Huntley Youth Teams Head For Chicagoland Super Bowl Today

There are hundreds of Chicagoland Youth Football teams but this year's competition has winnowed them down to just a handful who can still win a division Super Bowl.  Remarkably, not one but two Huntley Youth Football Teams are in the Big Dance today.  That's the first time that's ever happened.

Featherweight Huntley Mustangs, aged 9 to 11, will travel to Lake Zurich for their section of the championships. First the Pac 10 Reds will have a go at 11 am and then The Big 10 Reds will take on Barrington at 3:30 pm. The latter Mustang team is 11 and 0 this year and Head Coach Keith Mooney is optimistic.

He's had teams in the championship before but, "This is the most talented group of kids I've coached in seven years," he said.

In the pic:  Both Huntley Mustang teams ran through the fundamentals in night practice Friday getting ready for today's big games.  Don't they already know that stuff?  "The attention span at this age isn't really awfully long," said Coach Mooney. 

Algonquin Church Celebrates 43 Years Of Pork

St. John's Lutheran Church, Algonquin, served up around 400 family-style meals and takeouts Friday at their 43rd Annual Pork and Kraut Dinner fundraiser. 

The first one in 1967 was to help support the Church's sports teams.  Now it supports the Church School's sports teams and helps to build some community spirit, too.

In the pic:  Server Kim Proper passes out a big bowl of mashed spuds and a boatful of gravy at St. John's 43rd Pork Dinner Friday.  They were both the second round to the table.

Lions Give Bean Bag Check To A/LITH Food Pantry

The Algonquin Lions presented a $1600 check this week to the Algonquin Lake in the Hills Interfaith Food Pantry.  That was half the proceeds from from the Lions Bean Bag Tourney at Algonquin's Buffalo Wild Wings this summer.

The other half of the bean bag money will support the Lions' Ted Spella Special Needs Scholarship Fund.

In the pic: Facilities Manager Sal Maggio receives a Bean Bag check from Lions' Chairman John Cygan at the Algonquin Lake in the Hills Food Pantry earlier this week.  Lions (left to right) Don Purn, Nick Sigrist and Jerry Kautz provided muscle on the caper.  

D158 Breakfast With Santa Tickets On Sale Now

District 158 Education Foundation tickets for its annual Breakfast With Santa event Dec. 4  are on sale now with a purchase deadline Wednesday.  The Breakfast and accompanying raffle usually sells out fast, though.  It only took two weeks last year.

Santa will be so busy as Marlowe Middle School that there are two shifts to visit.  One from 8 am to 9:30 and a second from 10 to 11:30.  Besides a chat with Santa and a Continental Breakfast the event includes pics, games and crafts and a separate raffle for baskets made by schools' staff.

Tickets are $5 per person, kids 12 months and younger, free.  Ticket order forms are here:
http://www.district158.org/weblinks/Education%20Foundation/Breakfast%20with%20Santa%20Ticket%20Order%20Form%202010.pdf

"Hot-Button" Issues To Pack Veto Session

By Mary Massingale, Illinois Statehouse News
With the possibility of conservative Gov. Bill Brady defeated, lawmakers and advocates pushing so-called “liberal” issues such as abolition of the death penalty, civil unions and medical marijuana are pushing toward their original goals in the November veto session starting Tuesday.

The national Republican “wave” missed Illinois, but nevertheless the GOP picked up several seats in the new House in January so it will be easier for lawmakers to get a controversial vote now rather than later on, according to political science professor Kent Redfield.

“They know what the environment is, I mean, from a lobbying standpoint,” said Redfield, who teaches at the University of Illinois-Springfield.

Jeremy Schroeder is hoping for no compromise on the death penalty. As executive director of the Illinois Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Schroeder Tuesday will join  McHenry County State Sen. Pamela Althoff and State Rep. Karen Yarbrough, D-Broadview, in unveiling new legislation calling for the abolition of the death penalty.

Schroeder said the timing of the bill coincides with the tenth year of an execution moratorium that’s seen multiple exonerations.  “It’s not so much ‘why now?’ as because public opinion has changed,” he said. “And that’s what’s really pushing us.”

State Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, is still counting votes for a measure granting civil unions to same-sex couples. He noted that Brady ran on a socially conservative platform and lost, while U.S. Senate candidate Mark Kirk campaigned on a socially moderate platform and won. “I think that says the people of Illinois are looking for really moderate centrist policies, and I think civil unions fill that description,” said Harris, who is one of two openly gay members of the legislature.

State Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, is hoping what he calls common sense will prevail on a bill to allow marijuana to be prescribed for medical purposes. The measure passed the Senate last year but Lang Friday said he’s three votes short of passage. “It seems to me that when people are suffering and in pain, and we’re worried about health care, this is health care we can provide to people without a single penny of taxpayer expenditure, and we ought to try it,” he said.

You can read Mary's full report at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/4532/hot-button-issues-pack-veto-session-to-avoid-new-general-assembly/

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
November 12
1234 HRS MOHICAN TRAIL & WILLOW ST. Delayed from 10/22/10.DRIVING COMPLAINT. Stop-arm violation. PENDING INVESTIGATION BY REPORTING OFFICER.
1825 HRS 1115 CRYSTAL LAKE RD., (LAKE IN THE HILLS POLICE). ASSIST MCHENRYCOUNTY SHERIFF. Assist McHenry County Sheriff's Department with service of an Order of Protection.
1830 HRS 1000 BLOCK OF NOELLE BEND. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 45 years of age vomiting. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1900 HRS 800 BLOCK OF MENOMINEE DR. ASSIST AMBULANCE Female, 77 years of age not feeling well. Transported to Good Shepherd Hospital.
1934 HRS 300 BLOCK OF WINSLOW WAY. DOMESTIC BATTERY. Mother vs. son. Five priors. Male, 13 year of age, transported for an evaluation. Transported to Sherman Hospital. PENDING INVESTIGATION BY REPORTING OFFICER.
2123 HRS 228 INDIAN TRAIL, (INDIAN TRAIL BEACH). ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.

Grafton Township: Another Meeting Shambles

The dais at Thursday's Grafton Township Board meeting looked like one of those "What doesn't fit with the others?" puzzles for kindergartners.  Only instead of six kinds of fruit and a Buick the choice was all of Grafton Township's elected officials and John Nelson, attorney for Supervisor Linda Moore.

After the Pledge, Trustee Gerry McMahon demanded, "What's he doing here (at the dais)?" Moore wouldn't say but defended her right to have him there.

"We have a Township Attorney and it isn't Mr. Nelson," said Trustee Rob LaPorta.

"I'm not going to move on any agenda item until he sits in the audience," screeched McMahon.

"Mr. Nelson, I'm surprised you'd even play this game," said LaPorta.

If it was a game, Trustees refused to play; unless the game was one to make them shut the meeting down without even paying the Township's monthly bills.  In either case, that's what happened.

The audience was enraged. "What happens to the citizens of the Township?" demanded Tammy Newsome.

"This is completely ridiculous," fumed Mary Ann Throlson.

After the meeting Moore still refused to say why she wanted Nelson at her side, making a "lock-it" motion at her lips and pointing at the attorney.

Nelson, writing a release for the regional newspapers, didn't really say why, either.  "After the last meeting she wanted her own lawyer," he said.  "She's the Chair.  She's in charge."

That, however, in a phrase heard often in Board meetings this year, is "a matter under litigation." Indeed, it's the heart of the Circuit Court suits Moore and the rest of the Board have filed against each other.  Judge Michael Caldwell may deliver his decision on them Monday.

In the pics: (above) Attorney John Nelson (left) unaccustomedly at the elbow of Supervisor Linda Moore during the Grafton Township Board meeting.  (below)  Factional stalwarts argued with each other afterwards but they didn't get anywhere, either.  

Algonquin Fall Book Sale: Get In Line

Bookbuyers queued up Thursday at Algonquin's Eastgate Library waiting for doors to open so they'd get first pick among the 30,000 volumes (CD's, DVD's, etc.) for sale this weekend at the Fall Festival of Books by the Friends of the Library. 

"I like European mysteries," said a lady named Kathryn who'd come to the sale from Chicago.  "They're hard to find."

Gerry Watkins from came from Wheaton.  "I read pretty much anything," he said. Then, "If they're valuable I sell them online.  Otherwise I give them away."

The sale continues at the Eastgate Branch today from 4 to 8 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm.  Sunday's hours are 1 to 4 pm and all books are half-price.

The Friends' Back To School Book sale this year netted $8,430.

Pork And Kraut Served Tonight At Algonquin's St. John's

St. John's Lutheran Church Men's and Women's Ministries and School will have their 43rd  Annual Pork and Kraut Dinner today from 5:00 to 7:30 pm.

It's a wildly popular dinner so you might want to call ahead and reserve tickets.  Call Jim at 847-658-6010, Ed at 847-658-4726, Gene at 847-658-7005, or Joan at 847-854-2959.  Tickets will be $10 for adults, $4 for children 6 to 12 years old, and no charge for children 5 and under.

Quinn Tries To Get Wisconsin Money, Jobs

By Jennifer Wessner, Illinois Statehouse News
It’s not just Wisconsin’s high speed rail money that Gov. Pat Quinn wants — Illinois is also hunting Wisconsin’s train manufacturers. The Quinn administration is openly courting one which is slated to build Wisconsin’s high speed rail cars.

Illinois received $1.2 billion in federal stimulus dollars earlier this year to install high speed rail-lines across the state. The money is being used to improve the lines that run from Chicago to St. Louis and Chicago to Madison. Missouri and Wisconsin were supposed to use federal money to finish Illinois’ projects when they cross into their states.

But with the recent election of a Republican governor, Wisconsin’s commitment to the project may be fading. Republican Scott Walker Walker campaigned against the high-speed rail project and construction on the Wisconsin projects has temporally ceased pending discussion between the Governor-elect and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood warned Walker that the $810 million allocated to the Wisconsin might be be distributed to other states. Quinn said that Illinois would be happy to take the extra federal money if Wisconsin refuses it.

Quinn also said that he is open to bringing new companies to Illinois to help build the extra projects. “We already have brought from Wisconsin a company that is making railroad cars for high speed rail, 250 new jobs,” Quinn said. “We can bring other companies to Illinois. We’ve always been a railroad center."

Wednesday, Quinn went a step further, officially urging Wisconsin train maker Talgo to move its operation to Illinois. Marcelyn Love, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, cited a recent $12 million dollar business investment package made to a Japanese company to build a new rail car manufacturing facility in Illinois as an example of what the governor can use to lure Talgo.

“Gov. Quinn is interested in bringing Talgo and many other companies and jobs to Illinois,” Love said. “He is committed to strengthening the state’s investment in high speed rail as a way to create jobs and continue our economic recovery.”

You can read Jennifer's full report at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/4514/quinn-tries-to-get-wisconsin-jobs-federal-money-for-illinois/

In the pic:  A real high speed train, a Japanese shinkansen.  It can hit double the 90 mph peak of Illinois' planned high speed rail.

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
November 11
0218 HRS 1520 INDUSTRIAL DR., (S&D AUTOMOTIVE). DOMESTIC BATTERY. ADAMSKI, STEVE R., M/W 44 YEARS OF AGE, 1520 INDUSTRIAL DR. UNIT E, LAKE IN THE HILLS. CHARGES: Interference in the Reporting of a Domestic Battery, Domestic Battery/Provoked, Domestic Battery/Bodily Harm. TURNED OVER TO MCHENRY COUNTY JAIL.
0008 HRS 10 BLOCK OF WOODY WAY. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 43 years of age, flu-like symptoms. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
0819 HRS 10910 REED RD., (CHESAK SCHOOL). INFORMATION FOR POLICE. Juvenile brought a pumpkin carving knife to school.
1104 HRS 300 BLOCK OF HARVEST GATE. RESIDENTIAL BURGLARY. Bicycle was taken from complainant’s garage yesterday. TURNED OVER TO INVESTIGATIONS.
1354 HRS PYOTT RD. & ALGONQUIN RD. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
1440 HRS 200 BLOCK OF ELLIS RD. INFORMATION FOR POLICE. Complaint received a possible telephone scam call.
1713 HRS HILLTOP DR. & ALGONQUIN RD. ACCIDENT. One vehicle. Property damage only.
1937 HRS 100 N. RANDALL RD., (WALGREENS). DISORDERLY CONDUCT. Two females possibly arguing. UNFOUNDED.
2011 HRS 208 N. RANDALL RD., (BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO). ACCIDENT Two vehicles. Property damage only.
Algonquin
November 8
20:18pm Medina, Cordero R., DOB: 08/16/88, of 290 S. Annandale Drive, Lake in the Hills, was charged with No Seat Belt and No Proof of Insurance.  He was also Wanted on a Warrant, out of McHenry County for Failure to Appear, on a Battery charge.  He was taken into custody at Stonegate Road and Randall Road.  He was released after posting $750 on the Warrant with a court date of 12/10/10 in McHenry County.
November 9
00:17am Heindl, Victoria E., DOB: 06/07/64, of 3 Greyshire Court, Algonquin, was Wanted on a Warrant, out of Kane County for Failure to Appear, on a Domestic Battery charge.  She was taken into custody at the Algonquin Police Department.  She was released after posting $500 with a court date of 12/03/10 in Kane County.
07:40am A 15 year-old male from Algonquin was charged with Criminal Damage to Property and Unlawful Storage/Possession of a Weapon on School Grounds.  He was taken into custody at the Algonquin Police Department.  He was formally Petitioned into Juvenile Court and then released into the custody of his mother.
November 11
07:35am Linder, Daniel A., DOB: 11/22/84, of 224 Butternut Lane, Streamwood, was Wanted on a Warrant, out of DuPage County for DUI.  He was taken into custody at Oberweis, 1493 S. Randall Road.  He was released after posting $1500 with a court date of 12/09/10 in DuPage County.
17:11pm Gallegos, Erick, DOB: 12/18/89, of 853 Jan Marie Lane, Elgin, was charged with DWLS.  He was also Wanted on a Warrant, out of Elgin, for Failure to Appear, on a DWLS charge.  He was taken into custody in the 400 block of Washington Street.  He was transported to McHenry County Jail when unable to post bond.

Faith Food Pantry Expects Increased Cries For Help

The Faith Community Church Food Pantry in Huntley received a shipment of just under two tons of food Wednesday morning. By Wednesday evening a lot of it was already gone. 

Opened a little over a year ago, the Pantry now serves 120 families, about 500 people, weekly, according to Director Robert Wenig.  "That will go up (in the next two months) I'm sure," he said.  "Increase that by 1/3 to 1/2."

Faith Community's Food Pantry like the Algonquin Lake in the Hills Interfaith Food Pantry and the Grafton Township Food Pantry depend on community food donations and purchases from the Northern Illinois Food Bank to keep poor people fed.  But Faith Community's has one ace in the hole.  "(One of our church members) owns a food distribution company for restaurants," said Wenig.  "He sends us overstock.  We just got 20 boxes of bulk chicken breasts, Italian beef and chicken fingers."

Although Faith Community Church operates the Food Pantry it's not just for church members.  "Anybody can come," Wenig said.  The pantry's open at the Church on Haligus north of Algonquin Road Wednesdays from 4 to 6 pm.

In the pic:  Faith Community Food Pantry Director Bob Wenig (right) fights a fever Wednesday morning while trying to get the latest food shipment ready for distribution later that day.

Marines Celebrate 235 Years At LITH Legion

Lake in the Hills American Legion was packed Wednesday evening with Marines, ex-Marines, families of Marines and people who know Marines, all celebrating the Marines' 235th birthday.

The Second Continental Congress appointed Samuel Nicholas Captain of Marines on 5 Nov., 1775, and on 10 Nov. ordered up two battalions of naval infantry so he'd have something to command.  The Marines mark their founding from that date even though they technically ceased to exist for 15 years after the Revolution when the Congress disbanded, not just the Marines, but the entire Navy.

Marines, Army, Navy and Air Force men and women will be honored at a number of events in the area today marking Veterans Day.

The Legion will have a Turkey Raffle at the Post from Saturday from 7 pm until whenever everything's raffled off.  Even though it's called a Turkey Raffle there'll also be ducks and hams and other meat besides gobblers.

In the pic: Marine Sgt. Grant Lion and Marine Corps League members Cedric and Aaron Syrdahl, all of Algonquin, swap a few leatherneck tales at Post 1231's Marine Birthday Party Wednesday.

Full disclosure:  Your editor had a distant ancestor who may have been one of the 306 men aboard the U.S.S. Philadelphia when it ran aground trying to blockade the shores of Tripoli in 1803.  He definitely "died in an Algerine (sic) prison" when it was more normal practice just to sell captives in the slave market.

Algonquin Twp. Board Taking Trustee Applications

The Algonquin Township Board decided Wednesday to interview candidates at a special meeting Nov. 22 before choosing one to fill the seat of the late Niels Sorensen. Supervisor Diane Klemm said she's received applications from two people to fill the trustee spot and expressions of interest from two others.

Although there's still two years to run on Sorensen's term, Village Attorney Lew Matuszewich said "the law encourages an appointment" to fill the seat rather than a special election.  The Township Code says "the township board shall fill the vacancy by appointment".  Then in the next paragraph is says what to do if they don't.

Trustees get to deal with problems like Wednesday's complaint by a resident of unincorporated Crystal Lake who was mad at neighbors for violating the McHenry County Open Burning Ordinance.  Trustees gently explained that since it was a County ordinance they were really out of the enforcement loop but they promised to make a few calls to Woodstock.

The Board also set Dec. 8 for special hearings for the Township and Road District Levies for the 2010 tax year.  Even though the Township knows the figure for its Equalized Assessed Value and how much money they plan to ask for, the County hasn't officially calculated the required tax rate so release of the numbers will be delayed a few days.

Tollway Meeting Monday Includes Virtual Attendance

The Illinois Tollway will hold a public hearing on its 2011 budget Monday in Downers Grove but people can attend and comment this year virtually,  too. The Tollway's 2011 Budget with an estimated $680 million in expenditures, includes a $10.3 million cut from this year's budget, the first time that's ever happened.

Some of that's from cutting 106 vacant employee slots bringing the Tollway's workforce down to 1,600 people.  On the expenditure side is $278.9 million for capital projects like construction of Huntley's full interchange.

Monday's hearing is set for 4 pm at Tollway headquarters in Downers Grove.  However, people can skip the trip and attend via a live Webcast hosted on the Tollway’s Web site at www.illinoistollway.com .  Public comment will be accepted at the hearing, orally or in writing, as well as via the Webcast.  Participants attending via the Webcast can send their comments to be read by the moderator during the hearing or request the virtual comment be submitted as a written comment.

You can read the whole Tollway budget here: http://www.illinoistollway.com/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/TOLLWAY/ABOUTTOLLWAY/ABOUTTOLLWAY_FINANCIALS/ABOUTTOLLWAY_BUDGETS/2011%20TENTATIVE%20BUDGET%20BOOK%20-%20FINAL.PDF

And you can submit comments here: http://www.illinoistollway.com/portal/page?_pageid=133,1848513&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

Quinn Says No More Gambling--Lawmakers, Maybe

By Benjamin Yount, Illinois Statehouse News
There are two emerging choices for lawmakers looking to dig Illinois out of its fiscal mess.  Gov. Pat Quinn wants an income tax increase.  Some lawmakers want to expand gambling.  And legislators say one is much easier to pass than the other.

Touting a new veterans lottery game this week, Quinn once again said he is not looking to add casinos or expand existing casinos as a way to close Illinois' multi-billion dollar budget gap. "You can't gamble your way to prosperity," Quinn said.  "I think we have to understand in Illinois that we have some gambling.  But do we want to expand it and make Illinois the Las Vegas of the Midwest?  Not in my opinion."

State Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, said  he believes that adding a new casino or four may not be nearly as tough as raising taxes or slashing the state budget. "I don't have a sense that there is a lot of support in the legislature for making tough cuts," he said.  "And I don't have a sense that a tax increase has a lot of support because people will be up for re-election.  At the end of the day it may be easier to…expand gambling."

The latest proposal floating around the Capitol would place one casino in Chicago, one north of the city, one south of Chicago, and a fourth in Danville.  There are also plans to add slots at racetracks, and expand the number of gaming positions at Illinois' nine existing riverboats.

But there are almost always plans to expand gambling.  And they almost always fail. State Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford, said he doesn't think Quinn's position will matter, or even stay the same. "He will change his mind like he does on pretty much everything," he said.  "The idea that a new lotto game is somehow better than more gambling is just silly."

Quinn's gambling comments came Tuesday as he unveiled the new Veterans Cash lottery ticket.  The proceeds from the  game will help augment Illinois' veterans' budget.

You can read Ben's full report at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/4512/quinn-says-no-gambling-expansion-lawmakers-not-so-sure/

In  the pic:  The Grand Victoria Casino, Elgin.

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
November 10
1736 HRS RANDALL RD. & ACORN LN. ACCIDENT/INJURY. JUVENILE, M/W 15 YEARS OF AGE, CRYSTAL LAKE. CHARGES: Leaving the Scene of a Personal Injury Accident, Following Too Closely, No Valid Illinois Drivers License and Failure to give Aid or Information.
TURNED OVER TO CRYSTAL LAKE POLICE. Unit 2 Driver was transported to Sherman Hospital.
0100 HRS 100 BLOCK OF DEERPATH. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 45 years of age, highly intoxicated. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1108 HRS 00 BLOCK OF WALNUT DR. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 69 years of age, with a possible stroke. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
2014 HRS 311 N. RANDALL RD., (AMC THEATERS). CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. Vehicle was damaged.
2038 HRS 00 BLOCK OF DOGWOOD LN. DOMESTIC. Husband vs. wife. Verbal only. One prior.
2053 HRS 4000 BLOCK OF LARKSPUR LN. DOMESTIC BATTERY. Mother vs. daughter. One prior. UNFOUNDED.

LITH Levy Level, But Taxes May Not Be

Lake in the Hills plans to hold its levy on 2010 real estate taxes the same as it was in 2009 according to a resolution placed before the Village Board Tuesday.  What that means is LITH residents in Algonquin Township might see a an increase in their tax bills.

The village's levy is planned at $5.6 million, the same figure as 2009's.  But the levy's on the equalized assessed valuation of all the property within the village limits.  For 2010 the tax base is expected to only be $764 million.  Last year it was $838 million so to get the same amount of money the tax rate has to increase.   LITH Finance Director Pete Stefan estimated the tax rate has to go up 9.7 percent to do that.

However, LITH lies within two different townships and the difference between the two is where the problem, if there is  one, will lie for taxpayers.  Stefan estimated the EAV in Grafton Township will drop 10 percent, essentially a wash.  However, the EAV in Algonquin township is only expected to fall 7.5 percent.  The Algonquin EAV decrease isn't as small as the tax rate increase is big.  Translation:  residents' whose homes lie in Algonquin Township may see their taxes increase.

Stefan was quick to point out that it really depends.  "Each individual property owner's real estate tax bill will fluctuate based on the percentage change in (his) EAV for each property as compared to the percentage change for the entire village."

The levy goes before the full LITH Board Thursday.

In the pic:  About half of LITH lies in Algonquin Township, half in Grafton.

Huntley, Algonquin Lane Closures Expected Today

Constructions crews will be paving in the Route 47/Main Street intersection to the railroad tracks in Huntley today, according to a release from the village.  "There will be long traffic delays in this area," it warned.

Meanwhile the McHenry County Division of Transportation will be tree trimming in Algonquin along Algonquin Road. The westbound lane west of Route 31 will be closed, according to a release.  Expect delays there, too.

Back in Huntley Thursday and Friday crews are supposed to be pouring curbs and gutters on the west side of 47 between Algonquin and Reed roads. Then Friday workers will return to the 47/Main area again for more paving there and on West Main Street up to Huntley Collision. There's also supposed to be temporary pavement placement on 47 from Algonquin Road to 4th Street

Mchenry County Sportsplex Financing Now In Deathrace

Financing for the proposed giant McHenry County Sportsplex on Route 47 between Huntley and Woodstock will probably go down to the end of the year wire with Tuesday's cancellation of the monthly meeting of the Upper Illinois River Valley Development Authority Board.

After the McHenry County Board last week transferred $18.5 million in federal stimulus bonding authority to UIRVDA to use for the Sportsplex, developers headed by LITH businessman Lou Tenore were expected to appear Tuesday with a pitch for that money and $16 million more in UIRVDA development bonds.  However, UIRVDA Executive Director Andy Hamilton told FEN Tuesday the meeting was canceled because the Sportsplex hadn't submitted enough information yet.  "We have to be further along," said Hamilton who reported the group's next meeting won't be until Dec. 7.

That casts financing for the Sportsplex in doubt since, barring a lame duck Congressional extension, authority to issue the stimulus bonds runs out Dec. 31.  "The approval process usually takes 60 to 90 days," said Hamilton.  "I've done it in 30 before," he said. Even so, the schedule at the moment would only allow 24 days to issue the bonds, the last 7 in the week between Christmas and New Years when bond activity is usually pretty thin.

Hamilton said UIRVDA's next meeting will be at Grizzly Jack's indoor waterpark in Utica.  When FEN pointed out that location is the only Illinois project by some of the Sportsplex's backers that's ever made it past the idea stage Hamilton said it was just a coincidence since agency's usual meeting spot had already been booked up.

Wind Consortium Encounters Canny Farmers

District 300's plans for a $50 million windfarm in Stark County are still up in the air based on Tuesday's meeting of the School Wind Consortium Joint Action Renewable Energy Agency.  Stark County farmers are optimistic, though.

The Consortium, District 300 and two much smaller school districts, has begun buying options for pads for the proposed giant windmills and, "The land owners think they're sitting on a gold mine," said President Cheryl Crates.

The Board agreed not to talk about the options in public anymore. "We don't want to tip our hands on who's buying and who's not," she said.

Meanwhile the Consortium is still trying to figure out if the project will even work financially.  Right now it's researching how much it would cost to connect the planned windfarm to the rest of the electrical grid and how much a distribution company would be willing to pay for the power when it is.

After more than a year of planning and several different models, the windfarm has returned to something like its original one: self-generating the electricity the school districts now buy from ComEd.  Only now there's a middleman to provide extra electricity when the wind isn't blowing and suck it up when it's blowing too much.

"There will be times when we're using more electricity than the farm is producing," said Dave Ulm, supervisor of facilities and energy management for District 300. On the other hand, there'll be times the farm would produce too much electricity.  "We need people that are using electricity at night," he said.

Since it was formed three months ago the Consortium's jettisoned the idea of trying to build the windfarm using federal stimulus bonds, according to Crates.  The deadline for issuing those runs out at the end of the year.  That part of the funding's been replaced with the sale of depreciation on the windmills themselves, she said, the non-profit Consortium having figured out it has no taxes that wear and tear can offset in the first place.

In the pic:  Windmills at a windfarm in Stark County near the Consortium's target site.

Topinka, Rutherford: No Blank Checks For Quinn Borrowing

By Benjamin Yount, Illinois Statehouse News
Democrats will control most of the process to craft a new state budget next year. But Republicans Comptroller-elect Judy Baar Topinka and Treasurer-elect Dan Rutherford both plan to flex their state fiscal officer muscle with an aim at Gov. Pat Quinn's borrowing.

Quinn has called borrowing one of his "budget pillars."  However, state law requires both the state treasurer and comptroller to sign-off on short term borrowing in Illinois.  Topinka said that means she'd better get answers to her questions. Rutherford, too.

"I have a number of questions about any type of short term borrowing," Said Topinka.  "What will the money be used for, how long will it be out, and is there money for the state to pay it back?"

Rutherford said that not all borrowing is bad, but he does worry about Illinois' mounting debt and the state's ability to repay what it borrows.

Illinois will have billions in short term loans to repay.  Quinn borrowed $1.3 billion over the summer.  That bill will come due within a year, and will have to be factored into the FY12 state budget. The Quinn administration is also planning to add to the debt load by privatizing Illinois' share of the tobacco settlement.  That will require $1.2 billion in bonds,  And then there are a billion dollars in fund transfers from last year that have to be paid back next spring.

Both Topinka and Rutherford insist their view of the governor's borrowing strategy is based on fiscal policy, not politics.  "I was kicked out of George Ryan's office for refusing to sign off on his plans to borrow.  It has nothing to do with they party of the governor," said Topinka.

Rutherford said Illinois is too broke for him to play games. "If  (the borrowing plan) is something that makes sense, there's a means to pay it back, we understand where the money is going to go to, is there a revenue stream, all of those, I'm willing to look at it.  I'm not going to be an obstructionist just to be an obstructionist," added Rutherford.

You can read Ben's full report at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/4510/rutherford-topinka-no-blank-checks-for-quinn-borrowing/

In the pic:  Judy Baar Topinka

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
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New Algonquin Retailer Passes First Hurdle

Plans for a new major retailer to take over and remodel the defunct Wickes store in Algonquin Commons passed the Village's Planning and Zoning Commission Monday but not without opposition.

Omaha-based regional retailer Gordmans Stores, Inc., would bring 70 new jobs and a village-estimated $50,000 to $100,000 in new sales tax revenue to Algonquin.  The store would be the Penneys/Sears/Kohls competitor's first in the Chicago area but the company wants to make changes to the Wickes building.  For one thing Gordman's intends to expand the 37,000 square-foot store by more than one third.

"I was thinking it would be difficult to find a tenant to take that big a space and, lo and behold, they want to make it bigger," enthused Commissioner Jim Patrician.

However, Gordmans' planners also want to "flip" the building so its entrance points into Algonquin Commons instead of out toward Randall Road.  That troubled most of the commissioners who feared a wall screening the loading dock wouldn't be unattractive.

Architects promised to add visual interest and shrubbery while Commissioner Paul Sturznickel observed, "When we agreed to the shopping center we knew there were going to be four sides.  I don't think they could design a building for the Randall Road side any better."

Gordman's is in a rush to open in time for next year's Back to School sales but that timeframe was threatened when Commissioner Andy Neuhalfen began to fret that customers from parking locations to the west would have to cross what amounts to an interior street.  "I don't feel comfortable putting foot traffic across that road.  To me this doesn't look like the proper spot for a store this size," said Neuhalfen.

Patrician had reservations about that, too, but Commissioner Pat Szpekowski countered, "It's not like a real thruway.  We're not getting that much traffic."

Community Development Director Russ Farnum suggested splitting the difference with a proviso to conduct a traffic study and do whatever it recommended.  With that amendment  tacked on the Commission approved the plan, only Neuhalfen dissenting.  Now it'll go to the Algonquin Village Board, probably next week.

In the pic:  A standard Gordmans interior. "I've been to the one in Davenport," said Planning and Zoning Chairman Maggie Auger.  "It's a nice store." 

Algonquin Man Charged With Child Porn Possession Free On Bond

Next Monday is the date for a preliminary hearing in the case of a 43 year-old Algonquin resident charged with 12 counts of aggravated possession of child pornography.

Police arrested Gus G. Kitsos, 727 Longwood Drive, Friday after they received a tip he had sexual images of underage children on his computer, according to Deputy Chief Steve Kuzynowksi.  A search aided by personnel from the Elgin PD's forensic investigation unit turned up sexual images of children under the age of 13, according to Kuzynowski.

Kitsos is currently free on $15,000 bond according to a spokesman at the McHenry County Sheriff's Office.

Illinois Attorney General's spokesman Scott Mulford said Kitsos's case wasn't connected to the series of arrests of Illinois kidporn traffickers his office has been conducting.  A Campton Hills resident Friday became the 15th individual charged in that roundup since Aug. 27.

AG Lisa Madigan's investigators have been tracking kidporn on the Web by following the identifier each computer is assigned when it accesses the Internet. Over the past month more than 6,400 Illinois IP addresses have been seen trading child pornography images and videos, according to figures from Madigan's office.

In the pic:  Kitsos.

Huntley Adds Online Petition For Amtrak Station

Village officials plan to send a second wave of paper petitions next week to Governor Pat Quinn but they've also fixed it so residents can sign a petition online, too, to convince the Governor to locate an Amtrak stop in the village.

The new online petition sponsored by a group called the Northwest Illiinois Blackhawk Express is located here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MQRY8KG

Meanwhile Huntley paper petitions can still be downloaded here: http://www.huntley.il.us/documents/AmtrakPetition11.1.10.pdf

An Amtrak route from Chicago to Dubuque was supposed to have been settled late last year and a stop in Huntley was looking good this Summer but Quinn, for reasons unannounced, changed his mind. Now the Village of Huntley hopes to make him change it back again.

Officials would like the next batch of paper petitions to be in by Friday afternoon.  For more details contact Margo Griffin, Huntley Business Development Coordinator at mgriffin@huntley.il.us .

Auger Resigns Algonquin P&Z Post

Algonquin will be looking for a new Planning and Zoning Commissioner and a new Commission Chairman, too, thanks to Maggie Auger's announcement Monday that she's submitted her resignation.

Auger, elected last week to the Kane County Board, joins newly-elected McHenry County Board Member Donna Kurtz in relinquishing a lesser board position.  Illinois law prohibited Kurtz from keeping her spot on the McHenry County College Board and it also won't allow Auger to stay on in Algonquin, part of which extends into Kane County.

Auger will be the first Algonquin resident to serve on Kane County's Board when she's sworn in.

In the pic:  Auger.

Some Races Across State Still Up for Grabs

by Jennifer Wessner, Illinois Statehouse News
The governor’s race ended with a winner last Friday, but a week after Election Day several local, state, and congressional races are still up for grabs, including a pair in neighboring districts.  The late military ballot snafu in some counties is also delaying final vote certification.

The 8th Congressional race between incumbent Democrat Melissa Bean, D-IL, and Republican challenger Joe Walsh is too close to call. Walsh, who has declared himself the victor, is up by 350 votes.

In the 22nd state senate race, incumbent Sen. Michael Noland, D-Elgin, is leading former Republican state senator Steven Rauschenberger by 400 votes.

Ken Menzel, Illinois State Board of Elections attorney, said all the races, including those with a declared winner, will have to wait for the local counties to produce a final tally. “For the vast majority of the state, all of the counting will be done two weeks after Election Day, which this time around is the 16th, when the last of the absentee ballots can possibly be counted," Menzel said.

Menzel said a few counties who missed the September deadline for sending out military ballots will be given extra time to report their results so the Board's final certification won't come until Dec. 3.

Congressman Mark Kirk, R-IL, will have to wait until the vote is certified to go to Washington to serve out the last few weeks of President Barack Obama’s term in the U.S. Senate. Kirk supporters are anxious to get him seated as quickly as possible, since his vote might be important to any legislation Congress tries to pass in a lame-duck session.

Menzel said the date to certify the results for the special election have been moved up to make sure the transition is seamless. “When the federal court ordered the special election be held, they ordered a declaration of results that would attempt to give the winner of that election as much time in the current Congress as possible without truncating the amount of time needed for absentee ballots to come in," he said.


You can read Jennifer's full report at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/4509/races-across-the-state-are-still-up-for-grabs/

Quinn’s Win Highlights Downstate Battle

By Kevin Lee, Illinois Statehouse News
Gov. Pat Quinn may have been elected to a full-term as governor, but if results hold, he only managed to win a majority of voters in three out of Illinois’ 102 counties. That’s a sharp contrast to the 2006 mid-term election, when winning Democratic incumbent Gov. Rod Blagojevich earned majorities in more than 30 counties.

Both Democratic candidates obtained a similar level of support. Blagojevich earned 1,736,731 votes in 2006. At last report, Quinn had 1,721,812 votes, with absentee votes still to be counted and the tally yet to be finalized

Quinn won handily in Cook County, where he resides, with almost 65 percent of the vote against rival Brady and several other candidates. The incumbent governor also had narrow majorities in St. Clair County in the Metro-East area near St. Louis and Alexander County in the southwestern tip of the state.

Blagojevich managed to win Cook County, nearby Will and Lake counties, Winnebago and Boone Counties in northern Illinois, several counties in the Quad-Cities area and many counties in southwestern Illinois, stretching from St. Clair County in the Metro-East southward into Alexander, Pulaski and Massac Counties in southern Illinois.

“Downstate, Illinois is a lot more conservative than Chicago and the Cook County suburbs. So I’m surprised at the mostly unbroken sea of red, but not particularly surprised that Brady won downstate,” said Southern Illinois University political science Professor Charles Leonard.

You can read Kevin's full report at:  http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/4487/quinns-win-highlights-difficult-downstate-battle/

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
November 08
1624 HRS 1115 CRYSTAL LAKE RD., (LITH POLICE). RETAIL THEFT. JUVENILE, F/W 16 YEARS OF AGE, CARPENTERSVILLE. CHARGES: Retail Theft. RELEASED TO PARENT.
1759 HRS 1115 CRYSTAL LAKE RD., (LITH POLICE). ENDANGERING THE LIFE OF A CHILD. RECKWEG, JAMES A., M/W 18 YEARS OF AGE, 793 WILLOW ST., LAKE IN THE HILLS. CHARGES: Endangering the Life of a Child. RELEASED ON BOND.
0159 HRS 0 BLOCK OF TWELVE LAKES CT. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 38 years of age, vomiting and diarrhea. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1039 HRS 1115 CRYSTAL LAKE RD., (LITH POLICE). ASSIST AMBULANCE. 19 year-old female injured in a domestic battery in Algonquin.
1044 HRS 1100 BLOCK OF STARWOOD PASS. BURGLARY TO MOTOR VEHICLE. Items taken from an unsecured vehicle.
1513 HRS 700 BLOCK OF WEDGEWOOD CIRCLE. BATTERY. Male subject pushed a door open and the door hit a female in the head.
1842 HRS 2100 BLOCK OF PEMBRIDGE DR. INFORMATION FOR POLICE. Subject taking pictures of children.
2105 HRS 2900 BLOCK OF GENEVA LN. SUICIDE ATTEMPT. Male, 36 years of age, attempted suicide. Transported to Woodstock Hospital.
2202 HRS 3900 BLOCK OF THORNBERRY WAY. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Male, 45 years of age, with high blood pressure and vomiting.
Transported to Sherman Hospital.
2304 HRS 241 N. RANDALL RD., (WHITE CASTLE) DOMESTIC. Ex-Boyfriend vs. Ex-Girlfriend. Verbal only.

New McHenry County Tax Assessments Expected To Fall--Finally

Algonquin and Grafton Township real estate assessments for the 2010 tax year are both expected to be posted next week and, according to assessors, they'll generally--and finally--be down.

Property owners have been incensed that their assessments have remained high in the face of three years of declining real estate market prices.  "We've got people downloading the forms and filing protests already (against their 2010 assessments)," said Grafton Township Assessor Bill Ottley Friday.

The problem has been the interaction between housing bubble prices and Illinois' assessment system.  Although market prices began to collapse in 2007, homeowners' assessments didn't because they're the arithmetic average of a home's value at the beginning of each tax year and the two years before that.  There's a built-in lag, a good thing for homeowners when prices were skyrocketing, not so swell after they fell off the cliff.

Algonquin Township Assessor Bob Kunz told FEN 2010 assessments will probably fall even more than experts expect.  "We've made some wholesale changes to the assessment base to add in the effects of the past two years's decisions due to the Board of Review," he said.

It's been Kunz's contention that when owners have protested assessments the McHenry County Board of Review has sometimes peeked at the following years' market prices.  Kunz believes that isn't fair to non-protesters so he said he tried to bake the effect into his 2010 numbers.

Ottley said he had a confab last month with County Assessor Bob Ross and then made broad revisions to his numbers, too.

Neither Kunz nor Ottley wanted to cite an average reduction in 2010 assessments.  For one thing, an average is an average and "your mileage may vary."  For another, it's  up to Ross to look at the assessments from all the townships in McHenry County to see how they stack up against each other.  If some don't, Ross could still slap on a township multiplier to make everything line up.

Kunz and Ottley said they didn't think that would happen in Algonquin or Grafton townships.  Ross couldn't be reached Friday.

In the pic:  Here's how McHenry County's equalized assessed value broke down last year.

LITH Fen Expands With Farmhouse Removal

Work is finishing up on north Randall Road on a project that will see Lake in the Hills Fen expand around 10 percent more.  For the past two weeks emediation contractors have been pulling down and trucking off the dilapidated Rothschild Property farm home and buildings fronting Randall.

The Fen surrounds the 35-acre parcel where the work is taking place which isn't surprising since a lot of the conservation area was itself once part of the Rothschild property.  The McHenry County Conservation District began negotiations to secure the parcel two years ago and finally won title this summer.

Once the farm relics are removed MCCD will begin to restore the site and it'll become an integral part of the fen again, according to spokesman Amy Peters.

In the pic:  Soon the site of the farmhouse on the "Rotchschild 3" site will begin to return to how it was a century ago.

D300 Foundation Fundraiser Offers Any Occasion Notecards

The remaindered Halloween candy's down to a few forlorn bags of Smarties (75% off!) so retailers can already hear those sleighbells jingling. Or is it cash registers?  In any event, The District 300 Foundation doesn't want to be left behind in the Christmas shopping rush.

Original artwork by 16 District 300 students is featured this year on all-occasion note cards in a special fundraiser that just started for the D300 Foundation. At $15 for a box of 16 cards, they're " an ideal gift for loved ones and colleagues this holiday season," according to a Foundation release and certainly more tasteful than some of the stuff that's already hitting the shelves in local stores.

The cards are shown here: http://www.d300foundation.org/alloccasioncards.html

The foundation also has student-art Christmas cards.  They're here:
http://www.d300foundation.org/id136.html
Orders can be placed with Foundation Assistant Mary Gross at (847) 426-1300, or by downloading and filling out the order form here: http://www.d300foundation.org/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/note_cards_order_form.pdf .  Forms may be mailed to the Foundation at District 300 Foundation For Educational Excellence, 300 Cleveland Avenue, Carpentersville, IL 60110.

From Nov. 23 orders will be available for pickup either at the individual school offices or at the D300 Administration Center reception desk in Carpentersville during business hours. Your choice.

The notecards feature works by Jacobs students, Hannah Ayers, Stephanie Carlson, Monique Marchwiany, Hallie Morrison, Alana Rung, Stephanie Sanders, Liv Schaffer, Kristen Schlosser, Artur Szmanda, and Nancy Valladares, by Dundee-Crown students Danielle Becker, Kimberly Farquhar, Griffin Thorne  and Cara Zissman and by two Carpentersville Middle Scool students.  Diamond Graphics, Algonquin, helped produce them.

In the pic:  Jacobs artist Kristen Schlosser created the artwork for this D300 Foundation all-occasion notecard. 

Don't Pay More For Certified Deeds Warns Recorder

McHenry County Recorder Phyllis Walters warned this past week of a semi-scam making the rounds.

Companies have been offering to sell certified copies of property deeds for the low,low price of only $59.50, according to complaints from residents.  Walters, however,  will sell you a certified copy of your deed for $12. That's the statutory fee.  All you have to do is call the County Recorder's Office at (815) 334-4128, or stop by the County Administration Building in Woodstock.

Walters said it's legal for someone to get certified copies of deeds from her office and then resell them at inflated prices but she suggested thinking twice about giving someone like that your credit card number.

Recall Will Be Easier Said Than Done

By Jamey Dunn, Illinois Issues
Illinois voters approved an amendment to the state Constitution last week that would allow for the recall of a sitting governor, so long as he or she has spent at least six months in office. Some say, however, that the hoops voters would have to jump through make the amendment practically useless.

To pass, the amendment needed support from 60 percent of those who voted on Tuesday. It received the backing 66 percent.

If voters want to remove a governor from office, they first must file an affidavit with signatures from 20 lawmakers from the Illinois House and 10 from the Illinois Senate. The signing members must be evenly split from both parties. If the State Board of Elections approves the request, voters would get 150 days to circulate petitions and gather signatures from enough people to equal 15 percent of the turnout for the last gubernatorial election. For example, if the threshold was based on the turnout in this week’s election - 3.6 million - voters would have to get more than 525,000 signatures.

Kent Redfield, an emeritus professor at the University of Illinois Springfield and director of the Sunshine Project, described that process as a “screwy Rube Goldberg device.” He said the requirements voters would have to meet to unseat a governor makes the notion of recall power “largely symbolic.”

The sponsor of the bill in the House, McHenry County State Rep. Jack Franks, said he did not initially plan on including the requirement that legislators sign off. But it became a part of the bill through compromise with Gov. Pat Quinn.

Franks said recall is rarely used in the states that have it. He likened it to a "nuclear deterrent" against bad behavior from a governor. But if voters feel strongly enough to use it, he said they should be able to successfully remove a governor. “I trust the voters. … People have to have a passion for them to stand up and do a recall.”

You can read Jamey's full report at: http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2010/11/recall-will-be-easier-said-than-done.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
November 07
1314 HRS RAKOW RD. & VIRGINIA RD. NO VALID DRIVERS LICENSE. MINDIOLA-SALGADO, AGUSTIN, M/W 29 YEARS OLD, 689 E. ELSINOOR LN., CRYSTAL LAKE CHARGES: No Valid Drivers License.
0047 HRS 220 N. RANDALL, (MORETTIS). DOMESTIC Boyfriend vs. girlfriend. Verbal only. No priors.
0046 HRS 220 N. RANDALL, (MORETTIS). CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. Damage to Hummer Limousine, done by passengers. FAIL TO FILE.
0237 HRS 220 N. RANDALL, (MORETTIS). BATTERY. Female vs. female. FAIL TO FILE.
0305 HRS 220 N. RANDALL, (MORETTIS). BATTERY. Several females fighting. PENDING INVESTIGATION BY REPORTING OFFICER.
1125 HRS 3 CRYSTAL LAKE RD., (AUTO ZONE). LOST LICENSE PLATE. Front plate was lost or stolen. Entered into LEADS.
1151 HRS 1500 BLOCK OF WASHINGTON ST. MISSING JUVENILE. Female, 16 years of age, did not return home. Entered into LEADS. Returned home, removed from LEADS.
1505 HRS 100 BLOCK OF PHEASANT TRAIL. FOUND ARTICLE. Drug paraphernalia was found in a front yard. Entered into evidence.
1521 HRS RANDALL RD. & ALGONQUIN RD. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
1539 HRS 300 BLOCK OF S. ANNANDALE DR. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 47 years of age, fell down the stairs. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1626 HRS MILLER RD. & HEARTLAND GATE. ACCIDENT. Vehicle vs. Bicyclist.
1625 HRS 241 N. RANDALL RD., (WHITE CASTLE). ASSIST OTHER AGENCY. Someone tried to use a counterfeit bill. TURNED OVER TO INVESTIGATIONS.
1804 HRS 4500 ALGONQUIN RD., (7-ELEVEN). ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
1808 HRS 700 BLOCK OF WILLOW ST. CHILD NEGLECT. Male, 13 years of age, heart racing. Transported to Good Shepherd Hospital.
1814 HRS 600 BLOCK OF JOSEPH ST. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 43 years of age, vomiting. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
2348 HRS 100 BLOCK OF WOODY WAY. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Male, 43 years of age, needing an evaluation. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
Algonquin
November 5
16:27pm Kitsos, Gus G., DOB: 08/31/67, of 727 Longwood Drive, Algonquin, was charged with Possession of Child Pornography.  He was taken into custody at 727 Longwood.  He was transported to McHenry County Jail to await a bond hearing.
21:19pm Rios-Barraza, Humberto, DOB: 03/25/87, of 2107 Tepee, Carpentersville, was charged with No Valid Driver’s License.  He was taken into custody at Algonquin Road and Hanson Road.  He was released on a Personal Recognizance Bond with a court date of 12/01/10 in McHenry County.
November 6
00:24am Best, Bridget B., DOB: 04/12/62, of 2802 East Bridleway Court, Carpentersville, was charged with DUI, DUI Over and Speeding.  She was taken into custody at Route 31 and South Street.  She was released on a Personal Recognizance Bond with a court date of 12/29/10 in McHenry County.
13:55pm Damani, Samir S., DOB: 03/16/83, of 1520 Farm Hill Drive, Algonquin, was charged with DUI, Too Fast for Conditions and Improper Lane Usage.  He was taken into custody at the Algonquin Police Department.  He was released after posting $300 with a court date of 12/22/10 in McHenry County.
16:47pm A 15 year-old male from Huntley was charged with Retail Theft.  He was taken into custody at Claire’s, 1728 S. Randall Road.  He was referred to the Tri Area Court For Teens and then released into the custody of his parents.
17:50pm Au, Tony L.m DOB: 06/16/87, of 4155 West Henderson Street, Chicago, was charged with DWLS.  He was taken into custody at Compton Drive and Sandbloom Road.  He was released on a Personal Recognizance Bond with a court date of 12/07/10 in McHenry County.
19:07pm Munkhnasan, Gankhuyag, DOB: 11/10/89, of 2268 Flagstone Lane, Carpentersville, was charged with Retail Theft.  He was taken into custody at TJ Maxx, 832 S. Randall Road.  He was released on a Personal Recognizance Bond with a court date of 12/08/10 in McHenry County.
November 7
00:22am Bowling, Andrey A., DOB: 05/05/78, of 2229 Moser Lane, Algonquin, was charged with DUI, Disobeying Stop Sign, Failure to Reduce Speed to Avoid an Accident and Illegal Transportation of Alcohol.  He was taken into custody at Route 31 and Arrowhead Drive.  He was released after posting $100 and his Illinois Driver’s License with a court date of 12/15/10 in McHenry County.
15:30pm Garcia-Cruz, Jose, DOB: 01/19/90, of 1550 Mulberry Lane, Elgin, was charged with Retail Theft.  He was taken into custody at Kohl’s, 734 S. Randall Road.  He was released after posting $150 with a court date of 12/08/10 in McHenry County.
17:30pm Hernandez, Miguel A., DOB: 08/26/85, of 3419 Southport Drive, Island Lake, was charged with No Valid Driver’s License and No Proof of Insurance.  He was taken into custody at Route 31 and Arrowhead Drive.  He was released after posting $150 with a court date of 12/21/10 in McHenry County.

McHenry County Board Beefs Public Transit Problems

Wednesday's RTA report to the McHenry County Board on what the county was getting for its extra .25 cent sales tax to the agency was bound to be a bit strained this year but by the end of the session the briefing ended in beefing.

McHenry County's Metra Rep Jack Schaffer was subdued reporting the transportation agency had strengthened  financial oversight to prevent things like Director Phil Pagano's giving himself almost $500,000 in extra vacation pay and taking out doubtful loans.  Pagano threw himself in front of one of his own trains in Crystal Lake earlier this year as investigators closed in. When questioned, Schaffer said Metra's insurance paid back most of the money and Metra attorneys are going after the rest.

Besides, Schaffer said, Metra's got bigger problems than executive peculation.  "Two years ago our trains were jammed to the gills and our parking lots were overflowing," he said.  Now they aren't and Schaffer hoped that wouldn't trigger a fare increase.

PACE Director T.J. Ross said thanks to the recession, the RTA bailout tax that was supposed to improve service has been eaten up just to keep current operations going. "Many of the people who used us were the first to lose jobs," said Ross.

Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley popped out of the audience to say how swell things have been since February when McHenry County and PACE began a new $428,000 Pilot Program for Seniors and the disabled. The program allows riders to jitney their way around Crystal Lake, Woodstock and McHenry.

That's when District Five County Board Member Paula Yensen took umbrage. "There's one area that's not being covered," said Yensen.  "My area, Huntley and Lake in the Hills, doesn't have service." (Nor does Algonquin but that's in District One.)  Did PACE plan to add service there?  And how about the northern part of Kane County which includes a lot of elderly residents who need transportation for medical services?

Ross said that's up to the communities in the southeast of the county, that they could have had service but "they opted out of it."

There was a reason for that, shot back Yensen.  "I was on the Lake in the Hills Board then," she said.  "It was too expensive."

District Three Board Member Mary Donner wondered why McHenry County didn't see more of the RTA bailout money.  Because 90 percent of it it goes to RTA and Metra replied Acting RTA Executive Director Joe Costello.  But that's OK, he said, since "Many McHenry County residents do work Downtown."

"We like to think regionally," said Costello.

In the pic: McHenry County Metra Board Rep Jack Schaffer told the County Board Wednesday the problem is trains aren't full anymore but, "I think that will come again."

Fun Fair A Hit At Neubert Elementary

Algonquin's Neubert Elementary School was almost as full Saturday as during a regular school day thanks to the school's seventh annual Fun Fair to benefit the PTO.  The Food Court was jammed and the raffle room was a madhouse.  The games area was packed, too.

In the pic:  Sisters Nicole and Brittany Boyer were among the kids caught up with Hula Hoops at Neubert Elementary's Fun Fair Saturday.  Brittany (right) found it is possible to have too much of a good thing, at least if they're Hula Hoops and there are five of them.

Huntley Church Event Benefits Hungry And Homeless

Huntley's Faith Community Church annual Holiday Gift & Craft Bazaar organizers weren't sure Saturday how much local craftspeople and vendors raised in the "one-stop-shopping"
event.  Just "more than last year" was the best they could guess.

That was the first year for the event which seeks to raise money to benefit church ministries, including The Faith Community Food Pantry, Coats for Kids and a program to provide meals for the area's homeless.

In the pic:  Peter Luneckas samples some of John Schumacher's Kewlbean gourmet coffee at the Holiday Gift and Craft Bazaar at Faith Community Church, Huntley, Saturday.

You Never Knew You Had So Many Clocks, Huh?

You did remember to reset all your clocks, right?  "Spring forward, Fall back"?

Daylight Savings Time is another Washington DC invention or intervention, one of the oldest, in fact.  First enacted in 1918, it was supposed to save coal during World War I.  It only lasted for seven months because then the war ended and, besides, everyone hated it.

Year-round Daylight Savings time, an inherently self-contradictory concept, came again in World War II under the name "War Time".  Most people still hated it and as soon as the war was over it was abolished again, at least on a national basis.  Railroad, bus and truck companies were extremely unhappy since a few states and municipalities stuck with Daylight Savings Time which created monumental timetable headaches.

Daylight Savings Time popped up again in 1974 at the end of the Arab Oil Embargo and Congress has been adjusting it ever since. It's been a whole five years since the last time they fiddled with it and most people hope they're satisfied now.

As far as energy goes, the most recent studies find either that Daylight Savings Time doesn't actually save any or, if it does, not very much.

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
November 06
2330 HRS STONEGATE CT. & RANDALL RD. DRIVING WHILE LICENSE SUSPENDED. HALWIX, MICHAEL A., M/W 23 YEARS OF AGE, 7245 GREAT NORTHERN TRAIL, UNION. CHARGES: Driving While License Suspended. RELEASED ON BOND.
0340 HRS 0 BLOCK OF E. ACORN LN. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Male, 70 years of age, possible stroke. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
0802 HRS 200 BLOCK OF ELLIS RD. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 64 years of age, difficulty breathing. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1034 HRS 250 N. RANDALL RD., (COSTCO). CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. Car left in lot overnight, window smashed.
1149 HRS MILLER RD. & SPRINGLAKE DR. ACCIDENT. Vehicle vs. curb. Property damage only.
1213 HRS ROUTE 47 & ACKMAN RD. ACCIDENT. Car vs. deer. Property damage only.
1401 HRS 1300 BLOCK OF CUNAT COURT. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 25 years of age, vomiting and diarrhea. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1423 HRS 4500 BLOCK OF HERON DR. ASSIST AMBULANCE Male, 49 years of age, with high blood pressure and dizzy. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1514 HRS 0 BLOCK OF MCKINLEY ST. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.

Local Sports

IHSA Playoffs
Saturday
CLASS 6A UPPER BRACKET
Lake Forest    17   
Crystal Lake South    28

CLASS 5A UPPER BRACKET
Crystal Lake Central    7
Kaneland    34

Grayslake Central    7
Marian Central    40