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OpiniOn
The WoodsTock IndependenT
Woodstock, IL w 1987

Aug. 22-28, 2012

The WoodsTock IndependenT

ContaCt opinion letters@thewoodstockindependent.com

Cheryl Wormley Paul Wormley

Co-Owner

Publisher, Co-Owner

The ediTorial Board

Cheryl Wormley John C. Trione Mike Neumann Katelyn Stanek Jay Schulz Rhonda Mix

John C. Trione mike neumann

News Editor

General Manager

our vIeW

Congrats on 30 years, Family Alliance

For 30 years, Family Alliance has maintained a strong presence in the Woodstock area. In 1981, Carol Louise, executive director and founder of Family Alliance, recognized the need for an adult day program in McHenry County that would provide structure and socialization for adults with special needs and respite for their caregivers. The mission was to assist mature adults in the Northern Illinois region to remain in their homes and achieve resiliency in their communities. To promote independence, the organization provides best-of-practice day programming, inhome and on-site mental health and dementia services and proactive caregiver support. At the time of its creation, Family Alliance was the only adult day health care agency in McHenry County. The same is true today. Services have been expanded to include comprehensive mental health services, dementiaspecific services including caregiver support groups and community education and wellnessfocused programs. Im so glad that we chose this city [to open the facility], Louise said at an Aug. 7 Woodstock City Council meeting. The council honored Family Alliance with a proclamation celebrating the years of service. The Independent is just as appreciative of Family Alliance for choosing to open in Woodstock. We thank Louise and the superior staff at the organization for continuing to accomplish its mission every year, even at a time when the economy and financials are not what they once were. At the council meeting, Louise said she has been consistently pleased with the response from the public, the clients and the families who use the services at Family Alliance. She said Woodstock Police Department and Woodstock Fire/Rescue District personnel also have been professional and courteous to staff and clients during times when assistance was needed. The Independent appreciates the bond formed between the community and Family Alliance. It has made our city and the county as a whole a better place. We thank all involved. The Independent thanks all those involved with making the inaugural Purple Heart Day ceremony a success. Thanks to the veterans who attended, the city officials and residents who helped organize the event and the businesses that donated time and services to make the day special. We look forward to Purple Heart Day being an annual observance in the city for years to come.

With the rising cost of gas and people becoming more environmentally conscious, many are turning to electric vehicles for their transportation needs. What are two new modes of getting around? Electric cars and scooters. I recently had the opportunity to test drive a Global Electric Motorcar at Woodstock Power Sports, where the business currently has three electric cars available for purchase. If a car and golf cart got married and had a bubble-like child, the GEM car, recently released by Polaris, would be it. The whimsical, streetlegal GEM car appealed to me visually as well as for its environmentally friendly factors. Driving the car was simple enough, but I will be the first to admit driving an electric car with a top speed of 25 mph in traffic along Highway 47 was not the most relaxing activity. The Independents photographer Ken Farver and I had the opportunity to drive the two-passenger car to our office as well as around the Square. I am usually quite adventurous when it comes to vehicles, but Ken seemed to enjoy the experience a lot more than I did. I liked the open-air feel to it, he said. Wish I had some large property

Going green on the road

to drive people around in the six passenger version. While I also liked the open-air feel, not being able to crank the car up to traffic speed made me nerRhonda vous, and it felt a Mix little too much like driving a golf cart down a busy road. Mix I didnt feel safe. Messages I do think the GEM car would be perfect for golf courses, resorts, campuses, leisurely drives around the neighborhood and the Square, and on roads with a speed limit under 35 mph, which is what the car is designed for. My verdict? GEM cars are not my cup of tea, but they might be perfect for someone else. I did however, love the Vectrix VX-1 515-pound electric scooter I took for a spin at Randys Cycle in Marengo. With a top speed of 65 mph, this electric scooter was a lot of fun to ride. Virtually silent, the bike hit zero to 60 in no time at all and was extremely easy to maneuver, despite its bulk. I had a smile on my face the whole time. Electric scooters are not extremely popular at the moment, but I suspect more people will turn to them if the cost of gas continues to rise. Vectrix electric scooters can go about 38 miles before needing a fourhour recharge, which is easily accomplished through a wall plug. With the low maintenance costs and going green aspect, shop owner Randy Weaver said people are becoming more curious and accepting of electric bikes. The shop also had electric motorcycles available for purchase. The motorcycles have a top speed of 90 mph and the ability to travel 114 miles before needing a recharge. Will people kick their gas cars to the curb? Will electric automobiles be the main mode of transportation in the future? Only time will tell but I suspect there will be a large increase in electric vehicle purchases over the next few years.

column

Rhonda Mix is staff writer at The Woodstock Independent.

inde thought
The Woodstock Independent is compiling a list of service and non-profit organizations for inclusion in an upcoming addition of The Torch. While we are attempting to research and include basic information about each organization, to guarantee inclusion in the issue, email news@thewoodstockindependent. com. Be sure to include the organizations name, the directors name, the organizations mission, contact information and the organizations website. To be included in the issue, an organization must serve clients within our coverage area, which is generally the same area served by Woodstock school district 200.

Quotable
I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.

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Thomas Jefferson