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PR PROVES TOUGH OUT Rally in seventh falls 1 run short in semifinal loss to Providence / C1
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Marcus Sergeant
NWHerald.com
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Lakemoor president accused
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ARM YOURSELVES Health officials urge residents to take steps to help prevent spread of West Nile virus
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By CHELSEA McDOUGALL
Tips to protect yourself
cmcdougall@shawmedia.com
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here’s good news and bad news for the rain-soaked region. The good news: With the moisture, West Nile carrying mosquitoes are kept at bay. The bad news: The rains bring the nuisance mosquitoes. You know, the little guys that hover around pools of water with an insatiable appetite for your blood, leaving itchy, red bumps in their wake. There’s more bad news. There’s still a chance for West Nile carrying mosquitoes to make an appearance in McHenry County this season, which lasts through the first frost. The best environment for virus-carrying mosquitoes is in warmer, dry climates, so there’s time before we’re at the greatest risk here, McHenry County Department of Health spokeswoman Debra Quackenbush said. “We will be getting 80, 85, 90 degrees someday,” she said. With that in mind, the McHenry County Department of Health is rolling out its annual prevention message and monitoring 10 mosquito traps strategically placed throughout the county. West Nile has made its first yearly appearance downstate. In Henry County, an infected bird was found, and in Colona and Madison counties, health department employees collected a West Nile positive mosquito batch. “West Nile virus activity is largely depen-
• Limit your time outdoors during peak mosquito biting hours, which are from dusk to dawn. • When outside (evening and early morning), use repellent and protective clothing such as long sleeves, long pants and socks. • Spray clothes with repellent containing DEET for extra protection. Always follow label directions. • Get rid of standing water around your home where mosquitoes will breed (bird baths, old tires, garbage cans, flower pot trays, wheelbarrows). • Have tight-fitting screens on both windows and doors; replace screens with tears.
–Source: McHenry County Department of Public Health
dent on the weather,” said Illinois Department of Public Health Director Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck. “Despite our cold winter, mosquitoes are becoming active and infected with West Nile virus as the temperature increases. If we see a hot, dry summer, we could see a lot of West Nile virus activity.” Last year, 76 Illinois counties reported a West Nile virus positive mosquito batch, bird or human case. For the 2013 season, IDPH reported 117 human cases, including 11 deaths. None of the deaths were local. According to data provided by the McHenry County
See WEST NILE, page A7
Wife’s restraining order alleges physical abuse By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com LAKEMOOR – A request for a restraining order filed in Lake County Court accuses the Lakemoor village president of abusing his wife and children, threatening his wife with a gun and kicking her while she was pregnant, according to court records. Lakemoor Village President Ryan Todd Weihofen has not been charged with anything related to the allegations made by his wife, Kerri Weihofen, in the emergency order of protection filed with Lake County in late April. Kerri Weihofen filed for divorce at the same time that she asked for the restraining order. The two cases have been merged. Todd Weihofen’s attorney, Jeffrey Ericksen of Ericksen, Poell & Carpenter, said the emergency order of protection was vacated after a petition was submitted, arguing that Todd Weihofen was not notified of any proceeding, that the allegations were untrue and that her petition was filed to interfere with or jeopardize his position as village president. A order signed by a Lake County judge in mid-May said the order of protection “will expire on its own terms.” An order of protection is one-sided, Todd Weihofen said, because they
are designed to protect victims of abuse. That means, however, that it doesn’t give the chance for the other side to be heard. Todd Weihofen has since been granted visitation rights three times a week for two of his children, according to court records. Another child has to consent to the visits. The petition submitted by Kerri Weihofen details two incidents and said that for the past two years, off and on, Todd Weihofen has been “extremely verbally abusive and controlling with [her] and the kids.” “He has kicked our sons, kicked our son out of the house and has pulled him out of bed,” she said in the petition. “He has been physical with me in the past. He has choked, spit at me, thrown things at me, punched walls, threatened me with a gun, kneed me on the back, he has kicked me while pregnant and more. I’m scared that he will become physical with me and/or the kids again.” Kerri Weihofen called the police after an April incident she identifies in the petition, according to Wauconda police dispatch records. The police have been called to the house twice, Todd Weihofen said. Neither side would comment on the proceedings of the case due to an order issued by the judge.
Political firm had key job in Get Covered Illinois By CARLA K. JOHNSON The Associated Press CHICAGO – A key subcontractor working on the campaign to promote President Barack Obama’s health care law in Illinois is a Chicago political strategy consulting firm owned by three former aides to some of the state’s most powerful Democrats. The three political strategists – Mike Noonan, Victor Reyes and Maze Jackson – are among the individuals whose billing rate of $282 an hour is raising questions about
whether Illinois did enough to rein in taxpayer costs within a $33 million contract funded by a federal grant. The hourly rates were first reported this week by The Associated Press. Their firm, Compass Public Affairs, could take assignments directly from Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration under a special provision of its subcontract. Compass was part of a team assembled by the main contractor, the Chicago office of public relations agency FleishmanHillard.
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Branded “Get Covered Illinois,” the campaign surpassed a federal enrollment target, signing up more than 217,000 people. But the hourly billing rates exceeded similar contracts in other states, and the enrollment number fell short of an internal goal. Illinois officials viewed the campaign as similar to a get-out-the-vote drive, according to AP interviews with more than a dozen people directly involved. The hiring of Compass, whose owners are among the best-known Democratic political
strategists in Illinois, fit with that viewpoint. Noonan is a former staffer for Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan and a former campaign manager for Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Reyes is an ex-aide to former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and founded the powerful Hispanic Democratic Organization. Jackson is a former statewide field director for Quinn. In particular, Noonan played a crucial leadership role in the campaign, according to documents re-
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Scheme tricked victims into believing they were a part of ‘secret shoppers’ program. /A3 WORLD
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Funded federally, the Workforce Network Youth Program provides guidance and internship opportunities to 14- to 21-year-olds. /E1
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viewed by the AP. In mid-October, as the broken federal HealthCare.gov website drew relentless news media attention, Noonan called for daily meetings of high-ranking executives from FleishmanHillard and other subcontractors. The daily meetings continued through mid-December. “We needed to touch base every day to talk about the reality on the ground, what we were hearing from our navigators, whether HealthCare.
See HEALTH CARE, page A7