Musick: Marmion grad embraces chance to play with Messi
SATURDAY, JULY 6, 2013
WWW.NWHERALD.COM
The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
Sports, C1
75 CENTS
STRACK’S IN ALGONQUIN • BUSINESS, E1
AMERICAN PROFILE • INSIDE
Area barbershop strives to keep traditions alive
Fifes, drums corps mark historic beat
Chairman’s authority in jeopardy County Board considers sweeping rule changes that would diminish powers By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – The powers of the McHenry County Board chairman would be significantly curtailed under proposed changes to the County Board’s rules. In one of the most sweeping sets of changes in recent memory, the Management Services Committee
will vote Monday to forward a list of 49 proposed changes for full County Board approval. About 10 of these rules would diminish the authority of the chairmanship, which has come under scrutiny over the past few years. The changes are aimed at the chairman’s term of office, the seat’s influence over committee memberships and the power to appoint to
boards and commissions. Another set of significant changes takes aim at the board’s structure itself by eliminating several committees. Chairwoman Tina Hill, R-Woodstock, likely will convene a Committee of the Whole meeting for the County Board to review the volume of changes before its voting meeting, where some changes almost certainly will be rejected. The Management
Services Committee is tasked with reviewing and revising board rules after the seating of the new board after each November election. The most controversial and significant change – imposing term limits on the chairman and vice chairman – goes against the advice of the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office. The County Board after each November election elects a chair-
Epilepsy patient finds seizure relief
man and vice chairman from among its 24 members. Under the new rules, the chairman and vice chairman would be limited to no more than three consecutive two-year terms. The state’s attorney’s office has opined that state law does not explicitly empower counties to impose term limits.
See CHAIRMAN, page A9
Francis OKs 2 popes for sainthood Moves show he will bend church tradition By NICOLE WINFIELD The Associated Press
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Phil Abraham is seen outside his apartment Thursday. Abraham was diagnosed with severe epilepsy at age 11. He recently saw Dr. Robert Kohn who gave him a vagus nerve stimulation treatment. There is an implant in his chest to help control his seizures. He now has about only one seizure every three weeks.
Therapy option improves quality of life for Island Lake man By OLIVIA GILBERTSEN ogilbertsen@shawmedia.com McHENRY – Phil Abraham had a healthy, normal childhood – until at age 11 he began having recurring seizures that sent him into a spiral of depression and memory loss. Thanks to a simple procedure, Abraham, now 51, is living a drastically better life. Abraham, of Island Lake, is one of 50 million people worldwide affected
by epilepsy. According to the Epilepsy Foundation of America, epilepsy is the third most common neurological disorder, with nearly 200,000 new cases diagnosed annually. “I can’t remember my first seizure at all,” Abraham said. “I was just kicking along like a normal kid and playing on the hood of my dad’s car. I was acting like Tarzan and hit my head on a tree branch. “I can’t recall much after that.” In the years since, Abraham has
been prescribed anti-convulsion medications, which have had only a small effect. He now takes five different medications for his seizures. “Even with his seizure control medication, he was still experiencing two to four seizures a week, taking nearly an hour to recover from each,” said Abraham’s wife of 18 years, Mary, 55.
See THERAPY, page A9
“The surgery was your average surgery; they just sliced open my chest and put the sucker in there.” Phil Abraham of Island Lake on vagus nerve stimulation therapy
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis on Friday cleared two of the 20th century’s most influential popes to become saints, approving a miracle needed to canonize Pope John Paul II and waiving Vatican rules to honor Pope John XXIII. It was a remarkable show of papal authority and confirmed Francis’ willingness to bend church tradition when it comes to things he cares deeply about. Both popes are also closely identified with the Second Vatican Council, the Pope John 1962-65 meetings that Paul II brought the Catholic Church into modern times, an indication that Francis clearly wants to make a statement about the council’s role in shaping Pope John the church today. Francis approved a XXIII decree that a Costa Rican woman’s inexplicable cure from a deadly brain aneurism was the “miracle” needed to canonize John Paul. More significantly, he decided that John XXIII, who convened Vatican II, could be declared a saint even without a second miracle attributed to his intercession. The Vatican said Francis had the power to dispense with such requirements and could proceed with only one confirmed miracle to John’s name. The ceremony is expected before the end of the year. The date of Dec. 8 has been floated as likely, given
See SAINTHOOD, page A9
LOCALLY SPEAKING
ECONOMIC CORP. HIRES DIRECTOR Leaders of the Harvard Economic Development Corp. are hoping their new hire gets to lead a resurgence in development as the economy strengthens. The public-private partnership announced that it has brought on Charles Eldredge to serve as the executive director, Harvard EDC Chairman Roger Lehmann said. For more, see page B1.
Jen Nichols and her husband, Andrew Hogle
Lathan Goumas – lgoumas@shawmedia.com
HIGH
HARVARD
LOW
86 71 Complete forecast on A12
CRYSTAL LAKE: Youth basketball coach Andrew Hogle scheduled to undergo kidney transplant surgery. Sports, C1 Vol. 28, Issue 187
Where to find it Advice Business Classified Comics
B6 E1-2 E3-12 B9
Local&Region B1-3 Lottery A2 Movies B4 Obituaries B3
Opinion Puzzles Sports TV Grid
A11 E11 C1-8 E11