STD cases on the rise in McHenry County, around Ill.
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TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2014
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Push made to amend Constitution Ill. lawmakers put 2 questions on ballot; groups look to add 2 more Voice your opinion Which proposed Illinois Constitutional amendment do you support most? Vote online at NWHerald. com.
By KEVIN P. CRAVER kcraver@shawmedia.com Illinois lawmakers have put two questions on the November ballot to amend the state Constitution to increase the rights of voters and crime victims. Two advocacy groups say they have more than enough signatures to put two more proposed amendments on the ballot to decrease the powers of state lawmakers through term limits and redistricting reform.
millionaires at a higher rate to help fund public education endYou can read every proposed amend- ed up on the scrap heap because it did not have the votes to pass ment to the Illinois Constitution that in the House. Another proposed has been filed by state lawmakers at amendment to replace the state’s www.ilga.gov. flat income tax with a “progressive” tax based on income likely faces a similar fate. The shortest proposed amendA Sunday deadline looms for ment is one sentence long. The proposed amendments to the largest weighs in at 1,500 words, state Constitution. Amendments or more than one-third the size of proposed in the General Assemthe U.S. Constitution. bly require three-fifths majorities A proposed amendment to tax of 71 votes in the House and 36
On the Net
Advocates fear drop in road work funding On the Web You can sign up at NWHerald. com/newsletter to get a weekly email update on road projects throughout construction season.
Proposed plan The Transportation for Illinois Coalition has proposed creating a state fund to provide steady spending for roads, bridges and more. But it would mean a 4 centsa-gallon increase on gasoline and a 7-cent hike on diesel.
votes in the Senate. Citizen referendums require signatures equal to at least 8 percent of the ballots cast for governor in the last election, or about 300,000. Citizen referendums can only be used to amend the section of the Constitution dealing with the powers and structure of the General Assembly. The following is a list of proposed amendments that are on the ballot or being proposed: • VOTING RIGHTS: The proposed
amendment would add language that would forbid denying the right to vote or to register to vote based on “race, color, ethnicity, status as a member of a language minority, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or income.” The one-sentence amendment would add a new section to Article 3, which covers elections. Supporters state the amendment is necessary to block future
See AMENDMENTS, page A4
NATIONAL INFANT IMMUNIZATION WEEK
By JOHN O’CONNOR The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD – An influential group of Illinois transportation advocates is warning lawmakers of a drop-off in spending on roads and bridges and pointing out a murky federal funding picture as it tries to bolster its case for an aggressive tax plan it says would provide sound financing. The Transportation for Illinois Coalition plans to deliver a letter to state lawmakers Tuesday warning them of looming bankruptcy in the federal endowment for road building and the expiration this year of Gov. Pat Quinn’s $31 billion statewide construction program called Illinois Jobs Now. “State funding for transportation was inadequate for too long before Illinois Jobs Now and the dramatic decline now that the program is expiring will lead to backsliding in the condition of our roads and bridges,” reads the letter, obtained in advance by The Associated Press. But just as Congress struggles with how to shore up the Highway Trust Fund, scheduled to run out of money this
See FUNDING, page A4
AP photo
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Elicea Viderizue of McHenry (upper left) holds her 2-month-old daughter Rebeca’s hands as she receives vaccinations from medical assistants Kerry Makoben (left) and Elizabeth Zell for diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, haemophilus influenzae type B, pneumococcal disease, polio, hepatitis B and rotavirus Wednesday in McHenry.
Pediatricians tout benefits of vaccines Seek to debunk parents’ fears about immunizations
Road construction crewmen work on a roadway Monday in Springfield. A group of transit advocates is pointing to uncertain funding from Congress and rapidly declining state spending on roads, bridges and railways to bolster its plan for raising taxes and fees for long-term investment.
LOCALLY SPEAKING
Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews AP photo
By SHAWN SHINNEMAN sshinneman@shawmedia.com Dr. Mary Collins has a hard and fast rule for the parents and guardians of her patients: immunize. Immunize, immunize, immunize. “If they refuse to do it, they are asked to find another pediatrician,” said Collins, of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington. “That has been our cornerstone for a long time.” The rule at Collins’s practice doesn’t necessarily apply to all Good Shepherd pediatricians, she said, but it does represent a feeling ingrained in the medical community. While a small but growing number of people are opting out of vaccinations, citing philosophical or religious reasons and driven in many cases by obscure studies circulated online, most doctors remain
ALGONQUIN
DISTRICT 300
BUSINESSES EYE MOVE TO ALGONQUIN ROAD
OAK RIDGE PROJECT A BIT OVER BUDGET
Two businesses have plans to locate along Algonquin Road. A recycling business and a pet grooming business both are looking to open in town. The businesses will operate in existing buildings. In order for the projects to move forward, they both need special use permits from the village. For more, see page B1.
The $1.174 million combined bids to make the old District 300 administrative building the new home for its alternative Oak Ridge School are over budget. But officials from the Carpentersville-based district aren’t yet scrounging the coffers to make up for the higher-than-anticipated costs. For more, see page B1.
HOCKEY: Jonathan Toews has the knack for being in the right place at the right time. Sports, C1
steadfast in their belief in the importance of immunizing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is looking to spread a message of the benefits of immunization this week during National Infant Immunization Week. Making sure children get vaccinated is even more important during times that have harbored a “global, mobile society,” Collins said. Children going to day care or meeting in play groups can increase germ exposure. “Babies are getting exposed to larger groups of children at younger and younger ages,” Collins said. Such exposure can put the very young – and very vulnerable – at risk for serious complications or death, even if the immune systems of the older,
See VACCINES, page A4
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