McHenry County residents will vote on Tuesday, March 19, Illinois Primary Election Day, for or against a question that could help alleviate the funding deficits for 40 mental health providers affilia.
‘Nothing will ever look or feel the same’
COURTESY PHOTO | Austin Lockwood lost his life at the age of 23 when the alcohol-impaired driver of the car in which he was riding crashed the vehicle into a tree. “A dark cloud will always be over me and all of those who love Austin so much,” said his mother, Sheila Lockwood. Since Austin’s death, Sheila Lockwood has advocated for the creation of a national database to track convictions for drunken driving and for stiffer penalties for those drivers. Increased alcohol use, fentanyl-related ODs top concerns in annual State of Addiction event
‘Pretty large community of addiction’
Independent photo by Ken Farver |
Executive director Bobby Gattone stands outside the New Directions Retreat Center that opened last week at 14411 Kishwaukee Valley Road. Gattone has been a volunteer board member, one of the first case managers, and grants manager for New Directions. After struggling with alcohol and drug addiction, he was two weeks sober when a friend took him to The Other Side, New Directions’ sober bar in Crystal Lake. He was surprised to see 50 people “having a blast” without drugs or alcohol. “I wanted other people to have that same experience,” Gattone said.