• Low or spongy brake pedal
• Hard brake pedal
• A brake warning light that stays on
• Constantly squealing or grinding brakes
• Vibrations or clunking sounds when you apply your brakes

There are two types of brakes: disk and drum. Disk brakes have a rotor that’s attached to the axle. Calipers straddle the rotor, kind of like the brakes on a bicycle. Drum brakes are more common on back wheels. Pads, called shoes, push against the inside of the drum to slow the vehicle.

There are several things that need to be serviced on the brake system. First, the brake pads and shoes wear out with use, and become too thin to really help. If the brake pads wear away completely you can damage the rotors. The calipers can grind grooves in the rotor. Then the rotor must either be resurfaced or replaced and that can be expensive. But putting it off is dangerous because your vehicle won’t stop as quickly. Sometimes rotors warp or crack and must be replaced.

Brake fluid is also important. When the brakes are applied, the pressure in the fluid activates the brake pads or shoes. Not enough fluid, not enough pressure to brake properly. Also, water builds up in the brake fluid over time, which leads to corrosion, leaks and brake damage, and with hard use, the brakes could severely fade or even fail. You should change the brake fluid when your manufacturer recommends it.

There are different grades of brake pads. There are regular, metallic and ceramic — higher grades cost more, but give better braking performance and smoother operation. It’s OK to upgrade your brake pads. But, never use a grade that’s lower than what the manufacturer recommends.

Be sure to properly maintain your brakes because it’s a lot cheaper than paying your nearest Chicago area body shop after an accident. Make an appointment today at Bockman’s Auto Care to have your brakes checked. Visit us at www.BockmanAutoCare.com or call 815-756-7413.

And don’t forget to return through the week here to our web site — we’ll be posting stories, coupons and other information from our advertisers for your enjoyment!

And don’t forget to return through the week here to our web site — we’ll be posting stories, coupons and other information from our advertisers for your enjoyment!

Born in Kentucky in 1840, Beard lived the life of a slave until early in the Civil War. In 1862, when the Northern army gained control of most of Kentucky, Henry was given his freedom.

As would become increasingly apparent in the coming years, Beard, like all newly freed blacks, was hard-pressed to find work and start a new life.  Henry Beard was fortunate.  The conquering union regiment stationed in his part of Kentucky, the 105^th Illinois, was from the DeKalb-Sycamore area.  Their commander hired Henry to work as a laborer, but he was eventually chosen to serve as under cook for the adjutant general of the army in command of that portion of the western theatre of war.

Sometime after the war, Henry decided to follow his original regimental commander to his home town Sycamore, and start his new life.  Beard was, as reported in 1924 by the Sycamore True Republican in a story about his life, “the original colored citizen of Sycamore.”  He settled north of town, in the area then called the “North Woods,” where he purchased five acres of land from local abolitionist, David West.

Henry was married to Julia (Judy) Jones.  Together they built a two-room house and they raised 14 children.  He was unable to read or write but wanted his children to be educated.  The Beards sent their sons to the only school in the area, North Grove School, a one-room schoolhouse where the language of the local settlers was Swedish.  Thus in order to learn reading, writing and arithmetic, the Beard children had to first understand the teacher, who spoke only Swedish.

The children and grandchildren all eventually moved out of the area.  Judy outlived Henry by 22 years.  She eventually moved into town and made her home on North Avenue, still today a tight-knit community where many African Americans live and attend church. 

Recently the descendents of one of the Beard children made their way from Detroit to see the schoolhouse where their grandfather was educated.  Members of four generations of Henry and Judy’s son, Raymond, travelled to celebrate the North Grove School Association’s fourth annual North Grove School Days.  Not only did they get to see the school and meet the descendents of other school attendees, they were provided a bus tour arranged by the City of Sycamore and the NGSA.  The visiting members of the Beard family were able to see the original five acre farm where they had settled.  They travelled to the Fairview Cemetery in DeKalb, where their grandmother Judy was buried 1942.  Also, the Sycamore History Museum and the Sycamore Library provided programs and exhibits for the Beard family to learn more about their ancestors.

Next year, another branch of Henry Beard’s family, living in Aurora, Illinois, plans to attend North Grove School Days.

To learn more, contact the North Grove School Association by visiting www.northgroveschool.org or writing to the NGSA, P.O. Box 244, Sycamore, IL  60178 to receive a brochure. The North Grove School Association is a not-for-profit organization and donations are appreciated.

www.northgroveschool.org

And don’t forget to return through the week here to our web site — we’ll be posting stories, coupons and other information from our advertisers for your enjoyment!

Here are few of the upcoming classes and events at our hospital and other facilities — look for more of these listed in the coming months over on the Upcoming Events part of this blog, or visit www.KishHospital.org for a comprehensive list.

Resources for Women
Kish Hospital has developed a new website that brings together many of the health topics important to women all in one place. The website also includes action steps and tips to start on the path towards a healthier life; visit www.kishforthegirls.org.

Free Blood Pressure Clinics
A Kishwaukee Hospital community wellness nurse educator will monitor your blood pressure weekly. You receive blood pressure information and a tracking card.
No appointment is necessary.

• Every Monday, 10am-1pm at Kishwaukee Hospital in DeKalb
• Every Wednesday, 9-11am at KishHealth Family & Specialty Care in Genoa (599 Pearson Drive)
• Every Thursday, 9-11am at KishHealth Family & Specialty Care in Waterman (10003 US Route 30)

Manage Pain with Healthy Habits
Does persistent pain affect your life? Join Karen Rouse, Director of Outpatient Clinics along with a registered dietitian and a licensed physical therapist as they discuss how diet changes, coping skills and simple exercises can positively affect daily activities and help you manage chronic pain. This free class will be held April 5, 6:30 – 8 pm at the Kish Hospital Roberts Conference Center. Call 815-748-8962 to register.

Step Into Summer with Healthy Feet
Is toenail fungus, athlete’s foot, and dry cracked skin forcing you to keep your flip flops in the closet? Surgical podiatrists Jennifer and Douglas Pacaccio, DPM share tips and tricks to get your feet ready to show off this summer. They will also discuss skin care and signs of skin cancer. This free discussion will be held April 12, 6:30 – 8 pm at the Kish Hospital Roberts Conference Center. Call 815-748-8962 to register.

Weight No More
Are you looking for a way to lose weight and improve your health? Join us for an 8-week nutrition and exercise program with weekly wellness classes at Kish Hospital, fitness classes at the YMCA as well as a pass to the YMCA for the duration of the program. By joining, you become part of a small group led by a team of experts who helps you stay on track. Winners receive various YMCA memberships. Sign up today, space is limited! Call 815-756-9577 for information and to register. The cost is $25, YMCA members, $75 non-YMCA members. The program runs March 28 – May 16, Mondays, 5:30 – 6:30 pm.

Safe Sitter
This 2-day internationally recognized babysitting program teaches 11-13 year olds the skills to provide children in their care a safe, nurturing environment. Includes Safe Sitter backpack, manual, supplies and light refreshments. Classes are offered monthly at Kish Hospital, call 815-748-8962 to register. Cost is $40.

Meet the Experts: Women and Heart Disease with Dr. Nguyen, Dr. Patel and Dr. Salwan
Heart disease has symptoms and risks unique to women. Cardiologist Paul Nguyen, MD, MS encourages women to join him for this informative discussion with cardiologist Jagdish Patel, MD, FACC and internist Manav Salwan, MD as they discuss why women of all ages should take heart disease seriously. Heart healthy meal provided. This free class will be held April 28, 6:30 – 8 pm at Kish Hospital.

From the start, Craig was drawn to the restaurant business. During college, he worked summers at the Farm Kitchen, where he met his future wife, Lea Weiss. After graduating from UW-Oshkosh in 1973, Craig worked for four years at McDonald’s, gaining many insights that he yearned to apply to his own business.

That dream came true on July 18, 1984, when Craig, Lea, George and Ruth converted a former A&W root beer stand and christened it “Culver’s Frozen Custard and ButterBurgers.” Then, as now, the Culver’s chose to use only the freshest ingredients, prepared each meal exactly to a guest’s order and delivered it to their table with a welcoming smile.

It didn’t take long after that before visitors to Wisconsin began asking when we were going to open a Culver’s in their home states. That got the ball rolling, and since then, other families have joined with the Culver’s family to bring the hometown values of hard work and the best food around to guests in 19 states.

The goal is always the same: that every time you step into a Culver’s, you’ll always enjoy a fresh, handcrafted meal served with a smile and genuine pride. Welcome to delicious.

At Culver’s, we put our heart and soul into the food we prepare for our guests. From Midwest-raised beef to dairy produced in Wisconsin, we use only the finest, most wholesome ingredients. Cooked to order and served with a smile, just like you would if it had come out of your kitchen. Just like we have since our first guest nearly 30 years ago when we opened our first restaurant in Sauk City, Wisconsin.

We’re family owned and family first. Our commitment to hometown values of working hard and welcoming our guests with genuine hospitality and fresh, made only after you order meals have helped us bring our signature ButterBurgers and fresh Frozen Custard to over 427 restaurants across the country.

The Culver’s of Sycamore is located at 1200 DeKalb Avenue. Click here to learn our frozen custard flavor of the day! Also, on Tuesday’s, from 5 to 8 pm, we have Magic Matt in our restaurant to thrill families with his feats of magic. Stop in!

But how do iZon High Definition Lenses differ from other types of lenses? What’s the process which makes these lenses better than traditional ones? What will you experience with this new technology?

First, let’s talk about your eyes. Here are some facts you might find interesting, if almost unbelievable:

• Your eyes deliver 36,000 bits of information per hour to your brain
• They have more than 2 million working parts
• They process over 24 million images over the course of a typical lifetime
• Your vision accounts for up to 85% of the knowledge you will ever learn

Your eyes are like fingerprints — no two are alike — and even your two eyes differ from each other. They have tiny microscopic irregularities. These imperfections can affect things like depth perception, crispness, contrast, color perception and even nighttime vision.

Older measurement technology gave prescriptions that were alike for potentially thousands of people. Using iZon® eye exam technology, your eye’s unique ocular fingerprint — or iPrint™ — is created delivering a diagnosis with a level of data never available before.

Using the unique iPrint of each of your eyes, custom-created iZon High Definition Lenses are produced. Since these lenses take into consideration both traditional measurements and the unique aberrations of your eyes, your vision is truly optimized.

iZon High Resolution Lenses provide solutions for nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), mild astigmatism and prebyopia (the inability to focus on objects at all ranges of vision — near, intermediate and distant — that many people over the age of 40 suffer from).

These High Definition Lenses not only address acuity of vision (which line you can read on an eye chart), they also improve the quality of your vision. In fact, they are clinically proven to address the following common vision challenges:

• daytime glare (driving on wet pavement towards the rising or setting sun)
• nighttime glare (driving at night where glare, halos and starbursts may be a problem)
• low light (seeing dark objects such as a deer at dusk)
• low contrast (seeing a white golf ball against a light sky)
• medium contrast (reading a street sign in a shadow)
• varying distance (reading directional signage while walking through an airport)
• varying print sizes (reading type of varying sizes, colors and fonts on sign)
• nighttime driving difficulties (safety while driving at night)

Most eyeglasses are made for looking. iZon lenses are made for seeing.

Here are some common questions and answers about iZon High Definition Lenses, the examination procedure and other concerns about this new technology:

Q. Will I have to adjust to iZon Lenses and seeing things in high-definition?
A. Objects will appear clearer, sharper and with greater depth and dimension than before. As with other types of lenses, some patients may require a short adaption period.

Q. Are iZon High Definition Lenses available for contact lenses?
A. Currently, iZon Lenses are available for single vision spectacle lenses for the correction of myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and mild astigmatism, and in progressive addition spectacle lenses (multi-focal, such as bi- and tri-focal prescriptions).

Q. Do iZon High Definition Lenses look different than regular eyeglass lenses? Are they thicker?
A. No, iZon Lenses are thin and lightweight, just like other top selling brands. You won’t be able to tell the difference between iZon High Definition Lenses and traditional lenses just by looking at them. They are also UV-blocking and include premium scratch-resistant, anti-reflective and super-hydrophobic coatings.

Q. I have had LASIK or PRK surgery in the past, and I notice that my vision is not as sharp or as clear as I would like. Can iZon Lenses help me?
A. iZon Lenses do improve the overall quality of vision because wearers will see objects more clearly, sharper and with greater depth and dimension.

Q. Does the examination for customizes iZon Lenses take longer?
A. No, the exam only takes about one minute. Using the special, Z-View® Aberrometer, we use the latest wavefront technology to measure the microscopic irregularities in your eyes. The process is fully automated and a highly precise measurement — your eyes’ iPrint — is completed in approximately one minute.

Q. What is wavefront technology?
A. Wavefront technology was originally utilized in the field of astronomy to aid in reducing aberrations or imperfections in the multiple lenses of telescopes, including the Hubble Telescope. The Z-View Aberrometer provides an accurate assessment of the optical imperfections found in the entire eye’s optical system.

Q. How does the Z-View Aberrometer map my eye? Will I feel anything during the exam?
A. The procedure sends a safe, painless, invisible, low-power light into the retina of your eye. The beam is reflected back out of the eye and is analyzed. Your custom iPrint is created from this analysis, showing the unique aberrations of the eye that can have an impact on the quality of your vision.

Still have questions about iZon High Definition Lenses or being able to see better than you have ever been able to before? Call Spex Expressions at 815-758-1039 or visit our web site at www.SpexExpressions.com. You can also find us on Facebook and Twitter, where we share eye care news, discuss new technologies and our patients even share their experiences. We hope to see you soon.