NWH-11-5-2013

Page 1

Crystal Lake native buried at Arlington National Cemetery

Local, B1

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2013

WWW.NWHERALD.COM

75 CENTS

BEARS 27, PACKERS 20 • SPORTS, C1

Musick: McCown makes case for being best Bears QB to face the Packers at Lambeau

The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.

COUNTY HELPS WITH INSURANCE MARKETPLACE NAVIGATION

Reducing the anxiety

Trial set to start in arson case Elmhurst man accused of burning house down By JIM DALLKE jdallke@shawmedia.com

Photos by Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com

Woodstock’s Lee Ann Stepina, project success coordinator at FamiliesETC, attends a session Wednesday to train people to serve as counselors to help residents sign up for health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act at the McHenry County Department of Health in Woodstock. The state issued a $500,000 grant to help local agencies train counselors.

In-person counseling sessions help enrollees through process By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – After 60 hours of training, Lyn Orphal needs only 60 minutes to help residents sign up for health insurance in the new state-supervised marketplace. Orphal is one of 12 in-person counselors trained to help McHenry County residents navigate through the new insurance marketplace website launched as part of the Affordable Care Act – a law designed to make health care more accessible and affordable while requiring most Americans to have and businesses to offer insurance or pay a fine. The website – www.getcoveredillinois.org – has 60 insurance plans from four providers that can be difficult to navigate with different factors, such as income level and age, that determine eligibility, Orphal said. “We want to speak a layman’s language to the consumer so there is a lot less fear of the unknown when they walk

Shelly Nicholson, McHenry County Department of Health grant coordinator for Enroll McHenry County, leads a session to train people to serve as counselors. out,” Orphal said. “We want to take away some of the anxiety.” In-person sessions have started for those eligible in the expanded Medicaid program. For example, an individual earning less than $15,856 a year or a household of two adults with a combined income of up

to $20,628 are now eligible for Medicaid in Illinois. The McHenry County Department of Health estimates that roughly 23,000 residents younger than 65 in McHenry County are eligible for low-cost insurance. Those not eligible for Med-

icaid but seeking insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace can begin to sign up online for in-person counseling sessions on Monday at www.mcdh.info. But any official application may not be processed immediately because of continuing problems with the federal website, said Shelly Nicholson, coordinator of the Enroll McHenry County program. “That’s not so different from what we had planned because we knew it wouldn’t be one visit to get it done,” Nicholson said of the need to schedule follow-up appointments because of processing delays. “It’s a lot to digest and people really need to think about their options so it would likely take longer than 60 minutes.” Because of the website troubles plaguing prospective enrollees throughout the country, President Barack Obama extended the deadline for individuals to get insurance until March 31.

See COUNSELING, page A5

LEARN MORE For a list of public information sessions on the Affordable Care Act and to sign up for in-person

counseling sessions, visit www.mchd.info. To sign up for health insurance through the Illinois

Health Insurance Marketplace, go to www. getcoveredillinois.gov.

WOODSTOCK – Opening arguments are set to begin Tuesday in the trial of an Elmhurst man who allegedly tried to burn a person’s residence after the two had an argument but lit up the wrong home. In August 2012, Joseph O. Ziegler, 24, allegedly caused a fire that destroyed two vehicles and left a home at 5113 Westwood Drive in McHenry uninhabitable. Homeowner Roseanne Aitken was present at the time of the fire but was not injured. Witnesses in the area provided police with information that led them to Ziegler. Aitken’s residence was not Ziegler’s intended target, McHenry County Undersheriff Andrew Zinke said at the time. Ziegler had a verbal dispute with an unidentified person before the Aug. 9, 2012, incident, and in retaliation he set fire to what he thought was that person’s house, Zinke said. Around 4:45 a.m., 10 area fire departments and the

Joseph O. Ziegler, 24, allegedly caused a fire that left a home in McHenry uninhabitable. The home was not Ziegler’s intended target, McHenry County Undersheriff Andrew Zinke has said. Ziegler had a dispute with an unidentified person and in retaliation, he set fire to what he thought was that person’s house, Zinke said.

See TRIAL, page A5

Illinois unions holding strong By SARA BURNETT

At a glance

The Associated Press CHICAGO – Across the middle of the country, organized labor has taken one hit after another in places that were once union strongholds: Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and Indiana, where workers lost bargaining power and saw their ranks shrink, leaving them weaker than almost any time in the past century. The notable exception is Illinois. Here, it’s almost as though the Great Recession and the Republican resurgence of 2010 never happened. Public employees still have their defined-benefit pensions. Unions still negotiate and collect dues.

The Legislature is under pressure to consider slashing pension benefits or requiring employees to contribute more to their own retirement funds or to retire at a later age. Or, lawmakers might do what they’ve done multiple times before: nothing.

See UNIONS, page A5

LOCALLY SPEAKING Crystal Lake South senior Avalon Nero

Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com

CRYSTAL LAKE

CRYSTAL LAKE

HEALTH BOARD AND FINALIST NEGOTIATE

D-47 COMMITTEE SUPPORTS LEVY PLAN

Negotiations are underway between the McHenry County Mental Health Board and the candidate it wants to fill the top spot. The board on Saturday gave The Meyers Group the OK to begin negotiating with the finalist the board believes is the best fit for executive director, acting President Carrie Smith said. For

Taxpayers in Crystal Lake School District 47 can expect to see an increase in their bills if a proposed levy is approved next month. The District 47 finance committee approved a levy that would result in a 2.9 percent increase from last year’s $65.5 million extension – the total amount of property tax collected.

more, see page B1.

For more, see page B1.

McHENRY COUNTY: Difficult sectionals ahead for last three local volleyball teams. Sports, C2

WEATHER HIGH

LOW

59 52 Complete forecast on A6

Where to find it Advice Business Buzz Classified Comics Local&Region

D2 B5 B6 D4-12 D3 B1-4

Lottery Obituaries Opinion Planit Style Puzzles Sports

Vol. 28, Issue 309

A2 B4 A4 D1-2 D4 C1-8


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