NWH-2-22-2013

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We pick winners in the major categories pLUS: Make your picks with our ballot Screen

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2013 • NWHERALD.COM • 75 CENTS Michael Hamann

Swimming • SportS, C1 The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.

Musick: Bulls’ Derrick Rose should ignore brother Sports, C2

C-G’s Hamann, 8 others start state swim

FEELING ZAPPED

pro baSketbaLL

WEATHER ALERT

Caffeine-heavy energy drinks leading to increased ER visits

Visit NWHerald.com this morning to get updated news about the overnight winter storm, including information about closings and driving conditions. Carpentersville-based District 300 announced Thursday night that all of its schools will be closed today. Decisions about after-school activities in District 300 will be made before noon today. Officials warned late Thursday of the potential for hazardous driving conditions this morning because of snow accumulation, the possibility of slushy or icy roads, and white-out conditions due to blowing snow. NWHerald.com will be updated throughout the day.

Illustrations by Caleb West – cwest@shawmedia.com

This illustration shows a dramatization of some of the current popular energy drinks.

No rush to vote on director Mental Health Board will wait for new members to be seated By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – The McHenry County Mental Health Board will not vote to appoint a permanent executive director until new members are approved and seated by the McHenry County Board. Mental Health Board President Lee Ellis reassured County Board members in a memo sent Thursday afternoon that final interviews and the selection process will be postponed to a date

By SHAWN SHINNEMAN sshinneman@shawmedia.com The fine print on the aluminum cylinder’s side struck Keith Wiedenfeld as funny, but he heeded Monster Energy’s request nonetheless. “Consume responsibly – limit 3 cans per day,” reads the black can displaying Monster’s signature tattered, neon-green “M.” Wiedenfeld, a freshman at McHenry County College, would grab a Monster and a Snickers bar each day before his lunchtime shift in the Culver’s kitchen. That was all he needed until, he said, the effect dulled. Wiedenfeld switched to Rockstar, but that just made him anxious and jittery. So he backed off the stuff altogether – a decision a small but growing number of people across the country are facing. From 2007 to 2011, emergency department visits related to energy drinks increased from 10,068 to 20,783, according to a survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The number of visits for the same reason was below 1,500 in 2005. Emergency physician Dr. Mark Thompson of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital said the drinks can present

See DRINKS, page A8

By MIKE STOBBE The Associated Press

“If you want to drink a Red Bull now and then, and you’re otherwise healthy, I think that’s fine. I don’t think that kids should be drinking them.” Dr. mark thompson, emergency physician at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital

CrYStaL Lake

DISTRICT 155 ASKING FOR LESS IN TAX District 155 school board members unanimously approved a $2 million abatement that will ease the local tax burden on property owners. Under the levy approved late last year, the owners of a $300,000 home would have seen their propertytax bill go up $117. The district will use reserves from its working cash fund to cover the abatement. For more, see page b1.

H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com

Low

32 20 Complete forecast on a10

See VOTE, page A8

Older people poorly protected by flu shot

LoCaLLY Speaking

HIGH

chosen by the Mental Health Board’s new membership – a membership that may not include Ellis. “In an effort to ensure that the soon to be appointed McHenry County Mental Health Board members have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the [board], understand their obligations and roles as board members, and intelligently develop their independent expectations for an executive director, the final

mcHenrY CoUntY: The new year kicked off with home sales up by 28 percent compared to January 2012. Business, F1 Vol. 28, Issue 51

Where to find it Advice Business Classified Comics

C7 F1-2 F3-14 C8

Local&Region B1-6 Lottery A2 Movies D5 Obituaries B5

Opinion A9 Planit Screen D1-4 Puzzles F2, F7 Sports C1-7

ATLANTA – It turns out this year’s flu shot is doing a startlingly dismal job of protecting older people, the most vulnerable age group. The vaccine is proving only 9 percent effective in those 65 and older against the harsh strain of the flu that is predominant this season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

Health officials are baffled as to why this is so. But the findings help explain why so many older people have been hospitalized with the flu this year. Despite the findings, the CDC stood by its recommendation that everyone over 6 months get flu shots, the elderly included, because some protection is better than none, and because those who are vaccinated and still get

See FLU, page A8

Winning is no accident. Franks, Gerkin & McKenna 815.923.2107 www.fgmlaw.com


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