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Inf luenza hitting early and often
Higher-than-normal activity results in three Illinois deaths in one week By JIM DALLKE
jdallke@shawmedia.com
Illinois is in the midst of one of its worst influenza seasons in recent memory. It’s one of 41 states with widespread influenza – part of higherthan-normal flu activity nationwide for four consecutive weeks, according to the national Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention. Illinois hasn’t seen such widespread influenza since the 2003 flu season, with the exception of the H1N1 virus – commonly known as swine flu – in 2009. From Dec. 16 to Dec. 22, Illinois recorded 31 influenza-related admissions to hospital intensive care units, three of which
resulted in deaths. “We’ve had a dramatic increase [of flu cases] in the last few weeks,” said Melaney Arnold, spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health. It’s difficult to pinpoint the cause of the uptick in flu cases, she said. “The flu is very unpredictable. It could be due to holiday gather-
Progress on $96B pension crisis?
ings and people getting together, but there’s no way of knowing,” Arnold said. Brena Brak, a family practitioner in Barrington, said she also has seen a rise in influenza cases and believes the increase is partly because of a lack of vaccinations. Fewer people have been vaccinated this year, said Brak,
who works at Barrington Family Health Care. “Some people who have never gotten a flu shot feel like they are not at risk,” she said. Other people resist getting the vaccine because they believe the shot will result in the flu, which is not true, Brak said.
See INFLUENZA, page A7
Your opinion Did you get your flu shot for this season? Vote online at NWHerald. com.
CHILDREN USINg tHE INtERNEt
By JOHN O’CONNOR The Associated Press
SPRINGFIELD – The prospects for solving Illinois’ worstin-the-nation pension crisis may have grown brighter Friday when powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan said he was open to deferring a contentious teacher retirement issue that has deadlocked lawmakers for almost a year. Madigan’s shift was announced by Gov. Pat Quinn, who is pushing to solve the $96 billion pension problem during a lame-duck legislative session that ends next week. The governor characterized the news as a breakthrough. But many other pension issues remain unsettled. And whether Madigan’s decision, which was confirmed by his spokesman, will lead to a true path through the impasse was far from certain. Quinn said he would meet with legislative leaders today in an effort to fashion a deal to be voted on in the General Assembly next week. He set a Wednesday deadline, the same day the current Legislature ends and a new one is sworn in. The Democratic governor said the talks will now exclude discussion about forcing local school districts to pay a portion of their employees’ costs. That is a traditional state expense that Madigan, also a Democrat, and others had proposed shifting back to the districts – but Republicans balked, fearing it would force communities outside Chicago to
Photo illustration by Josh Peckler – jpeckler@shawmedia.com
A new study by Internet security company McAfee has many parents on high alert. It shows 70 percent of teenagers hide what they’re doing online and highlights the top 10 ways they are doing it.
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watchful
Study says teens would change online behavior if monitored
eye By EMILY K. COLEMAN
ecoleman@ shawmedia.com
Jeannie Rygiel says she isn’t as strict as some moms, but she sets rules and expects them to be obeyed. But like most parents, when it comes to the Internet, the Spring Grove mom doesn’t usually check up on her kids. “We know most of their friends and their parents, so I think [with] this being a small community, things come back to us pretty quickly,” Rygiel said. Kids, however, are taking advantage of their parents, ac-
cording to a study titled “The Digital Divide: How the Online Behavior of Teens is Getting Past Parents,” sponsored by online security company McAfee. Half of teens surveyed said they would change their online behavior if they knew their parents were watching, and more than 70 percent have done something to hide their online activity. Rygiel and her husband, Tony, raised five boys. Their youngest, Dan, is the only one still at home.
See PENSION, page A7
locAllY speAkinG
mcHenrY coUntY
McINtYRE tO tRY DALEY’S NEPHEW
A McHenry County juvenile court judge will preside over the involuntary manslaughter case of former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley’s nephew. Circuit Judge Maureen P. McIntyre was named to the case Friday in a court order signed by Chief Judge Michael J. Sullivan. McIntyre was appointed to the bench in 1996 and is the presiding judge of the family division. for more, see page b1.
H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
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He is 16 years old and attends Richmond-Burton High School. The boys weren’t allowed cellphones until they reached high school, and even when they got them, they weren’t smartphones. None of them got computers until they graduated. Allowing children to have computers in their bedrooms is one of the worst things parents can do, said Mark Peloquin, coowner of LeadingIT Solutions of Crystal Lake.
See WAtCHFUL, page A7