Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Vol. 19 No. 32
Voyager Media Publications • shorewoodsentinel.com
local
community
mosquito with West Nile Virus trapped in shorewood Health department sets the traps in the village to monitor the mosquito population and check for the virus by stewart warren
by Kris staDalsKy FOR the SentineL Nine teens from France were greeted by Shorewood Mayor Rick Chapman last Wednesday. And even though they came over from Europe on the same plane, many hadn’t met each other before the welcome picnic at Four Seasons Park. Chapman wanted to welcome the summer exchange students in their native French and had a short speech prepared. Although he had practiced the entire previous day, he didn’t feel his words were very well understood, he said. “That was the toughest assignment I’d ever had,” Chapman said. “I wanted to greet these kids in French.” But the teens and their host families were touched by the gesture and Chapman was applauded for his efforts. The 14- to 19-year-old students and their chaperone are part of a summer program through Share America in which they come to the United States for three weeks, become immersed in American family traditions and are able to practice their English. LocalProgramCoordinatorEllenMytnikwas a host to a young French girl in 2011. She and her family had such a positive experience that when the position opened up in Shorewood Mytnik accepted it. The family is also hosting another young lady this year. “It was a wonderful experience for me and my teenagers,” Mytnik said.
see ‘FrencH’ Page 3
staff reporter
stewartwarren509@yahoo.com @stewartwarren
The Details. (PHOTOS COURTESY OF KRIS STADALSKY) Teens from France and their American host families at the welcome picnic at Four Seasons Park. (BOTTOM) Everyone enjoyed an American style picnic.
The Will County Health Department discovered a mosquito infected with the West Nile Virus last week in a trap set in Shorewood, Mayor Rick Chapman said. Chapman did not know the location where the bug was found, but he urged residents not to panic. “We get positive tests on these traps every year. It is not unusual. But we still should be doing whatever we can do,” Chapman said, speaking during the Village Board meeting on Tuesday. West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne disease that can cause serious health problems including inflammation of the brain. The health department sets the traps in the village to monitor the mosquito population and check for the virus, Chapman said. “I just want to assure everyone that the village is doing everything the experts tell us we should be doing,” Chapman said. The village is working to control the mosquito population.The Clarke company of Roselle is spraying for them, and the village is also dropping special tablets in sewer catch basins to kill them too. Residents can help solve the problem too, Trustee Jim McDonald said. He urged them to discard anything in their yards that might hold water and create a breeding ground for the bugs – old tires, buckets, drums or bottles, for example. Residents should also clean their gutters regularly and keep their outdoor trash containers covered.