HAWKS RALLY IN OVERTIME TO REACH CONFERENCE FINALS WESTERN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS Game 7: Blackhawks 2, Red Wings 1 (OT)
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MCC adjunct faculty face hours cut Inside People now buying their own health insurance could have coverage canceled this fall if the plans don’t meet requirements. PAGE A5
Proposed work limitations the result of changes in health insurance laws By JEFF ENGELHARDT jengelhardt@shawmedia.com CRYSTAL LAKE – Proposed work limitations made in response to the Affordable Care Act have hundreds of adjunct faculty members at McHenry County College concerned about
their futures. Beginning in August, the college is set to limit adjunct faculty – responsible for teaching roughly 50 percent of all credit hours – to 12 credit-hour course loads per semester and to restrict them to a single department. The limits are a response to
changes resulting from the Affordable Health Care Act, which would require employees working more than 30 hours a week to receive insurance. Twelve credit hours per semester would equal a 24-hour workweek. While the 24 credit-hour workload per school year has
Living with lupus
been in place previously, adjunct professor Peter Ponzio said it did not need to be split evenly between semesters and faculty could supplement their income with work at the Sage Learning Center, Shah Center and other tutoring services that now would be prohibited because of the sin-
Unpredictable disease hard to diagnose, but usually treatable
By LAWERENCE SYNETT lsynett@shawmedia.com
T
aylor Kassel struggled with health problems for more than a year before knowing exactly what was going on with her body. The 15-year-old had a rash on her face, lost her hair and was so weak that she could barely stand without falling. There also was a stretch where she had to go to the emergency room three straight weeks with a fever of more than 105 degrees. After visiting several doctors, she was correctly diagnosed with lupus nephritis, the most serious form of systemic lupus erythematosus, most commonly referred to as lupus. “It was really scary and frustrating going from doctor to doctor and them not being able to tell me what was wrong,” said Kassel, a sophomore at Crystal Lake South High School. “I’ve had to change everything from my eating habits to my daily routine, but I’m not going to let lupus run my life.” The Crystal Lake teen is one of more than a million Americans suffering from the potentially fatal autoimmune disease, according to the Lupus Foundation of America. Although an unpredictable and chronic disease that proves difficult to diagnose, lupus usually is treatable through medication and other therapies. Two years later, through a drastic diet change and several medications, the softball and volleyball player at South has been able to control her lupus, which includes heart, lung and kidney
gle supervisor requirement. Ponzio, president of the college’s adjunct faculty association, said some professors would have 15 credit hours per semester, which would be a 30-hour workweek, or work 10 or more
See ADJUNCT, page A7
Budget targets backlog of bills By SARA BURNETT The Associated Press
Kyle Grillot – kgrillot@shawmedia.com
Taylor Kassel, 15, plays with the family’s Shih Tzu, Edna Louise, recently at her home in Crystal Lake. Kassel was diagnosed with lupus in 2011, and is now on daily medication along with a new diet to help her deal with the disease. disease, as well as rheumatoid arthritis. That includes spending between $18,000 and $25,000 a year on nutritional products and hospital visits. “Our whole life has been turned upside down,” said her mother, Bonnie Kassel. “Taylor
is beating the odds. There is a fine line we have to walk between trying to keep her busy and tough and being empathetic.” In most people, the immune system protects the body against viruses, bacteria and other foreign substances, according to the
Lupus Foundation of America. In lupus, the immune system loses its ability to tell the difference between good and bad, and creates antibodies that target the body’s own tissue.
See LUPUS, page A7
“I’ve had to change everything from my eating habits to my daily routine, but I’m not going to let lupus run my life.” Taylor Kassel, 15-year-old Crystal Lake resident diagnosed with lupus nephritis
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois lawmakers call it the “April Surprise” – an unanticipated $1.2 billion increase in revenues that provided a rare bright spot in the state’s otherwise dreary financial outlook. But the one-time spike also has become a point of contention for Republicans as the Democrati c - c o n t r o l l e d Inside Legislature Lawmakers moves forward w i t h a n e w inched toward $ 3 5 . 4 b i l l i o n compromise general fund Wednesday budget the GOP on letting says “continues citizens carry down a path of guns in public tax, spend, bor- and solving row.” a $97 billion The House pension crisis. a n d S e n a t e PAGE A3 each have passed pieces of the budget package and sent them to the opposite chamber. Final votes are expected to occur Thursday and Friday. The April increase comes from tax payments from people and corporations that sold assets in 2012 to avoid higher tax rates starting in 2013. The influx of cash has surprised states across the nation, including California and Utah.
See BUDGET, page A3
LOCALLY SPEAKING
Sarah Nader – snader@shawmedia.com
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POLICE: TEEN LOVER SUBJECT OF SITE Prosecutors say a 33-year-old former McHenry man created a website devoted to his 15-year-old lover, and used it to document intimate details of their relationship. Alan Swierk was charged May 20 with aggravated criminal sexual abuse. A judge on Wednesday denied his request to lower his bond to $20,000. For more, see page B1.
PR’s Danny Pecoraro (left) and D-C’s Ryan Suwanski
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CRYSTAL LAKE: Dundee-Crown wins Class 4A Huntley Sectional baseball semifinal, 15-4, over PR. Sports, C1
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