McHenry County News FRE
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11512 N. 2nd ST. • MACHESNEY PARK, IL 61115 • (815) 654-4850 • www.McHenrycountynewspaper.com Display Advertising & Classifieds: 815-654-4850 • Circulation: 815-654-4854 • E-mail:McHenrynews@rvpublishing.com
Volume 6 Issue 31
WOODSTOCK CAR WASH N O W O P E N
• 3 Heated Bays • Brand New Vacuums • Automatic Wash Now Open • 7’ High and Large Enough for Dually Pickup Trucks
218 Fair Street, Woodstock, IL (Behind McDonalds)
JULY 28, 2016
239731
Centegra Health Fest held in Huntley By Anne Eickstadt CORRESPONDENT
School buses shuttle guests from the parking area at Marlowe Middle School to the Centegra Hospital on Haligus Road in Huntley. Once at Centegra’s Family Health Fest, the fun begins and families are handed free and useful items. First, a rucksack containing hospital information is given to everybody so we can carry everything. Next, children get a free bicycle helmet and have the helmet fitted properly. Many stop to decorate their helmets with stickers. Brightly colored sunglasses, pens, lip balm, first aid kits, barbell squeeze balls, salad shakers and other gifts and prizes fill the rucksack to the brim. Kids dash toward the tennis net where they can swat red and yellow balls across the net. Hula hoops and sidewalk chalk are near the DJ. Today’s music is being supplied by Spin N Play DJs and it is turning the fest into a party. An obstacle course is being attempted by children walking on pail ‘stilts’. The rail hurdles are easily crossed by lifting their feet high. The balance beams are more difficult but just walking from one obstacle to the next across a flat area is causing spills, falls and much laughter. Across the walkway from an ‘Operation’ game beanbag throw is an ambulance with lights flashing and all the doors thrown open. “The kids love it,” says driver Joseph Burce. “I think the parents are afraid to let their kids in because it’s on, but I have the keys so it’s not going anywhere. One of them figured out how to turn the siren on. I got it off pretty quickly and I have it taped off now.” Hospital tours of the new facility are available to anyone who is interested. A ‘plank’ challenge is ongoing and the current record is 5 minutes of holding in the plank position. Next to the challenge, a table holding temporary tattoos is very popular. Adults can have their blood pressure checked and a climbing wall brought by Adventure Rock has lines of people waiting for a turn. The largest booth at the Health Fest, and by far the most popular, is the Teddy Bear Clinic. No worries if you do not bring your own bear, a platoon of 4 inch bears await being adopted by new friends. First, the tiny bear has some blood drawn for blood tests. The ‘nurse’ hands out a sticker for being brave and a report giving the results of the test. My bear tested Normal for Red and White Blood Cell counts, Blood Glucose and Calcium tests. A bandage applied to the injection site keeps my bear’s little arm free from possible infection. Next, my new teddy got an “X-ray” which found “a heart filled with love, eyes filled with joy and just the right amount of stuffing.” Following that, a ‘nurse’ applied
ANNE EICKSTADT PHOTOS McHenry County News
Above: Joseph Burce attends the ambulance display with its flashing lights and open doors. Right: The “Operation” game bean bag throw looks familiar to many adults and draws many guests to try their aim. Far right: The Teddy Bear Clinic ‘nurse’ is drawing blood for testing.
a cast to my poor teddy’s ‘broken’ leg. The Teddy Bear Clinic is a wonderful way to introduce children to procedures they might encounter while visiting a hospital. Centegra Hospital in Huntley is completing construction shortly and expects to be opening its doors within the next few weeks. For more information, visit www. centegra.org.
Body camera grant received by Woodstock police department By Samantha Fetzner REPORTER
Police in the City of Woodstock is one step closer to being able to utilize body camera technology in the field. The department has received nearly $10,000 in funding from the 2016 ComEd program called ‘Powering Safe Communities’ which is also sponsored by Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. Communities were able to submit applications to receive funding through
Mar 15, 2016. Woodstock was one of 23 different grant awards given by the program this year. A total of 83 applicants applied to receiving funding through the program. In order to receive grant money, the department needed to meet criteria set forth in the program. Details about the requirements and application process can be found online at http://mayorscaucus.org/initiatives/environment/psee-2/. The grant funds account for nearly 2/3
of the funds necessary to implement the body camera operation within the department. The $30,000 estimation includes not only the equipment itself, but also the storage of footage recorded during camera use and hands-on training for the personnel utilizing the cameras. Body cameras have become a predominant technological aspect of police forces to ensure proper conduct is being used in the field. By having further recording equipment, the
hope is that both the citizens and law enforcement will be better protected and ultimately safer in their operations. In addition to the cameras and storage, the department will also be working with their existing networking and computer systems to compliment the equipment. The hope is that keeping additional technological costs to a minimum will allow for more cameras to be purchased and utilized. Not all offi-
cers on the Woodstock force would be utilizing the equipment, however. Currently Woodstock has 36 officers on staff. With the grant funding in place, the current projection is that the Woodstock Police Department will be able to implement body cameras into field rotation by the end of 2016. These cameras will be in addition to existing dash cams already in place on the fleet vehicles. No dash cams will be removed.