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MONDAY, MAY 26, 2014
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Study: Access to care lacking
MEMORIAL DAY IN McHENRY COUNTY
GIVING BACK
Notes mental health, addiction issues in McHenry County By EMILY COLEMAN eacoleman@shawmedia.com
H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary member Valerie Wood-Hellyer checks a map as she places flags at the graves of veterans Sunday at the Algonquin Cemetery. Lake in the Hills American Legion Post 1231 members have been placing flags on the graves of veterans for the past 23 years.
County volunteers quietly show respect for deceased veterans By SHAWN SHINNEMAN sshinneman@shawmedia.com
J
im Mertz does this job like the man before him. Washes the flags. Irons the flags. Replaces them when worn and tattered. For 20 years, Mertz has been rallying a
group, with varying success, to place American flags at every veteran’s gravesite at the Algonquin Cemetery. There are 290 veterans buried there. Some years he’s done the job solo, although this year he had nine others assisting
Inside n For a remembrance list of McHenry County residents who died in service to the United States during wartime, turn to Page A11. n For a listing of Memorial Day events around the county, turn to Page A4. •••
Voice your opinion Are you attending or did you attend a Memorial Day event? Vote online at NWHerald.com.
WOODSTOCK – Access to mental health and addiction services was rated poorly in a McHenry County study released this week. This study is the third study commissioned by the McHenry County Department of Health, area hospitals and other providers to look at quality of life and health issues in McHenry County. “We presented the data. They pick the priorities,” said Deborah Lischwe, associate director of Health Systems Research at University of Illinois at Rockford. Lischwe’s team conducted the study, using online and paper surveys, interviews of key players and other public data. The data will be used – as the data from studies in 2006 and 2010 was used – by the county and other providers to develop priorities and strategies going forward. A past study highlighted a lack of knowledge of the area’s services leading to the creation of the 211 referral service, which offers a database of 400 providers. The studies also led to initiatives to combat obesity and improve cardiovascular health. This study notes a “dramatic rise” in the rate of drug overdose deaths since 2006 with the county’s rate jumping above the state and national rates for 2009 and 2010. The rate for deaths connected to drug or alcohol use
See VETERANS, page A9 See STUDY, page A9
Ill. Legislature has full agenda in final week of spring session The ASSOCIATED PRESS SPRINGFIELD – Illinois legislators return to the Capitol on Monday for their final week of the spring session, with much of the heavy lifting still to do. In what is practically an annual tradition, the biggest remaining issue is approving next year’s budget. As part of that debate, the Legislature also must decide whether to make Illinois’ temporary in-
come tax increase permanent rather than let it roll back as scheduled in January. “I’ll tell you something about this place: The most important issues are always last,” Rep. Monique Davis, a Chicago Democrat, said last week. “Sometimes it’s in order to get a lot of support. And sometimes it’s just to have an exciting ending.” Here’s a look some of the issues still yet to be addressed, and what the outlook is as
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“I’ll tell you something about this place: The most important issues are always last.” State Rep. Monique Davis, a Chicago Democrat, said last week the General Assembly heads toward its Saturday adjournment.
BUDGET AND TAXES:
At its most basic, this year’s budget debate comes down to one question: Is it better to extend the income tax hike – potentially angering
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voters who were told it would be temporary – or approve a smaller budget that cuts billions of dollars for schools, social services and other areas? So far the answer, at least in the Illinois House in this election year, has been “neither.” House Speaker Michael Madigan said he doesn’t have the votes to extend the tax increase, which is set to drop from 5 percent to 3.75 percent for individuals. But on Friday, a so-called
SMILES
Last fall, Cary-Grove’s Tyler Pennington was an impact player on the football field. This spring, Pennington is doing something similar in baseball, making the jump to the varsity squad as the Trojans head into the playoffs matchup Thursday against Jacobs in the Class 4A Crystal Lake South Regional. For
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more, see page B1.
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
HIGH
LOW
83 64 Complete forecast on A12
See LEGISLATURE, page A9
SPECTACULAR
C-G FRESHMAN CALLED UP TO VARSITY
WOODSTOCK: Former director of TLS Veterans Alan Belcher continues to be an advocate for veterans issues. Local, A3
“doomsday” budget based on the smaller revenue projections went down in flames. Madigan said legislators would try again to draft a 2015 budget that can get through the House and Senate. That plan could surface as soon as Monday. Meanwhile, Madigan and Gov. Pat Quinn will keep pushing for the tax hike extension.
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