of Illinois' College of Agriculture's Coopera tive Extension Service in Wood stock, discussed the biggest rival with the Cubs and Sox for attention this summer. "In the last three or four years, there's been an increase in North eastern Illinois. We don't really know why this year there's been an increase in the county, but there sure are a lot more.' We've had people calling up saying they've got hundreds in their garden and house," Spangenberg said. People like Fred Kittredge have been very busy this summer. "Yeah, there's been lots of calls. The only thing good about them is it's good for business," said Kitter- edge, who works for the Elgin office of Orkin, a national pest control company. Not even the Orkin man is safe from earwigs. Kittredge, who's lived in Crystal Lake since 1936, said he's found the pesky critters around his home. No one is exactly sure where the earwigs came from. Kittredge has heard that they've been in Europe for years, which means vacationing Americans could have unknowingly brought them back to the U.S. "Well, it's hard to say," said Spangenberg when asked of the ear wigs' origin. Wherever they are from, last year's snowy winter might be a reason for the earwigs' increased population. The snow cover kept the sub-zero temperatures from seri ously harming the earwigs' homes (six feet under ground), thus keep ing more of their eggs alive. Adult earwigs, which are about five-eighths of an inch long, lay their eggs in the soil in the fall. When fully grown, earwigs are elon gated, reddish-brown and almost black in color, with those infamous pincers on the rear. Spangenberg assured there is no health hazard for humans. "No, they don't bite. If you handle EARWIGS-Page 2 AN EDITION OF THE NORTHWEST HERALD FRIDAY, JULY 19, 1985 Busse: Rains 'act of God'; residents don't MHHH By Anthony Oliver Plebxteaier Herald New* Service It was termed a "classic Act God" by Mayor William referring to rains that inundated the city last Sunday never . flooded since they were built," Schoen said. "There were snowplows on Kane Avenue, moving water onto McCracken Field and Concord Manor flooded in 10 minutes. I wonder if anyone questioned if the water would stop at the chain link fence." Schoen said there were six flooded apartments and the basement, which is used for storage, was "filled to the brim/' Public Works Supt. Paul J. Halvensleben contended that none of the city trucks have fSSTJASSM Avenue and "there was no way for the city to redirect the water," the superintendent said. Halvensleben also commented that the water accumulated from a water table covering 16 square miles, dumping 1.5 billion „ gallons over the city. The residents stuck to their claims that the water was plowed and that pumps were used. "We have no record of pumps being used," Busse said. "You wouldn't tell us anyway," a resident countered. Aid. Frank McClatchey said it was "water over the dam" and for these people. "It's not paid for yet," Schoen said. Bernard Narusis, city at torney, pointed out that unless a wrong had been committed by the city, there was no legal obligation to spend public funis. Busse said it was a "classic act of God" and suggested that the residents seek relief through the private sector - insurance companies. •r~ Good Morning Today's Weather: Partly sunny on Friday, very warm and humid. A 30 percent chance of thunderstorms with a high in the upper 80s. Partly cloudy Friday night with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. Lottery Daily game: 927 Pick Four: 5465 LOTTO grand prize:$6 million. Local report Football seminar planned All boys going into third through eighth grade next fall i up for a non-contact recreational football class that Class time will be can i runs for one week beginning August 5. from 9:30 to 10:30 each day. McCracken Field is where the boys will learn football skills with emphasis on conditioning, passing, and kicking. For further information on "Football Fun-damentals", call the City of McHenry Department of Parks and Recreation at 344-3300. No fiesta for mosquitos In order to help make for a mosquito-free Food Fiesta this Sunday, there will be barrier spraying for the little pests this Saturday evening at Petersen Park. The spraying will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. To be safe, however, residents with respiratory problems should avoid the park that night. For more information contact the city clerk's office at 385-8500. INDEX/SECTION A Anniversary 3 Obituaries 2 Musin'... 2 Sports ..... 12 This is a 3 Section, 46 page newspaper. © HIORTHWEST flEWSPAPERS Districts review life safety work It's a bad time for motorists trying to cross the construction work. The bridge was scheduled to Route 120 bridge in McHenry as work crews be down to only one lane most of Friday. create a traffic blockade in order to do some By Kelly Thompson Platadeaicr Herald News Service Parents of McHenry area school children can once again be assured that school districts will be in compliance with state- mandated safety codes when doors open in the fall. Bill Landis, business manager for McHenry Elementary School District 15, said a bid of $111,712 was approved last September for contractors to complete energy and life safety work this year. The energy conservation work is financed through a five-cent tax levy and will be completed before school begins. The Landmark elementary school, though not needing any repairs, was ordered to undergo a major change when one of its policies was found to be in viola tion of the safety codes. In the past, the elementary school has held classes for kindergartners and first-graders in the basement and on the second floor. According to the codes, children in kindergarten or first-grade are permitted to attend classes only on the first floor. As a solution, these classes will be held at neighborhood schools. Fourth and fifth graders from Val- ly View and Hilltop will attend the classes at Landmark. P a t B i n g m a n , b u s i n e s s manager for Johnsburg Unit School District 12, said Ringwood was the only school in that district needing repairs. A small amount of maintenance work was com pleted at the elementary school. N o r b W o l t e r , a s s i s t a n t superintendent of McHenry High School District 156, said schools in his district will be undergoing some roof and masonry work. A $260,841 bid was approved at a school board meeting Tuesday night. Work is expected to be com pleted before school begins. Meanwhile, bids still are being solicited for removal of asbestos from' the East campus. The deadline for approval on that bid isAug.l. The project will be done in phases ending next year. Both projects in district 156 will financ ed through the sale of bonds. Ralph Morrisett, a State Board of Education architect, said lawmakers enacted safety codes shortly after a Chicago school firei in the 1950s claimed the lives of 95 children. The legislators ensure coopera tion by requiring school districts to employ architects to survey the schools. The architect then sends a certificate of safety work to be completed to the architects at the State Board of Education. The state employed architects ap prove it if the certificate is in ac cordance with the codes. The ap proved certificate then is returned to the school district and is for warded to the County Clerk's of fice for funding approval. Fiesta Days ready to offer fun, excitment administrators, the CCA, Awakening, Parkland P.T.O., Beta Sigma Phi Sorority, and Operation Snowball. Twelve food booths will begin service at noon and continue until 8 p.m. offering over 50 fabulous flavorings. From Cheese Fries to Chow Mein Chop Suey, Chicken Nuggets, Chips, and Cheese Nachos; from specialty salads to soft serve ice cream, soft drinks, shish- kebabs; and sandwiches; from tacos to gyros and pizza to pickles on a stick; almost everyone's favorite treat will be offered. But one of the huge highlights of this year's Food Fiesta is pig roast. Two 100 pound pigs will be put into the pit at 4:30 a.m. for the roasting process to slowly simmer the pork. And should porky pig not stretch to fill the needs of all the customers, pork chops, shish kebabs, and bratwurst will be FIESTA-Page 4