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Bacon, eggs and toast ... with spaghetti? Recipe especially satisfying after stressful day / D1 NWHerald.com
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D-155 board OKs 3-year contract Effective July 1, teachers union contract has yearly raises averaging 3.97 percent By ALLISON GOODRICH agoodrich@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – A new threeyear contract for teachers in Crystal Lake-based Community High School District 155 will include an average 3.97 percent raise each year, plus two additional sick days, according
to the district. The agreement, effective July 1 through June 30, 2019, was approved by the school board Tuesday night. The District 155 Education Association ratified the agreement Friday, according to a news release from the district. The first year of the contract al-
National security at issue in U.S. Senate race
lows for step and lane movement, plus a 0.25 percent increase to the base salary, district officials said. Step increases account for years of services while lane increases come with academic achievement. Step movement will be permitted for the first semester of the 2017-18 school year, and teachers who have
completed requisite education credits or a degree will be allowed lane movement, too. The second semester will allow only for step increases, officials said, adding teachers not eligible for step or lane increases are eligible for a one-time $1,500 longevity bonus. The final year of the contract will
give both step and lane movement to eligible teachers, plus half of an inflationary raise to the base salary. “I am glad the board has recognized the work done by our incredible teaching staff,” Superintendent Johnnie Thomas said in the release.
See CONTRACT, page A4
HEALTH CARE OPEN ENROLLMENT DEADLINE LOOMING
By SARA BURNETT The Associated Press CHICAGO – Fighting to hold onto his political career, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk turned a recent Republican luncheon into a crash course on the Islamic State group, complete with a map of Syria he brought with him to western Illinois. He pointed out Russian maneuvers and ISIS territory, called for more U.S. airstrikes and touted his efforts to keep extremists from entering the U.S. as refugees. “I want you to send a national security hawk to the Senate,” the former Navy intelligence officer told the crowd. Like other Republicans up for election nationwide, Kirk is making national security a prime focus of his bid for a second term. It’s a strategy that has historically worked well for the GOP, particularly at times when voters are on edge about the country’s safety, as many are now. Mark Kirk But Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Duckworth could flip the script if the two candidates face off, as expected, in November. A former Army helicopter pilot, Duckworth lost Tammy both legs when the Duckworth Blackhawk she was co-piloting was shot down in Iraq in 2004. She later was awarded the Purple Heart. Democrats nationally see Duckworth as one of their best chances to win a seat this fall in the U.S. Senate, where the party needs to pick up four seats to regain control if a Democrat wins the race for president. Duckworth not only neutralizes Kirk on national security issues, they say, she one-ups him. “We’re eager to have this debate,” said Duckworth spokesman Matt McGrath, adding that Kirk has been wrong on critical foreign policy and national security questions, “often with disastrous results.” Kirk campaign manager Kevin Artl said the former congressman is proud of his record, from his 23-year career with the Navy to his work in the U.S. House and Senate, where he’s been one of the staunchest opponents of Iran. “Sen. Kirk has demonstrated his leadership on national security,” Artl said. “It creates a critical debate on who has the right vision and strategy for this unique time that we’re in.” Kirk and Duckworth are considered the heavy favorites to win their respective primaries, because of
See RACE, page A4
Photos by Matthew Apgar – mapgar@shawmedia.com
Outreach and enrollment coordinator Marianne Gervais (left) helps Heidy Castaneda of Harvard sign up for health care coverage Jan. 12 at Community Health Partnership in Harvard. BELOW: Dr. Debbie Karas (left) and Lorin Lullo fill out paperwork Jan. 12 at Community Health Partnership in Harvard.
As marketplace enters 3rd year, fewer seek help
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Report: Enrollment among those age 35 and younger increasing By KATIE DAHLSTROM kdahlstrom@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – Mark Millare’s job used to involve leaving his office to explain how to enroll in the Affordable Care Act, but this year his job has been to wait until the people come to him. In the third year of open enrollment, McHenry County has lost many of the professionals doing outreach on the Affordable Care Act. At the same time, the number of people seeking help signing up has decreased, although people such as Millare, a certified application counselor for Centegra Health System, wonder if it’s less about the loss of outreach and more about people feeling more comfortable with President Barack Obama’s hallmark health care law. “For the most part, the decrease is a lot about people being more educated on it now that they have done it a few times,” Millare said. During the past two open
enrollment seasons, McHenry County had a grant that funded navigators who were responsible for outreach. However, the state dropped funding for that program from $25 million to $5 million and health officials decided not to ask for an extension. In the first year, which ran from August 2013 to August 2014, navigators at the health department helped with 3,011 applications, spokeswoman Keri Zaleski said. The second year, which ran only from October 2014 to April 2015, the department helped with 1,667 applications. While his job was funded by grant money funneled through the health department, Millare was considered an in-person counselor. He was responsible for putting on presentations and going out to pockets of the community where people were likely to be uninsured. He said this year – his first as
See ENROLLMENT, page A4
They’re young, they’re healthy, they don’t really go to the doctor. They think ‘I don’t need that. I’ll just pay for the doctor out of pocket.’ Now they have a push from their parents.
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Mark Millare, certified application counselor for Centegra Health System on increase in enrollment of adults younger than age 35
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