February 15,
2015 *•
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Author talks life and career ahead of Woodstock event / Planit 6-7 NWHerald.com
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Ill. Open Meetings Act bill to be debated
STATE NEEDS MORE THAN $300M TO FUND A SUBSIDIZED CHILD CARE PROGRAM THROUGH JULY
FUNDING CRISIS
McSweeney likely to tweak legislation to help its odds By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com A bill inspired by the Oakwood Hills power plant debacle to make it easier to report Illinois Open Meetings Act violations will likely get a minor tweak to help its odds of passage. House Bill 175, filed last month by Rep. David McSweeney, R-Barrington Hills, seeks to allow people to report a violation of the act within 60 days of its discovery. Current law limits the reporting period to 60 days from the date of the meeting in question, meaning that violations discovered after that date cannot be reported to the Illinois Attorney General’s Office. McSweeney said he likely will amend the bill to set a five-year limit on how far back an illegal meeting took place. While the bill generally has gotten positive feedback, McSweeney said, some lawmakers have raised concerns that people could make unduly burdensome requests for decades worth of meeting minutes. “That’s not what I’m trying to do,” McSweeney said. His bill will be debated Thursday morning before the House Judiciary-Civil Committee in Springfield. McSweeney first filed the legislation last September, after an attorney for area residents opposed to building a 430-megawatt, $450-million power plant in the small town discovered that the Village Board had discussed the proposal in closed session in July
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Joaquin Corzo (left), 4, is followed by Annabelle Norman, 3, who is with early childhood teacher Jacinda Cruz of Wonder Lake, as they ride tricycles around the common area Thursday of Hearthstone Early Learning Center in Woodstock. The Illinois Child Care Assistance Program ran out of money this month, potentially affecting Hearthstone, where 80 percent of children and families rely on the program. The center is currently doing a letter writing campaign to try and get state lawmakers to approve additional funding for the child care program.
With Ill. program broke, county child care providers, families brace for worst By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO n sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com
A
low-income single mom, Courtney Brady sends her son to preschool on a $180 weekly rate, buying the Woodstock resident enough time to work at a car wash and provide for her 5-year-old. Brady and her son are among one of the 100,000 families in Illinois who rely on the state child care assistance program, which reimburses child care providers for serving the
‘‘
I’m going to have to pull my son out of day care, because I won’t be able to afford it. If I didn’t have day care, I would only be able to work two to three hours a day.
’’
Courtney Brady
A Woodstock resident who relies on the state child care assistance program
See FUNDING, page A9
David McSweeney
NO MORE EXCUSES A special report
About this series “No More Excuses” is the Northwest Herald’s ongoing series about the public’s right to know in Illinois.
See DEBATE, page A9
Stragglers sign up for health insurance ahead of deadline By CARLA K. JOHNSON The Associated Press CHICAGO – An important health law deadline and the prospect of higher tax penalties for those who remain uninsured prodded some Illinois residents to sign up for coverage this weekend. Sunday is the final day to enroll in private health insur-
ance coverage for 2015 under President Barack Obama’s health care law. “The deadline is all over everywhere you turn. You can’t avoid it: TV, radio, church, wife, kids, co-workers,” said 44-year-old Ramiro Hernandez, a previously uninsured truck repair shop owner who enrolled himself and his family Saturday in Joliet. He said
SPORTS
High school wrestling Huntley, McHenry lead way with 4 state qualifiers at Class 3A Barrington Sectional; state finals begin Thursday / C1
he heard he’d have to pay a sizeable penalty if he didn’t sign up. Technical difficulties tied up some applicants Saturday when the electronic income verification system stalled. The Obama administration said anyone affected would be able to enroll. “They were frustrated, but they were nice about it,” said
Miranda Clark, who was helping people sign up in Jacksonville, Illinois. “They can come back tomorrow or call the marketplace or log back into their account and do it on their own.” At a convention center in Collinsville near St. Louis, organizers said an enrollment event Sunday with 25 in-person assisters would stay
LOCAL NEWS
‘Track record of success’ Algonquin School District 300 names Dundee-Crown High School principal / A3 WORLD
2 fatal shootings rock Denmark Copenhagen police shoot, kill man who shot at them; link to earlier incidents uncertain / B4
open until 10 p.m. In Chicago, weekend enrollment events were scheduled to run until midnight. “It’s all hands on deck,” said Tracy Kelly of the Southern Illinois Healthcare Foundation, who was driving through snow and sleet Saturday to monitor enrollment activities at libraries and churches. “A lot of people are
recognizing there is a deadline and coming on in, even with the weather.” More than 305,000 Illinois residents have selected a private plan or been automatically reenrolled as of Feb. 6, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Illinois is one of 37
See DEADLINE, page A9
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