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McHenry, Prairie Ridge boys basketball teams drop games on final day of pool play / C1 NWHerald.com
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People flock to county retailers
PROGRAM DESIGNED TO SPUR UNDERSTANDING OF ALZHEIMER’S PATIENTS
Black Friday deals attract shoppers By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com
Photos by Mike Greene for Shaw Media
Reiko Aman of Crystal Lake places headphones over her ears Oct. 23 as part of a Virtual Dementia Tour hosted by Autumn Leaves Memory Care at Senior Services Associates in Crystal Lake. Participants in the event completed a five-minute challenge demonstrating the difficulties Alzheimer’s patients face every day, including trouble communicating, onset of arthritis and neuropathy.
Walking into the dark McHenry County caregivers support residents with Alzheimer’s By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Laura Gnutek took a dark, painful walk through an unfamiliar room in an attempt to see what life is like for her clients with Alzheimer’s disease. She slipped plastic inserts into her shoes to stimulate neuropathy and pulled two pairs of gloves over her hands. Glasses that simulate macular degeneration covered her eyes, and a pair of headphones blaring sirens and muffled voices was fitted snuggly over her ears. “I want you to find the white sweater and put it on, fill a glass half full of water, write a letter to your family and mail it and fold the towels,” the blurry outline of a woman told her before ushering her
into a dim room where strobe lights throbbed. In eight minutes, she was able to accomplish most of the tasks. But it didn’t make the scenario any less frustrating for Gnutek, a case coordinator supervisor with Senior Services Associates. “You take advantage of what you do from day to day, and you go in there and you lose your day-today skills you’re used to having,” Gnutek said. Alzheimer’s disease affects 5.3 million residents in the U.S., according to the Alzheimer’s Association. It’s the only cause of death in the top 10 in the U.S. that cannot be prevented, slowed or cured. And it’s a disease that requires caregivers
See ALZHEIMER’S, page A4
Christine Haynes (left) of Crystal Lake talks about her experience Oct. 23 going through a Virtual Dementia Tour hosted by Autumn Leaves Memory Care at Senior Services Associates in Crystal Lake.
CRYSTAL LAKE – Allison Baker stood back and looked at her SUV on Friday morning wondering where she would cram $1,600 worth of Black Friday deals. Baker and three of her relatives were among the scores of people who flocked into the Crystal Lake Menards when the store’s doors opened at 6 a.m. Similar scenes played out at retailers across McHenry County as shoppers ventured out for the start of the biggest Voice your shopping weekend opinion of the year. For Baker, of How much McHenry, shopping started Thanksgiv- money did you ing afternoon at spend shopping Wal-Mart, where on Black Friday? she picked up Fit- Vote online at bits, iPads and oth- NWHerald.com. er electronics. After a nap, she was in line at 5:30 a.m. outside Menards to score about a dozen animal-shaped pillows, among piles of other items. “We got a deal on Pillow Pets, we bought a whole bunch,” she said while grabbing things from one of four overflowing carts. “We also got sleds and tools and I can’t even think of what else.” Of the 135.8 million people the National Retail Federation estimates will shop during the Thanksgiving weekend, some 30 million were predicted to have shopped on Thanksgiving itself. The retail group expected about 99.8 million would shop Black Friday. Thanksgiving shoppers had cleared out the selection of deeply discounted electronics at Kohl’s in Crystal Lake by the time the second
See SHOPPING, page A4
More contested races materializing with one day left to file R-Crystal Lake, filed his signatures for the full four-year term representing District 2. He will WOODSTOCK – Contested run in the March 15 GOP priMarch Republican primaries mary against challengers John and at least two contested No- Reinert and Cameron Hubvember election races are shap- bard, who unsuccessfully aping up on the McHenry County plied along with Thorsen to fill Board with one day left to file the remainder of an unexpired petitions to run for office. term. Half of the County Board Newly appointed County is up for election, meaning votBoard member Jeff Thorsen, ers in each of its six districts
By KEVIN P. CRAVER
kcraver@shawmedia.com
LOCAL NEWS
will be electing two members. Republican voters in District 2, which includes parts of Crystal Lake, Lakewood and Lake in the Hills, will not have County Board incumbents to choose from. Carolyn Schofield, R-Crystal Lake, is running for state representative, and Ken Koehler, whom Thorsen replaced, resigned to represent the county on the Metra Board.
In District 5, which covers much of Woodstock and parts of Huntley and Lakewood, attorney Alex Wimmer has filed to run as a Democratic candidate, meaning the winners of the Republican primary will have to run against him in the Nov. 8 election. Republican newcomers Joseph Calomino and Andrew Snarski will be running against incumbent
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McHenry caterer sued
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Lawsuit alleges business served undercooked chicken at funeral luncheon / A4 STATE
Holiday activities Residents in Crystal Lake, Woodstock kick off season with festive events / A3
Michael Skala, R-Huntley, who has not yet filed but plans to run for re-election. Incumbent Tina Hill, R-Woodstock, is instead running for county recorder. The two winners of the Republican primary for District 1, which covers all or parts of Algonquin, Cary, Barrington Hills and Fox River Grove, will face off Nov. 8 against Demo-
cratic challenger Kerri Barber. Republican incumbents Anna Mary Miller and Yvonne Barnes, both of Cary, face a primary challenge from former McHenry County College trustee Tom Wilbeck. The primary for District 3, which covers all or parts of Prairie Grove, Crystal Lake,
See RACES, page A4
Protest hits Michigan Avenue Demonstrators block store entrances, shut down traffic in Chicago shopping district / A5
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