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is which* ism or and in- *&sot*S> MONfy ' - *'.*"Ck .r -r: C«<$U5 JAKER A THE MCHENRY PLAINDEALER SERVING THE CHAIN-O-LAKES REGION SINCE 1875 Stoarb Eftnmng ̂ ttospaper 1979-- Illinois Press Association Newspaper Contest VOLUME' 104 NUMBER 58 FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 15, 1980 2 SECTIONS 22 PAGES 20* Study Food Sanitation Approximately 20 McHenry county restaurant managers and employees recently completed the first "food sanitation cer­ tification course" offered in McHenry county. The course is a response to a mandate from the state Department of Health and is offered through the McHenry County Health department. The slate and county departments are striving to have at least one certified "food handler" in every restaurant. In charge of the health department, Dr. Johnson said that certification is one of the things an inspector will look for and it can count against the restaurant if no one is certified. Johnson added that the state has left enforcement of the mandate up to local authorities and the course is offered in the county to make it easier for area restaurant managers and employees to attend. "We can't be too hard on them if the certification course is not easily available," Johnson said. According to Michael Letry, a county health in­ spector and course intructor, the course is designed to instruct the manager or employee in basic sanitation and proper methods of' handling food. Equally important, Letry said, is teaching these people why a health inspector does what he does. Dr. Johnson observed, "When an inspector tells a restaurant manager that he is deficient in certain areas, the manager knows what he must do to correct the situation, but he may not know why he is doing it." Letry explained, for example, that one of the more important causes of "food borne" illnesses is leaving meat at room temperature or improper refrigeration. "The danger zone is between 45 and 140 degrees," Letry pointed out. "This is where harmful organisms can reproduce - this is their growing temperature." Illnesses resulting from these organisms can range from simple nausea to death, The curriculum covers some of the can cause trichinosis; rodent sect control; and which can be used to problems before they Letry said the response 4© the first class Was good and that future classes will continue as long as there is interest. Dr. Johnson added, "We think consumers will be more comfortable if they know that someone working in the restaurant is cer­ tified." These two Norway rats were living creatures a year ago and were trapped in McHenry county. County Health department inspector, Michael Letry, said these models are used in thie rodent and insect control part of the certification course to stress particular characteristics of these rodents - most notably the size and the teeth. The rat in the foreground measured about eight inches in length, not including the tail. Letry said that rats are forever gnawing in order to pare down their teeth - which are forever growing. STAFF PHOTO-ANTHONY OLIVER He's Only- Peeking Mental Health Special Meetings On Budget Cuts The Policy and Management group (P&M board) of the McHenry County Mental Health board voted to hold special hearings beginning Feb. 15 with local mental health agencies to examine possible budget cuts to meet funding restrictions. This action was taken last week in response to a presentation by Dennis Smith, executive director of the Mental Health board, which indicated that federal funding for the coming year would not be increased to $1.6 million as anticipated earlier but held at the^ present $1.2 million level. The P&M board also grappled with federal program monitors' com­ plaint that the McHenry County Comprehensive Community Mental Health Service (MCCCMHS) does not have a satisfactory psychiatric inpatient unit as required. Board members learned that the - various., local agencies and units which are funded through the 708 Mental Health board with federal grants and a county mental health tax had of­ fered budgets that totaled about $400,000 over the available National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) grant amount of $1.2 million for the coming year, the second of the 8-year grant period. The P&M board, while not the decision­ making fiduciary agency, must review the programs in the budgets of the various units to determine where they can hold the line. Ann Patla, assistant director of the 708 board, explained that Public Law 94-63 authorized matching grants on a declining basis to initiate and continue mental health programs at the local level starting with an 80 percent federal and 20 percent local match for the first year and working down to a 25 percent federal and 75 percent local match for the last two years. Funds have to be re­ applied for each year. McHenry county; which already had programs in operation, applied for and received a 50-50 matching funds grant amounting to $1,190,990 for the first year at which level funds will probably continue to be granted on each re- application for several years, Patla indicated. Smith advised the board that McHenry county received the second highest grant of the 29 units in the country requesting funds. Smith, in outlining the needed action by the board, said they should consider policy recommendations to the 708 board for possible cuts in proposed budgets; recommendations to ap­ prove, disapprove or defer action on the proposed budget; and how to use the unobligated or unspent funds from the current year's budget. Smith also em­ phasized that the deadline for re-application for second year funding would be either March 1 or April 1. His staff would need about two weeks advance time to write the application. When board members pleaded the need for time beyond the constraints of a single meeting (such as this (Continued on page 8) Laud Taxpayers For Big Collection "You keep clicking that camera and I'll screech". The photographer claims the words came from this sleepy screech owl as he attempted to get some shutreye on a window sill at a vacant building on Elm street, just west of the Market Place, Wednesday morning. Unimpressed by the fact that he was about to be photographed, the small creatureopened one eye Just a bit to catch a glimpse of the shutterbug. Then he immediately closed it and refused to take another peek, even with considerable coaxing, and with numerous eyes focused on the wildlife drama. STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD McHenry county collected 98.65 percent of all taxes levied for the year 1978, Audrey R. Walgenbach, McHenry county treasurer, reported this past week. "The taxpayers of McHenry county should be congratulated once again for the near-perfect record of tax payments made this year," Mrs. Walgenbach said in commenting on the tax cycle which closed a few weeks ago. "While the 1978 per­ centage of collection did not equal the 1977 percentage, the difference was less than 1 percent. Collections of '78 were $55,244,767 out of a possible $56,007,815, whereas for '77 they reached $49,861,089 out of $50,089,989 levied." Sixteen of the seventeen townships in McHenry county collected more than 99 percent of the real estate levy, the highlight of the high collections performance in 1978. Coral township was highest with 99.99 percent and Burton township was lowest with 97.00 percent. Personal property tax assessments on all businesses ended with the 1978 tax year. Replacement of these taxes will come from increased income taxes levied on corporations by the State of Illinois which will remit them to local taxing bodies. State officials have estimated the amounts of these taxes to be returned to local taxing districts to be larger than personal property taxes received in the past. The 1978 personal property taxes charged for McHenry county was $3,879,266, but collection percentages fell from previous years. Seven of the seventeen townships collected 90 percent or more, with the highest collecting 96.59 percent, while two townships fell below 80 percent. Mrs Walgenbach has announced that cor­ porations which have failed to pay the 1978 personal property taxes will be sued for payment. Measured against the total tax levy combining real estate, personal property, railroad, leasehold and pollution control taxes, Riley township led in collection percentages with 99.62 percent; followed by Greenwood, 99.25 percent; Seneca and Hartland, 99.23 percent; Dunham, 99.12 percent; Alden, 99.09 per­ cent. Other township per­ formances were Grafton, 98.99 percent; Richmond, 98.93 percent; Hebron, 98.84 percent; Nunda, 98.73 percent; Marengo, 98.72 percent; McHenry, 98.65 percent; Coral, 98.63 per­ cent; Algonquin, 98.51 percent; Dorr, 98.39 per­ cent; Chemung, 98.12 per­ cent; and Burton, 94.88 percent. "School systems in McHenry county received $39,424,020 out of a total of $55,464,751 collected from all sources, a percentage of 71.08. While the schools' percentage share was down .9 percent, their dollar share was increased by $4,000,000," Mrs. Walgen­ bach said. "The county related funds, including Mental Health and Tuber­ culosis, received $4,228,599, an increase of 7.62 percent (Continued on page 8) 400 In Music Festival More than 400 high school students, including East and West will participate in the annual Fox Valley con­ ference vocal music festival scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Monday. Feb. 18, at Dundee Community high school. The guest conductor will be Dr. Karle Erickson from Lawrence university. The nine participating schools will be Cary-Grove, Irving Crown, H.D. Jacobs, Woodstock, McHenry West, McHenry East, Crystal Lake Central, Crystal Lake South, and Dundee. Tickets may be purchased through the music depart­ ment of the high schools. The concert will open with three numbers sung by the entire mass chorus, in­ cluding, "Blow the Candles Out". The girls alone will perform two numbers. One will be "Movin' On" with flute duet played by Sherri Warner and Kay Didier of Dundee high school. The honor choir, composed of eight students from each of the nine participating high schools, will sing three (Continued on page 8) Prepare For City Census Although the decision was not unanimous, Council members acted last week to hike non-moving traffic violations. We see reason for V Two Stolen Cars argument on each side. But with action to set a minimum $30 for a moving violation, it can't be said the more dangerous offender is being favored. Also, it has always been our view that if we violate a law that makes sense, we have to expect to pay for it. Almost any traffic violation law makes sense. At the risk of breaking a New Year resolution after less than six weeks, we might suggest the best way we know to add to the city coffers would be to reinstate that $35 fine once given more generously to drivers who block the intersection at Waukegan road and Front street. In the comparatively (Continued on page 8) Found Abandoned Two cars were stolen in the McHenry area recently, but both were later recovered. Shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday, John Freund, of 7611 Hancock, Wonder Lake, discovered that someone had taken his car. A search of the area by Sheriff's police located the abandoned auto on E. .Lake Shore drive in Wonder Lake. A car belonging to Judith Rode was stolen while it was warming outside a Sun- nyside tavern. The auto was found later at the intersection of Channel Beach and Wilmot road, but Ms. Rode's wallet and keys were missing. Last week. Sheriff's police were called to investigate a suspicious appearing auto in the parking lot of Intermatic corporation, on Route 12, Spring Grove. The car departed before the police arrived and the report said nothing was found to have been distur­ bed. Later that afternoon, at about 5 p.m., the Sheriff's police were again called to Intermatic corporation where Mindy Marotta, of Spring Grove, reported that someone had broken the driver's Window of her car and had stolen a tape player. Another Intermatic em- (Continued on page 8) ... Steven Karlovics, in charge of Held operation assistance employment for the Bureau of the Census, administers a test to unidentified man in the City Council room on Green street Tuesday. The test, to be given from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the remaining two Tuesdays of February and in March, consists of 54 questions designed to measure the skills, abilities and knowledge required to perform a variety of census jobs. One hour is allowed to complete the test. The census will be taken starting April 1. STAFF PHOTO-WAYNE GAYLORD We in the boondocks read in newspaper, hear over radio and see on television the problems of Chicago. Strikes, threatened strikes, arson and murder make most of us give a silent thanks that as neigh­ borhoods go, we are still a part of rural Illinois. But none of us can be so naive that we read accounts of local governmental meetings and believe we have no problems. And because they are in our midst, they are our problems and very real.