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February 23, 2015 • $1.00
‘BIRDMAN’ TRIUMPHS
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Alejandro G. Inarritu wins for best director, best picture / A2
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NWHerald.com
THE ONLY DAILY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN McHENRY COUNTY
SPECIAL OLYMPICS OF ILLINOIS
Standing in the cold Sunday, Anna Marie Clark of Grayslake waits for the start of the annual Polar Plunge to benefit the Special Olympics of Illinois at Lakefront Park in Fox Lake.
FREEZIN’ FOR A REASON
Hundreds gather in Fox Lake to take the Polar Plunge
The Associated Press
S
ome people arrived at Lakefront Park in Fox Lake on Sunday with their swimsuits. Others came to the park off the lake with tutus and elaborate costumes. They all left the park with the same end result – freezing and shivering.
Johnsburg police officer Jonathan Savage, 35, heads to the warming tent Sunday after diving into a cold pool at the annual Polar Plunge at Lakefront Park in Fox Lake. ties, Del Barto said. Participants had to collect at least $75 in donations, as many submitted donations online and collected from family, friends and colleagues. The turnout Sunday helps provide needed support for the Special Olympics of Illinois, spokeswoman Alexandra McMillin said. The organization has polar plunges scheduled throughout the state into late March. “It raises overall awareness. It’s not typical for people to jump into freezing cold water,” McMillin said. “It is a way to promote ourselves.”
On the Web: To view video from Sunday’s Polar Plunge to benefit Special Olympics of Illinois, visit NWHerald.com.
Complete forecast on page A8
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Candidate forums n McHenry High School District 156: 7 p.m. March 3 at the auditorium at McHenry High School East Campus, 1012 N. Green St. n Crystal Lake High School District 155: 7 p.m. March 19 at McHenry County College, 8900 Route 14, Crystal Lake. n MCC trustees: 7 p.m. March 23, also at the college. for three open seats. Candidates for Crystal Lake High School District 155 will meet at 7 p.m. March 19 at McHenry County College, 8900 Route 14, Crystal Lake. Nine candidates are running for three open seats. The final forum, for MCC trustee candidates, will be at 7 p.m. March 23, also at the college. Four candidates are running for two six-year terms, and two candidates are facing off for one fouryear unexpired term.
Rauner budget strikes at hospitals and nursing homes By CARLA K. JOHNSON
By STEPHEN Di BENEDETTO • sdibenedetto@shawmedia.com
9 8
Events scheduled in March for school and MCC boards By KEVIN P. CRAVER
Cary Grove freshman Andrew Stokes belly flops into a pool Sunday during the annual Polar Plunge to benefit the Special Olympics of Illinois at Lakefront Park in Fox Lake.
LOW
3 candidate forums set for voters kcraver@shawmedia.com
Photos by John Konstantaras for Shaw Media
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Voters will have opportunities next month to learn more about the candidates and issues in three education board races in the April 7 election. The League of Women Voters of McHenry County is holding candidates’ nights next month for the McHenry High School District 156 Board, the Crystal Lake High School District 155 Board, and the McHenry County College Board of Trustees. There are more than 40 contested races across McHenry County for seats on nonpartisan units of government, such as school boards, municipalities, library districts and other entities. The first forum for McHenry High School District 156 candidates starts at 7 p.m. March 3 at the auditorium at McHenry High School East Campus, 1012 N. Green St. Eight candidates are running
People from across Lake and McHenry counties braved breezy conditions and temperatures in the mid-teens to plunge into inflated pools filled with icy water and raise money for the Special Olympics of Illinois. “It is a unique event where supporters of Special Olympics can come out and do something crazy in the winter time,” said Lauren Del Barto, a business development manager for Special Olympics of Illinois who helped organize the local event. Craziness throughout the park did ensue, as about 450 participants separated into teams lined up to dunk and dip themselves into the cold and icy water. The plungers dressed in costumes, shorts and swimsuits all jumped into pools situated just off Nippersink Lake in Fox Lake and scurried away into makeshift changing areas with damp hair and faces turning red from the cold. Area high school students, clubs and local police departments all signed up for this year’s Polar Plunge. Teams came from McHenry West and East, Crystal Lake South and Huntley high schools. People from Woodstock District 200 and police from Huntley, Woodstock and the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office also took the plunge. With some event-day registrations and donations, organizers thought the Fox Lake event would raise almost $130,000 to support athletes with intellectual disabilities who reside in Lake and McHenry coun-
CO
CHICAGO – In proposing to cut Illinois’ Medicaid program by $1.5 billion, Gov. Bruce Rauner has chosen to go toe-to-toe with three powerful business lobbies: retail pharmacies, nursing homes and hospitals. The Republican wants to reinstate service cuts temporarily made to Medicaid in 2012 and later restored by the Legislature and his Democratic predecessor, Gov. Pat Quinn. That would elimi- Bruce Rauner nate – again – optional Medicaid services such as adult dental care and podiatry. But Rauner surprised stakeholders by pushing further: proposing nearly $1 billion in payment cuts to health care institutions that traditionally have been able to fight them off. Medicaid occupies a huge part of all states’ budgets. It’s no surprise Rauner and his advisers see the federal and state health insurance program for the poor as a target for savings as they try to close a $6.2 billion budget deficit, lawmakers of both parties said. “You know why a robber robs a bank? That’s where
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the money is,” said Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, a Chicago Democrat. “Medicaid is the bank.” Rauner’s plan, unveiled Wednesday, recommends about $19 billion in Medicaid spending to cover nearly 3.5 million Illinoisans. It would maintain eligibility levels and avoid charging higher copays or adding token premium contributions – strategies some stakeholders had expected Rauner to employ. Instead, hospitals are a main target, shouldering $735 million in Pat Quinn payment cuts – a 13 percent reduction, according to the Illinois Hospital Association. That may prove difficult to accomplish. Hospitals are major employers in many districts and the association will tell lawmakers the statewide economic impact of cuts would equate to 12,591 jobs lost. The association’s political action committee contributes to candidates of both parties, giving $463,055 last year in Illinois races, including $150,000 to Pat Quinn’s losing campaign. Republicans, who want to back Rauner, may have
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