Algonquin Cleans Up State Mess

While local leaders fretted over what to do if Illinois carries through a plan to hijack municipalities' share of State income tax money, a crew from Algonquin Public Works Friday continued cleaning up the trash along the south Route 31 entrance into the village because IDOT hasn't bothered.

It all began as Tuesday's evening's Village Board meeting was about to adjourn when Trustee Jerry Glogowski said, "Wait a minute, there's one more thing."  Glogowski said the stretch of 31 from the south end of Lindstrom Drive down the hill to the wastewater treatment plant looked like a garbage dump.  He said if somebody'd stand by to make sure he wasn't killed doing it, "I'll go out there and clean it up myself."

Public Works Director Bob Mitchard agreed it looked wretched but noted that part of 31's supposed to be maintained by IDOT. It's just, he said, that IDOT doesn't very much.  "We've already picked it up once," said Mitchard but he promised to do it again.

Public Works guy Ted Urban picking up beer cans and other roadside debris Friday said the Village Department almost beat Glogowski to the punch. He said they'd planned to clean up 31 last week but he'd pulled a back muscle and had to postpone it a few days.  "I'll have 15 bags by the time I reach Lindstrom," he said, "and that's only the west side of the road."

"I saw a truck from IDOT go by," said Urban.  "It was empty," he said.  "But they waved at me."

In the pic:  Cleaning up the trash along Route 31 into Algonquin's a nasty job.  Worker Ted Urban said he was glad to have it.

Fun, Games, Food, SNAKES At D158 Fun Fair

Seven hundred kids were pre-registered for the District 158 Education Foundation's Fun Fair at Marlowe Middle School Friday.  However, reports from more than 4 pages worth of adult volunteers indicated lots more than those showed up for games, prizes, clowns, music, basket raffles, hot dogs, pizza, snow cones, slushy drinks, nachos, popcorn, and cotton candy at what the Foundation hopes will become an annual event.

The evening wasn't all just fun and games, though. Naturalist Dan Mitchell of the Bartlett Nature Center brought along some educational reptiles including a Burmese python.

In the pic:  LITH Mom Kathy O'Grady modeled a largish snake at the Ed Foundation Fun Fair sideshow Friday.  She said it was the closest she'd been to a reptile since she owned a snakeskin purse.

Eighth LITH Senior Dinner Packs Village Hall

Girl Scouts from Daisy Troop 234, Cadette Troop 920 and Senior Troop 120 served up the pasta Friday at the Lake in the Hills Senior Spaghetti Dinner at LITH Village Hall.  It was the eighth such annual dinner for seniors 62 and over which included a few rounds of postprandial bingo courtesy of the LITH Parks and Rec Department. 

Blood Drive Set For ALFPD Open House

There are two blood drives scheduled in the area for May.  The first is set during the EMS Open House next Saturday in recognition of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week at Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Fire Protection District Station One at Algonquin and Pyott Roads in Lake in the Hills.

The blood drive's from 11 am to 2 pm at at the Open House.  Besides setting a good example for the kids, donors will receive a certificate good for $11 in retail purchases at any Oberweis Ice Cream and Dairy Store, f''rinstance, the one up the road in Algonquin.  To schedule a donation, call Kevin at 773-319-9694.

If you miss that one, May 19 there's another from 4 to 7pm at Huntley Public Library.  Walk-ins are welcome but you can call the reference desk at 847-669-5386, x21 to scheduled a donation.  All donors on this one will receive 2 coupons good for two pints of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream.  

ALFPD's 4th Annual EMS Open House next Saturday, by the way, runs from 11 am to 3 pm with a fly-in by the area Flight for Life whirlybird at 1 pm. The event includes the small-child-friendly Teddy Bear Clinic (pre-registration recommended here), ambulance tours, a child ID clinic, and car seat Safety checks.

House: No More Political Blurbs, Hurtful Words

By Diane S.W. Lee, Illinois Statehouse News
House lawmakers on Friday focused on the power of the written word. Legislators approved a measure sparked by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's practice of putting his name on state road signs, as well as a proposal changing the written description of the developmentally disabled in Illinois laws.

One bill would bar state lawmakers and constitutional officials from promoting state programs with their names, images or voices on billboards or electronic message boards. It would expand the existing law, which prohibits public service announcements on radio and television, as well as in commercial newspapers or magazines

Chief sponsor state Rep. Chris Nybo, R-Elmhurst, said he doesn’t see why lawmakers need to attach their names and images to state programs. "Let’s promote the programs, but let’s not promote the politicians,” Nybo said.

Blagojevich plastered his name on open road tolling signs in time for his 2006 re-election campaign. Gov. Pat Quinn removed Blagojevich's name shortly after assuming office in 2009, following the former governor's legislative impeachment and removal from office. Blagojevich is on trial for the second time for federal corruption charges.

Another bill would change “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded person” to “intellectual disability,” and “intellectually disabled person.” It also would remove “crippled” and “crippling,” replacing it with the terms “physically disabled” and “physical disabling.”

Co-sponsor state Rep. Patricia Bellock, R-Hinsdale, said the plan would help to give respect to those with disabilities. “I am a big proponent and advocate of people with disabilities,” she said. “And I think this is bringing the terms that was used with disabilities out of the Middle Ages.”

You can read Diane's full report at:  http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/5961/house-no-more-political-state-signs-potentially-hurtful-words-in-laws/

McHenry County Indictments

A McHenry County Grand Jury returned indictments this week against the following individuals:
The charges against these defendants are merely allegations against them.  The defendants are presumed innocent of any crime until proven guilty in court.

SCOT D. SNYDER, DOB:  10/26/90,    55 DELLA STREET, CRYSTAL LAKE. THEFT(2CTS).--Crystal Lake PD
  
ANNE CARMEN HERNANDEZ, DOB:  07/06/91, 2337 ARROW STREET, CARPENTERSVILLE. THEFT(OVER $500), THEFT(UNDER $500)(30CTS).--Crystal Lake PD

ROBERT J. DORSEY, DOB:  10/24/80, 1249 S. 49TH COURT, CICERO. AGGRAVATED DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE(2CTS).--Illinois State Police
  
PEDRO A. GARCIA-LOPEZ, DOB:  01/18/88, 240 REDWING DRIVE, WOODSTOCK. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF FRAUDULENT IDENTIFICATION CARD.--Bull Valley PD
  
JOHN R. DELORENZO, DOB:  11/29/93, 5321 SHORE DRIVE, MCHENRY. POSSESSION OF A STOLEN FIREARM.
AARON D. SUTHERLAND, DOB:  06/11/92, 7914 OAKWOOD DRIVE, WONDER LAKE. AGGRAVATED POSSESSION OF A STOLEN FIREARM, UNLAWFUL SALE OF A FIREARM, THEFT.
EDWARD W. VARGAS, DOB:  09/24/90, 7402 HANCOCK DRIVE, WONDER LAKE. POSSESSION OF A STOLEN FIREARM.--McHenry County Sheriff's Office
  
JOSE G. ESCORZA, DOB:  08/20/70, 1009 WICKER STREET, WOODSTOCK. AGGRAVATED DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL.--Woodstock PD
  
SILVERIO ZARATE, DOB:  08/30/87, 3034 BYRON CENTER DRIVE  #1, WYOMING, MI. OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE.--Woodstock PD
  
LAURA L. BROKAW, DOB:  02/19/63, 1644 POPLAR LANE, WOODSTOCK. THEFT(3CTS).--Woodstock PD
  
BRADLEY J. HARLEY, DOB:  06/02/90, 729 BRINK STREET, WOODSTOCK. AGGRAVATED CRIMINAL SEXUAL ABUSE.--Woodstock PD

CHRISTOPHER B. BOULTON, DOB:  08/07/79,    135 W. BUCKINGHAM DRIVE, ROUND LAKE. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.--Harvard PD

SUSAN R. BELPEDIO, DOB:  03/02/71, 5516 W. SHERMAN ROAD, MCHENRY. DECEPTIVE PRACTICE.--McHenry PD
  
JASMINE I. RESENDEZ-MONTELONGO, 03/29/92, 18717 MILLSTREAM ROAD, MARENGO. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA, UNLAWFUL CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOLIC LIQUOR, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CANNABIS.--Marengo PD
  
RIGOBERTO SOLIS, DOB:  01/15/79, 702 MERRILL AVENUE, LOVES PARK. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE WITH THE INTENT TO DELIVER, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.--McHenry County Sheriff's Office


RACHEL A. CORCORAN, DOB:  11/06/90, 5409 N. HIGHLAND DRIVE, MCHENRY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE WITH THE INTENT TO DELIVER, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA(2CTS), UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CANNABIS.
ALAN L. SCHULTZ, DOB:  08/27/52, 5409 N. HIGHLAND DRIVE MCHENRY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CANNABIS.
JEREMY M. SCHULTZ, DOB:  11/01/80, 5409 N. HIGHLAND DRIVE, MCHENRY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA.
PAULA D. MAJKA, DOB:  09/12/58, 5409 N. HIGHLAND DRIVE, MCHENRY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CANNABIS.
VICTOR MAJKA, DOB:  05/21/64, 5409 N. HIGHLAND DRIVE, MCHENRY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CANNABIS.
DENNIS K. SCHMITT, DOB:  06/01/72, 5409 N. HIGHLAND DRIVE, MCHENRY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE WITH THE INTENT TO DELIVER, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA(2CTS), UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CANNABIS.
JASON A. SCHULTZ, DOB:  12/19/79, 5409 N. HIGHLAND DRIVE, MCHENRY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE WITH THE INTENT TO DELIVER, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA(2CTS), UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CANNABIS.--McHenry County Sheriff's Office

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
May 06
2106 HRS ALGONQUIN RD. & HARVEST GATE. NO VALID ILLINOIS LICENSE. AGUIRRE, DENISE S., F/W 20 YEARS OF AGE, 221 MORGAN ST., ELGIN. CHARGES: No Valid Illinois License and Expired Registration. RELEASED ON BOND.
0303 HRS 220 N. RANDALL RD. (MORETTI’S). THEFT. Coat, iPhone holder and keys taken. PENDING INVESTIGATION BY REPORTING OFFICER
0811 HRS 4500 BLOCK OF BARHARBOR DR. DOMESTIC. Husband vs. wife. Verbal only. No priors.
1216 HRS 5300 BLOCK OF DANBURY CIRCLE. ASSIST OTHER AGENCY. Assist Huntley Police Department with a Hit and Run Accident. TURNED OVER TO HUNTLEY POLICE DEPARTMENT.
1352 HRS 9625 HALIGUS RD. (MARLOWE SCHOOL). INFORMATION FOR POLICE. Substance was located at the school.
1456 HRS 0 BLOCK OF HUNTERS PATH. INFORMATION FOR POLICE. Ex-husband continues to call the Complainant. Offense is occurring in Schaumburg. TURNED OVER TO SCHAUMBURG POLICE.
1457 HRS 0 BLOCK OF ROCHELLE CT. DOMESTIC. Husband vs. wife. Verbal only. 1 prior.
1506 HRS 3400 BLOCK OF SONOMA CIRCLE. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Male, 45 years of age having complications after surgery. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1710 HRS 311 N. RANDALL RD. (AMC THEATERS). THEFT. Bicycle was stolen from in front of the movie theater. TURNED OVER TO INVESTIGATIONS.
1726 HRS 0 BLOCK OF ROCHELLE CT. DOMESTIC. Husband vs. wife. Verbal only. 2 priors.
1800 HRS 2265 W. ALGONQUIN RD. (THORNTONS GAS). ACCIDENT. One vehicle. Property damage only.
2155 HRS 0 BLOCK OF ROCHELLE CT. DOMESTIC. Husband vs. wife. Verbal only. 3 priors.

Huntley To Hike Parking Tickets Soon

The Village Board gave preliminary approval to doubling the cost of Huntley parking tickets Thursday. Under the new measure expected to be approved at the next Board meeting, fines will vault from $10 to $25.

Village Manager Dave Johnson told the Board the present fine, unchanged since 1997, doesn't even cover the cost of writing and processing a parking ticket anymore.  "In addition to the staff time we feel $10 isn't a deterrence," Johnson said.  Raising parking tickets to $25 would merely put Huntley in line with surrounding communities, except for Crystal Lake where tickets are only $20, according to a staff survey.

The new measure would also codify a 100 percent late fee if a ticket isn't paid within 10 days.  Fifty dollars for a late ticket would also be in line with surrounding communities according to Huntley's survey except that the grace period varies from as much as a month in Woodstock to as few as seven days in LITH.  Currently Huntley PD boosts a ticket to $20 if it hasn't been paid within five days.

Johnson said the increases would probably add another $20,000 per year to Village coffers.

Separately, a fast review of first quarter village finances showed money flows a little better than on target so far.  Looking toward the end of the fiscal year Huntley might come out about $200,000 below budget, Johnson said.

On the other hand, if Governor Pat Quinn's proposal to hijack the municipal portion of the State income tax became law, all bets would be off.  That's worth more than $500,000 per year to Huntley and trustees gave a first OK to sending the Governor a letter saying "hands off".

The Board also gave a initial OK to making the first $2 million payment on Huntley's share of the Route 47/I90 interchange.

In the pic:  Huntley Village Manager Dave Johnson and Police Chief John Perkins told the Huntley Board Thursday the village was probably actually losing money each time an officer wrote a $10 parking ticket.

Medical Academy Proposed For 2012 Huntley High

Algebra teacher and athletic trainer Renae St. Clair donned medical scrubs and slung a stethoscope around her neck Thursday to dramatize a pitch for a new Medical Careers Academy program at Huntley High School to the D158 Board of education.

Principal Dave Johnson and HHS staffers have been looking at a program to give kids medical instruction and a taste of real world medicine even before Centegra announced it wanted to build a new Hospital in Huntley.  St. Clair said the folks in Sun City need lots of health care right now and the area's baby boom generation will pretty soon. The program would start out the 2012 year with a single class in medical skills and services and expand year by year to a full program designed to give graduates a leg up going directly into healthcare employment or college health programs.

"We've reached out to Centegra and they're very interested," said Superintendent John Burkey.  "We also have a meeting coming up with NIU."

"We also have commitments from MCC and the University of Illinois, Chicago wants to look at us," added Chief Academic Officer Mary Olson.

Where's the money for a Medical Careers Academy supposed to come from?  "I think we have a very good chance of getting some outside funding," said Burkey who kept mentioning Centegra as he discussed the possibility.  St. Clair said the HHS team's found two grants that would help if they can win them.

The Board was receptive.  Member Don Drzal commented, "These are the stepping stones that help students get interested and remain employed."

Earlier the Board swore in new Member William Geheren and returning Members Mike Skala and tony Quagliano.  They chose Skala, a former D158 Board President, as President of the Board in its latest configuration. 

The Board reviewed Draft II of the district's budget for the coming year.  CFO Mark Altmayer admitted it was, to a degree, a shot in the dark.  "There are so many unknowns," he  said. "Even last year we knew more by this time what to expect."

The biggest unknown is how much money will come out of Springfield.  Skala reported after three days this week talking to legislators there he was pretty sure even they didn't know.  All that was clear, he said, was that the House and Senate are working off two different sets of numbers and both are ignoring the Governor who has his own third set.

Another big unknown is how contract talks will work out with teachers for the coming year.  The draft
( http://www.district158.org/weblinks/BOE%20Meetings/COW%202010-2011/COW%2005.05.11.pdf --p. 309) assumes District salary expenses will remain flat for the coming year.  The Board retired into closed session Thursday to talk about how realistic that looks.

In the pic: Renae St. Clair said she'd do her bit to help finance a new Medical Careers Academy at Huntley High.  "I'm going to buy a lottery ticket," she said.

Cinco De Mayo Morphs To Restaurant Celebration In Huntley

Thursday was was the start of a two-day celebration at Del Toro's Tex Mex Grill and Bar in Huntley.  Thursday was, of course, Cinco de Mayo, and today's going to be Del Toro's 10-year anniversary celebration.

Owner Raul Del Toro said Cinco de Mayo's become sort of a Latino St. Patrick's day in the U.S.
to celebrate Mexican Heritage.  Back in Mexico the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla where Napoleon III's army was smashed in 1862 isn't so important.  "It's kind of like (Texans) commemorating the Alamo," he said.

Rather more important to Del Toro is today's celebration of the restaurant's 10th year in Huntley.  He said it was just luck that his father noticed a for sale ad in Huntley at the same time he was looking to start his own restaurant following a stint as Chicago area corporate trainer for the Appleby's chain. "I just wanted to see if I could do it on my own," said Del Toro who, after a decade, is pretty sure he did.

In the pic:  Del Toro's Cinco De Mayo celebration Thursday will become a Tenth Anniversary party in Huntley this evening.

Franks Asks McHenry County Board To Fire Metra Treasurer

Rural McHenry County State Rep. Jack Franks released a letter to the McHenry County Board Thursday calling for the removal and replacement of McHenry County Metra Board Member Jack Schaffer. Schaffer's also the Metra Board's Treasurer and Franks charged he's been bungling the job. “Mr. Schaffer and the Metra Board have repeatedly fallen short in their fiduciary obligations to the taxpayers,” Franks said.

Franks, who's already asked Schaffer to resign now wants the County Board to fire him for not uncovering the financial peculations of former Metra Executive Director Phil Pagano and for not filing lobbying reports with the feds which drew a big fine for Metra.

“Since Mr. Schaffer, unlike former Chairman Doris, has refused to resign and accept responsibility for the problems at Metra, I respectfully request that you begin proceedings to remove and replace Mr. Schaffer as McHenry County's director on the Metra Board,” continued Franks.

Schaffer's said Democratic Franks is just picking on him because he's a county GOP bigwig. Franks' release Thursday said that had nothing to do with it and he used to beat up Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich quite regularly.

In the pic:  Jack Franks in his occasional bearded phase.

Illinois House Shoots Down Concealed Carry Law

By Melissa Leu, Illinois Statehouse News
The Illinois House  Thursday narrowly voted down a measure that would allow people to carry concealed weapons in public places. The vote was 65-52-1, but failed because it needed a two-thirds supermajority to pass. Supermajorities are necessary for measures that would limit the regulatory powers of local municipalities.

State Rep. Brandon Phelps, R-Harrisburg, who sponsored the bill, said he doesn’t plan on giving up. “There are guns on the streets right now, but it’s the guns that the bad guys have. And law-abiding gun owners, law-abiding citizens have no protection, and we are at the criminal’s mercy,” Phelps said.

If approved, the plan would have allowed residents to carry guns after passing a background check and completing eight hours of training. Licensed gun holders would be prohibited from bringing guns to certain public places, such as government buildings, airports and schools.
Critics of the concealed-carry plan often cite fears of increased violence and added stress to an already overloaded Firearm Owner Identification card system. The Illinois State Police estimates about 325,000 more people would sign up for concealed carry permits if the law were changed.

“I can tell you first hand that having more guns on our street is no answer. We lost five Chicago police officers to gun violence,” said Rep. Edward Acevedo, D-Chicago, who’s served as a Chicago police officer. “More opportunities for gun use by these people who shouldn’t have them is no answer. Fewer guns means less violence, less injury and less death.”

Despite failing in the House, the measure could be called back for another vote because of a technical procedure.

You can read Melissa's full report at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/5949/illinois-house-shoots-down-concealed-carry-law/

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
May 05
1236 HRS 1300 BLOCK OF CUNAT CT. ASSIST FIRE. Assisted the Fire Department with a bathroom fire.
2011 HRS 5500 BLOCK OF ALEXANDRIA DR. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Male, 49 years of age, sweating profusely. Transported to St. Joseph Hospital.
2035 HRS 3800 BLOCK OF BLACKBERRY DR. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 55 years of age, chest pain. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
2118 HRS 1100 BLOCK OF CREEK VIEW LN. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 28 years of age, having a seizure. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
Algonquin
May 3
09:32am A 15 year-old male from Algonquin was charged with Resisting a Peace Officer, Unlawful Possession of Alcohol by a Minor and Unlawful Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor.  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.
11:54am Ambriz, John J., DOB: 07/06/76, of 10115 S. Talman Avenue, Chicago, was charged with Retail Theft.  He was taken into custody at Jewel, 1501 E. Algonquin Road.  He was transported to McHenry County Jail, when unable to post bond.
15:30pm A 17 year-old female from Algonquin was charged with Retail Theft.  She was taken into custody at Kohl’s, 734 S. Randall Road.  She was formally Station Adjusted and then released into the custody of her parents.
17:26pm Vasquez, Rolando M., DOB: 05/01/88, of 10116 Compton Drive, Huntley, was charged with Retail Theft and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.  He was taken into custody at DSW Shoe, 1820 S. Randall Road.  He was transported to Kane County Jail when unable to post bond.
May 4
11:46am Goossens, Joseph P., DOB: 04/30/83 of 401 First Street Apt #1N5, Cary, was charged with DWLR, No Seat Belt and No Proof of Insurance.  He was taken into custody at N. Main Street and Edward Street.  He was released after posting $150 with a court date of 06/08/11 in McHenry County.
17:44pm Kampas, Terrance M. Jr., DOB: 07/07/89, of 105 Hawthorne Road, Lake in the Hills, was charged with Retail Theft.  He was taken into custody at Wal-Mart, 1410 S. Randall Road.  He was released on a Personal Recognizance Bond with a court date of 06/08/11 in McHenry County.
19:02pm A 13 year-old female from Lake in the Hills was charged with Retail Theft.  She was taken into custody at Claire’s, 1728 S. Randall Road.  She was released on a Notice to Appear with a court date of 06/29/11 in Algonquin.
May 5
11:38am Money, Shane M., DOB: 08/19/89, of 241 Riversview Drive, Carpentersville, was charged with Domestic Battery and Interfering with 911 Call.  He was taken into custody at 2401 Huntington Drive.  He was transported to McHenry County Jail to await a bond hearing.
19:43pm O’Toole, Jennifer M., DOB: 12/02/82, of 126 S. Harrison Street, Algonquin, was Wanted on a Warrant out of Cook County for Criminal Trespass to Land.  She was taken into custody at the Algonquin Police Department.  She was released after posting $200 with a court date of 06/01/11 in Cook County.
19:51pm A 14 year-old male from Algonquin was charged with Hosting an Underage Party.  He was taken into custody at the Algonquin Police Department.  He was released on a Notice to Appear with a court date of 06/29/11 in Algonquin.
18:00pm Naghibzadeh, Morteza, DOB: 01/23/59, of 250 Lake Gillilan Way, Algonquin, was charged with DUI.  He was taken into custody in the area of 451 Rolls Drive.  He was released on a Personal Recognizance Bond with a court date of 06/15/11 in McHenry County.
May 6
04:27am Godawski, Michael C., DOB: 05/18/87, of 1230 Yosemite Parkway, Algonquin, was charged with DUI, DUI Over and Improper Lane Usage.  He was taken into custody at Highland Avenue and Tanglewood Drive.  He was released after posting $300 with a court date of 06/15/11 in McHenry County.

Judge Orders Grafton Trustees To Pick Supervisor's Choice

"I have no interest in running the seat of local government," said McHenry Circuit Judge Michael Caldwell Wednesday.  Then he ordered Grafton Township trustees to approve a Township Attorney they'd vehemently and unanimously rejected.

"That's not right," said trustees' Special Counsel Thomas DiCianni, aghast.

"I think it is," shot back Caldwell.

DiCianni said he'd file a speedy appeal from the decision so Caldwell stayed the order for 30 days while he did that.

The question was whether Grafton Supervisor Linda Moore could appoint her personal lawyer, John Nelson, to the important, at Grafton, anyway, post of  Township Attorney.  Caldwell had earlier ruled Moore had the sole right to fire the Township Attorney but Illinois law says she can hire one only with the "advice and consent" of trustees. They withheld that in March since Nelson's conducting Moore's lawsuit against them to win control of Grafton.

In a rambling statement Nelson told Caldwell he'd be able to simultaneously represent both Moore in her suit against the rest of the Grafton Board and the Board itself.  He said it was just the same as when previous Township Attorney Keri-Lyn Krafthefer represented the trustees.

DiCianni didn't challenge the analogy but Trustee Barb Murphy did afterwards charging Krafthefer only became "the trustee's lawyer" after she started giving Moore legal advice the Supervisor didn't want to hear. "Linda Moore wanted (Krafthefer and her firm) and it took three meetings to get her approved," fumed Murphy.

DiCianni asked Caldwell not to substitute his judgement for the trustees' saying the President doesn't file suit when the Senate won't confirm a Cabinet nominee.  "Grafton Township's not the Congress," growled Caldwell.

Murphy said the judge's decision would reduce trustees to a rubber stamp.  "If we can't do this, what can we do?" she asked.

Not considered Wednesday was the latest roadblock in running the Township's long-delayed audit of 2009-10 financial records.  That dispute was supposed to have been laid to rest with the choice of a Woodstock company but a Nelson letter to the firm last month prompted its withdrawal, unmooting the matter again.  Before the hearing Murphy and Trustee Betty Zirk said they were so exhausted they'd accept almost anybody.

Nelson said afterwards he and DiCianni had negotiated a Moore "pre-litigation" bill down from $5,000 to $3,400.  The new number hasn't come before the Board yet, though.

Caldwell's stay and DiCianni's appeal leave Grafton Township still without official legal counsel five months after the judge said Moore could fire Krafthefer.  The popular wisdom is Grafton's such a mire there isn't a lawyer except Nelson who'll touch it with a barge pole. "I wouldn't take it," commented one recently.  But then he changed his mind, saying, "Well, maybe I would with a $20,000 retainer."  He smiled, adding another proviso. "Nonrefundable."

In the pic:  Judge Michael Caldwell.

Flower Fundraisers Done At Chesak, Coming In Algonquin

It was a busy evening at the Chesak Elementary loading area Wenesday as gardeners picked up 200 baskets and 120 flats of flowers for the Chesak/Martin PTA's annual flower fundraiser.  "We raised over $5,000 said Beautification Chairman Bill Heiden.

CMPTA uses the money from the fundraiser to buy trees for the schools' former cornfield site. "If you go to the other schools they don't exist," said Heiden.  "This campus has more trees than any other," he boasted.

If Spring planters missed the CMPTA sale, there's another chance to buy some blooms and support a good cause Saturday when the Algonquin Garden Club will hold the group's annual sale of perennials dug from their own gardens. The sale's at Algonquin's Town Center shopping center on the village's East Side from 8 am to Noon.  The club will be set up near the Butera store to raise money so members can continue to take care of plantings at several locations around the village this summer and offer two yearly college scholarships.

In the pic:  CMPTA volunteer Carissa Yellets and son, Nicholas, help Huntley gardener Lucy Higginbothampurhcase of impatiens, multi-bells, geraniums and zinnias Wednesday at Chesak School. locate her

Last Call For Argonauts' Registrations

Next Sunday's the deadline for walk-in registration for the Pop Warner League Algonquin Argonauts football and cheer teams. Final registration will be May 15 at Dicks Sporting Goods, Algonquin Commons, from 11 am to 3 pm.

Something new this year: Due to increased demand at the upper age and weight levels, the Argonauts are planning to field a combined unlimited team this year. That'll allow older and heavier kids to play on a team without any weight restrictions. Several other Pop Warner teams are doing the same this year.  The Pop Warner football Weight Matrix is located here: http://chicagolandpopwarner.org/football.html

In the pic:  The 2010 Argonauts PeeWee players.

Lake Tags And Permits Time At LITH

It's time for boaters, fishers and swimmers at Woods Creek Lake to get their Lake Use tags, Boat tags and Boat Rack permits for this year. They're available at LITH Village Hall.

                        Residents         Non

Lake Use Tag            $40 (Senior $30)  $60

Beach Daily Admissions  $2.00             $5.00

Boat Tag                $10 (Senior $7)   Not available

Boat Rack               $20 (Senior $15)  Not available

Daily Admission fees are also available at the beaches when they're open and at the Police Department. All boat users are required to pay a daily fee or purchase a Boat Tag and Lake Use Tag to utilize Woods Creek Lake.  Current IDNR registration must be included with the registration form to be eligible to purchase current boat tags.  For the safety of the environment and other beach and lake patrons, only trolling motors are allowed on the lake.

Democrats Pass Budget Bills Over GOP Protests

By Jamey Dunn, Illinois Issues
Senate Democrats began passing pieces of a budget Wednesday that they say would cut Gov. Pat Quinn’s plan, but Republicans say it would still increase spending from the current fiscal year. Democrats say that their plan reduces the governor’s proposal by about $1.2 billion. Republicans say it increases spending from the current fiscal year and only cuts  Quinn’s plan by about $364 million.

As bill after bill came up for a vote Wenesday, Republicans rose to say that they increased the bottom line over this year’s costs for the state agencies for which each bill set out spending limits. However, Democrats said because the General Assembly gave the governor lump sum budgets and let him decide where to make cuts for the last two fiscal years, recent spending levels are difficult to pin down. “Last year we did a lump sum appropriation. We had problems finding out — because of that — how much money was spent in individual agencies because it was up to the governor to do so,” said Senate President John Cullerton.

Democrats said if Republicans will not introduce their own budget bills, they have nothing else to work with. After a protracted debate about the spending bill for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Cullerton said he would be willing to slow things down to consider Republican proposals, as long as they are in the form of legislation.

Republicans put out a list of options earlier in the legislative session that they say would cut more than $6 billion from Quinn’s proposal, saying that about $5 billion in cuts would be needed for the recent tax increase to phase out, as written in the law. However, they have not proposed their plan in the form of legislation. Sen. Matt Murphy, a Palatine Republican, said Democrats know what his party would support. “People know what we want to do. We want to cut enough so that the tax increase is temporary [and] we don’t have to borrow anymore to pay our bills.”

Democrats were able to pass 10 of the more than 20 budget bills that make up their total plan. One bill, which would have set spending levels for some of the smaller state agencies, failed to get the needed support. Some Republicans did support a few bills, including the budgets for the Department of Labor and Central Management Services, saying the reductions were close to the cuts they proposed. “Our intention for most of us, I think — on our side of the aisle, the Republican side —  is to support them when they get cuts in the neighborhood of what we had asked for,’ Murphy said.

Quinn, who has kept his distance publicly from the budgeting process, hinted today that he could become more involved if lawmakers cannot agree on a plan. He added that he would be willing to take on a lump sum budget for the third year in a row if legislators cannot produce a line item budget. “Last couple of years, legislators, as they came down to the final turn, decided they didn’t want to be specific on cuts, other than rhetorically talk about them. So they turned it over to me to make all the cuts, and that’s what I did. And will do it again if that’s what they want,” Quinn said.

You can read Jamey's full report at:  http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/democrat-senators-pass-budget-bills.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
May 04
2159 HRS VILLAGE CREEK & ACORN LN. DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL. GARCIA, JORGE A., M/W 35 YEARS OF AGE, 436 VILLAGE CREEK DR., LAKE IN THE HILLS. CHARGES: Driving under the Influence of Alcohol, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol with a Breath Alcohol Content over .08, Improper Lane Usage. RELEASED ON BOND.
0115 HRS 100 BLOCK OF VILLAGE CREEK DR. ASSIST AMBULANCE Male, 32 years of age, having chest pains. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
0708 HRS 5300 BLOCK OF DANBURY CIRCLE. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 79 years of age, feeling dizzy. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1002 HRS 10920 REED RD. (HANNAH MARTIN SCHOOL). INFORMATION FOR POLICE. Information for insurance. A child’s tooth was damaged during a fight.
1514 HRS 900 BLOCK OF TARALON TRAIL. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 40 years of age, having a seizure. Transported to Woodstock Memorial Hospital.
1725 HRS ALGONQUIN RD. & HARVEST GATE. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
Huntley
April 26
A 15 year-old male from Lake in the Hills, and a 14-year old male from Algonquin were charged with disorderly conduct at the High School.  Both juveniles were released to their parents and will attend peer jury.
Fernando Rosas, age 30, of 5008 W. 30th Pl., Cicero, was arrested for driving while license suspended and was cited for driving with no insurance and defective windshield.  Mr. Rosas posted bond and was released with a McHenry County court date of May 27, 2011.
April 27
Peter T. Morzos, age 29, of 14054 Tallgrass Trail., Poplar Grove, was arrested on an outstanding McHenry County warrant.  Mr. Morzos posted bond and was released with a McHenry County court date of June 6, 2011.
Tyler D. Stratman, age 18, of 725 Dean St. #5, South Elgin, was charged with possession of cannabis.  Mr. Stratman was issued a notice to appear in McHenry County court on June 13, 2011.
April 28
A burglary to motor vehicle report was taken in the 10300 block of Haligus Rd.  The front passenger side window was broken and a purse containing a credit card and identification was stolen.
April 29
Azure E. Ruud, age 28, of 11215 Fleetwood St., Huntley, was arrested for leaving the scene of a property damage accident and was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident.  Ms. Ruud posted bond and was released with a McHenry County court date of May 27, 2011.
A 16 year-old male from Huntley was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia.  The juvenile was released to his parents and will be petitioned into McHenry County Juvenile Court.
A trespass to residence report was taken in the 11100 block of Church St.
A burglary to motor vehicle report was taken in the 10500 block of Rt. 47.  The driver’s side window was smashed and stereo equipment was stolen.
William T. Philpot, age 28, of 933 Forest, Elgin, was arrested for possession of a fraudulent insurance card and was cited for driving with no insurance and registration suspended for no insurance.  Mr. Philpot posted bond and was released with a McHenry County court date of May 27, 2011.
A 15 year-old male from Huntley was arrested for battery.  The juvenile was released to his parents and will attend peer jury.
A theft report was taken at the intersection of Cambridge Dr. and Reed Rd.  Letters from a subdivision sign were stolen.
May 1
A criminal damage to vehicle report was taken in the 11400 block of Douglas St.  The vehicle had damage from a BB gun shot.
Jeffrey E. Narlock, age 47, of 605 Grace Drive, Lake in the Hills, was arrested for DUI and was cited for driving with no insurance, failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, and failure to wear a seat belt.  Mr. Narlock posted bond and was released with a McHenry County court date of May 20, 2011.
A burglary to motor vehicle report was taken in the 12800 block of Oak Grove Rd.  The driver’s window was shattered and a GPS unit was stolen.

Algonquin To Start Regulating Massage Parlors

The Village Board thought massage parlors were getting out of hand in Algonquin so Tuesday they approved an ordinance that requires them to have village licenses.

The State licenses massage therapists but three Algonquin massage parlor hooker busts in November and January, two at the same location, albeit under two different company names, prompted police to ask the Board for an ordinance to regulate the businesses themselves. The one approved Tuesday includes fingerprinting and background checks and a host of restrictions even including what clothes masseuses can wear--or not.

Algonquin Chief Russ Laine said all the new regulations would help his department keep tabs on what the parlors were up to but the most important part of the ordinance was that it would speed up an otherwise cumbersome process if hanky-panky's uncovered. So to speak.  If the PD finds a violation, "It allows us to revoke the license," said Laine.  "We can shut them down immediately."

Separately the Board approved a long list of appointments to Village boards and commissions and made some changes to the Village sign ordinance, mostly to bring it in line with new State regs on campaign signage.

In the pic:  A prostitution complaint in November at the former World Spa on East Algonquin Road and another a few days later at the former Massage Company on West Algonquin Road led to a new Algonquin ordinance regulating massage parlors.

Huntley Ed Foundation Ravinia Fest Moved Inside

It was a swell idea for a D158 Education Foundation fundraiser: ‘Ravinia Fest 2011’ at Culvers of Huntley.  But what's left of the La Nina weather system in the Pacific put paid to that Tuesday. It was 37 degrees and raining so everybody moved inside to listen to the District 158 Faculty Jazz Band.

"If you look at the weather it had been changing day by day," said Culvers Assistant Manager Richard Myers who shrugged off the radical change in plans.  "This is a franchise store. It's locally-owned," he said, which offers more flexibility.  "When we do fundraising we do it for the community."

In the pic:  Five year-olds Joy Morgan and Layla Arroya of Huntley had a swell time Tuesday at D158's truncated Ravinia Fest, despite an indoor venue.  That's Chesak music instructor Rick Rohde  on the Faculty Jazz Band's lead slushpump for the number.

LITH Annual Public Works Open House Coming Up

Winners in the Village of Lake in the Hills Arbor Day poster contest will highlight the Village's Public Works Open House next Saturday, May 14.  Well, OK, probably the garbage truck with the nuclear air horn will be a bigger hit with the kids, but the posters were sure a hit with young Veronica Buchweitz and Haydee Mata who won savings bonds for the first and second place entries.

The Public Works Open House at Department headquarters on Haligus from 11 am to 2 pm will, as always, include interactive work demonstrations, and facility tours by the Department's staff. Kids can climb all over snow plows, tractors, loaders, and excavators and Clarke Environmental's mosquito  helicopter will be on hand to look at until after lunch.  That, by the way, is hot dogs, chips and soda courtesy of the Public Works Department.

In the pic: The top poster in LITH's Arbor Day Contest.  They'll all be at the LITH Public Works Open House. 

Donations Needed For (Environmental) Defenders' Garage Sale

McHenry County Defenders' big Spring Garage Sale's coming up in a few weeks (May 21 through May 25, 11 am until 3 pm, at the Algonquin Township Road District garage) and the group's looking for donations which ought to be pretty easy considering it's also Spring Cleaning time.

What kinds of things? Just about anything that isn't too beat up with a few exceptions: no monitors or TVs, no clothes, no baby carriers or cribs, no large appliances. Not sure if they’ll take it? Call the Defenders' office at 815-338-0393, or email mcdef@owc.net .

In the pic:  McHenry County Defenders call their Spring event a Garage Sale but it's more like a treasure hunt. 

Latest Springfield Budget Try A No-Go Even For Dems

by Andrew Thomason, Illinois Statehouse News
A plan to vote on an ad hoc budget introduced by Illinois Senate Democrats fell apart before several scheduled budget hearings Tuesday evening. Republican and Democrat Senators alike complained that there wasn’t enough time to examine the figures before voting up or down the $1.2 billion in cuts to Gov. Pat Quinn’s $35.4 billion budget.

“We should go through this list slowly, completely and without an eye on which constituent gets help and what constituent gets hurt, but based on numbers,” State Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, said. Democrats offered more critical questions about the proposed cuts than Republicans, who remained mostly silent during the two hearings.

What lawmakers are now faced with is the hard work it takes to actually craft a budget instead of sending lump sums to the governor to dole out, according to Mike Lawrence, former director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University. Lawrence calls the recent approach to budgeting refreshing.

“I have seen in the last few months, an encouraging return to addressing the state’s budgetary issues much more forthrightly and responsibly,” Lawrence said.

You can read Andrew's full report at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/5918/senators-unhappy-with-proposed-budget-2/

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
May 03
0916 HRS 100 BLOCK OF VILLAGE CREEK DR. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Male, 90 years of age, not feeling well. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1519 HRS 4400 BLOCK OF PRINCETON LN. ASSIST OTHER AGENCY. Assist to the Youth Service Bureau.
1800 HRS RAKOW RD. & VIRGINIA RD. ACCIDENT Two vehicles. Property damage only.
2117 HRS 10 BLOCK OF CLARK AVE. ASSIST AMBULANCE Male, 51 years of age, feeling weak. Transported to Sherman Hospital.

Millions In D300 Relief Threatened By Springfield Sears Bill

The District 300 Board of Education postponed a briefing Monday on plans to improve Special Education to figure out how to deal with a threat to as much as $14 million the District hopes to receive each year starting in 2014. District CFO Cheryl Crates told the Board someone else is trying to claim it in an obscure bill before the Legislature. 

What's at stake is the real estate taxes District 300 doesn't collect right now on Sears Holdings headquarters.  In 1989 in a bid to keep Sears from leaving Illinois, the Legislature passed a bill so the company would relocate to Hoffman Estates.  It didn't actually say that in so many words but D300 attorney Scott Nemanich observed, "this is probably not going to be used for anything else except for this."

The measure created a sort of super-TIF district.  The additional taxes on the new headquarters went back to help Sears locate and stay in Hoffman Estates while the amount District 300 could get on the property was frozen at the cornfield level until 2012. Then the district could start collecting it's uprated share on the headquarters. Facing potential multi-million dollar deficits for the next several years, D300's been looking forward to that like a kid waiting for Christmas.

Last month, however, Crates said she got a tip about one of the thousands of bills in the Springfield hopper this year that would extend the scheme out to 2027.  It's sponsored by Reps from Schaumburg and Palatine but Crates said that's not where it really comes from.

"I caught Hoffman Estates, is what I did" she said.

"They said they'd never do that," charged former Board President Joe Stevens.

Crates told the Board she met with Sears Real Estate VP James Terrell last week to explain how important the new tax money would be to the financially distraught district. She said Terrell and other execs replied they understood that.

Nemanich reported the bill's currently lurking in the House Rules Commitee where nothing much is happening. If it did, though, he said, he wasn't sure what the District could do legally until the 2012 deadline expired since before that the District wouldn't technically have actually lost anything. "Our harm is when the TIF comes off, but not yet," said Nemanich.

Stevens seemed to feel it was all a Sears power play except that Sears didn't have much to back it up.  "They're not going to move to North Dakota," he said because all the mid-level execs are tied to expensive homes in the area that have probably lost equity in the housing slump.

Some members thought it was time to activate the District's Reps in Springfield but the consensus was that wasn't needed yet.  Crates said she'd schedule another meeting with Sears, this time with Board Members along for the pitch.

In the pic:  Sears Holdings headquarters is in Hoffman Estates' Economic Development Area which doesn't include the ailing Sears Center.

Supervisor's Attorney Charges Grafton Double Standard Rate

McHenry County Judge Michael Caldwell is expected to hear arguments Wednesday on whether Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore can appoint her personal lawyer to be Township Attorney. Trustees rejected Rockford attorney John Nelson for the post on the premise that he's suing them. What they don't know is that Nelson's been charging them double his rate as Harlem Township (Winnebago County) Attorney to do it.

Harlem Township's response to an FEN Freedom of Information Act request last week shows  Nelson's billing rate there is $125 per hour.  So far Caldwell's ordered Grafton to pay about $30,000 in Nelson bills for Moore to battle Grafton trustees at a $250 per hour rate.

Nelson told FEN the higher fee includes a risk premium. The Harlem Township number was mutually agreed to and assured. The Grafton one wasn't.  "I think that's fair to compensate for work that I don't know when or even if I'm going to be paid for," he said.

Nelson's been Township Attorney in Rockford suburban Harlem Township for the last 13 years and Harlem Supervisor Doug Aurand speaks highly of him. That time hasn't been without controversy, however, since the Harlem Board is elected by party and split three to two in favor of Democrats headed by Aurand.  In some ways, in fact, it sounds like Grafton.

One conflict that's been running there for two years is over what records Harlem Township has to release to Winnebago County Board Member Kay Mullins.  She's the wife of Harlem Township Republican trustee Bob Mullins and she's apparently been looking for something to use against the Democratic-dominated Board.  Mullins was especially interested in the records for Julie Aurand, Supervisor Aurand's wife who is part-time Harlem Township janitor and head of the Township workfare program.  Nelson argued Kay Mullins' requests were burdensome and Julie Aurand's personnel files were exempt from disclosure but last month a Winnebago County judge ordered the township to turn over most of what Mullins asked for.

Aurand said the records case was all political.  So was another controvery two years ago, he said, about Nelson's accompanying Aurand, his secretary and two trustees on a trip to a national conference in Washington DC in 2008. That trip and a similar one the year earlier totaled almost $17,000 and  Nelson charged Harlem Township over $300 for a dinner on the second excursion. Aurand said the trips were included in the Harlem budget and were there for educational purposes.  "I met our Senators, then-Senator Barack Obama and Dick Durbin," he said.

Nelson said Aurand and trustees attended township officials' seminars on the DC trip, although he himself didn't attend any for Township Attorneys.  "They don't have those there," Nelson said. He said he went to DC with Aurand and the trustees, anyway, because "you never know what you'll pick up."

In the pic:  Harlem Township offices in Rockford suburban Machesney Park.

LITH PD Takes Over Marengo Cop Communication

Lake in the Hills assumed police dispatch for the Village of Marengo Monday morning in a switch that Director of Police and Public Safety Jim Wales called "seamless".  Hard-pressed Marengo will save some money shutting down its old standalone dispatch center and LITH will make some adding the village to their dispatch list that already included not only Lake in the Hills PD but also Huntley and Fox River Grove departments, too.

Cliff Hammerstrom, supervisor of McHenry-based Radiocom said it was a pretty easy change since the wireless gear was already compatible.  "The only problem was getting the phone system here." 911 calls from the Village of Marengo proper will funnel in to the LITH center now.  Dispatchers will handle calls for Marengo cops directly and route fire and ambulance calls to centers for those services.  "Typically they'll dispatch a police car, too," said Hammerstrom.

In the pic:  LITH Patrol Chief Dave Brey (crouching left) confers with a Radiocom technician on where to put some new computer gear in LITH's police dispatch center.

Meat Raffle For Troops Set At LITH Legion

Lake in the Hills American Legion Post 1231's annual Meat Raffle is set for next Saturday, May 14th at 7pm to support U.S. troops and their families.

On the menu for dedicated carnivores this year are steaks, pork tenderloins, hamburger patties,
chicken breasts, brats and a $200 value BBQ Basket with Utensils. Raffle tickets for it all will be for sale, 8 tickets for $5 per raffle.

In the pic:  There was a whole cooler full of cuts at the Legion's Meat Raffle last year.

Senate May Block Quinn’s Latest Bill Pay Plan

By Andrew Thomason, Illinois Statehouse News
Gov. Pat Quinn has a new idea to pay off the state’s $4.5 billion in overdue bills, but it seems to be hitting familiar snags. Quinn has drafted legislation that would allow him, among other things, to temporarily suspend payments to local governments in Illinois from the Local Government Distributive Fund.

Under the law now, municipalities and other local governments get a slice of many state taxes, like the income and sales taxes, which averages to be about $1 billion annually. Quinn’s plan would put a hold on paying local governments until the General Assembly could come up with $4.5 billion, either through revenue or general obligation bonds.

“As the budget process continues, we need to develop alternatives to address the state's backlog of bills,” said Kelly Kraft, Quinn’s Office of Management and Budget spokeswoman. But Quinn’s proposal needs broad legislative support, something the governor’s original idea for paying the bills — borrowing $8.75 billion did not have.

Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno said it isn’t that her caucus is completely opposed to borrowing, but only within a bigger picture of belt-tightening. “I am really annoyed by this tactic of ‘we’re going to hold somebody hostage until the General Assembly does something,’” the Lemont Republican said. “That is not the way to solve this problem.”

Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said he believes the idea of borrowing isn’t bad, but said he “is not interested in adding local government to the long list of state vendors and school districts and hospitals that are already waiting payment from the state,” spokeswoman Rikeesah Phelon said.

Kraft, Quinn’s OBM spokeswoman, said at least municipal payments are only three months behind, as opposed to health care providers, schools and social service providers, whose payments are six months late on average.

You can read Andrew's full report at:  http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/5903/senate-may-be-roadblock-for-quinns-latest-bill-pay-plan/

Obituaries

Fred G. Stromsdorfer, 74, Huntley died Sunday after a battle with cancer.  Private family services will be held at a later date.  The DeFiore-Jorgensen Funeral & Cremation Service, Huntley, is in charge of the arrangements.

Stromsdorfer was born April 9, 1937, in Chicago, the son of George and Pauline (Bathelt)  Stromsdorfer.  He married Rita B. Nowakowsk iMay 2, 1959. He is survived by his wife of Huntley; his children, Christopher Stromsdorfer of Shorewood, Deborah (Greg Bubp) Stromsdorfer of Rockford and Dawn Stromsdorfer of Naperville, and his sisters, Elaine Teissler of Santa Ana, CA, and Susan (Jim) Zacharski of Des Plaines.

Memorials in Stromsdorfer's name may be directed to the Hospice of Northeastern Illinois.

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
May 02
0016 HRS 1100 BLOCK OF HALFMOON GATE. BURGLARY TO MOTOR VEHICLE. JUVENILE M/W, 16 YEARS OF AGE, CRYSTAL LAKE. CHARGES: Burglary to Motor Vehicle, Theft. RELEASED TO PARENT.
JUVENILE, M/W 15 YEARS OF AGE, WOODSTOCK. CHARGES: Burglary to Motor Vehicle, Theft. TURNED OVER TO THE JUVENILE JUSTICE CENTER.
0237 HRS 300 BLOCK OF STARWOOD PASS. BURGLARY TO MOTOR VEHICLE. JUVENILE, M/W 16 YEARS OF AGE, CRYSTAL LAKE. CHARGES: Burglary to Motor Vehicle, Theft. RELEASED TO PARENT.
JUVENILE M/W 15 YEARS OF AGE, WOODSTOCK. CHARGES: Burglary to Motor Vehicle, Theft. TURNED OVER TO THE JUVENILE JUSTICE CENTER.
0237 HRS 1100 BLOCK OF MOONSTONE RUN. BURGLARY TO MOTOR VEHICLE. JUVENILE M/W 16 YEARS OF AGE, CRYSTAL LAKE. CHARGES: Burglary to Motor Vehicle, Theft. RELEASED TO PARENT.
JUVENILE, M/W 15 YEARS OF AGE, WOODSTOCK. CHARGES: Burglary to Motor Vehicle, Theft. TURNED OVER TO THE JUVENILE JUSTICE CENTER.
0237 HRS 1100 BLOCK OF MOONSTONE RUN. BURGLARY TO MOTOR VEHICLE. JUVENILE, M/W 16 YEARS OF AGE, CRYSTAL LAKE CHARGES: Burglary to Motor Vehicle, Theft. RELEASED TO PARENT.
JUVENILE, M/W 15 YEARS OF AGE, WOODSTOCK. CHARGES: Burglary to Motor Vehicle, Theft. TURNED OVER TO THE JUVENILE JUSTICE CENTER.
1652 HRS 1025 W. ALGONQUIN RD. (VALLEY AUTO). NO VALID ILLINOIS LICENSE. HERNANDEZ, JOSE ABEL, M/W 25 YEARS OF AGE, 3820  WAUKEGAN, MCHENRY. CHARGE: No Valid Illinois Drivers License and Improper Lane Usage. RELEASED ON BOND.
0810 HRS 500 BLOCK OF BLACKHAWK DR. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 85 years of age, possibly having a stroke. No transport.
1222 HRS 10 BLOCK OF WESTMINSTER CT. DOMESTIC BATTERY. Mother vs. son. Mother grabbed son by the neck. Delayed 042211.
PENDING INVESTIGATION BY REPORTING OFFICER.
1835 HRS 400 BLOCK OF ANNANDALE DR. DOMESTIC, Sister vs. sister. 9 priors.
2032 HRS 0 BLOCK OF STANTON CIRCLE. DOMESTIC. Husband vs. wife and children. Verbal only. No priors.
2244 HRS 100 BLOCK OF POLARIS DR. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Male, 5 months old choking and vomiting. Transported to Sherman Hospital.

D300 Special Ed Par With State, Nation Says Report

District 300's expected to release details of its plans to revamp Special Education today in the wake of March consultants' presentations that said the present scheme isn't good enough.  However, an examination of the full 85-page report shows consultants didn't actually find Special Education as bad as their summary suggested.

The headline finding March 14 was that the District's 3,000 Special Ed students lag behind the 17,000 non-disabled kids in regular classes.  However, the report released four days later found that "CUSD students with disabilities have generally performed at levels similar to, if not slightly better than, their Illinois peers. " Likewise they performed about as well as the national Special Ed average, according to the report.  Indeed, consultants found one Special ed group doing quite well. "Those with cognitive disabilities have very high performance rates on (a standard test)."

Looking deeper, FEN spoke with Jacobs High School Principal Shelley Nacke, soon to become D300's Associate Superintendent for Special Education.  The context here, she said, is that for administrative and reporting purposes Special Ed covers a range of students who don't necessarily have very much in common.  "There are 23 different categories," said Nacke. Those range from students who are blind or deaf to those with physical impairments to kids with emotional problems to those with learning difficulties to those with actual cognitive disabilities. In other words, a young Helen Keller, a junior Stephen Hawking and  the youthful Forrest Gump would all lumped together for Special Ed statistical purposes.

How many are in each category? Nacke said since  state and federal education authorities don't require it, the District doesn't have those numbers.  There is a rough breakdown in the consultants' report, though.  About 40 percent have learning disabilities while more than 20 percent have speech or language disabilities.

The report did find that Special Ed students meeting or exceeding reading and math standards takes a radical drop between eighth grade and junior year of high school.  That doesn't mean the district's suddenly dropping the ball in high school, though.  In grade school, Nacke explained, students take a standardized test keyed to what educators think an average kid ought to know.  In high school, though, students take a different test. It measures what a kid ought to know to be ready for college. "They're comparing apples and oranges," she said.

One area the report criticizes most is simply identifying students who belong in Special Education in the first place.  D300 puts more kids in Special Ed than the average district and consultants found that may depend too much on one person's opinion instead of the collective input from lots of educators who know each student. Nacke said there's already a new program for "intervention" to help kids who are having temporary problems stay out of Special Ed. She said changing the district's administrative setup for Special Education was something else that was under consideration.

Consultants called for wholesale mainstreaming Special Ed students transferring them from special classrooms into regular ones with regular kids.  Superintendent elect Michael Bregy said his goal was to have Special Ed students go to class in the schools they'd attend if they weren't in Special Ed in the first place.

A District announcement with a link to the report was only available for two days after it was released and a recent check finds that link doesn't work anymore. Nor does there appear to be another one.  However, FEN downloaded a copy while it was still available.  You can read the entire report here: 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/54428682/The-Urban-Special-Education-Leadership-Collaborative-Report 

"We do a good job with Special Education," said Nacke.  "But we want to do better," she added.

Huntley Scouts Serve The Community

Sunday's Huntley Troop 167 Pancake Breakfast went a long way to helping buy a new trailer for Scout outings this year.  Huntley's Legion Hall was packed as usual.

The event's been an annual fundraiser for the Scouts literally since longer than anyone can remember with precision. Gail Muren lined up for some cakes was sure it's been a pretty long time,though. She said she remembers when her son was part of the troop.  "He cooked, he served, he sold tickets," she said but not very recently. "He's in the Marines now," she said. 

D300 Cancer Relay Registration Extended Through Thurs.

The registration dealine for Distrct 300's Third Annual Relay For Life cancer fundraiser's been extended through Thursday.  Signups are running about 30 percent behind last year, according to a spokesman.  That's both in numbers running and in donations promised.

The run's set, rain or shine, at Dundee-Crown High School from from 6 pm Friday, May 13, to 6 am the next day. Registration for individuals and teams can be made online at: www.relayforlifed300.com .

D300's community first relay was in 2009 at Jacobs High School and last year's event was at Hampshire High.  In those first two years more than 1,600 participants from D300 collectively raised over $163,000 for the American Cancer Society.  The funds are used to support cancer research, cancer education, and those fighting cancer as well as their caregivers.

In the pic:  Some of the kids at least year's relay.

Partisanship Flares In Senate Budget Battle

By Melissa Leu and Mary J. Cristobal, Illinois Statehouse News
As Illinois' budget deadline approaches, the Illinois Senate could be the next fiscal battleground. Fresh off of a two-week break, Illinois state senators return to the Capitol today to iron out the final details of a $30-billion-plus state spending plan.

“We're going to pass a budget, and it will be a balanced budget,” said state Sen. William Haine, D-Alton, who added that he is confident the Senate would be done by the end of next week.

Exactly how to divide the state's dollars, however, is in dispute. State Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford, wants to see an agreement between the House and Senate that sets a price tag before lawmakers start spending. “The minute we suggest making cuts to one of those programs, if we're specific in that, what you'll find is that the opposition will quickly run to the press and talk about how we're trying to take food away from babies, or we're trying to take health care away from seniors,” Syverson said.

The House is working with a $33.2 billion budget, while the Senate is working with a $34.3 billion plan. Both estimates are less than the $35.4 billion figure that Gov. Pat Quinn said he wants to spend next year. Before leaving for break, Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, called on Republicans to officially file their own measures on the budget.

McHenry County Republican state Sen. Pamela Althoff of Crystal Lake, the minority spokeswoman for one of the two Senate appropriations committees, said “If we follow President Cullerton’s proposal and have individual agency bills — which is something the House is also talking about doing — I think that’ll be a problem for many members within my caucus, as I believe most of those agency budget proposals will increase spending overall," Althoff said. “(It) obviously will be very difficult for Senate Republicans to vote for."

The political posturing from both sides has a lot to do with how parties want to be seen in the next election, said Michael G. Miller, a political science professor at the University of Illinois-Springfield. “ when you’re in an economic environment or budgeting situation like this assembly finds itself in … it seems like it’s human nature to want to put those off for as long as possible.”

You can read the full report on this story at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/5892/partisanship-flares-in-senate-budget-battle/

Professional Regulation Orders

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) announced the following disciplinary orders in the month of March:

The following individuals’ real estate salesperson licenses were placed in refuse to renew status for failure to complete the required continuing education and for falsification of renewal application:Mary Governale, McHenry; E. Stan Hickrod, West Dundee; Cathy Hornung, Barrington.

Jeffrey Calhoun, Cary – certified residential real estate appraiser license revoked due to his attaching the electronic signature of his supervisory appraiser on fourteen separate appraisal reports without authorization.

Patrice Calhoun, Cary – residential real estate appraiser license revoked due to her attaching the electronic signature of her supervisory appraiser on fourteen separate appraisal reports without authorization.

Tri County Roofing Inc., McHenry – roofing contractor license revoked and fined $10,000 due to incompetency by installing a shingled roof with a ridge vent on a low slope roof, failure to respond to a 60 day letter and for submission of a falsified bond.

Title Lenders, Inc., d/b/a USA Payday Loans, 5005 Northwest Highway, Crystal Lake – fined $1,050 for the following violations: repossession file did not indicate statement of final accounting containing the required information was sent to the borrower and title-secured lender made an additional loan to a borrower who had an outstanding title-secured loan within the preceding 15 days.

Wauconda Currency Exchange, Inc., 469A Liberty Lane, Wauconda – Currency fined $1,800 for late payment of annual license fee.

John Kiss, South Barrington – certified public accountant license indefinitely suspended following his suspension by US Securities and Exchange Commission of appearing or practicing before the Commission as an accountant.

Julie Guettler-Brunow, McHenry – massage therapy license issued with reprimand and fined $1,000 for engaging in massage therapy practice prior to licensure.

Kenneth Walker, McHenry, pharmacy technician license placed in refuse to renew status after defaulting on an Illinois Educational Loan.

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
May 1
0401 HRS 5300 BLOCK OF BRIARFIELD LN. AGGRAVATED UNLAWFUL RESTRAINT. CADA, PAUL J., M/W 45 YEARS OF AGE, 5306 BRIARFIELD LANE LAKE IN THE HILLS. CHARGES: Domestic Battery, Domestic Battery Bodily Harm. TURNED OVER TO MCHENRY COUNTY JAIL.
COZZI, ANTHONY A., M/W 21 YEARS OF AGE, 5306 BRIARFIELD LANE, LAKE IN THE HILLS/ CHARGES: Two Counts Aggravated Unlawful Restraint, Two Counts of Aggravated Assault, Two Counts of Domestic Battery/Bodily Harm. TURNED OVER TO MCHENRY COUNTY JAIL.
1340 HRS 300 BLOCK OF TECUMSEH TRAIL. DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL/DOMESTIC BATTERY. THOMPSON, ROBERT S., M/W 43 YEARS OF AGE, 1217 PINE ST., LAKE IN THE HILLS. CHARGES: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Hit & Run, Failure to Give Information, Open Alcohol in the Vehicle, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol While over .08. RELEASED ON BOND. Domestic Battery was FAIL TO FILE.
2033 HRS RANDALL RD. & MILLER RD. DRIVING WHILE LICENSE SUSPENDED. DURRENBERGER, DAVID B., M/W 25 YEARS OF AGE, 13 MILLBROOK CT., ALGONQUIN. CHARGES: Driving While License Suspended, Failure to wear Seat Belt--Driver. RELEASED ON BOND.
0739 HRS 0 BLOCK OF HOLLYHOCK CT. TRESPASS TO VEHICLE. Vehicle entered overnight. No items removed.
0755 HRS 0 BLOCK OF HOLLYHOCK CT. BURGLARY TO MOTOR VEHICLE.  Currency was removed out of the vehicle. TURNED OVER TO INVESTIGATIONS.
0817 HRS 300 BLOCK OF HIAWATHA DR. ACCIDENT. Car vs. fence. Property damage only.
0841 HRS 5300 BLOCK OF LANSBURY CIRCLE. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 65 years of age, disoriented. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
0905 HRS 1200 BLOCK OF CRYSTAL LAKE RD. CRIMINAL DEFACEMENT. Graffiti on business sign.
1128 HRS 200 BLOCK OF BRIDLEWOOD CIRCLE. THEFT. Of jewelry. TURNED OVER TO INVESTIGATIONS.
1153 HRS 1000 BLOCK OF MASON LN. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 45 years of age, having chest pains. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1157 HRS 1000 BLOCK OF MASON LN. HIT AND RUN. Truck parked in driveway was hit overnight by an unknown vehicle.
1331 HRS 70 BLOCK OF POLARIS DR. ASSIST FIRE. Structure Fire.
1416 HRS 4400 BLOCK OF PRINCETON LN. DOMESTIC BATTERY. Mother vs. sons. FAIL TO FILE
1449 HRS RANDALL RD. & ACORN LN. ACCIDENT. Vehicle vs. deer. Property damage only.
1455 HRS 350 BOULDER DR. (COUNTRY CLUB). CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. Vehicle damaged the lawn on the golf course.
1617 HRS 2600 BLOCK OF CADBURY CIRCLE. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 43 years of age, with pain in her arm and chest. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
2325 HRS 5500 BLOCK OF CHANTILLY CIRCLE. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 52 years of age, having difficulty breathing. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
2354 HRS 1000 BLOCK OF HORIZON RIDGE. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Female, 37 years of age, with back pain. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
Algonquin
April 29
23:25pm DalBello, Brian A., DOB: 03/05/93, of 1710 Crofton Drive, Algonquin, was charged with Retail Theft and Unlawful Possession of Alcohol by a Minor.  He was taken into custody at Meijer, 400 S. Randall Road.  He was released on a Personal Recognizance Bond with a court date of 06/01/11 in McHenry County.
April 30
02:15am Onofrio, Nicholas J., DOB: 11/26/92, of 1601 Southridge Trail, Algonquin, was charged with Unlawful Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor.  He was taken into custody at 1601 Southridge Trail.  He was released on a Notice to Appear with a court date of 06/29/11 in Algonquin.
May 1
01:25am Calkins, Jason R., DOB: 10/31/72, of 4215 Coyote Lakes Circle, Lake in the Hills, was charged with DUI, DUI Over, Driving Too Fast for Conditions & Failure to Secure Child in Child Restraint.  He was taken into custody at Algonquin Road and Frank Road.  He was released after posting $100 and his Illinois Driver’s License with a court date of 06/15/11 in McHenry County.
14:03pm A 17 year-old male from Huntley was charged with Retail Theft.  He was taken into custody at the Algonquin Police Department.  He was released on a Notice to Appear with a court date of 06/29/11 in Algonquin.
15:56pm Mora, Francisco, DOB: 12/23/83, of 1304 Merrill Avenue, Algonquin, was charged with DWLS.  He was taken into custody at Huntington Drive and Aberdeen Drive.  He was released after posting $150 with a court date of 06/08/11 in McHenry County.

Estimator Tool Quantifies Local Gas Woes

A new interactive website for estimating the local cost of auto use demonstrates the obvious: it's up a lot lately.  The Chicago-based Center For Neighborhood Technology puts an actual number to the increase though.  At last week's average $4.25 per gallon CNT's Abogo ("abode" and "go") calculator estimates monthly Algonquin and Huntley transportation costs at about $1,240, about $1,180 in LITH.

Those numbers aren't all gasoline, of course. While CNT's model predicts how many cars a typical household would own, how far they'd be driven driven and how often residents would use mass transit instead,  it also includes the costs of car  depreciation, insurance, and standard maintenance.

The estimator at http://abogo.cnt.org/ isn't really very easy to use to get useful local numbers and there's a big  caveat.  Plugging in an address results in an estimate based on what gasoline cost back in 2000.  That's because driver and commuter behavior's based on 2000 census information listed by census tract. To come up with a current estimate (assuming no behavior changes in the past 10 years) there's a  popup box below the year 2000 number.  You have to move the slider to $4.25, last week's area price, for the current cost.  On the other hand the popup also allows forecasts of what happens if gas prices continue to rise.  If you have your heart medicine handy, try moving the slider to $5.

According to the latest report, the Chicago area has the highest gas prices in the country right now. The average price of $4.25 per gallon was 50 cents higher than the corresponding week in 2008, the last time gas prices shot up.  They kept going up for most of the rest of the year, too.

In the pic:  CNT's Abogo map shows variations in transportation costs.  For instance, Crystal Lakes and Elgin's average costs are still pretty high but lower than surrounding areas because of Metra service to those communities.

Lots Of Drugs Dumped For National Take Back Day

Huntley residents safety discarded several garbage bags full of unused or outdated pharmaceuticals Saturday during the Drug Enforcement Administration's second National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.  Algonquin residents did the same and people in LITH split the difference between the dropoff locations at the two PD's.

Huntley resident Ann Pettit dropping off a bag of meds said, "My Mom died 2 1/2 years ago and until now this has been in the closet.  I didn't know where to dispose of them."

Huntley Sgt. Mike Hewitt said except at lunch there was a steady stream of cars coming by.  The only glitch he said was that the program was for dry drugs only--no liquids or syringes.  "We had no guidance from DEA," said Hewitt.  "I even checked their website."

A FEN check also found nothing about liquids and medical sharps at DEA.  However, an entry on the Illinois EPA website says both are classified as "household hazardous waste".  The closest official locations to dispose of them are in Naperville and Rockford.

In the pic:  Huntley offered curb service Saturday during National Drug Take Back Day.  "It's faster that way," said hustling Huntley Sgt. Mike Hewitt.

Thrift Shoppe Bridal Event Successful In Huntley

Between 50 and 80 prospective brides converged Saturday on Sweet Repeats in Huntley, the Thrift Shoppe (!) for McHenry County's Pioneer Center for Human Services.  The Bridal Event included 20 percent off bridal, evening, mother of the bride, and bridesmaid gowns, and even a full set of china one customer carried off.  "June's coming," said Store Manager Colleen Hale, "so we thought it would be a good idea to give everyone a chance to get ready."

Hale said Sweet Repeats usually has lots of gowns (don't forget graduation), regular clothing and hard goods.  The store's hours are Monday through Saturday 10 am to pm and Sunday 11 am to 4 pm.

In the pic: Sweet Repeats volunteer Kathy Renkosik tried to restore some order to the bridal gowns at Pioneer Center's Sweet Repeats during the thrift shop's bridal event in Huntley Saturday.  (Later she tried one on proving she still retains her girlish figure.)

Online Sales Tax Could Go National

By Melissa Leu, Illinois Statehouse News
Illinois’ online sales tax law may soon go national. A plan proposed by U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called the “Main Street Fairness Act," would create a national law that forces online retailers to start collecting sales taxes on purchases made over the Internet.

“It is not only a confusing situation, Internet sales are firmly established across the United States. States, counties, cities are losing substantial amounts of revenue because of the current system,” Durbin said. Tax amounts will be based on each state's already existing sales tax rates, according to Durbin's bill.

Durbin estimates that states could be losing a total $37 billion every year on purchases made through online retailers, with Illinois losing about $153 million. “It's one of those things unreported. We're not sure what we're missing. I think it's going to be a minimum of over $100 million a year,” Durbin said.

A 1992 Supreme Court case ruled that only retailers with a physical presence in the state had to collect sales tax. In March,however, Gov. Pat Quinn signed Illinois’ first online sales tax law that extended that to include online sales affiliates with offices in the state, thereby requiring them to collect sales tax, too. As a result, major online retailers, such as Amazon.com, dropped their affiliates.

Some smaller, brick-and-mortar stores say the new state law  — and the proposed federal initiative — will make it easier to compete. “We know it's a competitive environment. We have to compete to be viable, but we should be on a level playing field with our online sellers,” said Bob Thompson, owner of BikeTek, a bicycle shop in Springfield.

Others disagree,though. Brandi Tolley, who runs a men’s apparel eBay store, called the measure a “desperate” way for states to pull in revenue. Her store earns about $35,000 in sales annually, Tolley said. “A lot of us are small businesses. We don't have huge brick-and-mortar stores. We're just tiny businesses trying to make it,” Tolley said.

“Is (being online) an advantage? Sure. But (stores) have that same opportunity. They could certainly shut down that brick-and-mortar and sell to people all over the world, just like the rest of us do,” Tolley added.

Durbin expects to introduce the new legislation this month.

You can read Melissa's full report at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/5868/online-sales-tax-could-go-national/

McHenry County Indictments

A McHenry County Grand Jury returned indictments this week against the following individuals:
The charges against these defendants are merely allegations against them. The defendants are presumed innocent of any crime until proven guilty in court.

MATTHEW S. ZEIS, DOB:  02/02/93, 8930 DISBROW STREET, HUNTLEY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.--Huntley PD

TYLER J. PAGE, DOB:  08/23/85, 22238 LITTLE POND ROAD, KILDEER. AGGRAVATED BATTERY, AGGRAVATED ASSAULT, CRIMINAL TRESPASS TO RESIDENCE, CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY, ASSAULT.--Cary PD
  
ABRAHAM M. SILVA, DOB:  01/02/86, 7209 COWLIN STREET, CRYSTAL LAKE. CRIMINAL TRESPASS TO RESIDENCE, CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY, THEFT, BATTERY, DOMESTIC BATTERY(4CTS), HOME INVASION.--Crystal Lake PD
   
FRANCISCO ARCADIO, DOB:  02/27/86, 99 ORIOLE TRAIL, CRYSTAL LAKE. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, BATTERY, CRIMINAL TRESPASS TO REAL PROPERTY.--Crystal Lake PD
   
BRIAN L. BOYLAND, DOB:   04/09/79, 72628 PRAIRIE STREET, UNION. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE(2CTS).--Woodstock PD
   
GILBERTO L. VASQUEZ, DOB:  03/03/75, 424 W. GRANT HIGHWAY, MARENGO. FORGERY, UNLAWFUL ACQUISITION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.--Woodstock PD

BRIAN J. DEAVILLA, DOB:  09/10/89, 24376 WOODLAND AVENUE, CARY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CANNABIS.--Cary PD
   
JUDE G. MC GINLEY, DOB:  01/24/83, 17626 CLARK STREET, UNION. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CANNABIS, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA.--McHenry County Sheriff's Office

LEE A. FARKAS, DOB:  11/26/79, 605 W. COLUMBUS STREET, MCHENRY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A HYPODERMIC SYRINGE OR NEEDLE.--McHenry County Sheriff's Office

RYAN CROTTY, DOB:  01/21/88, 210 CLOVER CHASE CIRCLE, WOODSTOCK. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE(2CTS), UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CANNABIS.--McHenry County Sheriff's Office

BRADLEY HARLEY, DOB:  06/02/90, 729 BRINK STREET, WOODSTOCK. BURGLARY, THEFT(UNDER $500.)(5CTS), BURGLARY(3CTS).--McHenry County Sheriff's Office   
   
BRITTANY L. SARMAS, DOB:  06/05/87, 215 DEVIN ROAD #309, FOX LAKE. UNLAWFUL ACQUISITION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.--McHenry PD
   
MICHAEL LEE GIBSON JR.,DOB:  10/25/84, LKA:  200 WINDRIDGE DRIVE, MCHENRY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.--McHenry PD

ERIC J. CLARK, DOB:  04/12/85, 724 FRIENDLY STREET, MCHENRY. IAN F. HANSEN, DOB:  12/05/81, 3909 MAPLE AVENUE, MCHENRY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE--McHenry PD
   
KYLE A. BUSSE, DOB:  07/09/91, 624 WHITMORE TRAIL, MCHENRY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DELIVER CANNABIS, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CANNABIS.--McHenry PD
   
NATALIE L. KALLENBACH, DOB:  02/10/93, 1128 BENNINGTON DRIVE, CRYSTAL LAKE. UNLAWFUL DISTRIBUTION OF LOOK-ALIKE SUBSTANCE.--    McHenry PD
   
MICHAEL C. WILSON, DOB:  09/16/92, 904 MONROE DRIVE, MCHENRY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.--McHenry PD
   
JOSEPH W. STONEBURNER, DOB:  08/11/90, 14411 KISHWAUKEE VALLEY ROAD, WOODSTOCK. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DELIVER CANNABIS, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CANNABIS, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA.--McHenry PD
   
RYAN M. RHODES, DOB:  05/09/92, 6207 LAKESHORE DRIVE, CARY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DELIVER A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.--McHenry PD