‘Hustle’ leads Globes, ‘12 Years’ ekes out best drama
Nation, A7
MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2014
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County coroner on medical leave Out since October, but has been working remotely from home By CHELSEA McDOUGALL cmcdougall@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – The McHenry County Coroner has been out of the office on medical leave since October, but she maintains that the office is running smoothly. Dr. Anne Majewski declined to elaborate on the na-
ture of her medical leave, nor did she say when she anticipated a return. She has not been in the office since Oct. 27. Before she left, Majewski coordinated with county’s information technology department to work remotely from home, which she started doing Nov. 4. She says that she still is in-
volved with the office’s day-today business. When reached for comment, staff at the Coroner’s Office suggested sending her an email. Majewski responded to two emails sent by the Northwest Herald. “I have had full access to all information and regular contact with my staff, enabling
me to fulfill all my duties as Coroner, including, but not limited to, the review of all case documents, payroll and budgetary responsibilities, writing press releases, and responding to correspondence,” Majewski’s email read. Majewski did not answer a question about her anticipated return, and McHenry
County Administrator Peter Austin, to whom Majewski informed of her medical leave, didn’t know either. “They thought she would be back by now,” Austin said. “It’s still undetermined when she’s going to be returning to the office.” In her absence, the primary on-call deputy coroner
runs the day-to-day operations. The office has 24-hour phone access to her, she said. Majewski, a Republican, took over as coroner in December 2012 after running for the seat unopposed. Longtime coroner Marlene Lantz did not seek another term. Majewski earns $104,750 a year as coroner.
McHenry building damaged in blaze
The SCIENCE of BUSINESS
Displaces more than 30 residents
Science shows up in everyday consumer products
Photos by Lathan Goumas – lgoumas@shawmedia.com
MicroStar Lab staff scientist Marcy Aaron uses a stereo microscope to check a sample for microbial growth.
By SHAWN SHINNEMAN sshinneman@shawmedia.com McHENRY – A fire at a McHenry apartment building Sunday left more than 30 people without shelter. The McHenry Township Fire Protection District responded at 11:37 a.m. to the call for a fire at the building known as Riverside Hotel, 3308 W. Elm St., McHenry. Crews were able to extinguish the blaze before it spread beyond the three-bedroom apartment where it started, according to a news release from the district. The three-story building was declared uninhabitable because of widespread smoke damage. A first-floor office and the Fox Hole Tap & Pizzeria, a restaurant in the building, also suffered significant water damage, the release said. Fire officials and the McHenry Police Department are investigating the fire but haven’t yet named a cause. The building includes 40 apartment units in addition to the restaurant. The McHenry County Housing Authority and American Red Cross were helping provide assistance to 31 displaced residents, according to the release. Emergency crews got to the fire within two minutes of being dispatched. They found smoke coming from three second-floor windows on the southwest side of the building, which faces Riverside Drive. Residents were exiting the building, some by using the fire escape, when crews
Aaron checks a sample for microbial growth using a stereo microscope Nov. 7 at the company’s laboratory in Crystal Lake. MicroStar does testing for the growth of fungus and bacteria on commercial products such as fabrics for clothing and paints. By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Some looked like gray fuzz balls up close, others like flowers.
They’re “actually quite artistic,” said Judy LaZonby, the owner of a Crystal Lake-based lab that conducts microbial and fungal testing. She pulls up a photo of a microscope slide on her computer:
“These little hairy things are the fungus. This is a gym sock, so you see the looped white material, and then all the little black spots are chaetomium growing on this stuff. “Each one of those little balls
has hundreds of spores inside of it. It’s a puff ball. It attaches, and then it grows big enough, and then it pops. When it pops, it opens sort of
See SCIENCE, page A8
See BLAZE, page A8
LOCALLY SPEAKING
JOHNSBURG
ALUMNA IOWA’S LEADING SCORER Although Johnsburg alumna Melissa Dixon knows that circumstances sometimes dictate it will not be her game to score, her presence is definitely felt on the basketball court. The 5-foot-8 guard has played an integral role since her freshman season with Iowa’s Hawkeyes, named Big Ten Sixth Player of the Year last season. For more, see page B1.
Lisa Feltman H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
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McHENRY COUNTY: Nuebert Elementary School teacher shares her passion for teaching with fifth-grade class. Local, A3
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