SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2014
WWW.NWHERALD.COM
The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
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Port Edward celebrates its 50th year Business, E1
Golden Eagles sweep Hurricanes Sports, C1
HEALTH INSURANCE MARKETPLACE
ACA sign-ups surge
Landlord facing 3 lawsuits Tenants in Woodstock allege poor conditions By SHAWN SHINNEMAN sshinneman@shawmedia.com
Photos by Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Dan Brummitt of McHenry waits Wednesday inside the Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital Immediate Care Center for his consultation to begin the process of applying for health insurance. March 31 is the last day to begin the enrollment process for the Affordable Care Act, with a limited amount of time to finish enrollment for coverage that would take effect May 1.
Deadline extended for those who have begun process Pastor Zina Jacque, pictured Friday at the Community Church of Barrington, will start saving over $700 on May 1, when her health care coverage begins with her new policy bought under the Affordable Care Act.
By JIM DALLKE jdallke@shawmedia.com
F
or years, Pastor Zina Jacque did everything she could to avoid buying insurance through her church. But after being dropped from her husband’s Blue Cross Blue Shield plan following a knee and hip replacement and going uninsured for about 18 months, she begrudgingly signed up for a plan with her Community Church of Barrington, which has premiums of more than $1,300 a month, she said. And after being told the church was going to end that program altogether in 2014, Jacque decided to see what options were available through the health insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act. Last week, she met with a health care navigator in McHenry who walked her through the www.healthcare. gov website, ultimately finding Jacque a plan that costs $740 a month. “I have a car that has 185,000 miles. I finally have the ability to purchase a new one,” Jacque said. “My contributions to community agencies have been severely
WOODSTOCK – The landlord called out during a public outcry for tenant rights now faces three separate lawsuits. A fourth, between Advantage Plus Property Management and McHenry County resident Scott Sharp, was dismissed Thursday after the two sides came to a non-monetary agreement, said Dominic Buttitta, the attorney for Sharp and three others who’ve filed suit against the Woodstock-based landlord. “No one should be a victim in their own home,” said Buttitta, a former McHenry County assistant state’s attorney whose private practice is based in Barrington. “We’re advocating for the victims of Woodstock, of McHenry County, in the landlord-tenant area.” Poor rental conditions in some properties was slingshotted into public view at a September Woodstock City Council meeting. There, about 20 people came in support of increased rights for tenants.
“Our goal is, number one, to have acknowledgment by Mary Brown and Advantage Plus of what they’ve been doing. And obviously compensation for harm that’s been done to [Bill Zieske and Denise Halverson].” – Dominic Buttitta, attorney for several people who’ve filed suit against a Woodstock-based landlord
See LANDLORD, page A7
Parks chief to repay $7,200 Used funds for commute costs
Related State officials are optimistic about meeting their health care sign-up goals. Illinois has planned midnight insurance sign-up events in the Chicago area, Mattoon and Rockford on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. PAGE A3
Afternoon Drive Get the latest headlines emailed straight to your inbox each weekday afternoon by signing up for Afternoon Drive at nwherald.com/newsletter. limited (while under the previous health insurance). I can see room and space to do that again. I’ll no longer worry month to month.”
Jacque is one of more than 1,800 people who have enrolled in President Barack Obama’s health insurance initiative at a McHenry
County location, according to Enroll McHenry County grant coordinator Shelly Nicholson. The deadline to sign up for the health plans is March 31, but the Obama administration announced an extension for those who have started the online application but haven’t finished it. The extension date has not been announced. As of March 11, 113,733 Illinois residents have enrolled in the health insurance marketplace, and an additional 200,000 have enrolled in
See INSURANCE, page A7
By JOHN O’CONNOR The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD – The chief of state parks in Illinois must repay $7,200 of travel reimbursement he wasn’t entitled to after inquiries by The Associated Press, the latest in a series of missteps at the Department of Natural Resources since February. Ronald House, the department’s director of the office of land management, was reimbursed nearly 80 times for commuting to or from work when state travel rules forbid
At issue In total, Ronald House was reimbursed $8,700 for 15,700 miles of travel, when he was only eligible for $1,500 for 2,800 miles, according to an AP review.
See REPAY, page A7
LOCALLY SPEAKING
HARVARD
MAN GUILTY IN DRUG, WEAPONS CASE A Harvard man faces serious prison time after a judge found him guilty of all the drugs and weapons charges against him. Cesar G. Rojas-Figueroa could be sentenced to between nine and 40 years for possessing cocaine and six to 30 years on a weapons charge. He also was convicted of possessing marijuana and domestic battery. For more, see page B1.
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
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CRYSTAL LAKE: Lundahl Middle School eighth-graders headed to Spain for robotics competition. Local, B1
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