The following is taken from: http://www.people-press.org/2011/11/29/more-now-disagree-with-tea-party-%E2%80%93-even-in-tea-party-districts/?src=prc-headline
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Boone County’s next Congressman Walsh-Ruscitti-Hultgren?
That is the #1 what-if story run in the Daily Herald and repeated by Cal Skinner’ McHenry County Blog-- If the Democratic drawn 8/14th Districts are not approved by the courts and Tea Partier, Joe Walsh runs elsewhere. And of course that is the background story in as much as Boone County will not even be affected if the Democratic drawn district meet legal muster. So the fate of who is our next Congressman/women might be in the hands of the courts and state Republican party.
Click on the following for the original newspaper story: http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20111128/news/711289660/
Click on following for Mr. Skinner’s story: http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2011/11/29/daily-herald-reports-walsh-may-run-in-8th-congressional-district-nrcc-search-over/
Monday, November 28, 2011
Democrats defend their President and disc the flip flopper
The Democratic National Committee is up with the web advertisement (see video below) – in addition to a shorter 30-second bit in Virginia, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Pittsburgh and Wisconsin – highlighting what they see as Mitt Romney’s changes of heart on a variety of issues (from abortion to the President’s stimulus plan to recent ballot measures in Ohio) all interspersed with TV pundits and late-night talk show hosts taking aim at the GOP frontrunner.
Two Boone County Board members FOIA Health Department concerning the “$16,266 Personnel Survey Results”
Mr. Mattison and Mr. Freeman submitted this Freedom of Information request to the new Health Department Administrator, Cynthia Frank, and FOIA Officer, Bill Hatfield. Based upon the reason for the request—perhaps the public will get a better idea of what is going on.
Boone County Health Board: October3,2011 Executive Session
Why did it take 10 months for the Board of Health to review and approve minutes from 2010?
The following is take from the Health Department’s website: http://www.boonecountyil.org/sites/default/files/oct%203%202011closed1.pdf
BOONE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH
EXECUTIVE MEETING MINUTES
October 3, 2011
BOONE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Members Present: Dr. Hess, Allen Sisson, Jim Cox, Gary Turner, Dr. D’Souza, Kathleen Taylor, Jack Spotz, Dr. Juarez, Marshall
Newhouse and George Sprecher.
Staff Present: None
Guests Present: None
The Board of Health went into closed session at 1:05 P.M. to discuss candidates for Boone County Health department Administrator,
and also to approve closed session minutes.
Sanitized versions of the resumes for the 3 final candidates were distributed to the Board Members. Dr. Hess reminded the Board
that the information was to remain confidential. The Search Committee reviewed the process to date. The Board is to review the
resumes to prepare for the future face-to-face interviews which will include the entire Board at dates to be determined. The Search
Committee will wait to receive confirmation from IDPH concerning the qualifications of the candidates, and also the results of the
background check from the Illinois State police.
Approval of Minutes:
A motion was made by Allen Sisson and seconded by Jim Cox to approve the following meeting minutes.
• December 17, 2010.
• January 31, 2011.
• April 14, 2011.
• August 1, 2011.
• August 25, 2011.
Motion Carried.
The Board of Health returned to open session at 1:15 P.M.
Submitted through Allen Sisson.
BCJ Part II—The Boone County Health Department and its problems
The following is taken from Friday, November 25, 2011 Boone County Journal which is available free of charge at participating merchants across the county or on line at: http://www.boonecountyjournal.com/news/2011/Boone-County-News-11-25-11.pdf#page=3
Click on the photocopy to enlarge:
Should you wish to read the Health Department’s minutes which are referred above go to: http://www.boonecountyil.org/past-meetings?field_meetingtype_value_many_to_one=Boone+County+Board+of+Health That site is shown below:
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Capron Rescue Squad sees need for financial audit
Wednesday, 23 November 2011 21:25 Bob Balgemann
Stephanie Lombardi and Carla Paschal of Sikich LLP told the district’s board of trustees Nov. 15 they found problems with the way money was being spent and offered a series of recommendations for correcting those difficulties.
Sikich was hired to provide a snapshot of how the district was faring financially after trustees determined the squad had not received a financial audit for a number of years. Sikich representatives will prepare a follow-up report with recommendations, possibly in time for the Dec. 20 meeting.
Among the irregularities were purchases being made without the usual invoices as documentation. Lombardi said she found that in six of 17 purchases made during 2009 and in 6-of-9 transactions from 2010.
It also was unclear initially… if annual financial reports had been filed with the state Comptroller’s Office for 2009, 2010 or 2011. She said she met with the accountant Oct. 21 and was told the three years worth of reports had been filed “the night before our meeting.”
During the meeting both Costanza and Eaton mentioned being unable to get financial records from the accountant. Costanza said afterward those records would “give us information we need so we can determine who checks were written to, both for the squad and vendors. Now, the records only say ‘payroll,’ not individual names.
He added that W-2 reconciliations were not available beyond the current year. ….
In addition to providing recommendations, Lombardi said she and Paschal would do some budget to actual spending analysis for 2009, 2010 and 2011. The rescue squad district’s fiscal year runs from May 1 to April 30.
Lombardi said what she and Paschal were presenting was a “consulting engagement,” not an audit. There isn’t a cost estimate yet for that report, according to Costanza.
Capron Rescue Squad covers a 144-square-mile area of northern Boone County, including the villages of Capron, Poplar Grove, Caledonia and Timberlane, along with unincorporated areas such as Candlewick Lake.
Read the rest of the story by click on the following: http://www.belvideredailyrepublican.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7174:capron-rescue-squad-sees-need-for-financial-audit&catid=108:boone-county&Itemid=510
McHenry County to vote on putting electric aggregation on ballot
By KEVIN P. CRAVER - kcraver@shawmedia.com Created: Saturday, November 26, 2011 5:30 a.m. CSTThe
State’s Attorney’s Office is drafting the resolution language, County Administrator Peter Austin said earlier this week.
Barring a special meeting, it would go before the Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee on Dec. 8, and go before the full County Board at its Dec. 20 meeting. The deadline to put referendums on the March ballot is Jan. 3.
Click on the following to read the rest of the story: http://www.nwherald.com/2011/11/21/county-to-vote-on-putting-electric-aggregation-on-ballot/a6weowl/
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Rockford has many TIF’s which are not complying with reporting requirements
The following is taken from the Illinois Comptroller’s website: http://www.ioc.state.il.us/index.cfm/linkservid/D39053C0-9060-4B2B-914222076B44D7E8/showMeta/0/
Area wide iFiber Project
Fiber optic project makes headway in Stephenson County
By Travis Morse
Posted Nov 18, 2011 @ 05:05 PM
$69M initiative will provide high-speed Internet access to under-served areas
In 2010, the broadband initiative received a major grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce. An estimated $46.1 million in federal funding will go toward the project, with the rest of the money coming from the private sector and the Illinois Broadband Deployment Program.
Federal grant guidelines require the new network to be completed by June 2013. However, there may be a gradual switching on of the network as the initiative progresses, Payette said. By mid-2012, some community anchor institutions may begin to have access to the new system, he said.
Click on the following for more details: http://www.journalstandard.com/news/business/x1944403475/Fiber-optic-project-makes-headway-in-Stephenson-County
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Funderburg family's Boone County farmland auction nets $24.6M
Athans, sitting up front right next to the auctioneer, was aggressive from the start and ended up winning 2,403 acres for a purchase price of $18.5 million. In all, 12 people or farm businesses won parcels for a total price of $24.6 million.
It’s highly likely that today was the biggest farmland sale in local history, easily surpassing the $17 million paid by Union Pacific to four Ogle County farming families for 1,175 acres near Rochelle in 2001. The railroad needed that land to build the Global III intermodal facility.
Click on the following for more details: http://www.rrstar.com/news/x1425131871/Funderburg-familys-Boone-County-farmland-auction-nets-24-6-million
Friday, November 18, 2011
The never ending story of the County Health Department
Click on the photocopy to enlarge:
It will be interesting to see what Part 2 will bring.
Journal’s Coverage of the county budget and Mr. Mattison’s Letter to the Editor
The following is taken from this Friday, November 18, 2011, which is available free of cost at merchants across the county and on the web at:http://www.boonecountyjournal.com/news/2011/Boone-County-News-11-18-11.pdf#page=1
Click on the photocopy to enlarge:
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Capron Rescue Squad trustee sues over laptop issue
Click the photocopies to enlarge:
Capron Rescue Squad trustee sues over laptop issue
Wednesday, 16 November 2011 21:18 Bob Balgemann
CAPRON – A member of the Capron Rescue Squad Board of Trustees has filed a lawsuit against two other board members, plus the chief of the squad, over an issue involving a laptop computer that was removed from the squad’s office earlier this year.
The suit was filed Nov. 2 on behalf of board member Sara Istad against the board chairwoman, Vanessa Eaton, board member Owen Costanza and squad chief Tony Stepansky. It seeks more than $50,000 in compensatory damages.
Click on the following to read the rest of the story: http://www.belvideredailyrepublican.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7147:capron-rescue-squad-trustee-sues-over-laptop-issue&catid=108:boone-county&Itemid=510
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
St. James School on You Tube
To see the clip shown below click on the following: http://youtu.be/wMjq0VJ1tmU
Journal’s Editorial for second week speaks of health Department
The following is taken from the Boone County Journal for November 11, 2011. The paper is available free of cost at merchants across the county and online at: http://www.boonecountyjournal.com/news/2011/Boone-County-News-11-11-11.pdf#page=1
Click on the photocopy to enlarge.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Deportations Under New U.S. Policy Are Inconsistent
Since June, when the policy was unveiled, frustrated lawyers and advocates have seen a steady march of deportations of immigrants with no criminal record and with extensive roots in the United States, who seemed to fit the administration’s profile of those who should be allowed to remain.
But at the same time, in other cases, immigrants on the brink of expulsion saw their deportations halted at the last minute, sometimes after public protests. In some instances, immigration prosecutors acted, with no prodding from advocates, to abandon deportations of immigrants with strong ties to this country whose only violation was their illegal status.
Click on the following for the rest of the story: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/13/us/politics/president-obamas-policy-on-deportation-is-unevenly-applied.html?_r=1&hp
McHenry County reports whooping cough outbreak
Health officials in McHenry County say a whooping cough outbreak has extended beyond schools and into the general public.
The outbreak now includes 79 cases in 12 towns. Health officials say most cases are in children ages 11-19.
Click on the following for more details: http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2011/11/11/mchenry-county-reports-whooping-cough-outbreak/atpak5r/
Following graphs are from McHenry County Health Department: http://www.co.mchenry.il.us/departments/health/pdfDocs/SchoolNurse/CD/Pertussis%20chart%201,%2011-10-11.pdf
Belvidere Township urged to help county food pantry financially
Now a longtime resident of the township, Cathy Ward, is suggesting the township should honor that request.
“They say they want to help the community and they’ve got the money, so why not spend it?” she asked Thursday, during an interview. “Belvidere Township has more than half of all the Boone County residents and the biggest percentage of those in poverty live there.”
During her appearance before the board, Clark said the food pantry feeds residents of Belvidere Township and the other eight townships, too. So far only Poplar Grove Township has stepped up, most recently donating $2,000.
The Belvidere Township board recently tried to buy the old Eagle’s Club building on Locust Avenue. The plan was to lease it to the Belvidere YMCA, which would use the facility for additional youth programming. But the electorate overwhelmingly rejected the purchase.
It was said more than once during special town meetings on the acquisition that the township had the money with which to make the purchase.
As an extension of that, Ward, a Boone County Board member, said the township could help young people by spending some of its money on feeding youngsters who are in need. “I will continue to pursue this,” she said.
She wrote a letter to the township board of trustees, dated Oct. 9, which read, in part:
“I don’t pretend to know all the fact behind your finances, but I have to believe that you have funds available to help the hungry in our community, judging from several recently publicized plans and previous news stories.
“I know that government bodies are also coming to you, asking for your help as you seem to have more available money than most government and not-for-profit groups.”
Ward wrote that she and her husband, Mike, have been residents of Belvidere Township for more than 40 years. “We would certainly hope that you will be generous to this worth group in Boone County,” she stated. “I have been to this pantry and their fund-raisers many, many times. They are dedicated volunteers, going above and beyond to help those less fortunate.”
No response yet
Click on the following for more details: http://www.belvideredailyrepublican.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7133:belvidere-township-urged-to-help-county-food-pantry-financially&catid=106:belvidere&Itemid=508
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Citizen group eggs on Sycamore to allow personal hens
By JEFF ENGELHARDT
Domenighini and her organization Sycamore Citizens for Backyard Chickens will host a public screening of the documentary “Mad City Chickens” at 6:30 p.m. today in the Sycamore Public Library in an effort to gain support for allowing residents to have hens in city limits.
The documentary focuses on Madison, Wis., and its decision to allow chickens within the city. The film highlights the perks of owning a chicken, including the production of fresh eggs, fertilizer for gardens, pest control and its role as a family pet that can teach responsibility
Click on the following for more of the story: http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2011/11/09/citizen-group-eggs-on-sycamore-to-allow-personal-hens/abdqo70/
What’s the third?
UPDATE 11-12-2011
\
Click on the following and see the end of Candidate Perry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zUA2rDVrmNg
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Chemtool bought by Lubrizol
By CHRIS FREEMAN
Chemtool announced Wednesday that it would be bought by Lubrizol, a division of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. The sale price was not announced, but Athans said there would be no changes to the Crystal Lake operations.
"There are no plans to close any facilities, we're not going to have any layoffs," he said. "In fact, we're going to have a job fair next week and we'll be adding more people."…
Chemtool announced Wednesday that it would be bought by Lubrizol, a division of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. The sale price was not announced, but Athans said there would be no changes to the Crystal Lake operations.
"There are no plans to close any facilities, we're not going to have any layoffs," he said. "In fact, we're going to have a job fair next week and we'll be adding more people."
Lubrizol is based in suburban Cleveland and is a division of Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway. Berkshire bought Lubrizol in September.
Click on the following for more details: http://www.nwherald.com/2011/11/09/chemtool-bought-by-lubrizol/adpzmip/
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Where do our donations go?
A friend and veteran sent me this to share.
Subject: Donations
Helping others?
As you open your pockets for the next natural disaster, please keep
these facts in mind:American Red Cross President and CEO Marsha J. Evans salary for
the year was $651,957....plus expenses.
The United Way President Brian Gallagher receives a $375,000 base
salary....along with numerous expense benefits.
UNICEF CEO Caryl M. Stern receives $1,200,000 per year (100k per
month)....plus all expenses including a ROLLS ROYCE. Less than 5 cents
of your donated dollar goes to the cause.
The Salvation Army's Commissioner Todd Bassett receives a salary of
only $13,000 per year (plus housing) for managing this $2 billion
dollar organization. 96 percent of donated dollars go to the cause.
The American Legion National Commander receives $0.00 (zero) salary.
Your donations go to help Veterans, their families and youth!
The Veterans of Foreign Wars National Commander receives a $0.00
(zero) salary.
Your donations go to help Veterans, their families and youth!
The Disabled American Veterans National Commander receives a $0.00
(zero) salary.
Your donations go to help Veterans, their families and youth!
The Military Order of Purple Hearts National Commander receives a
$0.00(zero) salary.
Your donations go to help Veterans, their families and youth!
The Vietnam Veterans Association National Commander receives a $0.00
(zero) salary.
Your donations go to help Veterans, their families and youth!
Think about where you want your money going...
Please share this information.
City of McHenry looks to electrical aggregation
The City Council joined the municipalities of Lake in the Hills, Lakewood, Marengo, McCullom Lake, Prairie Grove and Woodstock who have expressed interest in going forward with pursuing electrical aggregation.
The program would be for residential and small commercial retail users.
People potentially can see between 17 and 28 percent in electric bill savings under municipal aggregation, Deputy City Administrator Doug Martin said in a memo to the City Council.
“The city of McHenry will work in conjunction with the McHenry County Council of Governments to get the most bang for the buck to aggregate all the communities’ electricity and the best rate,” Martin said.
Click on the following for the rest of the story: http://www.nwherald.com/2011/11/07/mchenry-looks-to-electrical-aggregation/aspq7we/
Boone County’s proposed budget available for viewing
But as meetings continued over the summer the committee came up with a way to eliminate $1 million of the projected shortfall. Members agreed to take excess money from a number of accounts.
Specifically, they proposed using $425,000 from the public safety tax, $400,000 from the Maple Crest retirement home fund with the balance coming from two other funds. That meant Terrinoni and department heads would have to pare spending by just $125,000 to create a balanced budget.
Click on the following for more details: http://www.belvideredailyrepublican.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7115:boone-countys-proposed-budget-available-for-viewing&catid=106:belvidere&Itemid=508
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Ads about Illinois’ pension battle are emotional and poignant, but are they true?
By Mike Riopell
Yet, none of the ads tells the full story, and the fierce tone doesn’t necessarily foster an atmosphere for compromise on an issue that could come to a head as the legislature reconvenes this week,
Click on the following for the complete story: http://dailyherald.com/article/20111106/news/711069892/
State declines to investigate vast majority of hospital complaints
Illinois officials didn't look into 85 percent of the 560 hospital complaints received last year, even when the reports alleged violations such as patient abuse
By Megan Twohey, Chicago Tribune reporter
The Illinois Department of Public Health declined to investigate 85 percent of the 560 hospital 
Read the complete story by clicking on the following: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/ct-met-hospital-investigations-20111106,0,601576,full.story
What caused the financial crisis? The Big Lie goes viral.
- Barry Ritholtz
- Columnist
Following is an excerpt from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/what-caused-the-financial-crisis-the-big-lie-goes-viral/2011/10/31/gIQAXlSOqM_story_1.html These are causes according to the columnist.
And what about those facts? To be clear, no single issue was the cause. Our economy is a complex and intricate system. What caused the crisis? Look:
●Fed Chair Alan Greenspan dropped rates to 1 percent — levels not seen for half a century — and kept them there for an unprecedentedly long period. This caused a spiral in anything priced in dollars (i.e., oil, gold) or credit (i.e., housing) or liquidity driven (i.e., stocks).
●Low rates meant asset managers could no longer get decent yields from municipal bonds or Treasurys. Instead, they turned to high-yield mortgage-backed securities. Nearly all of them failed to do adequate due diligence before buying them, did not understand these instruments or the risk involved. They violated one of the most important rules of investing: Know what you own.
●Fund managers made this error because they relied on the credit ratings agencies — Moody’s, S&P and Fitch. They had placed an AAA rating on these junk securities, claiming they were as safe as U.S. Treasurys.
4 Derivatives had become a uniquely unregulated financial instrument. They are exempt from all oversight, counter-party disclosure, exchange listing requirements, state insurance supervision and, most important, reserve requirements. This allowed AIG to write $3 trillion in derivatives while reserving precisely zero dollars against future claims.
5 The Securities and Exchange Commission changed the leverage rules for just five Wall Street banks in 2004. The “Bear Stearns exemption” replaced the 1977 net capitalization rule’s 12-to-1 leverage limit. In its place, it allowed unlimited leverage for Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns. These banks ramped leverage to 20-, 30-, even 40-to-1. Extreme leverage leaves very little room for error.
6Wall Street’s compensation system was skewed toward short-term performance. It gives traders lots of upside and none of the downside. This creates incentives to take excessive risks.
7 The demand for higher-yielding paper led Wall Street to begin bundling mortgages. The highest yielding were subprime mortgages. This market was dominated by non-bank originators exempt from most regulations. The Fed could have supervised them, but Greenspan did not.
8 These mortgage originators’ lend-to-sell-to-securitizers model had them holding mortgages for a very short period. This allowed them to get creative with underwriting standards, abdicating traditional lending metrics such as income, credit rating, debt-service history and loan-to-value.
9 “Innovative” mortgage products were developed to reach more subprime borrowers. These include 2/28 adjustable-rate mortgages, interest-only loans, piggy-bank mortgages (simultaneous underlying mortgage and home-equity lines) and the notorious negative amortization loans (borrower’s indebtedness goes up each month). These mortgages defaulted in vastly disproportionate numbers to traditional 30-year fixed mortgages.
Boone County Health Department Problems back in the News
The following story and editorial is taken from the October 4, 2011, Boone County Journal which is available free of cost at a merchant near you or on line at: http://www.boonecountyjournal.com/news/2011/Boone-County-News-11-04-11.pdf#page=1
Click on the photocopy to enlarge:
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Northwood Nursing Home, Belvidere, Il
Care Center; Belvidere, IL
Following is taken from: http://www.nursinghomesabuseblog.com/illinois-nursing-homes/
Posted by Jonathan Rosenfeldon August 23, 2011
Three surveys; one very negligent nursing home. At least that’s what it looks like after analyzing recent Illinois Health Department data about the Northwoods Care Centre in Belvidere, IL.
The surveys, conducted in late 2010, and June 2011, highlight several areas in which the home was consistently negligent. Key among them was the failure to distribute medications on time, failure to keep residents properly fed, and failure to develop proper care plans.
Along with noting disturbing trends at Northwoods, the surveys documented several unacceptable incidents, including:
- Physical Abuse and Improper Wound Care on October 17, 2010
Surveyors found that staff left the patient’s open wound “oozing with blood” for more than four hours, from 2 - 6 p.m. on October 17, 2010. The hematoma rapidly grew from the size of a half-dollar to the length of the patient’s calf. Only after the patient’s sheets became “saturated with blood” did nursing staff decide to take action.
When asked in an interview how often she monitored the patient, the primary care nurse replied: “Every 20-40 minutes. Even if we weren’t documenting, at least every hour.” The Director of Nursing claimed that Northwoods had no official policy regarding the assessment of injuries.
The Illinois Department of Health Considered the incident an “F-Tag 309,” or violation of quality of care.
- Head Injury on November 24, 2010 Due to a Dangerous Headboard
A December 2010 survey carefully noted an incident where a resident sustained a serious head injury as a result of contact with a dangerous headboard. According to the survey, the patient cut her head on an “ornate object with notable sharp edges” on November 24, 2010. The laceration was 1/4-inch deep with a “moderate amount of bleeding.”
As of December 6, 2010 - when the survey was completed - nurses still had yet to move the patient to a safer bed.
Northwoods, according to the Medicare data, has twice as many “health care deficiencies” (19) as the average nursing home in Illinois, which typically has eight. Its percentage of patients with pressure sores (28) is also more than twice the Illinois average of 13 percent.
The health department surveys noted that Northwoods has paid more than $16,000 in civil fees over the past year. An additional financial report says Northwoods presently owes $8,000 for a “Type A” violation “in the area of nursing.” (See that report below in red)
If you have a family member at Northwoods Care Centre who you believe is suffering from mistreatment, we would honor the opportunity to speak with you. As always, our consultations are free of charge and completely confidential.
FACILITY NAME: Northwoods Care Centre
FACILITY ADDRESS: 2250 Pearl Street
Belvidere, Illinois 61008
DOCKET #: NH 11-S0013
NAME OF OWNER OR LICENSEE: Northwoods Care Centre, LP
ADDRESS: 801 Skokie Blvd., Ste. 100
Northbrook, Illinois 60062
On January 31, 2011, sent Notice of Type “A” Violation relating to the area of nursing and Notice of Fine Assessment of $8,000. A hearing has been requested.
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