MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2013
WWW.NWHERALD.COM
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BEARS EXTRA • BEARS 40, STEELERS 23 The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
BEARS TAKE STROLL THROUGH STEEL CURTAIN
Matt Forte
MORRISSEY: WIN PROVIDES ANSWERS • JAHNS: NO DOUBTS ON OFFENSE Sports, B1
COMBATING CHILDHOOD OBESITY n PART TWO OF THREE
ReStore has hit 1st-year sales goals
LASTING EFFECTS
In 6 months, business surpassed $100K mark By SHAWN SHINNEMAN sshinneman@shawmedia.com
Photos by Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Kristin Smith (right) takes a break from her workout Wednesday with personal trainer Shawn Tegtmeier at Centegra Health Bridge Fitness Center. Smith has struggled with her weight since middle school. She works out four to five times a week, and has been coming to the fitness center for the past five years. BELOW: Smith works out with Tegtmeier at least once a week.
Consequences of childhood obesity are wide-ranging and inescapable By SHAWN SHINNEMAN n sshinneman@shawmedia.com and and ERIC SCHELKOPF n eschelkopf@shawmedia.com The daily battles started in adolescence for Kristin Smith before she’d stepped foot in her first high school classroom. In eighth grade, her family moved across Crystal Lake, where Smith still lives today. With a change in schools, Smith’s social slate was wiped clean, and she faced what became a difficult unfamiliarity with her new classmates. “I just kind of used food as my escape,” said Smith, who is now 39. “And then the teasing started, with the calling of names and things in school. It was hard.” Although she’s made changes, especially since the birth of her son, Christian, seven years ago, Smith struggles with her weight to this day – the lasting effects of unhealthy habits established more than two-and-a-half decades ago. She isn’t alone. The consequences of childhood obesity are wide-ranging and inescapable. According to the Centers
WOODSTOCK – Preparing for the opening of Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Jerry Monica had been told to expect to lose money in year one, break even in year two, and finally pull a profit in year three. Instead, Habitat for Humanity of McHenry County’s executive director has seen, since the late February opening, his new endeavor take off on a path toward $300,000 in first-year sales. Management at the Woodstock ReStore – which sells new and gently used furniture, home accessories and appliances – hadn’t projected those kinds of numbers until the business had stabilized. The ReStore has in six months surpassed the $100,000 sales goal it had set for the year, and is bringing in between $25,000 and $30,000 a month, Monica said. “We’ve come out of the box very strong,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of great support from the communities of
“It’s pleasing to know that we aren’t going to be as dependent on [grant funds] as we have been in the past.” Jerry Monica Executive director for Habitat for Humanity of McHenry County
See HABITAT, page A10
for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity in the United States has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years. In 2010, more than one-third of children and adolescents were overweight or obese. In the simplest terms, a child with excess body fat is considered overweight or obese. Doctors take several factors into consideration – including weight, age, height and gender – to determine whether a child fits one of those categories. A child well above the normal weight for his or her age and height is considered obese, according to the Mayo Clinic. Obesity-related illnesses led New England Journal of Medicine researchers in 2005 to predict that despite advancements in medical technology, the current generation of kids will live shorter life spans than their parents.
Obama’s U.N. visit has risks
FIGHT
TOBEFIT Children in the U.S. today face the possibility that they will live shorter lives than their parents. Changes in American society, from increased portion sizes to foods with little nutritional value to technological devices of all kinds that discourage physical activity, have led to an estimated one-third of children and adolescents being considered overweight or obese. September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. The
See OBESITY, page A9
Northwest Herald presents a three-day series on childhood obesity and its effects on our children. n Sunday: The root causes of childhood obesity n Monday: Obese children risk physical, mental health issues n Tuesday: Health care and school officials, as well as parents, weigh in on how to get the whole family healthy ONLINE Visit NWHerald.com for a video on how local organizations are working to combat childhood obesity. INSIDE Schools seeking healthier vending machine options. Page A9
By JULIE PACE The Associated Press WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama arrives at the United Nations on Monday with diplomatic openings, the result of help from unexpected partners, on three fronts: Iran, Syria, and elusive peace between Israel and the Palestinians. All three pathways are fraught with potential pitfalls and hinge on cooperation from often unreliable nations. Obama also risks being branded as naive and misguided if the efforts fail, particularly in Syria, where he’s used the prospect of diplomacy to put off a military strike in retaliation for a chemical weapons attack.
President Barack Obama arrives at the United Nations on Monday to discuss Iran, Syria and peace efforts between Israel and the Paletinians.
See DIPLOMACY, page A10
LOOKING FORWARD
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FRIDAY: ‘Don Jon,’ starring Gordon-Levitt, Johansson and Danza, opens in theaters.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt Relativity Media
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The week’s happenings in news, sports and more. Page 2A
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