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THE MARKETS 123.57
Wednesday, May 15, 2013 Northwest Herald
“You can get killed, it’s a powerful machine. If you’re not aware of what the heck you’re doing, you can get thrown off.”
15,215.25
Brian Mikes, ATV safety instructor 23.82 3,462.61
16.57 1,650.34
Sherman Hospital merger approved By BRETT ROWLAND
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browland@shawmedia.com
$94.26 a barrel -$0.91
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37.05 45.35 43.81 50.36 443.86 56.30 37.23 60.60 70.49 63.71 42.52 43.33 66.55 19.88 34.93 35.00 91.11 27.07 14.27 31.55 887.10 36.17 203.21 50.23 49.19 54.77 14.03 101.20 33.53 9.71 56.89 11.73 83.50 24.25 25.45 57.13 91.49 13.98 6.84 69.44 33.29 78.78 49.59 41.50 37.00
+0.70 +0.81 +0.59 +0.96 -10.88 +0.32 +0.23 -0.79 +0.03 +0.84 +0.33 +0.14 +0.35 +0.73 +0.58 +0.07 +1.01 +0.25 +0.26 +0.55 +9.57 0.41 +0.74 +0.56 +1.02 +0.37 +0.15 +0.82 +0.73 +0.36 +0.72 +0.24 +0.47 +0.86 +0.80 +1.26 +2.38 +0.03 +0.14 unch +0.37 +0.28 +0.52 +0.47 +0.42
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Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Brian Mikes gives instructions to Fagan Raslawski, 16, of Ingleside during an ATV safety training course in Richmond.
ATV ABCs All-terrain safety training in Richmond By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com RICHMOND – On the rear wall of Brian Mikes’ garage turned classroom there are signs of a life well lived. A picture of Mikes shaking the hand of former President Lyndon B. Johnson. Numerous commendations and certificates. Newspaper clippings. “I’m still a crazy kid,” said the former army chef turned instructor. Mikes, 69, now runs an ATV safety course on his Richmond farm. All-terrain vehicles, or ATVs, are popular in this area because they can be used year-round by hunters, fishermen, commercial agencies, or those wanting to pull, plow or just plain have fun. “You can’t not be happy on an ATV,” Mikes said. Still, ATVs can be dangerous. “You can get killed, it’s a powerful machine,” Mikes said. “If you’re not aware of what the heck you’re doing, you can get thrown off.” ATVsafety.gov estimates that in 2011 there were 327 deaths from ATV accidents, and 107,500 emergency calls. ATVsafety is still tallying state figures, but in Illinois from 2008 to 2011, there were 259 reported ATV deaths. Certified by the ATV Safety Institute, Mikes runs the three- to four-
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Fagan Raslawski, 16, of Ingleside rides an ATV under the instruction of Brian Mikes during an ATV safety training course. hour safety sessions on most weekends on his 7-acre farm. An oval circle in his back yard provides space to practice emergency turns and stops and learn other rules for riding safely, or as Mikes puts it, “all the maneuvers that you will ever do on an ATV in a safe environment.” By the end of each course, students learn how to anticipate and overcome obstacles, and perhaps the most important lesson, Mikes said, maintaining safety in speed. Mikes’ students are anywhere in
age from 6 to 91. Some are just getting the feel for a new machine. Manufacturers often give buyers of new ATVs a coupon to take a safety course; some out-of-state rental companies require riders to have a safety certificate. He’s taught individuals, families, commercial workers, and even police, fire and public works officials. Rates are $100 for adults and $55 for children. For information, call Mikes at 815-814-6522. Information on the ATV Safety Institute can be found at www. atvsafety.org.
Cellphone carriers unite on anti-texting ads By PETER SVENSSON AP Technology Writer NEW YORK – The country’s four biggest cellphone companies are set to launch their first joint advertising campaign against texting while driving, uniting behind AT&T’s “It Can Wait” slogan to blanket TV and radio this summer. AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T-Mobile will be joined by 200 other organizations backing the multi-million dollar ad campaign. The campaign is unusual not just because it unites rivals, but because it represents companies warning against the dangers of their own products. After initially fighting laws against cellphone use while driving, cellphone companies have begun to embrace the language of the federal government’s campaign against cellphone use by drivers. AT&T and Verizon have run ads against texting and driving since 2009. In 2005, Sprint Nextel Corp. created an education program targeting teens learning to drive. “Every CEO in the industry that you talk to recognizes that this is an issue that needs to be dealt with,” AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said in an interview. “I think we all understand that pooling our resources with one consistent message is a lot more powerful than all four of us having
AP photo
In this December 2011 file photo, a driver uses an iPhone while driving in Los Angeles. different messages and going different directions.” Beyond TV and radio ads, the new campaign will stretch into the skies through displays on Goodyear’s three blimps. It will also include store displays, community events, social-media outreach and a national tour of a driving simulator. The campaign targets teens in particular. AT&T Inc. calls texting and driving an “epidemic,” a term it borrows from the federal Department of Transportation. The U.S. transportation secretary has been on a self-described “rampage” against cellphones since his term began in January 2009.
Stephenson said that “texting while driving is a deadly habit that makes you 23 times more likely to be involved in a crash.” The figure refers to a 2009 government study of bus and truck drivers. It isn’t based on crashes alone, but on the likelihood the drivers showed risky behavior such as lane drifting or sharp braking, sometimes culminating in a crash. The unified ad campaign comes as some researchers are starting to say that while texting and driving at the same time is clearly a bad idea, it’s not contributing measurably to an increase in traffic accidents. The number of accidents is in a long-term decline, and the explosion of texting and smartphone use doesn’t seem to be reversing that trend. In the 2009 government study, texting, email and surfing on the cellphone was a factor in about 1 percent of crashes, well below epidemic levels. “There’s no question that phone use is causing crashes. But so far it doesn’t appear to be adding to the overall crash problem,” says Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, which is funded by the insurance industry.
See ANTI-TEXTING, page E2
BOLINGBROOK – The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board voted Tuesday to allow independent Sherman Hospital to join the state’s largest health-care system. After the unanimous vote, Advocate Health System said it won’t “assume liability for or otherwise guarantee Sherman’s outstanding debt.” “We anticipate that Sherman will benefit from refinancing its outstanding bonds with Advocate’s AA rating,” Advocate spokeswoman Stephanie Johnson said in an email to the Northwest Herald. Elgin-based Sherman Hospital more than doubled its debt to $300 million to build its 255-bed hospital in Elgin in 2009, Crain’s Chicago Business has reported. Sherman will become Advocate Sherman Hospital. The deal is expected to close by June 1, according to a statement by Advocate Health System. Sherman’s six other facilities also will take the Advocate name. The move will extend Advocate Health’s reach into McHenry County and the northwest suburban healthcare market. Officials at the two hospitals said the partnership will improve patient care, allow for reinvestment by reducing operating and capital costs, and “promote the transformation of care delivery from a volume to a valuebased model,” according to the statement. “The coming together of one of the nation’s top community hospitals and one of the nation’s leading health systems is a big win for our community,” Rick Jakle, chairman of the Sherman Health Board of Directors, said in the statement.
8BUSINESS ROUNDUP Small-company stocks lead market upturn NEW YORK – The stock market is back in record territory after an upturn in small-company stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 123 points to close at 15,215 Tuesday, a gain of 0.8 percent. It was the 18th straight Tuesday of gains for the Dow. Sony jumped 10 percent after a hedge fund manager proposed that the company be broken up.
RIM unveils cheaper BlackBerry smartphone ORLANDO – Research In Motion unveiled a lower-cost BlackBerry aimed at consumers in emerging markets on Tuesday, and said it will offer its once-popular BlackBerry Messenger service on iPhones and devices running Google’s Android software. CEO Thorsten Heins said the time is right to offer BBM on rival devices. He said iPhone and Android versions will be available for free, subject to approval by Google Play and the Apple App Store. Heins said the lower-cost Q5 device will be available in selected markets this summer The gadget is part of RIM’s effort to regain market share lost to Apple’s iPhone and Android smartphones. It is the company’s third smartphone to run the new BlackBerry 10 system.