NWH-10-8-2013

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Hub Arkush: Mental errors lower Bears’ grades

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013 CTOBER 8, 2013

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AGING NATION

Harvard defeats Marengo, 3-1, with late scores

Program helps families transition to long-term care at home Style, D1

Angel Sanchez (left) and Jason Wonneberger

Help with health plans available Counselors ready to assist residents with Affordable Care Act signup By JIM DALLKE jdallke@shawmedia.com Enrollment for the Affordable Care Act began Oct. 1, and with it came a wealth of information about what coverage is available and for whom it’s available. With dozens of plans ranging in coverage, breadth and services, navigating the system can

seem overwhelming. But starting at the end of October, McHenry County residents will be able to work one on one with a counselor who will help them make an educated choice about their health care plan. The McHenry County Department of Health received a $500,000 grant in July to appoint 15 employees as in-person coun-

selors to assist residents with applying for President Barack Obama’s new health initiative. Through a program called Enroll McHenry County, the in-person counselors will hold appointments at local libraries, town halls and food pantries through June. The health department will first hold the one-on-one sessions

at area libraries and will begin setting up appointments in the next couple of weeks, said Shelly Nicholson, McHenry County Department of Health grant coordinator for Enroll McHenry County. “We were very excited to get the grant,” Nicholson said. “We do have a lot of people who are uninsured in the county. We

Time to prepare for flu season

want to reach out and help people get insurance.” Nicholson said that McHenry County got the grant in part because of its roughly 23,000 residents – or 11 percent of the county – who are under 65 and uninsured. The in-person counselors will walk people through

See SIGNUP, page A4

Enroll McHenry County Fifteen counselors will assist residents with applying for President Barack Obama’s new health initiative.

Ill. bill sparks debate over modified foods By SARA BURNETT The Associated Press

Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com

Carol Waggoner, a registered nurse, measures out a vial of the flu vaccine Thursday while giving flu shots at the McHenry County Department of Health in Crystal Lake.

Voice your opinion

By JOSEPH BUSTOS jbustos@shawmedia.com As cold and flu season begins, pharmacies, doctors’ offices, clinics and hospitals have employees rubbing dabs of alcohol on patients’ arms and sticking in needles to inject a dead virus. The move is meant to keep people from suffering from influenza during the flu season, and health officials say there should be enough flu vaccine for ev-

Are you getting a flu shot this season? Vote online at NWHerald. com.

Early vaccinations urged by local health officials eryone who wants a dose. Debra Quackenbush, public information officer for the McHenry County Department of Health, said the clinics the county holds to distribute flu shots can have up to 50 people. They take both appointments and walk-ins. It takes about two

weeks for the shot to take full effect in a person’s body, Quackenbush said. She said there shouldn’t be any problems with getting a flu shot because many manufacturers have produced the vaccine this year. “There should be enough for everybody who

wants the shot,” Quackenbush said. She also said people should get their flu shots sooner rather than later. “Those that wait until January or February, you’re rolling the dice,” Quackenbush said. As for how bad the flu season will be, it will be hard to gauge until health personnel see how many people come in because they’re sick.

CHICAGO – Over the past 16 years, biotechnology has helped Ron Moore grow crops that could survive drought, produce higher-quality grain to feed his livestock and yield sweet corn so plentiful his family has donated extra to the church and local food pantry. “People have said it’s the best sweet corn they’ve ever eaten,” said Moore, 57, whose family farms a few thousand acres near the western Illinois community of Roseville. But the same scientific advances that have so greatly altered the agriculture industry also have made some consumers nervous about what they are putting in their bodies and what long-term effects it could have. Now that battle has come to Moore’s home state. Illinois Sen. David Koehler, a Democrat from Peoria, says those concerns are behind legislation he proposed that would require the labeling of food produced with genetic engineering – often called “GMOs,” or genetically modified organisms. Koehler, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, convened a panel of lawmakers for three hearings on the bill over the summer to try to educate the public and the committee on the issue. Koehler’s bill would require farmers and manufacturers to label any food that’s available for retail sale in Illinois and that contains more

Ron Moore Illinois farmer

State Sen. David Koehler D-Peoria

About the bill The proposed legislation would require the labeling of food produced with genetic engineering – often called “GMOs,” or genetically modified organisms.

See FLU, page A4 See DEBATE, page A4

LOCALLY SPEAKING

McHENRY

COUNCIL APPROVES BUSINESS LOAN The McHenry City Council unanimously approved a $34,000 loan request from potential coffee shop owners through the city’s revolving loan program at its meeting Monday evening. The money will be used to renovate the building at 1208 N. Green St., site of the proposed coffee shop. For more, see

Furnace Precision Tune-Up

page B1.

Josh Downey Northwest Herald file photo

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ALGONQUIN: Local businesses vie for chance to win 30-second advertisement in this year’s Super Bowl. Business, B5

Where to find it Advice Business Buzz Classified

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Vol. 28, Issue 281 Comics D3 Local&Region B1-4 Lottery A2 Obituaries B4

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