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Grants to boost human services Community foundation awards more than $300K to 26 nonprofits in county By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com LAKE IN THE HILLS – The McHenry County Housing Authority has suspended dental care to the general low-income population because of the state budget crisis. Thanks to a $21,000 grant from the McHenry Coun-
Va. man shoots, kills 2 on live TV
ty Community Foundation awarded Wednesday, the agency will be able to provide at least 21 low-income veterans with urgent dental care, Community Services Director Sue Rose said. “They’re in pain,” Rose said. “They have difficulty chewing. They don’t have Medicaid. They don’t have
any other type of dental insurance and don’t have any way to get their problem solved.” The McHenry County Community Foundation distributed more than $300,000 in grants to 26 health and human services nonprofit organizations Wednesday at the Boulder Ridge Country Club
in Lake in the Hills. “I congratulate each and every one of you in this room today,” Executive Director Robin Doeden said. “Whether you are receiving a grant or project that you are doing to help this community or you are one of those special donors who are making those grants possible.”
Some of the organizations, such as the housing authority, have been in limbo as state lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner remain at odds over the state’s financial plan. About $84,000 in federal funding the housing authority typically receives was being held up by the state. State leaders since have agreed to release
those funds, but Rose said she hasn’t seen it yet. Other organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity of McHenry County, don’t rely on state funds, but still need grants and private donations to thrive. The organization was one of five nonprofits to
See GRANTS, page A7
DEMAND STEADY AT McHENRY COUNTY FOOD PANTRIES DESPITE REBOUNDING ECONOMY
The ASSOCIATED PRESS MONETA, Va. – He planned it all so carefully – a choreographed execution of two former colleagues, broadcast live to a horrified TV audience. Hours later, he shared his own recording of the killing worldwide on social media. Vester Lee Flanagan’s video shows him approaching WDBJ reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward, gun in hand, as they conduct an interview. He Alison Parker points the gun at Parker and then at Ward, but he waits patiently to shoot until he knows Parker is on camera, so she will be Adam Ward gunned down on air. TV viewers heard about the first eight of 15 shots. They saw Parker scream and run, and heard her crying “Oh my God!” as she fell. Ward fell, too, and the camera he had been holding on his shoulder captured a fleeting image of the suspect holding a handgun. That man, authorities said, was Flanagan – a former staffer who used the on-air name of Bryce Williams and was fired by WDBJ, a man who always was looking for reasons
See SHOOTING, page A6
Erica Yoon for The Roanoke Times
WDBJ7 news anchor Chris Hurst pauses as he is overcome with emotion Wednesday while holding a photo album created by fellow reporter and girlfriend Alison Parker in Roanoke, Va. Parker was one of two people shot and killed on live TV Wednesday morning.
Photos by Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
Cindy Chicoine, co-director for FISH of McHenry Food Pantry, restocks the shelves Tuesday after a busy day at the food pantry in Johnsburg.
‘Stretching their budgets’ Group: 9 percent of county residents face food insecurity By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com JOHNSBURG – The third Tuesday of each month at FISH of McHenry Food Pantry resembles career day. For two hours, people filter in wearing uniforms, nurses scrubs or other work clothes to collect their monthly allotment of groceries from the food pantry. Despite the apparent economic recovery, local food pantry leaders said they have not seen a reciprocal decrease in the number of people relying on food pantries and food banks. Instead, local food pantries are adjusting their schedules to serve working people who don’t have enough money for food. “Maybe they are working, but they’re still not making enough to make ends meet,” said Pam Peters, one of three directors at FISH. The Tuesday evening hours recently were added after some patrons said they couldn’t make it to the pantry between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays. In
The fully stocked shelves are seen Tuesday at FISH of McHenry Food Pantry in Johnsburg. To view video from the pantry, visit NWHerald.com. total, FISH serves up to 650 families a month, Peters said, which is the largest number it has served in the 42 years it has been operating. Peters said the food pantry fills a gap for many clients. A good portion of its clients are on food stamps that have recently been cut, Peters
said. Others might have part-time jobs, or have taken pay or benefit cuts to keep their jobs, she said. McHenry County has the third-lowest rate of food insecurity in the state, with 9 percent of residents – nearly 28,000 people – believed to be food insecure, or who
don’t know where their next meal is coming from, according to Feeding America’s Map the Meal Gap 2015. The only counties with lower rates were Kendall, at 8.1 percent, and Kane, at 8.5 percent. The county with the highest rate of food insecurity was Alexander County, with 22.4 percent of residents. Overall, the state average was 13.6 percent, according to the data. The steady flow of hungry clients at local food pantries comes despite signs the local economy is improving. The unemployment rate has dropped significantly in McHenry County since the economic downturn in 2008. McHenry County had a 5.5 percent unemployment rate in June, according to the latest data from the Illinois Department of Employment Security. At its peak in January 2010, unemployment was at 12.6 percent. That drop in unemployment, however, has not done much to curb the number of hungry people, Northern Illinois Food Bank
See PANTRIES, page A6
Voice your opinion: Have you donated to a food pantry this year? Vote online at NWHerald.com.
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