Avoiding Shingles

If you are aged 60 or older and have previously had chickenpox or shingles, McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) recommends residents make an appointment to receive the shingles vaccine.  A clinic has been scheduled for Friday, February 18, from 8:45am-1:15pm, at its Crystal Lake office, 100 N. Virginia Street (one block south of Routes 14 and 176).  Appointments are required.  The cost is $200 (cash, check or credit card accepted).  Medicaid is also accepted.  

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost 1 out of every 3 people in the United States will develop shingles.  There are an estimated 1 million cases each year in this country.  Shingles is a painful skin rash often accompanied by blisters appearing on one side of the body and can last 2-4 weeks. Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox.  After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays in the body in a dormant (inactive) state.  For reasons that are not fully known, the virus can reactivate years later, causing shingles.  Anyone who has recovered from chickenpox may develop shingles; even children can get shingles. The risk of developing shingles increases as a person gets older. About half of all cases occur among men and women 60 years old or older. In rare instances, shingles can lead to pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness, brain inflammation (encephalitis), or death.    

Shingles is not contagious; however, a person who has never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine could get chickenpox from someone with shingles. A person with shingles blisters should avoid contact with anyone with a weak immune system, newborns and pregnant women.

As with any vaccine, people with special health considerations should contact their physician before receiving the shingles vaccine.  Call 815-334-4500 to make an appointment.  Visit www.mcdh.info for more information.

Think Spring

Think spring! Learn about growing food, sustainable gardening and landscaping strategies, preserving what you grow and eating healthier at home and at school with “Exploring Local Food,” a seminar series during February hosted by McHenry County College’s Continuing and Professional Education Department.

The following seminars are accepting registration:

Local Food: Preserving Foods Year Round and Much More

Learn how to grow, preserve and shop for locally produced food. Rich Tobiaz, a small scale organic farmer and University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener, will discuss how to locate seeds, seed starting and available help and resources, greenhouse space, community gardens, drying, preserving, canning and other topics. This seminar takes place from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 3 in Room E105.

Edible Landscapes: Vegetable Garden Strategies

Explore how to make the private garden/school garden functional as well as beautiful. Water, climate, and alternative energy and composting are addressed by Mary Napolitano, garden educator, market grower and owner of The Potting Bench, Inc. in McHenry and Caron Wenzel, environmental educator, writer and owner of Blazing Star, Inc. in Woodstock. This seminar takes place from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 10 in Room E204.

Local Food Production for Businesses and Schools

Those interested in starting a local food business will hear David Woodruff, president of W & M Land Corp certified organic nursery in Woodstock, explain such topics as hoop-houses, compost availability, grants for businesses or schools and available land to grow food. This seminar takes place form 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17 in Room D158.

Eating Healthier at Home and School

Parents, students and teachers who are interested in healthier diets can find out about locally available food and other health-related topics. Melissa Ritter, founder and principal of Heartland Flavors, Ltd. in Grayslake, a unique consulting firm dedicated to creating healthier, more sustainable communities, will highlight the healthier-eating school programs that are working throughout the country. This seminar takes place from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24 in Room E204.

Each local food seminar costs $19. Continuing Education credits will be provided. To register, call the MCC Registration office at (815) 455-8588. For more information, contact Pat Dieckhoff, at (815) 479-7817.

Martin Luther King Birthday Celebrated Monday

Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday. Schools, including McHenry County College are closed as are all county and city offices. This does not include emergency and police services.

Demonstration On Adobe Creative Suite January 21

McHenry County College Shah Center continues its monthly breakfast series, "Start@Shah," from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Friday, Jan. 21, featuring an overview of Adobe Creative Suite at Work.

Alicia Wallace, a software instructor with 11 years experience, including working for Eastman Kodak and currently for Fuji Film, will give a demonstration of the Adobe Creative Suite at home and at work.

The Creative Suite is designed to meet the needs of print, web and multimedia designers, and the applications within the suite work together. Designers can prepare files in one application to be opened or exported to another application. The demonstrations of Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Dreamweaver will spur creativity. 

Cost is $35.  Register using course ID: NTL S90 003.

This breakfast series takes place at the Shah Center, 4100 W. Shamrock Lane in McHenry. For more information or to register, contact the Shah Center, at (815) 455-8593  shahcenter@mchenry.edu.

Veterinary Assistant Classes Offered

McHenry County College is offering a Veterinary Assistant program with classes offered from 6-9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays beginning Feb. 2 through June 1.  Classes take place in room D154 at the college, 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake.

Veterinary assistants work with veterinarians in private practice, animal shelters, animal control facilities, pet stores, kennels and veterinary drug companies. With pet ownership on the rise, veterinary assistants are in great demand and veterinary assistants have been identified by the U.S. Dept. of Labor as one of the fastest growing professions.  This is a great opportunity for those seeking a new career or a side job.

The class will include a 30-hour externship to be completed outside of classroom hours. Course fee is $2599. For more information contact: Ruth Kormanak, at (815) 479-7879 or at rkormana@mchenry.edu. To register, call (815) 455-8588 and reference class ID: QVT C01 003.

Opportunity To Assist Health Efforts In Times of Special Need

The McHenry County Medical Reserve Corps (MCMRC) will host an orientation and training at 7 p.m. on Thursday, January 27 at The Pointe, 5650 Northwest Highway, in Crystal Lake.  New volunteers and those interested in joining the Corps are encouraged to attend.  Light refreshments will be served. 

The MRC is a community-based network of volunteers that assist public health efforts in times of special need or disaster, e.g. during a major communicable disease outbreak, an earthquake, flood, fire, evacuation or an act of terrorism. Members of an MRC may also volunteer their time throughout the year in order to promote community public health and education.  MRCs are organized and trained to work in emergency situations to supplement existing local emergency plans and resources.

The MCMRC welcomes volunteers for nonmedical critical support functions as well as current or retired health professionals.  These individuals play a critical role in strengthening McHenry County’s ability to respond in emergency situations.  For learn more about McHenry County’s MRC, call Liz Hackett at 815-334-4932 or visit www.mcdhprepare.info.

A Huge Amount Of Data Being Made Available For The Public

How large a pile would 11 million pages of information make?

No doubt, the people in the McHenry County Recorders Office could give a pretty good idea. That office has indexed and imaged 100 years of documents on the Recorder's computer system. That is approximately 2.8 million documents and 11 million pages. The information dates back to 1909.

All this information is available to search, retrieve and print within seconds in the Recorder's Office, or on the Internet.

"This is a major accomplishment for our office and we are on target to reach completion of all recorded document indexes and images, dating back to 1839 to be on the computer by 2012," says Recorder Phyllis K. Walters.

At the same time, all current documents coming into the office for recording are received and returned within three business days.

While all recorded documents can be searched in the Recorder’s Office, the office offers the following  free online services at Recorders website

Here, there are four buttons to access the information desired. Indexed land records can be searched by grantor/grantee name, without images, free, by accessing the lower right hand button.

The Tapestry button on the lower left hand allows access to document on a pay-as-you go process. 

The Laredo button is a quarterly subscription service for those who access information often. Iimages can be viewed and printed;

There is also the opportunity for property owners to be notified by e-mail or telephone if a document is recorded in their name by using the upper right hand button. 

More information on any of these services can be found on the Recorder’s website or by calling the office at (815) 334-4045, or (815) 334-4109.

Enriching Lives In The Community

Over the last 10 years, Raue Center has brought the community a place to enrich their lives through the arts. The community has been entertained by greats and unknowns, far away travelers and locals, professionals and amateurs, and as they celebrate their 10th anniversary season, they send an invite to come out and see what they are up to.

Since opening in 2001, over 600,000 adults and children have walked through the doors of Raue Center to experience the magic and wonder of the arts.

Over 7,200 people visit their art galleries each year. These galleries provide local artists with a venue to display their work.

Raue Center has introduced the performing arts to more than 165,000 local school children, which is over 20,000 children annually. Over 7,000 local and regional artists have performed in more than 570 performances at Raue Center.

As this recession continues to find an end, publicly funded programs suffer.  This makes Raue Center’s commitment to the community and the arts much greater.  They strive to continue to bring the community quality, affordable programming, but they need help. To date, they have raised half of their $25,000 fundraising goal. They are asking for help from the community to raise the remaining $10,000 by February 25 and make a difference right here in this community? 83 cents of every dollar donated goes directly back into programming and providing imaginations a place to flourish.

Raue Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of all through the arts.  To make a donation, please contact Rhienna Kujawa, director of development, at 815.356.9010 x21.

Cardiovascular Screening Saturday, January 29

McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) is offering a cardiovascular screening on Saturday, January 29, from 7:30am-11:30am, at its Crystal Lake office, 100 N. Virginia Street (intersection of Route 14 and Woodstock Street).  The screening requires a 12-hour fast and includes total cholesterol, HDL and LDL cholesterol, fasting blood glucose, triglycerides, blood pressure, cardiovascular education and heart age assessment.  Appointments are necessary.  The cost is $35.00.   

The Health Department advises that individuals can do a lot to influence the risk of heart disease and it's never too late to start promoting a healthy heart. Learning the risk factors of heart disease is the first step towards lowering your chances of having a heart attack, stroke or similar health condition. Age, gender and family history are risk factors beyond our control but there are many dietary and lifestyle changes that you can implement to not only reduce the risk but actually reverse the damage of heart disease. Risk factors you can change are high cholesterol, smoking (including second-hand smoke), diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol use and poor nutrition.  The more risk factors a person has, the greater the chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

Call MCDH at 815-334-4536 to schedule an appointment. For more information on cardiovascular disease and its risk factors, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

County Board Committee Preparing For Fiscal Year 2012 Federal Legislative Program

The Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee of the McHenry County Board is meeting Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. in the Government Administration Building Conference rooms.

In addition to considering the committee meeting schedule for 2011, a discussion is slated for the committee's responsibilities.

Included for consideration is a review of the Fiscal Year 2012 Federal Legislative Program which includes such items as seeking additional federal funding for further study of groundwater and stormwater issues.

Highway matters such as East McHenry Bypass from Illinois Route 31 to Richmond-Waukegan Corridor; added capacity for Randall Road from Ackman Road to County Line Road by adding through lanes in each direction; funding for the Sheriff's Office to manage activities associated with pubic safety and criminal justice by expansion of the scope to what the Sheriff's Office is now able to do in such areas as warrant service and management, ability to electronically file search warrants and criminal complaints as well as share data across departments in "real time".

Also to be considered is a request to provide the county's workforce with career ladder and increase degree attainment by expanding the capacity of the infrastructure at McHenry County College.

As with all County Board Committees, any action taken is a recommendation for final approval by the full County Board.

Sometimes People Do Not Learn The Lesson Provided

A 34-year old Marengo man learned today that child pornography has freedom limiting effects. Michael Hartman was sentenced to five years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for the Class 3 felony offense of Unlawful Possession of Child Pornography following a sentencing hearing,

The Marengo Police Department found the child pornography on the defendant's computer which was located in the defendant's residence. McHenry County State's Attorney Louis A. Bianchi made the announcement following the hearing today.

Hartman is reported to have been involved with two prior offenses of Child Pornography which occurred in Kane County in 2004. He was sentenced to three years in the Department of corrections for the second of those offenses.

Detective Brian Christian of the Marengo Police Department investigated the case and it was prosecuted for the McHenry County State's Attorney's office by Assistant State's Attorney Ryan Blackney.

Literacy Tutor Volunteers Wanted At MCC

Anyone interested in becoming a literacy volunteer to teach reading, math or English as a Second Language at McHenry County College or in the Harvard and Marengo areas, is welcome to join the next volunteer orientation from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 3 in room A342 or from 9-10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 5 in room A350 at MCC.

A literacy volunteer tutor does not have to speak a second language to teach in the adult education literacy program. Volunteer applicants attend 12 hours of training and complete 10 hours of classroom practicum to learn skills needed to work with literacy students. Flexible work schedules are provided to meet people’s busy schedules, including those who are retired or working full time.

Call Marie Day at (815) 455-8542 for more information or to reserve a seat at the orientation. This project was made possible in part by a grant awarded by the Illinois State Library (ISL), a Division of the Office of Secretary of State, using state funds designated for literacy.

Finance and Audit Committee To Consider Expenditure Resolutions Tuesday

The Finance and Audit Committee of the McHenry County Board is meeting Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. in the County Board Conference Room of the Administration Building. The agenda indicates a presentation by the County's Auditing firm, Baker, Tilly, Virchow, Krause, LLP

Other business to be handled includes a number of resolutions for approval including:

• The designation of the Office of State's Attorney's Appellate Prosecutor;
• Authorizing a budget line item transfer in the County Coroner's budget of an added $12,000 to cover the added expenditures for the continuing number of autopsies required because of the volume of unexplained (citizens who cannot afford medical care) deaths in fiscal year 2010;
• Payment of Special Prosecutor Fees and Consultant Fees from the General Fund Fiscal Year 2010 Contingency, in the amount of $112,938.19 for these services provided for the months of June 2010 through August 2010;
• A Resolution authorizing acceptance of the State of Illinois Emergency Management Hazardous Materials Emergency Preparedness Planning Grant, not to exceed $9,200; and,
• A resolution authorizing the Acceptance of the IEPA Solid Waste Enforcement Grant totaling $8,120; Acceptance of a solid waste grant in the amount of $41,624.17 which is 53.13% of the costs for the program; and setting the committee schedules for 2011.

Lakewood Village Board Meets Tuesday in Turnberry Country Club

Lakewood Village Board will meet Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m. However, the location is changed to the Turnberry Country Club, 9600 Turnberry Trail, also in the Village of Lakewood.

It should be noted that the February Village Board meeting will also be located in the Turnberry Country Club.

Items for consideration at the January meeting, in addition to the necessary approval of minutes of prior meetings and bill lists, include approval of the current vehicle sticker rate for Fiscal Year 2011-2012.

The Board is being requested to approve an ordinance authorizing the sale or disposal of Personal Property owned by the Village.

Several items are included on the agenda for discussion such as a motion to approve IDOT Bridge Program Manager Work Order with Baxter and Woodman in an amount not to exceed $3,100.

Another similar matter is for a motion to approve Huntley Road Bicycle Lane Local Agency Agreement for Federal Participation and the approval of Construction Engineering Services Agreement for Federal Participation.

The agenda also calls for a discussion regarding Covenants for Red Tail Golf Course.

Donated Fabrics, Donated Time Combined With Comradship Equals Warmth

Donated fabrics here and there along with employees gathering after work have resulted in 22 quilts and pillow cases for McHenry County PADS.

These are the results of McHenry County College employees gathering after work which has resulted in a number of benefits. Not only has the group donated the result of their handiwork, quilts, to PADS, the gathering also provides an opportunity for some of the participants to learn quilting and feel comfortable in sewing in general.

The MCC Harmony Committee, the college's employee social committee, gathered materials that possibly would have gone to the landfills. By collecting used strips of batting from Pieceful Gathering, a quilt shop in Fox River Grove, sewing the strips together for one larger piece, they were able to help protect the environment.

Part of the mission of the group was to teach others how to use their machines, learn to quilt, and bind the projects. The end products are providing warmth for children with no belongings who are staying at a shelter with their parents. The children at PADS receive the quilts as a going-away gift when their families transition out of the homeless shelter after they have found permanent homes.

Shown in the photo are MCC employees presenting PADS officials with the fruits of their endeavors and include from left, McHenry County PADS employees, Chris Long, program technician and Matt Kostecki, director; MCC employees Sherry Hodnik and Caroline Sobolak.

Tomlin Comes To Crystal Lake

"USA Today" dubs Lily Tomlin a possible "Eighth Wonder Of The World"

"New York Times" says "Tomlin is amazing".

"The New Yorker" says she is "always a revelation."

"Washington Post" calls her performance a "wise and howlingly funny" trip with more than a dozen of her timeless characters--referring to the characters Ernestine, Sister Boogie Woman, Mrs. Beasley and Edith Ann.

All this is through a fantastic range of voice, gesture and movements, Tomlin conjures up the cast of characters with an apparent ease of a magician. In her magical way she produces the characters similar to a magician pulling animals out of hat.

Lily Tomlin is bringing all this and more to the Raue Center For The Arts in Crystal Lake on Saturday, February 12. Tickets are $80, $77 and $73 and are available by contacting the Raue Center Box Office at 815.356.9212 or on line at www.rauecenter.org. The Raue Center is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of all through the arts and provides quality programming and strives to make it pertinent, available and affordable to all.

Crystal Lake Library Facilities Committee Schedules Meeting

The Facilities Committee of the Crystal Lake Public Library Board of Trustees will consider a number of topics at the next meeting of the Committee on Wednesday, January 12 at 12:30 p.m. These include  the Beacon area emergency exit repair project, review of an equipment assessment report and facility updates. The committee will be meeting in the Library Director's Office.

Congressman Manzullo Issues Statement Regarding Shooting of Congresswoman

Congressman Don Manzullo (R-Egan) issued the following statement in response to the shooting of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and many others during an open house she was hosting at a supermarket in Tucson. Giffords is listed in critical condition at an Arizona hospital and at least five are dead, including U.S. District Judge John Roll and a 9-year-old girl.

“We are shocked and saddened by the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and others this morning during a meeting she was hosting with her constituents at a local supermarket,” Manzullo said.

“Congresswoman Giffords and I serve together on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and she is well liked and well respected by all who know her. We pray for a speedy recovery for Congresswoman Giffords and the other injured as we mourn those who lost their lives today in this senseless tragedy.” 

Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and Congressman Don Manzullo IL-16- both serve on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Manzullo said in a statement regarding the recent shooting of Congresswoman Giffords, "We are shocked and saddened by the shooting of the Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and others during a meeting she was hosting with her constituents at a local supermarket,"

Congressman Manzullo noted that she is well like and well respected by all who know her. "We pray for a speedy recovery for Congresswoman Giffords and the others injured as we mourn those who lost their lives in this senseless tragedy."

Congresswoman Giffords is listed in critical condition at an Arizona Hospital.

Newly Formed County Board Committees Begin Work

The first meeting of a newly constituted McHenry County Board Committees will take place Monday morning in the County Board Conference Room as follows:.

8:15 a.m. Law and Justice

Members of this Committee include Nick Provenzano of District 3 as chair; Bob Bless, District 1; John Jung, District 5; Jim Heisler, District 2; Sue Draffkorn, District 4; Barb Wheeler, District 3, and Diane Evertsen, District 6.

The agenda lists four people to be interviewed for appointments to the Marengo Rescue Squad District.

Four resolutions are to be considered for approval including one to authorize payment of Special Prosecutor Fees and Consultant Fees in the amount of $112,938.19 for services provided by the Special Prosecutors and Consultant for the months of June, 2010 through August, 2010. This is the third Court Order invoice to be paid for these services.

The Committee is also to make a recommendation regarding continuing the operation of the Office of the State's Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor.

Also being considered is the approval to accept a planning grant awarded McHenry County Emergency Management Agency, the Emergency Management Hazardous Materials Preparedness grant in the amount of $9,200.

8:30 a.m. Management Services.

Ersel Schuster, District 6, is the chair of this committee, with other members including: Barb Wheeler, District 3; Paula Yensen, District 5; Kathy Bergan-Schmidt, District 3; Anna Miller, District 1; Sandy Salgado, District 4; and Donna Kurtz, District 2.

The agenda for this committee meeting lists a number of mattes for discussion including an update on county Administration Goals; Committee meeting Schedule for 2011; Discussion of Amendments to County Board Rules and Discussion concerning current projects.