** MONDAY, MAY 13, 2013
WWW.NWHERALD.COM
The only daily newspaper published in McHenry Co.
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PREP BASEBALL • SPORTS, B1
ON THE RECORD WITH... • LOCAL, A3
Piotr Barnas sports high batting average, 35 on ACT, much more
The Rev. Janie Long talks preaching on public access
EMPLOYERS STRIVE TO KEEP WORKERS HAPPY
A more relaxing workplace
McHenry officials shop local Council votes to spend more on six vehicles By EMILY K. COLEMAN ecoleman@shawmedia.com
H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@shawmedia.com
Centegra Woodstock specialty hospital RN Tom McAndrews looks over booklets of comfort in a second-floor “peace room.” The facility is making a stressful transition to a new electronic medical records system and peace rooms were set up to help people relax.
Officials: Compensation is vital, but other perks help ease stress By SHAWN SHINNEMAN sshinneman@shawmedia.com WOODSTOCK – Concerned they might lose their employees to the stress accompanying an impending switch in electronic filing systems, a few hospital directors emailed Centegra wellness manager Celine Pope in March, asking for help. Pope and Wellness for Life coordinator Jenny Hendricks sprang into
Most important factors for job satisfaction On a study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management in 2012, employees selected the following factors as “very important”:
action. They decided to build Paragon Peace rooms in each hospital, offering things such as guided meditation, yoga mats and healthy snack food leading up to and during the crucial first week of transition, which started May 6. “The peace room was to be a place where the associates could relax and reset,” Hendricks said. “We provided materials for them to help take a break from the stressful workday.”
63 60
percent: Opportunities to use skills and abilities percent: Compensation or pay
57 54
Hendricks and Pope know the energy of healthy, happy employees can vibrate through a workforce, yielding higher quality and more consistent work. Although a sluggish economy makes it tough for many to give raises, employers are looking for other ways to keep employee morale up.
See WORKPLACE, page A8
percent: Communication between employees and senior management percent: Relationship with immediate supervisor
53
percent: Benefits
Note: The 600 respondents could rate each factor by importance from 1 (very unimportant) to 4 (very important).
McHENRY – Shopping locally is worth an extra $700 per car, the McHenry City Council decided in a 6-1 vote. The routine purchase of six vehicles – replacing five in the police department and one in the public works department – was sidetracked by a conversation over whether the city should go with a local dealer or the lower proposal. Staff had made the recommendation to go with the local dealer for the four new cars – another two will be bought used – because the money stays in the community, and it builds goodwill between the municipality and local businesses, City Administrator Derik Morefield said. This type of evaluation takes place in other communities as well. The city of Woodstock, for example, doesn’t have a policy, but staff does take whether the business is local into consideration in developing its recommendation, Woodstock City Manager Roscoe Stelford said. How much extra the city is willing to spend depends on the total price of the product and what the difference is as a percentage, he said. For a car, a 1 to 2 percent
Time running out for Ill. concealed-carry accord By JOHN O’CONNOR The Associated Press SPRINGFIELD – The courts, the Capitol and the clock are complicating a debate over how to end the prohibition on carrying concealed firearms in Illinois. There are fewer than 30 days left before a judicial deadline for developing a framework on allowing public weapons possession in the only state that currently has
a ban. Attempts at legislative remedies failed in the House late last month, including one endorsed by the National Rifle Association that could resurface. Senators may try a version of their own as early as this week. Sen. Kwame Raoul, a Chicago Democrat, is refining an earlier concealed-carry proposal that drew gun owners’ derision last month. Discussions with Senate Democrats could produce a consensus
plan that could get a vote within days, spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said. A federal court order in December that found the ban unconstitutional set a June 9 deadline for solving the problem. The question divides lawmakers along geographical and political lines and even splits the two chambers – both led by Democrats. Here are some questions and answers about the issue:
LOOKING FORWARD
Q: How has Illinois avoided
the concealed-carry wave? A: In a word: Chicago. For decades, it has been one of the nation’s more violent cities. It’s also a city dominated by Democrats, a party whose liberal wing has generally clung to strict restrictions on guns, at least in the half-century since gun control shot to the top of the national consciousness after the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy, Sen. Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.
Q: What’s the feeling outside Chicago? A: The gun-rights agenda is far less party-based. Democrats and Republicans alike, particularly in central and southern Illinois, represent thousands of hunters and sports shooters; they are more conservative with stronger views about Second Amendment liberties.
Q: If this has been going on
“The last thing we want to do is not patronize our local shops and businesses, although certainly we have to be aware. If there’s a significant difference, we should go where we can get the best deal for the taxpayers.” Geri Condon McHenry alderwoman
difference could amount to a couple of hundred dollars. “By shopping local, you support your own economy,” Roscoe said. “They pay taxes into your local government. They provide jobs, in many cases, to residents of the community.” McHenry Alderman Andy Glab – the sole “no” vote – said he did not think paying more was an appropriate use of tax dollars. “We have no advantage to staying local as far as the taxpayers,” he said. “There are other programs where we support our businesses with, but to support them by paying more, I just don’t get it.”
See LOCAL, page A8
“The right to ‘bear’ as distinct from the right to ‘keep’ arms is unlikely to refer to the home ... A right to bear arms thus implies a right to carry a loaded gun outside the home.” Judge Richard Posner wrote for the majority in 7th Circuit appeals court
See GUNS, page A8
SATURDAY
STRIKE OUT MS EVENT IN JOHNSBURG A Strike Out MS fundraiser will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday at Raymond’s Bowl & Entertainment Center, 3960 N. Johnsburg Road. This is a MS Society fundraiser. The cost is $25 minimum per person. Call 815-245-3647, email taylor7914@aol. com or visit www.facebook.com/strike.out.ms.bowl.
Zachary Quinto
FRIDAY: “Star Trek Into Darkness,” starring Chris Pine opens in theaters Chris Pine Paramount Pictures
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63 48 Complete forecast on A10
The week’s happenings in news, sports and more. Page A2 Vol. 28, Issue 133
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