Words Of Wisdom

"There are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."

 --James Madison

Words Of Wisdom

"The apportionment of taxes on the various descriptions of property is an act which seems to require the most exact impartiality; yet there is, perhaps, no legislative act in which greater opportunity and temptation are given to a predominant party to trample on the rules of justice. Every shilling which they overburden the inferior number is a shilling saved to their own pockets."

–James Madison, Federalist No. 10, 1787

The Holiday season has arrived ! It is a time of year when many lights are used in decorations.

If, for some reason they are not to be recycled for another year of use, disposal is likely.Here are some locations to accomplish that.

Holiday lights recycling program

Municipalities offer drop-off locations

McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) encourages residents to take advantage of the Holiday Lights Recycling Program offered at several area municipalities.  Residents can bring holiday light strands, rope lights, LED lights and extension cords.  Unacceptable items include garlands, wreaths and other non-recyclable materials. The following municipalities offer drop-off locations –

Village of Algonquin 2200 Harnish Drive Algonquin IL (847) 658-2700	Village of Cary 655 Village Hall Drive Cary IL (847) 639-0003	City of Crystal Lake 100 W. Woodstock Street Crystal Lake IL (815) 459-2020
Village of Lakewood 2500 Lake Avenue Crystal Lake IL (815) 459-3025	City of Marengo 132 East Prairie St Marengo IL 815-568-7112	City of McHenry 333 S. Green Street McHenry IL (815) 363-2186
Village of Port Barrington 69 S. Circle Avenue Port Barrington IL (847) 639-7595	Village of Prairie Grove 3619 Ames Road Prairie Grove IL (815) 455-1411	Village of Spring Grove 7401 Meyer Road Spring Grove IL (815) 675-2121
Village of Wonder Lake 4444 Thompson Rd Wonder Lake IL 815-728-0839	Wonder Lake Chamber of Commerce 7602 Hancock Drive Wonder Lake IL 815-728-0682	City of Woodstock 326 Washington Street Woodstock IL 815-338-6118

If your municipality is not listed, please contact them directly for recycling availability.  Additional information is provided on the MCDH webpage www.mcdh.info or by calling Kristy Hecke, MCDH’s Solid Waste Manager at 815-334-4585.

Words Of Wisdom

"I do recommend and assign Thursday ... next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be."

 --George Washington (October 3, 1789

Words Of Wisdom

"There is not in the whole science of politics a more solid or a more important maxim than this -- that of all governments, those are the best, which, by the natural effect of their constitutions, are frequently renewed or drawn back to their first principles."

--James Wilson, Lectures on Law, 1791

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Recipient of Nursing’s 2013 Lina Rodgers Award

McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) announces the recipient of the 2013 Lina Rodgers Award honoring excellence in the school health profession.  This year’s recipient is Jennifer Paolini, RN from Chauncey H. Duker School in McHenry.  Mrs. Paolini was nominated by her school principal and staff.  In their nomination, school representatives praised Mrs. Paolini for being the “front line” nurse that shows sensibility, good judgment, discretion, and enthusiasm to promote wellness and reduce the spread of illness in her school and community.  In addition to working closely with students, parents and school staff, Mrs. Paolini collaborates with MCDH’s Health Promotion and Communicable Disease Programs. 

MCDH hosted its annual school nurse conference at McHenry County College on October 29. This year’s conference focused on behavioral health Issues in school aged children. Speakers included Dr. Michael Feld from Alexian Brothers Behavioral Health, Dr. Zack Sikora and Shira Greenfield from Centegra Behavioral Health, Chris Colosimo, School Psychologist from Nippersink District #2 and Jessica Gerdes and Michele Carmichael from the Illinois State Board of Education. Over 100 registrants attended the conference including surrounding counties. 

Since its inception 111 years ago, school nursing has had an enduring partnership with public health. Lina Rodgers spent her nursing career advocating the importance of disease prevention by promoting nutrition, exercise, health education, dental and hearing screenings, and the introduction of paper towels for hand drying. She authored the first book for school nurses, published numerous articles on school health, and continued to speak at domestic and international conferences until her death in 1946.

Words Of Wisdom

"To give to every citizen the information he needs for the transaction of his own business; To enable him to calculate for himself, and to express and preserve his ideas, his contracts and accounts, in writing; To improve, by reading, his morals and faculties; To understand his duties to his neighbors and country, and to discharge with competence the functions confided to him by either; To know his rights; to exercise with order and justice those he retains; to choose with discretion the fiduciary of those he delegates; and to notice their conduct with diligence, with candor, and judgment; And, in general, to observe with intelligence and faithfulness all the social relations under which he shall be placed."

--Thomas Jefferson, Report of the Commissioners for the University of Virginia, 1818

Government At Work

WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 27

7:30 a.m. – McHenry County Stormwater Commission—

Meeting cancelled

8:30 a.m. – McHenry County Staff Platt Committee—

Meeting cancelled

Prim Files Nominating Documents For McHenry County Sheriff

Republican candidate for Sheriff Bill Prim Monday filed his election petition documents with the McHenry County Clerk.  Although needing only 517 valid signatures for a spot on the party ballot, Prim filed more than 150 sheets containing more than 1,300 signatures.

“I want to thank the dozens of volunteers who spent many hours of their own time gathering signatures for my candidacy, enough so that we turned in roughly 2 ½ times the number required,” Prim said.

“My volunteers told me they encountered an enthusiastic spirit of reform throughout the entire county.  The people want reform and they’re tired of the same old creaky political organization just going through the motions when it comes to public office.  They want someone with a new outlook and new energy, and that’s what I intend to deliver.

2014 Primary Election -- March 18, 2014

Holiday Hours For Crystal Lake Public Library

The Crystal Lake Public Library will be closed on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 at 5 pm through Friday, November 29, 2013 for the Thanksgiving holiday.  The Library will re-open to the public at 9:00 am Saturday, November 30, 2013.

Words Of Wisdom

"Cherish, therefore, the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. Do not be too severe upon their errors, but reclaim them by enlightening them. If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, Judges, and Governors, shall all become wolves."

--Thomas Jefferson, letter to Edward Carrington, 1787

Government At Work

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 26-

7:00 a.m. – McHenry County Mental Health Board—

Meeting in the Mental Health Board Conference Room, 620 Dakota Street, Crystal Lake.

The Committee is to meet in executive session regarding the hiring of an executive director for the Mental Health Board.

8:30 a.m. – McHenry County Board Finance and Audit Committee-

Meeting in the County Board Conference Room, County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock.

The Committee is to consider seven resolutions including:

• Authorizing an increase in the daily room rates at Valley Hi Nursing Home
• Authorizing salary increases for the Board of Review for fiscal year 2013-2014
• Authorizing acceptance of an Illinois Department of Commerce Economic Opportunity Energy Grant
• Authorizing a Citrix XenApp Platinum Edition Software maintenance contract renewal for Fiscal Year 2014
• Authorizing an annual maintenance and support contract with Hyland Software for the OnBase Document Imaging System for Fiscal Year 2014
• Authorizing a telephone switch maintenance agreement with Mac Source Communications, Inc. for Fiscal Year 2014
• Authorizing the renewal of the IFMS Performance Series Accounting Software Maintenance Contract with Cogsdale Holdings, Ltd. for FY 2014

9:30 a.m. – McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals Voting Meeting-

Meeting in the County Board Conference Room, County Administration Building, 667 Ware Road, Woodstock.

The Board is to consider a decision regarding the conditional use permit to allow a surface mining operation, including not limited to the extraction, processing, crushing, storing, washing, screening and trucking of sand, gravel, aggregate and other earth materials.

6:00 p.m. – McHenry County Mental Health Board—

Meeting in the Mental Health Board Conference Room, 620 Dakota Street, Crystal Lake.

The Board is to consider giving approval to decline consumer price index increase under the PTELL provision for the Mental Health Board Tax Levy 2013 collected in 2014. Also to be considered are approval for a number of contracts for services including Horizons Behavioral Health LLC, Mathers Clinic, Proactive Behavioral Services and professional Consultations, Inc. and the annual insurance renewals.

7:00 p.m. – Lakewood Village Board—

Meeting in RedTail Golf Club, 7900 RedTail Drive, Lakewood—

The Board is to consider the following:

• An ordinance amending the Village Zoning Code regulating Medical Cultivation Center Sites and Dispensaries.
• An ordinance approving the low bid from Copenhaver Construction for the 2013 Outfill Storm Sewer Improvements in an amount of $125,925.
• Resolution for maintenance of streets and highways maintenance engineering to be performed by a consulting engineer
• Approval of a 2014 Farm Rental Agreement with Dan and Ross Fruin for $200 an acre or $6,000 annually.

Online Survey For West Nile Virus

Take online survey for West Nile virus, tick-borne diseases

McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) would like the public’s assistance in shaping future education and prevention efforts about West Nile virus (WNV) and tick-borne illnesses, like Lyme disease, in McHenry County. Funded by a grant from the State Health Department, MCDH has designed an anonymous, confidential online survey that will be available on its website at www.mcdh.info from Sunday, December 1 to Saturday, December 14.   

Available in both English and Spanish, the survey is looking to measure what residents know about the two illnesses, where they may have heard or read about West Nile or ticks – such as media, school, workplace, the Internet – and whether residents know how to protect themselves.  Standard demographic information will also be gathered. 

MCDH first reported cases of West Vile virus in 2001 and it continues to monitor activity of bird, mosquito and human cases through its surveillance system. Two human cases of WNV were reported this year, while 2012 had five human cases. Tick-borne illnesses such as Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever have become more prevalent in recent years with 36 cases reported in 2013, 39 cases in 2012 and 20 cases in 2011.

Survey results will assist MCDH staff in the design of program materials and outreach campaigns. For more information about West Nile virus and tick-borne illness, visit www.mcdh.info or call 815-334-4510.