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CL South one of 5 area teams playing for regional title Friday / C1
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T H E A U T I S M / VAC C I N E D E B AT E ... there have been scientific studies to determine whether there’s an association and those have been going on for over a decade. There’s been no association found and yet parents still cling to this idea. Mark Sawyer, pediatrician and a longtime member of the American Academy of Pediatrics
MIXED EMOTIONS McHENRY COUNTY PARENTS WITH AUTISTIC CHILDREN WEIGH IN ON WHETHER TO VACCINATE Story by ALLISON GOODRICH – agoodrich@shawmedia.com
Annette Gallagher, president and CEO of the Lake in the Hills-based Northern Illinois Center for Autism, said the center has no official stance on the matter. However, her own experiences have led her to certain beliefs. “For me, yeah, I think [vaccinations] were the trigger that got us snowballing into autism,” Gallagher said. “We – my family – do have genetic autoimmune issues, and two of my three boys have autism.” She added that the symptoms for both her autistic sons, for whom Gallagher followed the recommended vaccine schedule, began soon after immunizations. Johna Sommer of Cary also believes vaccines triggered a negative response in her 14-year-old daughter. “The [measles-mumps-rubella] vaccine – she received both doses of it,” Sommer said. “At 18 to 24 months old, I started noticing motor delays. Things she had already started developing were suddenly gone, and now she has an autoimmune condition where her body reacts to everything.” While neither of the parents described themselves as “anti-vaccine,” both ardently believe testing for predisposed immune or autoimmune conditions should be done before immunizing. They, as well as sev-
eral others, also expressed concern over the sheer volume of vaccines given today. In 2013, children received three times as many vaccinations as were given 60 years ago, going from 16 doses of four vaccines to 69 doses of 16 vaccines, according to the National Vaccine Information Center, a nonprofit organization aimed at preventing injuries and deaths from vaccinations. Parents often point to the increase and link it to the increased prevalence of autism. The number of autism cases rose 120 percent in the past 15 years, now affecting one in 68 children. But that doesn’t prove cause and effect, said Mark Sawyer, a pediatrician and a longtime member of the American Academy of Pediatrics. “Yes, we’ve increased the number of vaccines, but we’ve also increased the number of cellphones and a whole bunch of other things,” said Sawyer, who is a faculty member at the University of California San Diego and has worked in
See AUTISM, page A6
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52-year-old accused of firing shots at deputies WOODSTOCK – The man accused of firing more than a dozen shots at McHenry County Sheriff’s deputies who responded to a call at his Holiday Hills home is scheduled to stand trial in April. Scott B. Peters, 52, is awaiting trial on charges alleging that he fired an AR15 and injured two officers during an October incident. On Thursday, Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Combs asked that the trial be set for April 27. One of Peter’s attorneys, Assistant Public Defender Angelo Mourelatos, said the defense will be ready for the trial in about seven weeks. McHenry County Judge Sharon Prather will preside over the trial, which Combs said should last a week. If convicted of multiple counts of attempted murder of a police officer and a number of weapons charges, Peters could be sentenced to a minimum of 165 years in prison. He previously pleaded not guilty to all charges. Deputy Dwight Maness, one of three officers Peters is accused of shooting at, attended Thursday’s court date. Flanked by his family, Maness also was surrounded by a court-
T
Complete forecast on page A10
April trial date set for Peters By CHELSEA McDOUGALL
he recent buzz over vaccines has brought up concerns about how they relate to autism, and among the local community of autism-affected families, the feelings are mixed. There have been dozens of scientific studies that have denounced a connection between vaccinations and autism, namely the widely cited Institute of Medicine Immunization Safety Review. Some in McHenry County are confident in that science. But there are others who believe not necessarily that vaccines directly cause autism, but that they can exacerbate it in those with genetically predisposed conditions.
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• Illustration by R. SCOTT HELMCHEN – shelmchen@shawmedia.com
HIGH
Scott B. Peters, 52, is awaiting trial on charges alleging that he fired an AR15 and injured two officers during an October incident in Holiday Hills. Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Combs asked that the trial be set for April 27. room of sheriff’s office employees, including Sheriff Bill Prim and Prim’s senior-level staff. Maness required a number of surgeries after the shooting, and is still using a wheelchair. That didn’t stop him from rising on one foot and balancing his weight on the arms of the chair when the judge entered the courtroom. Peters also was in a wheelchair, meaning the two were eye level when Peters entered the courtroom, although it didn’t appear as if Peters looked at Maness who was situated at the front of the courtroom. He’s also accused of shooting and injuring Deputy Khalia Satkiewicz, who was not in court Thursday. Her husband, Robert, attended. Peters is being held at the McHenry County Jail on $7 million bond. He has a March 11 court date.
Illinois Open Meetings Act reform bill unanimously passes House By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com An Open Meetings Act reform bill inspired by the debacle surrounding a proposed Oakwood Hills power plant is headed to the Illinois Senate after unanimously clearing the House. House Bill 175, written by Rep. David McSweeney,
R-Barrington Hills, will allow people to report a possible violation of the act within 60 days of its discovery, rather than 60 days from the date of the meeting. It passed the House early Thursday afternoon on a 1100 vote. “I think it’s a great bill, and it’s got bipartisan support,” McSweeney said. “To
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pass a meaningful bill like this is good news for transparency and for my constituents.” S e n . D a n David Duffy, R-Lake McSweeney Barrington, is the bill’s chief sponsor in the Senate – both
McSweeney’s and Duffy’s districts include Oakwood Hills. McSweeney filed the legDan islation in reDuffy sponse to what was potentially an illegal July 2013 meeting by the Oak-
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WHERE IT’S AT
Martinez-Romero found guilty
Advice ..................................C6 Buzz...................................... C8 Classified..........................E1-6 Comics .................................C7 Community ......................... B1 Local News...................... A2-6 Lottery..................................A2 Movies................................. C5 Nation&World.................... B3 Obituaries ...................... A6, 9 Opinions ............................. B2 Puzzles ............................. E5-6 Sports...............................C1-4 State .................................... B3 Stocks...................................A9 Weather .............................A10 Wheels ............................. D1-6
Crystal Lake man gets 2 years probation for domestic battery although victim recants / A3 BUZZ
Melissa Dixon (right)
Big 10 championship chance Johnsburg graduate Melissa Dixon hoping for title with Iowa women’s basketball team / C1
‘145 years in the making’ Family that owns Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will remove elephant acts / C8
wood Hills Village Board in which it discussed in closed session the monetary windfall that would come from the building of a 430-megawatt, $450-million power plant in the small town. The Open Meetings Act, which among other things limits what governments can
See BILL, page A6
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.
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