FirstElectricNewspaper: 2009-10-25

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Huntley H1N1 Vaccinations Continue Today

Centegra Health System's four H1N1 Vaccination Clinics provided more than 2,000 H1N1 vaccinations to McHenry County residents Thursday. Only nasal vaccines will be provided today from 9 am to noon at Centegra's sites in Huntley, Woodstock, Crystal Lake and McHenry.

There will be only 600 doses of nasal vaccines at each site but the first 600 eligible at each will receive a numbered card to be assured a vaccine.

Plans are to continue H1N1 vaccination clinics from 4:30 to 7:30 pm every Tuesday and Thursday and 9 am to noon every Saturday as supplies allow.

Meanwhile the Illinois Department of Public Health Friday reported 6 new H1N1 deaths this week, including that of a 50 year old Crystal Lake man, and 189 new hospitalizations. To date in Illinois 28 persons have died and 731 have been hospitalized because of the H1N1 flu.

One More Step In Campaign Finance Reform

By Bethany Jaeger
The Illinois General Assembly has been here before. Lawmakers Friday made history approving legislation limiting the amount of money flowing into political campaigns and reducing outside influence on the lawmaking process.

They had made history before, but in a rare event, the governor and all four legislative leaders agreed to veto the measure and start over.

The difference this time around is that reform advocates are on board. Unfortunately for Republicans, that leaves them without leverage in demanding stricter limits on the amount legislative leaders and statewide political parties can give to their chosen candidates.

Negotiations, particularly in the past week, have been “hard-fought, frank and full,” according to Cynthia Canary, director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform and Change Illinois negotiator. The group wanted more. “I don’t think it is any secret that we had hoped to apply [limits on legislative leaders] in both the general and in the primary,” she said. “However, that was not the result of our negotiations.” She later added: “We tried as hard as we possibly could. We have been through some very thorough, very loud, very long negotiations. We could not bring them to this point.”

Capping contributions from political parties and legislative leaders in primary elections would still represent meaningful reform, according to Canary, because that’s where the election cycle starts, where independent newcomers have a chance to enter the process. And candidates would have to report more frequently the amount of money raised and spent. That could allow the public to better “follow the money,” or detect quid pro quo if large campaign donations flowed to politicians just as they were about to act on major legislation. The State Board of Elections also would gain new power to track, audit and penalize campaign finance violations.

Republicans disagreed that limiting the amounts legislative leaders and political parties in the primaries would be enough.

“Nothing changes — nothing — when it comes to money, except one thing: Everybody that’s not a leader is limited,” said House Minority Leader Tom Cross. “The power, the money and control stays vested in four people,” he added, citing the top four legislative leaders of each political party.

You can read Bethany's full report at:
http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/one-more-step-in-campaign-finance.html

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

FRIDAY'S STATE PLAYOFFS RESULTS:

CLASS 7A
Glenbrook North,0-Crystal Lake South,35

CLASS 6A
Huntley,20-Marmion,42
Fenton,14-Crystal Lake Central,25

CLASS 5A
Marian Central 42, Belvidere 6
Orr,14-Woodstock,55

CLASS 4A
Johnsburg,6-Harvard,0

Legion Event To Benefit Cancer Victim

Lake in the Hills American Legion Post 1231 will host a "Wings for Rylie" dinner Nov. 7. The event will benefit 8 year-old Rylie Mogan who is battling a rare form of cancer.

The child is the daughter of Lake in the Hills Police Sergeant Mark Mogan and granddaughter of Legion memer John White.

The dinner, chicken wings (hence the title) provided by Hooters, Crystal Lake, will be served by two of its waitresses and will run from 5 to 9 pm at the legion post. Six-piece chicken wings meals go will cost $5, 11-piece wing dinners $9.

There will also be a silent auction, including gift certificates to Hooters. Proceeds from the dinners and auctions will help the Mogan family pay Rylie's medical bills

For those who can't make it but would still like to help donations will be accepted at: Lake in the Hills American Legion Post 1231, 1101 W. Algonquin Road, Lake in the Hills, IL 60156. Checks should be to the Lake in the Hills American Legion Post 1231 and with "Rylie Mogan" in the memo line.

In the pic: Hooters waitresses Nia Gregory and Devan Clayton work out plans for next Saturday's fundraiser with the American Legion's Gary Jensen and Crystal Lake Hooter's Manager Reggie Singleton.

McHenry County Water Money In Stopgap Bill

Friday the House and the Senate both passed the Interior-Environment appropriations bill conference report, and with it, a second continuing resolution keep the federal government operating through Dec. 18. Tucked within, however, courtesy of Rep. Don Manzullo (R)16, was $280,000 in federal funds to help McHenry County find out how much water it has and where.

Manzullo secured $295,000 two years ago for the McHenry County Groundwater Protection program that pay for observation wells and equipment to monitor groundwater supplies and quality throughout the county. The new funds will be used to develop a 3-D hydro-geologic modeling project and a groundwater flow modeling project to provide a much more exact picture of the county’s groundwater resources.

McHenry County Water Resource Manager Cassandra McKinney said the new funds will help model the location, amount and flowrate of groundwater in the county down to about the 300 foot level.

That's important because all of the county's water come from underground and a detailed report four years ago found that county population growth was probably outstripping water availability, at least in the southeast corner.

The report was based on the best information available at the time. McKinney said the money just appropriated will allow better approximations. "This will give us the tools we need to make decisions about water pollution and water usage," she said.

Professional Regulation Discipline Report

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) announced the following disciplinary orders, among others, in the month of September:

Bradford Roberg, Crystal Lake – physician and surgeon license and controlled substance license restored to indefinite probation for a minimum of five years.

Matthew Baines, North Barrington – real estate salesperson license
suspended for failure to file and/or pay Illinois state income taxes.

Charles T. Walsh, Cary – real estate appraiser license suspended due to
failure to file and/or pay Illinois income taxes.

Police Blotters

Friday, October 30, 2009

Long Lines At Centegra, Huntley, For H1N1 Shots

The line of patients stretched through the lobby, out the door and far, far down the sidewalk as Centegra's Immediate Care center, Huntley, began the first day of scarce H1N1 flu shots in McHenry County.

"We began at 3:30 (an hour ahead of schedule) because the line was already so long," said Public Relations Coordinator Kim Kubiak.

The Huntley clinic was one of four H1N1 immunization sites Centegra opened throughout the county Thursday to distribute what was left of its initial vaccine shipment after health workers had been immunized. Only 1,000 shots were available at Huntley Kubiak said.

It was hard to estimate how many sought immunization. The line was heavy with moms herding multiple kids. On the other hand there were moms and dads trying to keep only one entertained during the wait.

The county's 111,000 residents aged 6 months to 24 years of age are the bulk of the groups targeted for initial inocculations but Thursday's turnout appeared weighted toward kids 10 and under.

Britni Hermanson, Huntley, waited for shots for daughters Kennedy,four and a half, and Aubrey, one. Hermanson wanted them immunized because they were young and because, "They have bad seasonal allergies and it settles in their chests," she said.

Kristi Kittel, Hampshire, with sons Braeden, 4, and Gavin, 11 months, said, "Now that Braeden's in pre-school he needs shots. He's a little germ bucket."

Theresa Lathrop, also Hampshire, was in line with her two year old daughter, Olivia. "She's had heart surgery and her pediatrician said it was important to get the shot," she said.

Kittel and Lathrop came to Centegra's Huntley location after the Kane County Health Department canceled a clinic at Hampshire High School next week because of a vaccine shortage.

All of the children had received seasonal flu shots from physicians, their mothers said. Those vaccines, too, are becoming scarce but both are needed since the H1N1 vaccine provides no protection from ordinary flu and vice versa.

Kubiak said she couldn't predict how long the current H1N1 supply would last nor when the next shipment would be received.

At 7 pm the line was still out the door.

In the pics: (above) The line was long Thursday to get H1N1 flu shots in Huntley. (below left to right) Britni Hermanson, Theresa Lathrop and Kristi Kittel struggled to keep their kids from interacting to vigorously during the long wait.

Grafton Board Censures Trustee

After a summer-long deadlock that saw little accomplished the Grafton Township Board of Trustees took care of 21 separate matters Thursday, not including a measure censuring one of their own.

The meeting was the first to include attorneys from the township's newly-hired legal counsel Ancel-Glink of Chicago and Crystal Lake.
The first order of business under the agreement to hire them in the first place was to define who would contact them for advice, when and for what purpose.

Trustee Gerry McMahon argued consultations should be severely limited because the township had spent $17,000 in connection with litigation over its aborted plan to build new township offices. He said that was because earlier legal counsel had billed full rates for trivial matters.

Kerri-Lyn Krafthefer said that wasn't the way her firm worked and suggested setting a retainer, "So the Supervisor doesn't have to call a special meeting every time she needs to consult an attorney."

The board sped through a list of questions about which Township Supervisor Linda Moore sought legal opinion. Some of them Krafhefer and fellow attorney Scott Puma handled on the spot. Others they said they could easily check and charge against retainer.

Conflict arose over whether the attorneys should advise on paying their predecessor attorneys' bills. McMahon repeatedly argued the township should pay the bills immediately, sometimes interrupting other trustees.

Finally Rob LaPorta moved to censure McMahon. "I hate to do this, he said, "but we're not going to get anything accomplished."

As he tried to continue McMahon interrupted again.

"That's just what I'm talking about," he said.

The vote to censure McMahon was 3 to 2, Betty Zirk and McMahon himself voting against it.

McMahon was unrepentant. "You do what you want to do. I'll do what I want to do," he said.

Trustees ended the evening in closed session trying to figure out how to deal with the soon-to-expire lease between the township and the township road district which now owns the township office. At the end of that Moore announced simply that no decision had been reached.

In the pic: (above) Supervisor Gerald McMahon was censured by the Grafton Township Board Thursday for interrupting discussions. (below) Newly-hired attorneys Scott Puma and Keri-Lyn Krafthefer told the board it wasn't their practice to bill an hour for a five-minute phone call.

A Halloween Week Story In Springfield

By Bethany Jaeger
All cemetery owners, managers and employees, including those hired to trim trees or maintain cemetery grounds, would have to register with the state and carry identification cards to prove their clearance to work on site, according to newly proposed legislation.

In an attempt to clarify the hodge-podge regulation exposed in the Burr Oak cemetery scandal last summer, owners, managers and all employees who had direct contact with customers would have to be licensed by the state and pass criminal background checks.

The bill follows recommendations of the Cemetery Oversight Task Force commissioned by Gov. Pat Quinn after media reports exposed a scandal in the historic African-American cemetery in Alsip. Bodies were moved and dumped into a mass grave in an alleged scheme to resell gravesites.

While there’s widespread agreement that the state needs to respond to the Burr Oak tragedy with new regulations, some officials of nonprofit, religious, municipal and fraternal cemeteries argue that they should be exempt from the new licensing and registration rules. They currently are exempt.

Roman Szabelski, executive director of Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago, was appointed by the court to oversee Burr Oak Cemetery after the scandal broke. He said. “I think this bill is overkill.”

You can read Bethany's full report here:
http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/cemetery-bill-aims-to-end-hodge-podge.html

Police Blotters

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Centegra Announces H1N1 Vaccinations Starting Today

Centegra Health Systems said Wednesday that it would begin H1N1 immunization clinics starting today from 4:30 to 7:30 pm every Tuesday and Thursday and 9 am to noon every Saturday at its four primary care centers in Huntley, Woodstock, Crystal Lake and McHenry.

Centegra said H1N1 vaccinations would be available "for an indefinite period based on supply" and advised a check of their site at centegra.org for availability.

There will be a $15 charge to administer the free vaccine, payment upfront unless the service was covered by Medicare or Medicaid, according to the release. Spokeswoman Kim Kubiak said no appointment is necessary.

The McHenry County Department of Health announced Wednesday that the H1N1 flu virus had claimed its first victim within McHenry County over the past weekend. Meanwhile the Kane County Health Department canceled a planned vaccination clinic at Dundee-Crown High School next week at the same time the McHenry County department began making appointments for a series of limited vaccination clinics of its own.

The McHenry County victim was a 50 year-old Crystal Lake man whose identity and date of death were not disclosed due to federal medical privacy law which extends even post mortem. Besides being the county's first H1N1 fatality, his death was notable because he was outside the 24-and-younger age group that is thought to be at highest risk from the H1N1 virus.

McHenry County Coroner Marlene Lantz confirmed, however, that the dead man suffered from a pre-existing medical condition. "It didn't mean he was more likely to get H1N1," said Lantz, "but it made him more likely to get sicker once he did."

The latest Illinois Departmtent of Public Health report on H1N1 also shows hospitalizations and deaths concentrated in age groups outside the official highest-risk age group. Spokeswoman Melanie Arnold said cases this week to be reported Friday aren't like that, however. "For the period between Sep. 1 and Oct. 10 half of all cases (nationally) were in the 5 to 17 age group according to the CDC," she said. "That's something we're beginning to see in Illinois."

A Kane County Health Department immunization clinic scheduled next Monday at Dundee-Crown High Schools has been canceled. According to a District 300 notice Wednesday the department didn't receive enough vaccine to conduct it. At last report the Health Department was still giving vaccinations to Kane county residents in the highest priority groups but only at its headquarters in Aurora and only by appointment. The Kane County appointment number is (630) 444-3189.

The McHenry County Department of Health Wednesday said it would begin making appointments for H1N1 immunizations using what's left of a 3,300-dose shipment received about two weeks ago. Young children's clinics in McHenry Nov. 3 and Crystal Lake Nov. 6 were fully booked by the end of the day. A Nov. 4 clinic in Crystal Lake for persons 10 to 24 and healthcare workers and infant caregivers was full before noon today.

The appointments site is here:

http://www.co.mchenry.il.us/departments/health/Pages/H1N1ComAppt.aspx

Centegra also announced Wednesday that starting next week on Monday, Nov. 2 it would open dedicated walk-in flu treatment clinics. The clinics will offer treatment for mild flu symptoms including fever, body aches, runny or stuffy nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. They'll be from 8 am to 8 pm Mondays through Fridays and 8 am to 5 pm Saturdays and Sundays in Huntley and Crystal Lake and from from 1 to 6 pm Mondays through Fridays in Woodstock and McHenry.

State Back To Borrowing

By Bethany Jaeger
Gov. Pat Quinn could propose borrowing roughly $1 billion for the third time since May to keep the state operating through the winter. Tax revenues have slowed, while spending pressures have not. Those pressures include unpaid bills, employee health insurance and financial aid grants for low-income college students.

While short-term borrowing is relatively normal to help the state get through the slow revenue season, the state already borrowed $1 billion in May and an additional $1.25 billion in August. That money, as well as any new short-term borrowing, needs to be repaid by the end of the fiscal year, June 30, 2010.

That’s on top of a $3.7 billion backlog of unpaid bills, according to the state comptroller’s office.

The legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability recently projected that state tax revenues could come in $900 million less than anticipated.

Although Quinn has had to cut more than $2 billion in spending this fiscal year, he and the legislature recently restored $200 million to fund second semester grants of the Monetary Award Program for low-income college students. But they did not identify a way to pay for the additional spending.

The state treasurer and comptroller have to sign off on short-term borrowing plans. It does not need legislative approval. According to Carol Knowles, Comptroller Dan Hynes’ spokeswoman, the comptroller’s office has not received a borrowing proposal from the governor's office yet.

Hynes, who is running against Quinn in the Democratic primary for governor next February, said in his latest quarterly report that the state carried over a record $3.8 billion in overdue bills from the previous fiscal year at the same time tax revenues took a nosedive. He described the fiscal situation as “grim, and getting worse.”

Democrats have proposed various versions of an income tax increase in the past few months, but they have failed to win approval without Republican support. Fewer votes, a simple majority, would be needed once the legislature convenes its spring session in January.

You can read Bethany's full report here:
http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/back-to-borrowing_8676.html

Police Blotters

The filing of charges is not proof of guilt. A defendant charged is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the state’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Lake in the Hills
October 28
1511 HRS 2250 W ALGONQUIN RD. (MEDCARE). DRIVING WHILE LICENSE REVOKED. VESSELS, BUDDY R., M/W 49 YEARS OF AGE, 321 ELMWOOD PARK CRYSTAL LAKE.
CHARGES: Driving while License Revoked. RELEASED ON BOND.
2004 HRS 00 BLOCK OF HAWTHORNE RD. WANTED ON WARRANT. MATONIK, KIM M., F/W 48 YEARS OF AGE, 12 HAWTHORNE RD., LAKE IN THE HILLS. CHARGES: Wanted on Warrant, McHenry County for Contempt of Court. Bond Amount: $100 Full Cash. RELEASED ON BOND.
0845 HRS 00 BLOCK OF WEDGEWOOD CIRCLE. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 53 years of age, having severe back pain. Transported to Woodstock Memorial Hospital.
1027 HRS 2900 BLOCK OF MELBOURNE LN. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 58 years of age, having chest pains. Transported to St. Joseph Hospital.
1429 HRS 2700 BLOCK OF MELBOURNE LN. CRIMINAL DEFACEMENT. Complainant advised someone spray painted his car. TURNED OVER TO INVESTIGATIONS.
1706 HRS 1300 BLOCK OF CLAYTON MARSH DR. ORDINANCE VIOLATION. Reporting officer issued a Notice to Appear for a violation.
2221 HRS 20 BLOCK OF LINCOLN ST. ASSIST AMBULANCE Male, 15 years of age, needing an evaluation. Transported to Saint Alexis.
Huntley
October 19 A male student at the high school reported that a back pack was stolen from a locked locker.
A male student at the high school reported that his cell phone was stolen from an unlocked locker.
October 20 Criminal defacement to property occurred at Ol’ Timers Park. Graffiti was found on a picnic table.
October 21 Burglary from vehicle occurred near 11100 Douglas. A vehicle was found with passenger side door open and window broken.
A male student at the high school reported that an IPod Touch was stolen from a locked gym locker.
October 22 Residential burglary occurred near 9600 Sheldon. Several electronic items along with a driver’s license and debit card were reported stolen.
Kelly A. Mufarreh, age 32, of 7629 Forest Preserve, Chicago, was arrested on an outstanding warrant for violation of an order of protection. Ms. Mufarreh posted bond and was released with a court date of November 13, 2009 at McHenry County jail.
October 23 Nathalia C. Cook, age 19, of 11507 Douglas was arrested on an outstanding warrant for non-sufficient funds check. Ms. Cook posted bond and was released with a court date of November 6, 2009.
A female student at the high school was petitioned for smoking cannabis in the girls' bathroom.
A male and female juvenile were petitioned to juvenile court for possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia at Ol’ Timers Park. Both juveniles were released to their parents.
Natalie N. Wadlington, age 18, of 24021 Kelsey Road, Barrington, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, illegal transportation of alcohol, and underage consumption of alcohol. Ms. Wadlington was given a McHenry County court date of November 20, 2009 at 8:30 a.m.
Timothy C. Teran, age 20, of 597 Concord Place, Bourbonnais, was arrested for underage consumption of alcohol. Mr. Teran was given McHenry County court date of November 20, 2009 at 8:30 a.m.
October 24 Sean T. Haslett, age 20, of 914 Scott Street, Algonquin, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and cited for failure to signal, improper signal, no insurance, and illegal transportation of alcohol. Mr. Haslett posted bond and was given a court date of December 4, 2009.
Matthew K. Miller, age 43, of 2826 Colonial Drive, Elgin, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and cited for disobeying a traffic control signal. Mr. Miller posted bond and released with McHenry county court date December 4, 2009.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Major Crime Down in McHenry County

Major crime in McHenry County fell about 3.1 percent in 2008 according to a report of statewide crime released Tuesday by the Illinois State Police. Illinois crime fell about 1.3 percent the report said. The report covered murder, criminal sexual assault, robbery, aggravated battery and aggravated assault and burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson.

Drops in aggravated assaults and batteries, burglaries and thefts accounted for most of the change in McHenry County.

In Algonquin including the Kane County part, major crimes rose from 596 in 2007 to 692 in 2008. An increase in thefts was a major contributor.

Major crimes were steady in Lake in the Hills with 274 in 2007 and only 5 more in 2008.

Major crime in Huntley including the Kane County part fell from 330 in 2007 to 252 in 2008. Decreases in burglaries and thefts accounted for most of the difference there.

The entire State Police Crime Report can be found here:

http://www.isp.state.il.us/docs/cii/cii08/cii08_Section_II_Pg27_to_194.pdf

County Non-Union Pay Increases OK'd Despite Opposition

A squabble over county pay raises broke out at Tuesday's meeting of the McHenry County Board Finance and Audit Committee.

County Administrator Pete Austin presented a request for a two percent increase in total pay for non-union county employees to go into a fund to be doled out at rates of anywhere from zero to four percent of a worker's pay, depending on performance. "It's less than our union employees will get and even our own elected officials," he said.

District 5's Tina Hill said considering the state of the economy and the county's prospective budget, "I don't think it's prudent to put two percent aside."

Committee Chairman and District 1 member Marc Munaretto replied, "It's absolutely essential."

"I didn't get a raise this year," said Hill, "and it wasn't because of my performance."

"This (incentive plan) is a responsilbility of the Human Resources Committee," said Munaretto. "It's only ours from a practical financial standpoint."

District 2's Lynn Orphal said, "Many people aren't going to get a raise this year or got a cut. But if the unions get a raise it's almost like a punishment for everyone else (not to)."

Austin said the non-union increase was built into the county's planned 2010 budget already.

District 3's Mary Donner said in practical terms the risk was minimal. "If we say 'yes' to this now and it doesn't work out you get furlough days."

Hill and District 4's John Hammerand were unconvinced but the rest of the committee gave their OK.

About half of the county's 1351 employees are non-union. Six existing union contracts and two about to go into effect cover the rest, according to Austin.

Algonquin Board OK's Controversial Gas Station

The low-key border conflict between Algonquin and Lake in the Hills drew near a close Tuesday evening as the Algonquin Board provisionally approved a new gas station for a spot next to an existing station on Algonquin Road in LITH.

Asked to approve connecting a frontage road for the new station to the border street they own, the LITH Board balked for a while fearing it would cannibalize sales at the 7-Eleven located on their side. They finally approved the measure earlier this month when it became clear
Algonquin was probably going to approve the new Road Ranger anyway.

Subject to a few engineering details and a formal vote, that's what the Algonquin Board did Tuesday. The added the proviso, however, that any future development next to the station will have to be tax-generating retail establishments, not offices.

Trustee Jim Steigert raised the question of side-by-side gas stations. "It seems you'd see a dilution of revenues. Am I missing something?" he said.

"We feel the traffic count is more than substantial to support two gas stations," replied Road Ranger Vice President John Carabelli.

"I was surprised we didn't have a gas station there a long time ago," said Board President John Schmitt.

In the pic: A new gas station and convenience store at Algonquin Road near Wentworth Drive will sport several of the usual Algonquin architectural cues. Community Development Director Russ Farnum called it "substantially different from their usual prototype."

Cell Phone Cutback Could Save $50,000 Says County Auditor

McHenry County has too many cell phones, according to a report submitted to the County Board's Finance and Audit Committee Tuesday by County Auditor Pam Palmer. Cutting them back could save about $50,000 each year she said.

The problem Palmer said, is that the county doesn't have any formal policy on who needs a cell phone or where to get cell service for those who do. According to her audit there's a cellphone for roughly one out of every four county employees and they're spread over 22 different providers and plans. "Some of these have bells and whistles we don't need," she said.

In fact, she said, some phones aren't even being used. Palmer identified one phone used for only three minutes one month and none the next two months. "There are a a lot of phones and a lot of bills which we don't need," she said.

Palmer suggested it might make more sense in some instances to reimburse an employee for an occasional county business call on his personal cell.

County Administrator Pete Austin said he'd get to work on drafting rules for cells.

Area Trick or Treat Times Saturday

Halloween Trick or Treating hours in the Village of Algonquin are from 3 to 7 pm on Saturday. Remember to turn a porch light on if you are home and will be handing out treats, advise village officials.

Lake in the Hills officials suggest that trick or treating not to begin any earlier than 2 pm, nor end later than 8 pm. The Lake in the Hills Police Department will host their annual Safety Town Trick or Treat event for children on Saturday from 3 to 6 pm. Safety Town is located at 1109 Crystal Lake Road.

In Huntley Trick or Treat hours will run from 4 to 7 pm.

Drivers in residential neighborhoods, remember the kids will be excited and even goofier than usual. Kids, take only one and remember to say "thank you" even if it's one of those awful popcorn balls.

Police Blotters

The filing of charges is not proof of guilt. A defendant charged is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the state’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Lake in the Hills
October 27
1800 HRS 500 BLOCK OF HURON TRAIL. WANTED ON WARRANT. KASPER, MICHAEL S., M/W 19 YEARS OF AGE,206 HILLCREST DR., ALGONQUIN. CHARGES: Wanted on McHenry Co warrant; Battery. Bond Amount; $5,000, 10% applies. TURNED OVER TO MCHENRY COUNTY JAIL
0600 HRS 10 BLOCK OF MARGATE CT. MISSING ADULT. Male, 42 years of age. Entered into LEADS.
0637 HRS 4600 BLOCK OF COURTNEY DR. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 20 years of age, needing an evaluation. Transported to Woodstock Memorial Hospital.
0732 HRS 1100 BLOCK OF SWEETWATER RIDGE. CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. 2 tires slashed on vehicle overnight.
0907 HRS 400 BLOCK OF PRIDES RUN. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 58 years of age, fell down the stairs. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1205 HRS 5000 BLOCK OF HIGHWOOD LANE. ACCIDENT 1 vehicle accident with a mailbox.
1450 HRS RANDALL RD. & POLARIS DR. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles, property damage only.
1549 HRS 100 BLOCK OF FERRYVILLE DR. THEFT. Numerous pieces of jewelry taken between February and today.
1800 HRS 500 BLOCK OF HURON TRAIL. THEFT. Ring and rare coins taken. PENDING INVESTIGATION BY OFFICER
1901 HRS 200 BLOCK OF WARWICK LN. ASSIST AMBULANCE. 40 year old female feeling faint. Transport to Woodstock Hospital.
2028 HRS 2400 BLOCK OF STANTON CIRCLE. ASSIST AMBULANCE. 1 year old female having a seizure.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Algonquin Chemical Site Meeting Set Nov. 12

The owners of and near to chemically-contaminated land in Algonquin will be notified, probably later this week, of a joint briefing by the state EPA and the state Health Department tentatively set for Nov. 12. The announcement will go out as soon as a meeting location is found, according to officials.

IEPA, the Illinois Department of Transportation and the village publicly announced late Friday that soil and water near the abandoned Toastmaster factory had been found to contain VOC's, short for Volatile Organic Compounds. That's a class of chemicals that includes many carginogens and mutagens but the release emphasized "no health risk has been identified".

According to an interim report obtained by FEN dated October of last year, investigators found traces of 20 VOC's, arsenic and lead at sampling sites and monitoring wells in the suspect area. According to the report, however, only the lead and a solvent called methylnaphalene were found at higher than acceptable levels.

Although the report calls the area the Prairie Trail Oasis and Friday's release refers to the Toastmaster location, maps indicate the areas of contamination center on Railroad Street about 300 feet south of the factory and extend easterly about 100 feet.

The contaminated soil is in the path of the planned Route 31 Western Bypass and District One Design Chief John Fortmann said Monday IDOT intends to dig it up and truck it off during construction.

"This was always a project that was going to take a couple of years," he said. "This (contamination) isn't going to add appreciably."

Fortmann said IDOT has been aware from the talking stage that the site was probably contaminated and that money to deal with it has been included in the budget.

According to the report all businesses and homes in the effected area are on the village water system and there are no wells in the contaminated areas. The report frets, however, that Algonquin has no ordinance to prevent them.

Assistant Village Manager Jenna Kollings said Monday that while that was true, "If someone wanted to drill a well, they'd have to get a permit for it." She said that, under the circumstances, the village wouldn't issue one.

The state EPA has been Swiss-cheesing the suspect area for the last five years to define the extent and degree of contamination for IDOT. For the past year it's been investigating how far tainted groundwater may extend beyond the Bypass boundaries, according to Environmental Protection Specialist Tammy Mitchell.

"What we're concerned with is that these compounds can break down and give off gasses," she said. Sampling this summer found such breakdown gas in the soil, Mitchell said, and now investigators plan to see if it's leaking into nearby homes.

Friday's release indicted Toastmaster's 74 years of operation as the probable original source of contamination. IEPA's report observes, however, that over the years there were also an oil company, two repair garages, a lumber yard and a coal company close to where the contamination was found.

In the pic: The area circled in red is where IEPA found shallow groundwater contaminated beyond safe levels.

Gee, Look At It Wobble

Monday saw the biennial "changing of the bulbs" at Lake in the Hills Airport's 55-foot tower. It's standard maintenance to change the warning lights and beacon on a schedule so they won't burn out in the middle of the night. In the middle of a rainstorm. With high winds. Probably lightning, too, darn the luck.

That's LITH Public Works Department's Tom Dunn swapping out the lights. As a part-time Pingree Grove firefighter with vertical rescue training he was deemed the best volunteer for the job. Reportedly he was the only volunteer for the job.

County Board To Consider Anti-Gambling Referendum

The McHenry County Board Liquor and License Committee Monday voted to offer two video gambling options for full board action next week. One would be a simple immediate ban in all unincorporated areas of the county. The other would put such a ban to referendum on next February's election ballot.

This Summer the Legislature approved licensing video gaming machines in bars and restaurants to help pay for the $31 billion in infrastructure spending they'd already approved. An immediate practical problem was that the state Gaming Board said it wasn't ready to regulate electronic one-armed bandits. At the same time, though, an anti-gambling groundswell arose to roll back the statewide OK on a piecemeal basis. One part of that was a call to de-authorize video gaming machines in the 44 locations throughout McHenry County where the new law says they could be installed.

Bar owners and road construction workers turned out in support of the machines at a Liquor and License Committee hearing early this month but failed to convince members. Monday the committee concluded they still didn't like the machines but concluded maybe it was something to put directly to voters.

"There's plenty of time," said District 6 Member Jim Kennedy, Lake in the Hills. "From what we understand the Gaming Board isn't expected to have rules ready for 12 to 18 months."

"I think we need to get all the input on this that we can," said Kennedy. "With a referendum everyone can vote for it or against it but in the end the people will speak."

Police Blotters

Monday, October 26, 2009

County Prepared For H1N1 When Vaccine Shows Up

President Obama's declaration of an H1N1 flu National Emergency Friday night ensured the national, state and county websites to which public health professionals have been directing people had nothing new to tell them for two days over the weekend.

The White House followed up Saturday saying the emergency announcement wasn't because anything in particular had happened but was more just in case anything does. National and local media produced 5,100 stories over the weekend trying to explain what it all meant.

McHenry County Department of Health spokesperson Debra Quackenbush summarized the current local state of affairs Friday in an interview before the president's declaration:

"If you have the flu or know someone who has the flu, 99 percent of the time it's H1N1," she said. "The seasonal flu hasn't even surfaced here."

How prevalent H1N1 is locally is a matter for speculation said Quackenbush. Figures are only gathered on doctor visits and hospitalizations. "The vast majority of people--the kids--just stay at home," said Quackenbush. "Most don't need to be hospitalized."

According to the latest figures posted Friday morning by the Illinois Department of Public Health the entire state saw 66 new HIN1 hospitalizations last week and 2 additional deaths. The cumulative numbers for the entire year in the entire state total 542 hospitalizations and 22 deaths from H1N1.

County Department of Public Health tracking indicates that as of two weeks ago there had been a total of 225 flu-like cases reported in McHenry County, about 50 of which were confirmed as flu. School absences rose to almost six percent overall but less than one percent were due to flu-like symptoms.

Detailed plans have been laid and training conducted to prepare for mass immunizations in McHenry County, particularly though local schools but everything is on hold until H1N1 vaccine actually becomes available. No one knows when that will be though.

Published reports indicate at least one manufacturer has had trouble making the vaccine and other reports indicate possible FDA bureaucratic snafus may have slowed things as well. Only about 16 million of the expected 130 million vaccine doses of have been produced so far, according to reports.

The latest H1N1 information should be available today at:
http://www.co.mchenry.il.us/departments/health/Pages/H1N1.aspx
http://www.idph.state.il.us/h1n1_flu/
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

The short version Monday morning: Cover your mouth when you cough. Wash your hands thoroughly and often. Wait for the vaccine but don't expect it soon.

Thousands Throng Safe Trick Or Treat At Commons

The near constant rain cleared long enough for thousands to mob Algonquin Commons' sixth annual Safe Trick of Treat event Sunday.

With a throng of zombies and Jasons and Frankensteins lurching along from store to store, the scene looked a little like something from a George Romero movie. But George's movies have never included the Mad Hatter, Cleopatra, several fairies and at least one kid dressed up as a John Belushi killer bee.

Ghost Stories Grandpa Never Told, Part III

There is a dimension that lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. Or maybe it's the other way around. Whichever. There's the signpost up ahead: The McHenry County Zone.

In 1966 kids were mad for cars. At least the ones with a Y chromosome were. (The XXers were fixated that year on Davy Jones.) Anyway, while most of the kids around Huntley were trying to catch rubber in third in their 327 Chevy II's and Tri Power GTO's, Lloyd Denim pootled around town in a 1959 Renault Dauphine.

That's the little car you see in the old Pink Panther movies that looks like a '53 Plymouth Cambridge through the wrong end of a telescope. It was the affirmative Gallic answer to the question "Aren't Volkswagens too flashy and overpowered?"

That turned out to be the key to Denim's fondness for his Dauphine. He'd bought it from a retired chemistry teacher in Des Plaines because it was cheap but found on the way back that he could drive it wide open flat out all the time and just manage to keep from being mowed down by ordinary traffic. He thought that was immense fun and called the little car "The Secret Racer." With some masking tape and a spray can of red Rustoleum he even added a racing stripe to advertise the secret.

A childhood bicycle accident had left Denim with a right leg that worked fine but looked as if it had been hacked off and sewn on backward so he was safe from the draft. He was, in fact, just marking time counting stove bolts at the Toastmaster factory in Algonquin while he waited for a sign to tell him what to do for the rest of his life.

The morning drive to work took him through the curve where Huntley and Boyer roads meet and it was his joy to push the Dauphine through it as fast as it would go, not that that was very. Indeed, one day a pheasant standing by the side of the road eyed his approach, decided he wasn't a threat and trotted over to the other side in obvious contempt of the onrushing (so to speak) vehicle. The same thing happened the next morning. And the next. It got to be a habit.

One late October morning there'd been a heavy frost and the curve had a coating of rime. The pheasant's beady eyes glowed in Denim's headlights as the bird watched his approach and began his customary insulting amble. On the second step, however, it lost its footing, fell on its behind and slid across the rest of the road on its tailfeathers, an expression of surprise and indignation clear upon its beak.

Denim began to laugh so hard he couldn't see straight, missed the curve and took out 75 feet of field corn before the Dauphine came to rest. He was late to work that morning, got yelled at by the foreman, quit and decided he might as well go to college and kill time there. Eventually he became an automotive engineer. He wasn't a bad engineer but neither was a very good one. He finally worked his way up to Intermediate Vehicle Chief of Ashtrays at Oldsmobile but took early retirement when everyone quit smoking and GM closed the division.

He lives on a pension now in Boca Raton, FL, spending his time throwing peanuts to seagulls. More precisely, he throws peanuts at seagulls which he calls "rats with wings." Occasionally he'll hit one just right producing an expression of surprise and indignation upon its beak. Then he laughs an old man's laugh and wanders off to play bingo with some old ladies who think he's a hottie because he still has hair.

Boyer Curve on Huntley Road is gone now but it's said that sometimes on a frosty morning just before the sun rises you can still see a pair of ghostly headlights traveling where it used to be. Slowly, of course.

Police Blotters

Sunday, October 25, 2009

County Nurses Prepare For H1N1 Immunization

Volunteer nurses and medical personnel gathered at McHenry County College Saturday in the first of a series of training sessions to prepare for mass H1N1 flu immunizations.

McHenry County Department of Health and Centegra Health systems hope to ensure almost half the county's residents receive innoculations against the new flu virus when vaccines become available. So far, little has been received and there's no word when more will come.

Among the volunteers was retired Huntley RN, Diane Marks. "I saw the ad looking for nurses and I became a member (of the Medical Reserve Corps) because because it was going to be such a gigantic job."

Roughly 160,000 county residents fall into the first priority groups for vaccinations, primarily those under 25 years old. In contrast to seasonal flu, H1N1 seems to strike them more often.

Marks was not among the medical personnel treated with the first small shipment of vaccine the county received over a week ago but said she wasn't particularly worried.

"Not really," she said. "I've had the (seasonal) flu many times. Hopefully I've got some immunity in my system. That's why I thought it was important for us older folks to step up to the plate."

Mass innoculations are planned for county schoolchildren when the vaccine arrives and that's what much of Saturday's training was aimed toward.

Aside from the mass part, "Most of us aren't 'peds' (pediatric nurses) so we haven't worked with a lot of kids."

Co-ordinator Liz Hackett said about 180 health professionals, mostly nurses, had volunteered in the past couple of weeks to help with the county immunization program.

In the pics: (above)Volunteer organizer Liz Hackett hands nurse Diane Marks her official ID at McHenry County College Saturday. (below) These area nurses were among the first for special training of the area the county's immunization program.

Huntley Craft Fair Draws Support for Safe Families For Children

Safe Families for Children sponsored a craft fair at Nikko's Grill and Pub, Huntley, Saturday. Tables of Tupperware and iron-on T-shirt decorations filled a banquet room that "That's just the lure," said
organizer Teri Altpeter.

The hope was that local crafters would buy raffle tickets to pay for Safe Families' professional social and case workers who support the group's volunteers who provide family aid to prevent children from falling into the bureaucracy of the state Department of Children and Family Services.

The group tries to provide a halfway spot before family dissolution, said Altpeter. "Say there's a family that's lost its home. There are a limited number of shelters for Mom and Dad and the children." Ordinarily the children would become wards of DCFS, said Altpeter, but her group hopes to prevent that.

"We'll care for the children and pick up the parents to visit or take the kids to them until they can get back on their feet."

Altpeter herself is one of Safe Families' 700 northern Illinois volunteers. "We take care of the children as if they were were our own. We feed them, clothe them, take them to school or the doctor. Whatever they need," she said.

Volunteers' time and expenses are uncompensated, Altpeter said, but the group's professional and administrative staff draw salaries, hence the fundraising.

One attendee thought that was a pretty good idea. He bought 200 raffle tickets at $1 a pop.

In the pic: Crafters crowded the Safe Families For Children craft show in Huntley Saturday.

Ghost Stories Grandpa Never Told, Part II

In 1930 the bank foreclosed on Chicago insurance salesman Fred Blefmann's home in Chicago and he took up residence in the family's summer cottage on Woods Creek Lake.

Fred liked a drink now and then "just for medicinal purposes." He claimed it was on account of the piece of German shrapnel he still carried with him from the Meuse-Argonne.

In fact the chunk of iron had been almost completely spent when it struck him in the part that sits in the chair first and it barely made a scratch. It was the Lord's truth, however, that he carried it with him. He kept it in his pocket as a lucky piece.

In any event, money being tight and alcohol illicit, Blemann decided he'd try his hand at making applejack. He bought 20 gallons of cider from a local farmer, all he could cram in the back of his little Dodge Business Coupe. Rummaging around in the backyard shed he found a rusty funnel and tipped 10 pounds of sugar and a few chunks of his wife's baking yeast into the the cider jugs. He shoved them under the back porch aand many a happy Fall day did Blefmann spend sitting there smoking his pipe and listening to the jugs making promising little "bloop-bloop" noises.

An unseasonable cold snap in late October dropped the temperature to 20 degrees two nights running and, sure enough, Blefmann found the jugs full of tan slush and a promising brown liquid. He lined his funnel with a handy chunk of window screen and began to pour off the 'jack into some empty jugs. As he did so he decided maybe he ought to check to see how the stuff tasted. He therefore took a healthy swig and found that it was good. Well, not exactly good. In fact, harsh might have been a charitable description but it was undeniably alcoholic.

Testing each jug, Blefmann developed a warm glow. Partly it was pride of craftsmanship but mostly it was the 50-proof applejack. Satisfied at a job well done, he lit his pipe, sat down on the porch step and promptly passed out.

Blefmann's wife, Edna, didn't find him there until suppertime. By then there was frost on his eyebrows. Remembering Swiss monks revived frozen mountain climbers with brandy, Edna broke out a bottle of Armagnac she'd bought for Christmas, jammed the funnel between Blefmann's blue lips and dribbled half a pint into him.

Unbeknownst to her, however, the brandy had been made by a bootlegger in Mattoon from potato peelings and a little shellac for color. Between the fusel oils in the jack and the shellac in the "brandy" Blefmann woke up the next morning with the mother and father of all hangovers. This led him for the first time to the conclusion that wine is a mocker and strong drink is raging and he decided to "take the pledge".

In fact, the next day when he could blink his eyes without fear that his head would split in two Blefmann took the train to Evanston to join the WCTU. He wasn't a whit discouraged when they gently explained he couldn't pass the physical and he returned home determined to tell one and all about the virtues of abstention.

This he did frequently and at great length. Indeed, he became sort of monomaniacal about it and, one by one, his friends began to avoid him.
Eventually he had none left and even his dog began to hide in the bushes when he approached.

When World War II broke out Blefman was the unanimous choice to head the local Rationing Board since he had no friends to lose. He ran the it until shortly after VE Day when he choked to death on a piece of three-bean meatloaf. He probably would have been pleased that the handful of relatives who attended his funeral all agreed it was a sober occasion.

Even now, though, on crisp October nights when the wind is still residents say you can sometimes smell an eerie aroma of Calvados drifting across the lake.

Police Blotters

The filing of charges is not proof of guilt. A defendant charged is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the state’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Lake in the Hills
October 24
1937 HRS RANDALL RD. & MCHENRY AVE. SPEEDING 40 MPH OVER. JUVENILE, M/W 16 YEARS OF AGE, CRYSTAL LAKE. CHARGES: Speeding 40 mph over the posted limit. RELEASED TO PARENT.
0750 HRS LAKEWOOD RD. & ALGONQUIN RD. ACCIDENT Delayed from 102309. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
0756 HRS NAVAJO DR. & PYOTT RD. CRIMINAL DEFACEMENT. White spray paint graffiti was found on the stop sign.
1106 HRS 14 PROSPER CT. ORDINANCE VIOLATION. Numerous vehicles without proper registration.
1309 HRS 5200 MILLER RD. (SUNSET PARK). DOMESTIC. Husband vs. wife. Verbal only. No priors.
1607 HRS 300 BLOCK OF COUNCIL TRAIL. ASSIST AMBULANCE. 49 year old male subject possibly having a stroke. Transported to Sherman Hospital.

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Friday, October 30, 2009

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Monday, October 26, 2009

Sunday, October 25, 2009

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