The five-year period ending in Preservation focus 2002 was the most productive in county history, Evans said. Kane County has invested at least $14million to benefit his- By William Presecky toric buildings, programs and Tribune staff reporter heritage tourism, board Chair- man Mike McCoy said, about Unlikely as it is to spawn a tit- $11 million of it from riverboat illating movie-plot, as in the funds. current movie "Calendar Sincereceiving its first allot- Girls," Kane County's 2004 pic- ment from the Elgin casino in torial calendar nevertheless of- 1997, Kane County has accepted fers an exposé of sorts. -. and doled out about $74 million The calendar features a doz- in riverboat grants, primarily en of the most prominent pres- for capital projects that benefit ervation projects the county the environment, economic de- has underwritten in the last velopment or education. several years, in part by uti- Inmaking its funding deci- lizing millions of dollars in riv- sions, the County Board early erboat casino revenue. on defined historic preserva- Since 1997 Kane County has tion as having an educational invested more than $14 million benefit, McCoy said, in a campaign to preserve its "And we consider farmland heritage that may be the most protection as historic preserva- ambitious in the state in scope tion," he said. and size, according to Julia Like . the 2002 calendar, Evans, the county's preserva- McCoy said, the 2004 offering is tion planner. intended spread public aware- "As far as counties go, there ness. probably isn't any in Illinois "We don't do a county news- that has given more than Kane letter or anything like that. We County," Evans said. thought this would be a good The county is using a calen- way to showcase the preserva- dar to illustrate its point, as it tion projects we've done. Some- did two years ago in touting its times it isn't until you actually rural Rustic Roads volunteer list them out or put them to- program. This calendar depicts gether that you realize how im- some of the "bricks and mor- pressive it is." tar" preservation funded since Among the landmarks fea- 1997. About 15,000 copies are tured in the new calendar are available at the county govern- the Plato Center and Wasco ment center in Geneva and oth- train depots; the Mongerson er locations. and Fidler farms; the Beith, The Kane County Board, Benton, Bliss, Peaslee and Far- along with several organiza- ley houses; the Batavia Depot tions, has accomplished much Museum; Eakin and Center- preservation with the aid of vile Schools; the Fox River profit-sharing funds from the Trolley Museum; Big Rock Gra- Grand Victoria casino in Elgin. nary; and Teeple Barn. 1• 2 0oE © h Cd C a 'Q00 C4= flihhIPP C- a' b10 • — IDE = fifi•ta) 2 a' ej 5 b.a 02 I' Cd bo — . II CD 24 fiL v IE. Ci N Q C) o.S .0 oh- 2 1bos tLH p_cc)1, omEa r. ad In ç6 z w aUh %• .1 Ella E CD. r z SM 21, was convicted in October Courts after a 10-day trial of at- Continued from page 1 tempted murder, animal tor- lure and other offenses for a 8. rampage in 2000 that terror- •2 ao& Joseph Flauschild, 19. was 2 sentenced on May 28 to 65 ized Elgin and Carpentei-sville. Edwardsen, who joked 0 ,?t'°'PP OflC years in Allahk C, that he was the "hatchet man' 0;(50a) prison for a and 2001 home committing the ax knife TAW 0. attacks on OØ invasion o flo -2 and shoot- , 9b0 ing or an 2 C executive at Del nor- ti;and C 0 m m - up unity Hospital in H1iiifl Geneva. Hauschild LT Haus- sentenced o..o€tt child and Ethan Warden, 18, this month. had planned to steal $10,000 Ramsey Edwardsen that they thought was in the won a set- - Pli home and move to New York tiementin a national class-ac- .2 tion lawsuit against Poland Cityto becomerockmusicians. ai.5 Warden pleaded guilty and tes- Spring Water Co., which he -u•c . Cl sued Aug. 20. The agreement .cSflo.; tified against Hauschild in ex- awards the sheriff $12,000 and -iag change for a 12-year sentence, 2 . - - On Sept 24, former St his attorneys $1.39 million. ' Et Charles Police Chief Don Shaw A drunken brawl erupted j. sued the city. Mayor Sue during a Mexican Rodeo at the lQinkhamer. and City Kane County Fairgrounds on ist4co'5°'S Administrator Larry Mah- Sept 16, when a man lode a ollantt claiming that he was horse onto a packed dance floor fired because he refused to and was at- cover up illegal activities by tacked bYI';I friends ofthemayotThe caseis the crowd. pending in U.S. District Court Pour people -C in Chicago ______ were ar- and Shaw ' - rested and remains on seven others injured. the police .' SW force as a lisle L I.'.?. sergeant Undesser, .- 4'w Steven 35, of West w ilEDtVI W Marc- Chicago. Undesser =Ei2'-.RA4 inkowski,41, - was charged - Dec. 2 with theft andforgeiyfor C CJ of 1-lamp- 8 shim falsely claiming that her 7-year- • a sent to Maminkowsia old son was dying of cancer. 25 years in Undesser received money C cd o,n C't a) C pdsononNov23forttiggetinga Md. gifts in a: campaign aflK E-S6fl shoot-out with a Kane County launched on the boys behalf before the scheme was un- covered in late October, when E HI !'fl ofaloopholeinstatelaw. people, wondered why Kane County Sheriff Ken Undesser's son did not die. And a Kane County coro- 0) C) Ramsey called the sentence a "travesty and state Rep. ner's. jury determined that Tim Schmitz, R-Batavia, said Craig M. Petropoulos. 36, of 'Elgin, became lodged in an a) .5a) ,..'ri.11e that would enhance all open window and suffocated Illinois penalties for crimes on Oct. 28 when a drug- and C-., against police, nlcohoPflieled burglary at- ZJ - U Edward W Edwardsen Jr., tempt turned into a death trap. C-O;_ 2 c °.8 flr.*eo..,-.orno o ft 0aC-iC ti Z3 tnt —0 c) .:fl ..i O e moo SC .0 o CtCo2 boo C-) Ca) tai Bill ehromde Page Looking back;. and forward • Iwas looking back on the columns I later debunked, of mismanagement -wrote in 2003, and i was surprised at how against West. West had better find his many of those stories are left unresolved footing soon and go on the offense. You as we start anew year. Today I'd like to can't fight effectively itthe other guy has take another look at the unfinished you off-balance, but that's exactly where business that will have a real effect on Hickrod has put him. 2004. In the process, maybe we can make Moving from politics, there are other a prediction or two as well. - major issues left unresolved from last 2004 is an election year, so brace year. One of the biggest is CornEd's giant yourselves. With the two highest offices in power towers; even though the towers are the county open, the campaign season no longer planned for Randall Road, the that started last summer will hit high gear project is very much alive. The question over the next few weeks. Unfortunately, now is where will it pop up. this means the mudslinging also is about The last anyone heard, ComM had to.start . shifted the towers from Randall to Kirk The fit stncdlpredict as getting down; Road, but I've yet to see a drawing or map and dirty is the primary battle to become that shows exactly where these things are the Republican candidate for chairman of supposed to go. In any setting they're still the Kane County Board. Already one ugly as sin, so expect a fight when the political operative is trying to label Karen details become clear. McConnaughay a "liberal" and is.. The Batavia dam issue has to be describing the contest as being for "the resolved this year, but I'll be darned if! heart and soul of the Republican Party" know whom to trust onhis one. I know It's a toss-up which claim is more I'm not the only person to feel this way laughable, but when this is just the it's common when you have dueling openiig salvo, look for future experts supporting totally opposing pronouncements to be even more off the views. However, I lean toward fixing the wall. old dam for the simple reason that we I expect opponents of the only other know what the river and surrounding candidate in the race, Dave Rickert, to shoreline is like with a dam. We don't stop giving him a pass and start attacking. know for certain, and neither do the Rickert's campaign, under-funded and experts, what it will be like without one. understaffed, is due for a rude awakening The push for a municipally owned and into the real world of rough-and-tumble operated broadband system by a vocal, politics. dedicated minority didn't show any signs Despite several other names on the of lessening last year, and it's doubtful ballot, the Republican prirriary race for they'll abandon the cause this year. state's attorney is really between John Expect renewed calls for a city-owned. Barsanti andTim O'Neil. So far, this has system every time the cable goes out for been a relatively civil contest, but cracks more than 20 minutes, or when "Matlock" are emerging.