Pr’s Barton named Girls Swimmer of the Year
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When it comes to germs, there’s healthy debate
expert in ‘special’ workers
Staff helps students transition to jobs By sHaWn sHinneman
sshinneman@shawmedia.com
Photo illustration by Josh Peckler – jpeckler@shawmedia.com
the debate about whether to expose children to germs to improve their health as adults continues, with conflicting findings in two studies. By LaWeRence sYnett lsynett@shawmedia.com
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arolyn Schofield has learned over the years not to be too afraid when it comes to letting her children get a little dirty. The mother of three – 7, 9 and 12 years old – has dealt with kids getting sick despite vaccines, vitamin use and a proper diet. The freshman McHenry County Board member has found that finding a balance between cleansing everything and doing nothing works best
because kids will be kids. “As a parent, whatever is going to happen is going to happen,” Schofield said, noting that her son has had H1N1, commonly known as swine flu, and pneumonia and mononucleosis in recent years. “You can teach them what they should be doing, but I am not going to keep them sheltered for the rest of their lives to avoid germs.” Letting children play in the mud might just turn out to be good for their health, but opinions vary. The debate about whether to expose children to
germs – known as the hygiene hypothesis – continues, with conflicting findings in two recent studies. Evidence supporting how early exposure helps build a defense against autoimmune diseases such as hay fever or asthma was released in March by researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. Researchers studied the immune systems of germ-free mice and compared them with mice living in a normal environment with microbes. They
found that germ-free mice had inflammation in the lungs and colon similar to asthma and colitis caused by hyperactivity of immune cells, or T cells, that had been linked to the same disorders in both species. The study also revealed that exposing the germ-free mice to germs during their first week of life, but not later, created a normal immune system and prevented diseases. “It’s a balance,” said Dr. Irfan Hazif, physician at Centegra Hospital – McHenry.
see geRms, page a6
WOODSTOCK – The goal is clear: help special education students transition from school to the real world by finding them steady jobs. But for the Careers and Education Department of the Special Education District of McHenry County, reaching that goal is a daily challenge. “There are some employers who are very open to hire individuals with disabilities,” Director Dan Haligas said. “Some, we have to do some employer education and let them know how our students can really contribute to their organization and be just as valuable as other people in the workplace, sometimes more so.” Haligas became director in August, moving from the Pioneer Center during a period of staff transition. He heads a department that usually begins working with students around age 17, preparing them for employment, helping them secure a job, and then sticking with the person
“It’s a passion for us. We celebrate every time a young person with disabilities successfully transitions into their adult time.” dan Haligas
Director of the Careers and Education Department
see WoRKeRs, page a6
anaLYsis
Fiscal cliff deal is another pain-free punt By cHaRLes BaBington The Associated Press
WASHINGTON – Congress’ hectic resolution of the “fiscal cliff” crisis is the latest in a long series of decisions by lawmakers and the White House to do less than promised – and to ask Americans for little sacrifice – in confronting the nation’s debt. The deal will generate $600
billion in new revenue over 10 years, less than half the amount President Barack Obama first called for. It will raise income tax rates only on the very rich. The bill, which Obama signed into law Wednesday night, puts off the toughest decisions about spending cuts for military and domestic programs, including Medicare and Social Security. And it does nothing to mitigate
LOCALLY SPEAKING
How local reps voted The bill passed the House 257-167. Don Manzullo, R-16th District, voted yes; Randy Hultgren, R-14th District, Peter Roskam, R-6th District, and Joe Walsh, R-8th District, voted no. the looming partisan showdown on the debt ceiling, which must rise soon to avoid default on U.S.
loans. In short, the deal reached between Obama and congressional Republicans continues to let Americans enjoy relatively high levels of government service at low levels of taxation. The only way that’s possible, of course, is through borrowing, which future generations will inherit.
see cLiFF, page a6
LAKEmOOr
viLLage’s image an eLection issue Cleaning up Lily Lake will bring economic development to Lakemoor, said Tina Asmus, the challenger to the incumbent village president. Asmus, a 12-year resident of Lakemoor, is challenging President Todd Weihofen in the April election. She said Weihofen has gone about fixing up the village’s image in the wrong way. For more, see page B1.
H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
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ALGONquIN: House fire kills elderly man and dog late Tuesday; cause not yet known. Local&Region, B1
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traders work on the floor Wednesday at the new York stock exchange. the “fiscal cliff” compromise, for all its controversy, was enough to send the stock market shooting higher Wednesday, the first trading day of 2013.