Hot Dog Restaurateur Resurfaces In Subs

"Maybe I was a little too anxious to put up the 'now open' sign," said Bub's Subs owner Dominick Pulli Friday still slicing Italian beef at Noon as a pair of burly truck drivers hauled in a late-to-arrive ice maker.

It was opening day for the new sandwich shop in Algonquin's Stonegate Commons on Randall Road and Murphy's Law was in full force. "(One of my suppliers) shorted me on an order and I had to go into Chicago to pick it up," he said.

Carpentersville residents Russ and Bobbi Gifford waited patiently.  The pair, former customers at Pulli's Chicago Grill hot dog shops in Springhill Mall and Huntley Outlet Mall, had been waiting for months for Bubs to open.  "I always trust his food," said Gifford.  "It's good stuff."

"We're all fresh" said counterman Jose Martinez.  "We make our own meats, we bake our own bread.  We even make our own giardinara."

Pulli said he was thrilled to snag the spot that had formerly housed the Quiznos sandwich shop on north Randall.  The Quiznos chain is having rough times right now so Pulli figured he was onto something.  "It's not the location," he said.  "It's the lack for support they give franchisees."

Pulli doesn't have to worry about that, though.  It's his store and he gets to do things his way.  Take one of his signature sandwiches called the Mayor Bill.  "I named it after a politician I know.  It's all American and full of baloney."

In the pic: Russ and Bobbi Gifford had a hard time choosing among Dominick Pulli's 50 sandwiches at Bubs Subs opened Friday in Algonquin. 

Signups Easy For Summer Sunset 5k Friday

There's less than a week left to pre-register for LITH's annual Summer Sunset 5K/2-mile race event at Sunset Park next Friday.  Part of the start of the Village's 11th annual end of summer celebration, the race will start at 7 pm.

Runners will receive a limited-print, short-sleeve technical shirt, fruit, beverage, and festival food voucher. Pre-registration is at:

https://www.signmeup.com/site/online-event-registration/72828/SMUCalendar.

Race-day registration and packet pick up will be from 5:30 to 6:45 pm.  Awards will be distributed at the Sunset Festival Main Stage after the final participant crosses the finish line at about 8:15.

Scooter Store Wins LITH Business Award

The Lake in the Hills Business Relations Committee announced Friday that Flat Squirrel Scooters will be the Gordon Larsen Business Achievement Award winner for 2011.The Committee unanimously picked Flat Squirrel for donating a 250CC automatic scooter to LITH PD a couple of months ago.

With the downturn in the economy the Village had to get rid of its Harleys but Bruce and Christy Erbeck, made up for the loss donating a fully- equipped police scooter for traffic control and use on the the miles of bike paths throughout the Village.  Christy said it was just part of being a good business citizen of LITH.  "We tried to support the community even before we started making a profit," she said. 

The Larsen award will be presented to the Erbecks at the September 8, Village Board
meeting.

In the pic:  You can't drive a squad car into the Village Board Room, sort of the point of LITH's police scooter donated by Flat Squirrel Scooters.  That's owner Bruce Erbeck on the left and LITH president Ed Plaza, right.

Judge: No Paychecks Soon For Regional Superintendents

By Benjamin Yount,  Illinois Statehouse News
Illinois lawmakers, not the court system, must order paychecks for the state's regional superintendents, unpaid since July. That was the three-page ruling from  Sangamon County Circuit Judge John Schmidt denying superintendents' request for a temporary order to force Gov. Pat Quinn to pay them.

"The issue is … whether this Court has the authority to order payment of unappropriated state salaries," Schmidt wrote in his opinion Friday. "The answer is no." But Schmidt said the Legislature needs to do something about Quinn's veto eliminating their salaries.  Illinois' 44 regional superintendents’ paychecks will be in limbo until late October or early November when lawmakers return for the fall veto session.sue.

Quinn zeroed-out $11 million for the regional superintendents' salaries in June, when the state budget was finalized and passed. The governor wants local taxpayers, not the state, to pick-up the tab for the salaries. LaSalle County Regional Superintendent of Schools Jim Carlson said he talks with his wife each week to see how much longer they can keep going.
"Sometimes legal and illegal are not right and wrong. And that's how I look at it in this case," said Carlson.

Quinn's latest plan is to shift Superintendents funding to the quasi-corporate income tax that goes to municipalities. But State Rep. Bud Mautino, D-Spring Valley, said that's going to be an uphill climb. "The Personal Property Replacement Tax has an impact on cities, counties and school districts," he said. "A lot of those government bodies get concerned about losing money."

You can read Ben's full report at:  http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/6788/judge-no-paychecks-for-superintendents-yet/

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
August 26
2356 HRS MILLER RD. & GREENFIELD RD. DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL. VANPELT, SCOTT E., M/W 46 YEARS OF AGE, 108 E. PHEASANT, LAKE IN THE HILLS. CHARGES: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Driving  Under the Influence of Alcohol with a Breath Alcohol Content Over .08, Operating an Uninsured Motor Vehicle, Improper Lane Usage, and Equipment Violation. RELEASED ON BOND.
0145 HRS 6900 RAKOW RD. (RAKOW CURVE) FLEEING AND ATTEMPT TO ELUDE POLICE. Officer attempted to make a traffic stop on a vehicle for speeding. The vehicle fled and eluded the officer. Case closed pending new information.
0754 HRS 4561 PRINCETON LN. (GODDARD SCHOOL) ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
1729 HRS HARVEST GATE & COOL STONE BEND. DOMESTIC. Boyfriend vs. girlfriend. Verbal only. No priors.

County Unemployment Rate Falls But Not As Good As It Sounds

Mchenry County's unemployment rate dropped slightly to 9.2 percent in July according to the latest figures released Thursday by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. That wasn't because there were more jobs available, though.  The overall workforce actually fell in July but the number of people claiming to be seeking work fell more proportionately.

Illinois' seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for July increased to 9.5 percent as 24,900 fewer jobs were reported, according to preliminary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Illinois Department of Employment Security two weeks ago. It was the third consecutive month for an increase in the unemployment rate following 15 consecutive months of declines. “This preliminary data reflects the recent volatility in the national economy and the uncertainty both in the labor force and business community,” IDES Director Jay Rowell said.

Jobs might become a political issue if Crystal Lake County Board Member Barb Wheeler has anything to say about it.  She's running for State Rep. in the newly-configured 64th District and this week she charged Illinois has been dead last this year in jobs creation thanks to Gov. Pat Quinn's income tax hike. "The assumption that you can raise taxes and people and businesses will stand there and take it, is foolish," she said in a release.

                         UNEMPLOYMENT (unadjusted)             
               REVISED     June 2011     PRELIMINARY July 2011               
               LABOR    UNEMPLOYED        LABOR   UNEMPLOYED    JAN 
               FORCE    NUMBER  RATE      FORCE   NUMBER  RATE  2010   
U.S. (X1000)   154,538  14,409   9.3    154,812   14,428   9.3   9.7    
ILLINOIS     6,684,379 649,049   9.7  6,669,362  664,100  10.0  10.5   

MCHENRY COUNTY 181,426  16,797   9.3    180,173   16,502   9.2   9.5    
KANE COUNTY    273,617  28,546  10.4    271,452   27,807  10.2  10.5    
LAKE COUNTY    370,779  31,756   8.6    372,590   32,610   8.8  10.2
DUPAGE COUNTY  530,134  45,801   8.6    527,177   45,663   8.7   8.9

ALGONQUIN       16,953   1,575   9.3     16,835    1,547   9.2   9.1   
LITH            17,094   1,479   8.7     17,022    1,497   8.8   8.8    
CRYSTAL LAKE    22,683   2,167   9.6     22,534    2,137   9.5   9.6    
MCHENRY         15,488   1,624  10.5     15,333    1,550  10.1   9.8   

In the pic: State Rep. candidate Barb Wheeler charges this graph from the Illinois Policy Institute demonstrates cause and effect.

Tollway Hike Thursday To "Speed" Huntley Interchange

After a week's worth hearings,  the Illinois Tollway Board approved a controversial 87 percent rate hike Thursday.  Huntley officials were happy about the increase since it's supposed to ensure work on a full interchange at I-90 and Route 47 will start next year as planned.

The move will boost tolls at the majority of plazas from 40 cents to 75 with the rest going up proportionately.  Grayslake Member Bill Morris was the lone dissenter arguing for just a 15 increase.  He said the rest was a ploy to buy political support from construction unions.

Governor Pat Quinn pushed for the increase Wednesday saying, “I think a lot of families appreciate the fact that they can get from work to home faster and get home to work faster. That saves them time, and it’s worth money.”

Morris didn't buy that Thursday. “If you’re poor and don’t have a credit card and can’t afford I-PASS, I don’t think we want to create an elite road system,” he said.

Tollway officials said last week the increase meant work on the Huntley interchange could begin in 2012.  It didn't sound like much of an inducement since that's when it was supposed to have begun but Huntley officials confirmed Thursday Tollway planners have been waffling on the interchange start for about six months now.

With the toll increase Huntley Mayor Chuck Sass said construction contracts could show up in January.  But even with the promise of an early start Sass said, "We'll believe it at the groundbreaking."

In the pic:  Plans for the complicated new interchange at I-90 and Route 47 at Huntley.

Huntley Kreutzer Extension Hearing Due Mid-September

The Huntley Village Board reviewed plans Thursday for the Kreutzer Road extension between Route 47 and the Southward stub from Main St. Phase I conceptual planning is almost done so it's time to start climbing a lot of regulatory hurdles to allow the $4 million connecting link to be built, according to Joe Costello of Civiltech Engineering.

Chief among those is a public hearing tentatively set for Sept. 13 for public input on the plan that would, in effect, allow east-west traffic to bypass running through the heart of Huntley. After that there'd be a lot of paper shuffling among different state and federal agencies according to Costello. "It's a very cumbersome process but it's required by the Federal Highway Authority," he said. Assuming no snafus, Costello said the project might be ready to start by March of next year.

Grafton Auditor: "We Found Nothing Untoward"

The Grafton Township Board and spectators crammed into the meeting room at Township headquarters Thursday for a special meeting to look over a rough draft of the long-delayed audit of the Township's 2009-10 books.

Auditor Paul Thermen said so far the books were in order although he was legally prohibited from giving a final OK and report on management until he received some papers from twice-hired, twice-fired Township Attorney firm Ancel-Glink.

Thermen said the Grafton books are a nonstandard mashup of cashflow and asset accounting,  a form still relatively common among townships.  By the books his draft report found the Township and Road District together used up $116,000 worth of savings to come out even in fiscal 2009 but nobody asked about that.

The majority of the meeting involved wrangling over whether anything about the Grafton Township Food Pantry ought to be included in the 2009 report.  Split off as a non-profit corporation in 2006, the Pantry was co-located in the Township headquarters until August, 2009. Thermen said between that and a township worker helping run the Pantry he thought it looked like an "entity" of the Township.  Trustee and Pantry Board member Betty Zirk said the help was only part time and it never was part of the Township even before it became a corporation.

Saying at least five times that he wasn't an attorney Thermen adjured the Board to take some sort of legal action to separate the Pantry and the Township.  He also said analysis of the Township's fiscal 2010 books ought to be ready in a few days.

In the pic:  Auditor Paul Thermen (left) told the Grafton Board (sans Jerry McMahon who left early) Thursday, "The (2009) audit went extremely well.  We found nothing untoward."

Jury Convicts Two LITH Women In Minor-Prostitution Case

A McHenry County Jury found a pair of Lake in the Hills residents guilty of involuntary servitude of a minor Thursday in a prostitution case involving a 14 year-old Wichita, KS,  girl. Kari Knox, 37, and Antwanette Atkins, 44, both face up to 30-year prison terms.

A LITH police investigation claimed Knox photographed the girl in provocative poses for the Internet and drove her to two separate suburban locations for sex acts New Years Eve, 2009. Investigators said Atkins took phone calls from the Internet posting and told the girl how to tell if customers were policemen. Knox and Atkins said they didn't know the girl was 14 and when they found out that's what she was they sent her back to Wichita.

The pair were acquitted of charges of juvenile pimping but sentencing for involuntary servitude convictions is set for Oct. 18. There's still no trial date set for Donald R. Jones who police say first recruited the girl in Wichita and brought her to Lake in the Hills.  He's charged with juvenile pimping, involuntary servitude of a minor and half a dozen counts of child pornography.

Tryon Meets And Greets New Supporters At Huntley Fundraiser

Thursday was State Rep. Mike Tryon's annual Fish Boil fundraiser at Huntley's Parkside Pub so it was full of the McHenry County movers and shakers in the 64th District which Tryon now represents.  There was an admixture of Kane County bigwigs, though, since the decennial remap process left Tryon actually residing in the newly-configured 66th District where he'll be running in 2012.

Tryon was optimistic about his chances since the new district includes 68 percent of his old constituency and 70 percent of the ones who actually voted.  "It's been heartwarming to have the kind of support I've been receiving (in Kane County)," he said.  "I've had mayors calling saying, 'We look forward to working with you.'"

In the pic:  State Rep. Mike Tryon chats with Christy Hultgren at his Fishboil fundraiser in Huntley Thursday.  She's the wife of Congressman Randy Hultgren whose rejiggered 14th District will overlap the migratory 63rd State District in which Tryon will run. Kaden and Kole Hultgren are the guys with the sodas.

Rummage, Bake Sale Continues Through Sat At Faith Church

Faith Community Church began a big three-day rummage and bake sale at the Church on Haligus just off Algonquin Road Thursday.  The event's to support the Faith Community Food Pantry, one of three that serves the area's needy.

The rummage and bake sale will run from from 9 am to 3 pm today and from 9 am to Noon Saturday with bargains on whatever you need if it happens to be there and some really swell-looking baked goods.  Since FEN's reporter is packing too much avoirdupois these days, some tasty-looking dried cranberry and white-chocolate cookies are probably still there this morning.

Obituaries

David E. Welch, 79, of Huntley, formerly of Chicago died Wednesday at Sherman Hospital. Visitation will be Saturday from Noon to 3 pm with a service following at DeFiore Jorgensen Funeral Home, Huntley. Entombment will be at All Saints Cemetery in Des Plaines.

Welch was born July 22, 1932, the son of Eugene and Mabel (Miller) Welch. He is survived by his wife, Pat of Huntley; his children, Brian (Melissa) Welch of Chicago, Diane Reich of Tampa, FL, and his grandchildren, Allison, Michael Welch and Kevin Reich. He was preceded in death by his son, David; his parents; two sisters, Jackie and Jean. and an infant brother, and by his grandchildren, Danielle and David.

In lieu of flowers. memorials may be directed to Chicago Police Department Memorial Foundation

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
August 25
1036 HRS ANDERSON DR. & WILLOW ST. DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL. NIWELT, DAMIAN P., M/W 21 YEARS OF AGE, 632 JOSEPH ST., LAKE IN THE HILLS. CHARGES: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol.Subject was transported to Sherman Hospital. PENDING INVESTIGATION BY REPORTING OFFICER.
1604 HRS 1115 CRYSTAL LAKE RD. (LAKE IN THE HILLS PD) FOLLOW UP ARRESTS: DOMESTIC BATTERY. LITTLE, TABATHA L., F/W 19 YEARS OF AGE, 9405 RAINSFORD DR., HUNTLEY. CHARGES: Two Counts of Domestic Battery. TRANSPORTED TO MCHENRY COUNTY JAIL.
1114 HRS 2300 BLOCK OF CLAREMONT LN. DOMESTIC. Mother vs. daughter. Verbal only. No priors.
1223 HRS 600 BLOCK OF ANDERSON DR. MISSING ADULT/ Female, 42 years of age, was reported missing. Subject was located in West Dundee and transported to Sherman Hospital.
1448 HRS 2700 BLOCK OF IMPRESSIONS DR. ASSIST TO FIRE DEPARTMENT. Entered residence due to an odor investigation.
1707 HRS 300 BLOCK OF STARWOOD PASS. MISSING JUVENILE/ Female, 15 years of age, left the residence on 082411. Entered into Leads. TURNED OVER TO INVESTIGATIONS.
1729 HRS 6900 RAKOW RD. (RAKOW CURVE) ACCIDENT. Three vehicles. Property damage only.
1852 hrs 800 BLOCK OF PROVENCE PLACE. THEFT. A blue and green girls’ bicycle was stolen. Bicycle was recovered and returned to owner.
Algonquin
apparently delayed

OK. Break's Over. Everybody Back To Work.

It was back to school for students in District 158 Wednesday, a bakers dozen short of 9,200 of them by administrators' best estimates.

Official numbers won't come for 30 days.  That's when students who registered but (presumably) moved elsewhere are subtracted out and late registrations are added in.  It's an important number since general state aid's figured at $6,119 per student on reporting day.

District 300 classes started a week and a half ago and Director of Human Resources John Light said Wednesday his district may come in somewhat above the 21,000 students originally expected.  Light speculated it might have to do with the goodness of the District's classes or the badness of the economy but conceded that, ultimately, it was just a guess.  "When they register we don't have a way to tell why," she said.

In the pic:  The wheels on the bus(es) go 'round and 'round as students head home from the first day back at Huntley High School.

Scooter Top Prize In ALITH Pantry Raffle For Building Fund

The Algonquin Lake in the Hills Interfaith Food Pantry hopes a scooter will help carry the group's building fund ahead enough to start remodeling a new Pantry on Pyott Road.  The swoopy state of the art scooter's the grand prize in a raffle November 6.

Plans are to remodel the pole barn located at LITH's Larsen Farm but even with donated materials and labor the Pantry's going to need some cash, too.  That's the idea behind the raffle at Boulder Ridge Country Club which will include live music, dancing, dining and silent auctions.

Raffle tickets are $10 apiece and can be purchased online here (click the Paypal logo):
http://www.alith-foodpantry.org/jewel_scooter.html

They'll also be on sale at LITH's Summer Sunset Festival starting next Friday and Be A Neighbor Feed A Neighbor Day the following week.

In the pic:  Grand Prize in the Algonquin Lake in the Hills Interfaith Food Pantry's upcoming raffle is this jazzy two-wheeler at Flat Squirrel Scooters, LITH.

St. Margaret Mary Summerfest Sunday In Algonquin

St. Margaret Mary Parish's sixth annual Summerfest, AKA Taste of St. Margaret Mary, is set Sunday from Noon to 8 pm on the Parish Grounds on South Hubbard in Algonquin. First conceived by Father Edward Staniukiewicz, the event now raises about $10,000 each year for the parish.

The event still has a Polish flavor with plenty of real kielbasi, paczki and zimne piwo (Polish beer) but there'll be lots of "American" food, too, as well as games, a zoo, live music, dancing and raffles. "Spending money at the fest is not a sin," said newly-installed Pastor Peter Sarnicki, tongue firmly in cheek.  "It is being used for building up the work of the community," he said.

In the pic:  Watch 'em being grilled. Kielbosi at St. Margaret Mary's Summerfest.

West Nile Virus Found In McHenry County

Grab for the DEET bug repellent. The McHenry County Department of Health found a mosquito trap in Woodstock that tested positive for West Nile virus. It was the first since last year. The Illinois Department of Public Health has found WNV in 13 other counties so far this year and confirmed two human cases of it.

Illness from West Nile Virus illness is usually mild with fever, headache and body aches but serious illnesses, such as encephalitis and meningitis and death, are possible. MCDH has a page about it here: http://www.co.mchenry.il.us/departments/health/Pages/ehMosquitohome.aspx

Spokesmen said there's a chance of West Nile until the first hard frost.

State Begins Work On Health-Care Exchanges

By Benjamin Yount, Illinois Statehouse News
Illinois is touting a $5 million federal grant to set up health-care exchanges as part of the national health care law. Whether they'll be ready by dealine in two years remains an open question, though. Legislation signed by Gov. Pat Quinn in July started Illinois toward the health-care exchanges but it doesn't specify how they'll work.

Illinois wants to have an exchange ready for federal review by 2013, said Kate Gross, assistant director for health planning at the Illinois Department of Insurance. If Illinois fails to set up its exchange by January 2014, it will be required to use an exchange chosen by federal officials. The $5 million grant, Gross said, will be spent "on groups of consultants or firms to … begin to help (us) truly figure out all of the pieces that we're building."
Illinois has already spent $1 million on consultants to study Illinois' health insurance needs.

The Legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability held its first study committee meeting Wednesday in Chicago to mull over the exchanges. "How (the exchange) operates, its legal structure, its reporting structure, how it's governed, how it's permitted to make decisions, the amount of accountability to the people of Illinois — all of that is what the legislative study committee is charged with studying," Gross said.

The group is scheduled to meet again next week.
 
You can read Ben's full report at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/6759/5-million-is-just-the-beginning-of-illinois-health-care-exchange-costs/

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
August 24
2119 HRS 300 BLOCK OF E. OAK ST. DOMESTIC BATTERY. LITTLE, TARA A., F/W 20 YEARS OF AGE, 314 E. OAK ST., LAKE IN THE HILLS.
CHARGES: Two counts of Domestic Battery. TRANSPORTED TO MCHENRY COUNTY JAIL.
0545 HRS 2265 W. ALGONQUIN RD. (THORNTON’S) SUICIDE ATTEMPT. Female, 18 years of age, made suicidal statements. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
0107 HRS 20 BLOCK OF WANDER WAY. ASSIST OTHER AGENCY. Assisted McHenry County Sheriff Department in serving an Order of Protection.
1824 HRS 9625 HALIGUS RD. (MARLOWE SCHOOL) ASSIST AMBULANCE. Male, 13 years of age, tingling in his arm. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
Huntley
August 8
Nicholas A. Costa, age 22, of 2660 Melbourne Ln., Lake in the Hills, was arrested for DUI and DUI blood alcohol content over .08 and was cited for improper lane use.   Mr. Costa posted bond and was released with a McHenry County court date of September 16, 2011.
A criminal damage to vehicle report was taken.  The vehicle’s brake line was cut.
A retail theft report was taken at a business in the 12300 block of Rt. 47.
Jeffrey E. Sebastian, age 18, of 10105 Clearwater Way, Huntley, was arrested for retail  theft.  Mr. Sebastian posted bond and was released with a Kane County court date of September 1, 2011.
August 10
A criminal damage to vehicle report was taken in the 11000 block of Church St.  A white  substance was poured on a vehicle causing damage to the paint.
A theft report was taken at a business in the 11300 block of Main St.  A makeup bag was stolen  from a desk drawer.
Viktor Milkovik, age 18, of 11717 Davey #A, Huntley, was arrested on an outstanding McHenry  County warrant for possession of cannabis and possession of drug paraphernalia.  Mr. Milkovik was transported to Kane County jail to await bond call.
August 11
A criminal damage to property report was taken at a business in the 11800 block of Oak Creek  Parkway.  A desk drawer was damaged.
A burglary to motor vehicle report was taken in the 11700 block of Covey Lane.  Items were stolen from the unlocked vehicle.
August 12
Dennis A. Bree, age 31, of 103 Beach Ct., Algonquin, was arrested for battery.  Mr. Bree posted bond and was released with a McHenry County court date of September 23, 2011.
August 13
A 17 year-old male from Huntley was arrested for burglary, 2 counts of criminal damage to state supported property and consumption of alcohol by a minor.
A fraud report was taken in the 10900 block of Greywall.  The victim states that fraudulent charges were made to her credit card.
August 15
A burglary to a construction site was reported.  Construction materials were stolen.
Wesley A. Santini, age 22, of 14275 Flagstaff, Huntley, was arrested on three outstanding McHenry County warrants and two Kane County warrants.  Mr. Santini was transported to McHenry County jail to await bond.
Oscar Garcia-Gabriel, age 22, of 9 Aspen Ln., Carpentersville, was arrested for driving while license suspended and speeding. Mr. Garcia-Gabriel posted bond and was released with a McHenry County court date of September 16, 2011.
Uziel A. Lara, age 24, of 10983 Greywall, Huntley, was arrested on an outstanding McHenry County warrant for failure to appear in court.  Mr. Lara posted bond and was released with a McHenry County court date of September 9, 2011.
August 16
A theft report was taken at a residence in the 10500 block of Capital lane.  An air conditioning unit was stolen from the residence.
A burglary report was taken at a business in the 11100 block of Church St.  Window, walls and light fixtures were damaged.
A theft report was taken in the 10500 block of Savannah Ct.  A green GT BMX style bicycle with white handlebars was reported stolen.
August 17
A criminal damage to property report was taken at a business in the 10100 block of Rt. 47. Rocks were thrown though two windows.
A criminal damage to property report was taken at a residence in the 11800 block of Davis Ln. A window, front door and door jamb were damaged.
August 18
A residential burglary report was taken in the 12900 block of Illinois Dr.  Cash and jewelry were reported stolen.
August 20
Noelia Y. Acevedo, age 24, of 10415 Church St. #3C, Huntley, was arrested for driving while  license suspended and was cited for no front plate and operation of an uninsured motor vehicle.  Ms. Acevedo posted bond and was released with a McHenry County court date of
September 23, 2011.
Mujtaba H. Aidroos, age 34, of 2246 S. First Ave, Riverside, was arrested for driving while license suspended, possession of a suspended license and registration suspended for a mandatory insurance violation, and was cited for operating an uninsured motor vehicle.  Mr. Aidroos posted bond and was released with a McHenry County court date of September 16, 2011.
Nicole L. Idrizi, age 27, of 763 Dogwood Ln., Lake in the Hills, was arrested for driving with an expired drivers license and was cited for no rear registration light.  Ms. Idrizi posted bond and was released with a McHenry County court date of September 16, 2011.
August 21
Heriberto Mendez-Barradas, age 22, of 11811 Woodcreek #E, Huntley, was arrested for driving with no valid drivers license and was cited for display of expired registration.  Mr. Mendez-Barradas posted bond and was released with a McHenry County court date of
September 16, 2011.
A criminal damage to vehicle report was taken in the 13700 block of Harmony Rd.  The vehicle’s rear quarter panel was scratched.
2011  Michael F. Alejandro, age 41, and Michael V. Alejandro, age 19, both of 11809 Mill street, Huntley, were each charged with domestic battery and domestic battery of an insulting and provoking nature.  Both subjects were transported to McHenry County jail to await bond call.

Windfarm Decision Postponed Three More Weeks

It may be another month before the District 300-led School Wind Consortium Agency decides whether it can actually build a proposed $50 million wind farm somewhere in Illinois.
Earlier this year the group which includes two smaller school districts had focused on a site in Stark County, then one in Edgar County but Tuesday its Board revealed half a dozen other locations might be in the running, too.

For two years the group's been trying to find a way to replace expensive ComEd electricity with "free" power from windmills.  The current plan depends on federal stimulus tax credits to work  but those run out at the end of the year.  With a practical deadline looming, now the Consortium wants to hook up with a company that already runs a windfarm or at least one that's a lot closer to it than than the Consortium is.

There are seven to choose from but things hit a snag Tuesday when two out of three interviewed didn't have their homework done yet, according to School Wind CFO Cheryl Crates.  "Each one is different," she said so the Consortium's having trouble getting the right numbers out of them to plug into a financial model to see if the project will fly.

Crates said the Consortium Board would probably reach a decision Sept. 13 and that would still be enough time to issue bonds for the windfarm before the federal money expires.

In the pic:  Some windmills near Paw Paw.

Arcade Iffy, Private Special Ed School OK At Algonquin Board

The Algonquin Village Board mulled giving a break Tuesday to a new games center and gave its preliminary OK to a private school for special education. It got ready to move some money around so property taxes don't go up, too.

The games center called No Limits Arcade would be in Winding Creek Plaza on Algonquin Road just west of Randall.  Aimed at  teens,  the arcade would feature 60 different video and pinball games.  The problem is that Algonquin licenses game machines at $120 a pop.  No Limits owners including Huntley's Mark Battaglia said that was too much.  The Board didn't think so, however, although President John Schmitt said they might limit license fees to the total number of machines on hand  instead of requiring a new one every time a new machine rotated in.

"We have the option of going to other municipalities," warned Battaglia.  "Then we won't have to worry about it," replied Schmitt.

The private school called School of Expressive Arts and Learning would locate in the industrial and business area west of Algonquin Commons on Corporate Parkway.  The third in a chain of the schools out of Lombard, SEAL would serve K through 12 students whose special needs don't fit in public schools.  President Karen Larson said she wasn't aware that District 300 commissioned a study in March on how to mainstream as many special ed kids as it could. "I'm aware that's the trend around the state," she said, though.

The money maneuvers are the sort of thing that make bookkeepers and lawyers smile.  Some of  Algonquin's construction bonds carry a legal claim against the Village's tax levy.  Instead of boosting the levy, though, the Village earmarks money from sales and income taxes to pay the bonds.  There's a legal ritual the Board has to go through each year to actually do that, though.

In the pic:  Hey, kids, a big new gaming arcade is planned for Winding Creek Plaza, Algonquin.  Maybe.

LITH Board Considers Airport, Airport District Problems

Most of Tuesday's Lake in the Hills Village Board meeting was consumed by a Woodstock airplane owner unhappy with the terms of his hangar leases at LITH Airport.  The rest was a somewhat complicated minuet to finally bring a wood and mulch yard near the airport into zoning compliance.

The Village had, in fact, taken the hangar dispute to McHenry County Circuit Court already but Village Administrator Jerry Sagona said the basic problem was "The Village isn't going to have 90 leases that say one thing and one lease that says something different."

The zoning dance goes back to the last time the Village's zoning got a revamp almost 10 years ago.  The area near the airport was, unsurprisingly, zoned as "Airport District".  Nearby Lumberjacks firewood and mulch company was grandfathered in as nonconforming but even Methuselah didn't last forever.  The time's about up and Lumberjacks is asking for "Wood Sales" to become a conditional use in the District.  Planners said they're fine with that if  the company makes a few adjustments to its landscaping and sign and puts in paved access and parking.

LITH Man Charged With Drug Homicide

Crystal Lake Police charged a Kane County Jail inmate from Lake in the Hills with Drug Induced Homicide Tuesday. A Criminal Complaint said 23 year-old Philip D. Neumann of 106 Deer Path, "facilitated" the sale of heroin to a Crystal Lake man who OD'ed on it in January.  When he was charged Neumann was already in jail in a different drug case for alleged delivery of a controlled substance. In that instance the drug was cocaine.

Neumann's bond on the homicide charge was set at $500,000.

Quinn Wants Gaming Bill On His Desk

By Jamey Dunn, Illinois Issues
Gov. Pat Quinn is impatient with efforts to work out a compromise over the massive gaming expansion passed in the closing days of the spring legislative session. Tuesday, he called on lawmakers to send him the bill.

Senate President John Cullerton said last week that lawmakers are working on a follow-up bill that would tighten regulation on a bill to create five new casinos. Quinn doesn't like it, though. “There are bad guys out there criminal elements — organized crime — that want to infiltrate,” he told reporters in Chicago Tuesday.

Quinn said lawmakers should release the bill and let him take action. “I think they ought to send the bill to the governor the way it should be done all the time." However, the governor would not make a definitive statement on his plans for the legislation. “It’s a little hard to sign a bill when it’s not there.”

Quinn said that lawmakers’ reluctance to follow the standard legislative procedure and send him the bill for executive action might be an indication of its flaws. “Shouldn’t that alert everyone that maybe there are some defects in that bill that need to be looked at?”

John Patterson, a spokesperson for Cullerton, said legislative leaders are still open to suggestions from Quinn. “The Senate president has met with the governor to explain the legislation and listen to his concerns. He’s all ears,” he said.

You can read Jamey's full report at:  http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/quinn-wants-gaming-bill-on-his-desk.html

Obituaries

Patricia Ann Kadolph, 80, died peacefully Monday at Heritage Manor, Elgin. Visitation will be Friday from  4 to 9 pm at DeFiore Jorgensen Funeral Home, Huntley. A Mass of Christian Burial will be 10:30 am Saturday at St. Mary Catholic Church, Huntley.  Burial will be in Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery, Elwood, Illinois.

Kadolph was born April 11, 1931,in Chicago,the daughter of Thomas and Cecilia (Klinker) Byrd. On March 17, 1951, she married David Herman Kadolph. She is survived by her husband of Huntley; children David C. (Bridget) Kadolph, Helen Payne, Charles (Lisa) Kadolph, Joseph (Lynn) Kadolph, Gerald (Stacy) Kadolph, Patricia S. Kadolph, Daniel (Nora) Kadolph, Paul Kadolph, Benjamin (Dalia) Kadolph, Katharine Kadolph, Andrew (Stefanie) Kadolph and Stephen (Kathleen) Kadolph; grandchildren David R.(Brianne), Kristine (Arvin) Benavides, Ryan and Adam Kadolph, William and Nathaniel Hicks, Elysee Payne, Michael and Daniel Kadolph, Zachery Kadolph, Alexander and Jacob Kadolph, Natalia and Lucas Kadolph, Samantha Kadolph and John and Alice Kadolph; great-grandchildren, Anabella and Haileyann Kadolph, Madeline Benavides, and Nathaniel Hicks, Jr.; sisters, Evelyn Spring and Lois Treasure, and brother, John Byrd. She was preceded in death by her parents; one son, Bernard Joseph Kadolph; one daughter, Mary Patricia Kadolph; two brothers, Robert and Thomas Byrd, and her sister, Juanita Hunt.

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
August 23
0804 HRS 1400 BLOCK OF ALGONQUIN RD. INFORMATION FOR POLICE. Concerns of possible sexual abuse.
0923 HRS 2600 BLOCK OF VILLAGE HALL DR. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
2313 HRS 10 BLOCK OF RONAN CT. DOMESTIC. Boyfriend vs. Girlfriend. Verbal only. No priors.

Shorter Classes, Longer Day Proposed For D300 Highs Next Year

Classes will start 20 minutes earlier at District 300 high schools next year under a revamped schedule unveiled at a Board of Education meeting Monday. The plan would replace the current "block schedule" of 4 85-minute classes over 4 terms with one that involves 8 45-minute classes for two semesters.

Right now classes start at 7:40 am and run to 2:55 pm.  Under the new regime, they'd go from 7:20 am to 2:56 pm. Assistant Superintendent Ben Churchill said the change would amount to about the same number of minutes in class each day but, "because there are more transition periods the school day gets lengthened a bit."

The point of the schedule changes is to align the high school curriculum with new semi-federally required State testing due to start in 2014.  "There are important benefits to year-long classes," Churchill said.  Administrators report that under the current plan students can take classes so far ahead of State tests to see what they've learned they often forget what it was.

The new plan isn't graven in stone yet, though.  There's an input meeting with the Superintendent's Student Advisory Council set next Wednesday and one with the newly-formed Collaboration Council of teacher's union members and administrators due Sept. 8.  A public forum on the schedule changes is scheduled at Jacobs High School Sept. 19.

A Powerpoint presentation on the proposed new schedule is here: http://www.d300.org/files/8%20Period%20Day%20FINAL%20%5BRead-Only%5D.pdf

In the graphic:  The current "block" schedule versus the new more traditional one.

D300 Test Scores Improved In 2010-11

District 300 students made big improvements on the State-mandated ACT college entrance exam last year according to the latest report announced at the D300 Board of Education meeting Monday.

About 1,200 D300 seniors who took the exam at at the end of the 2010-11 school year scored 20.8 composite points, up 0.4 points from the 2010 results.  Spokeswoman Allison Strupek said the increase was double most other districts' in the state this year.

The latest improvement came in the face of mounting local economic hardship which usually lowers test scores. Dundee-Crown Principal Lynn McCarthy said more than half her students are classified as low-income now, more than 13 percent in that bracket even at Jacobs.  Likewise up was a measure of family relocation.  Both of those usually make for lower collective ACT scores but Superintendent Michael Bregy said that didn't happen at D300 last year because of programs to offset them.

Looking at the graphs, the latest ACT numbers make D300 high schools look average at best compared to others across the U.S. but Jacobs new Principal Ami Engel said there's an apples and oranges comparison hidden inside them.  The ACT is supposed to be a measure of college preparedness but in Illinois even the kids who plan to go to work have to take the test.  "We test every one of our students," said Engel.  "Nationally it's only the students who elect to go to college who take it."

A report on D300's latest ACT scores is here: http://www.d300.org/files/Overview%20of%202011%20ACT%20Scores%20FINAL%20%5BRead-Only%5D.pdf

Bond Set At $2 Million For Algonquin Firebombing Suspect

Judge Gordon Graham set bail at $2 million Monday and appointed a Public Defender for Fabian J. Torres accused of trying to firebomb the Algonquin Caputo's Fruit Market Sunday.  Authorities provided little information about the incident Monday but fragments have come to light.

Torres, 24, is charged with Arson, aggravated by knowing people were present.  Police say he ran into Caputo's Sunday and hurled a homemade Molotov cocktail at the store's crowded deli counter.

Algonquin Deputy Chief Steve Kuzynowki said he wouldn't talk about motive in a pending criminal case but confirmed that Torres had once been employed by Caputo's.  A published report on AOL's local Patch website quoted an eyewitness saying Torres claimed to be a Native American upset that "people ruined his land."  Police said Torres ID showed he had an address in Sleepy Hollow but Crystal Lakes' Northwest Herald reported he filled out an official form Sunday listing himself as "homeless".

Torres is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in McHenry County Circuit Court Friday.

LITH Resale Store Moves To Algonquin

One of Lake in the Hills' newest businesses is now one of Algonquin's newest businesses with the recent relocation of the Love It Again children's resale shop from Algonquin  and Crystal Lake Roads to Algonquin and Square Barn.

"The big news is we have three times the size we were in at the old shop," said consignment store owner Monique Mahon.  "It's light and bright and we can talk to people," she said.  Love It Again opened earlier this year in temporary quarters originally planned as a professional office.

"It give us room for more clothes," said Mahon.  "Now we can stock up to size 16."

In the pic:  LITH mom Jennifer Fleck and two-year old son Lincoln try on some shoes Monique Mahon had for sale at her Love It Again store.  At least Jennifer was trying them on.  Lincoln was more interested in the guitar.

Quinn Unrepentant After Superintendents Sue

By Jamey Dunn, Illinois Issues
Even though regional education administrators are suing the state for their paychecks, Gov. Pat Quinn said Monday the issue can be resolved outside of court.

Quinn used his veto pen to cut the more than $11 million that was set aside for the salaries for regional superintendents and their assistants in the budget lawmakers approved. The suit alleges that the state is bound by law to pay the superintendents’ salaries. The complaint says that by cutting off their pay, the governor is acting in “excess” of his power.

Quinn told reporters Monday he's standing by a plan he mooted last month to pay the superintendents through the local Personal Property Replacement Tax. Quinn said he hopes to pass that during the veto session scheduled in October. Such a plan would meet opposition from many local governments, though, since most have already budgeted the money for other things.

"We feel (Regional Offices of Education), which are locally elected, should be funded in the same manner to relieve pressure from the general revenue fund,” Quinn budget spokeswoman Kelly Kraft said in a written statement.

You can read Jamey's full report at:  http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/quinn-sticks-to-his-guns-after.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
August 22
2012 HRS 700 BLOCK OF ELDERBERRY CT. ILLEGAL CONSUMPTION OF ALCOHOL. SCHNECK, JUSTIN J., M/W 20 YEARS OF AGE, 775 ELDERBERRY CT., LAKE IN THE HILLS. CHARGE: Illegal Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor. NOTICE TO APPEAR WAS ISSUED.
0753 HRS 900 BLOCK OF MESA DR. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
0958 HRS 2200 ALGONQUIN RD. (THE CAR WASH) INFORMATION FOR POLICE. Report for insurance. Vehicle damaged by the car wash.
1534 HRS 300 BLOCK OF TECUMSEH TRAIL. CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. Vehicle was damaged. TURNED OVER TO INVESTIGATIONS.
1628 HRS 300 BLOCK OF STARWOOD PASS. THEFT. Items were removed from the residence. TURNED OVER TO INVESTIGATIONS.
1654 HRS 1181 HEAVENS GATE (ECHO PARK) ASSIST AMBULANCE. Male, 10 years of age with a laceration to his leg. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1801 HRS 300 BLOCK OF STARWOOD PASS. MISSING JUVENILE. Female, 15 years of age left the residence 7 days ago. Entered into LEADS. Subject was located in Wisconsin.
1904 HRS 900 BLOCK OF CREEK VIEW LN. FRAUD. Debit card was used in Northlake. TURNED OVER TO NORTHLAKE.

Bond Hearing Today For Caputo's Firebombing Suspect

Joe Caputo and Sons Fruit Market in Algonquin reopened this morning after a largely unsuccessful firebombing closed the store shortly after Noon Sunday.  Police say they're still trying to find out what caused 24 year-old Fabian J. Torres, Sleepy Hollow, to hurl a homemade Molotov cocktail at the store's crowded deli counter.

Police and firefighters responded after witnesses said Torres rushed into the store, threw a burning bottle of flammable liquid, then turned and fled.  Police said Torres' escape was cut short when he was tackled by a customer and an off-duty Carpentersville cop.

Damage to the store wasn't extensive and authorities said only one person was injured.  He was treated for burns on the scene and released, police reported.

Torres was charged with aggravated arson Sunday scheduled for a bond hearing this morning.

In the pic: Employees returned to work this morning after a firebombing closed Caputo's Fruit Market in Algonquin Sunday afternoon.

Park Cutbacks Add Uncertainty To Fundraising Ride

Sunday's Third Annual Nicholas G. Melone fundraiser/memorial ride was supposed to be leisurely jaunt from LITH down to the Illinois River in Ogle County.  It got off to a late start with an uncertain goal, though, probably thanks to funding cutbacks at the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The plan, as in previous years, was to ride down to Lowden State Park but an early Sunday morning report said Lowden was full up.  Organizer Michelle Weyers said, "I went down there last week to reserve a pavilion but there wasn't anyone at the office."

That's not surprising since legislators have whacked the IDNR budget 48 percent since 2002.  This year's budget axed roughly 400 seasonal jobs.

One possibility was just to have a cookout at Weyers' mother's house but that didn't seem adventurous enough for the ride to support American Cancer Society for colorectal cancer research and education. After debate,  everyone agreed to go down to Ogle County, anyway, maybe Castle Rock Park or Lowden even without the pavilion.  "They've got a lot of trees, that's enough," said one rider.

In the pic:  On top of park problems one Melone Memorial Rider at LITH Sunday had clutch trouble, too.

No Back To School Tax Holiday This Year

District 300 kids returned to class last week and District 158 kids will go back Wednesday but something's missing this back-to-school season. Last year, Governor Pat Quinn OK'ed the state’s first ever sales tax holiday to give parents a break but not this year. The problem according to State Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Chicago), the holiday's chief sponsor: the State "just cannot afford it this year."

Not that last year's holiday was a roaring success. It forbore collecting the state’s 5-percent portion of sales tax on most school supplies and clothing under $100 between Aug. 6 and 15. The Illinois Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability figured it would cost anywhere from $20.6 million to $67.1 million in revenue.  However Department of Revenue spokesman Sue Hofer reported last week that in fact the program only saved shoppers $16 million on about $323 million in sales.

Analysis by the Tax Foundation and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy says sales tax holidays mostly benefit wealthy families. Low and middle income families don’t have the  spare money and time to take advantage of them, the groups say.

Regional School Superintendents Sue For Salaries

The Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools will be in court in Springfield Tuesday suing to be their salaries. The group representing regional offices of education filed suit against the State Friday in Sangamon County complaining they haven't been paid since June.

"We have exhausted all options in working with the governor's office to this date, and we have no other recourse," said group President Bob Daiber. "We have asked legislators for help in resolving this matter immediately. They cannot resolve the issue until they're back for the Fall veto session."

The problem is that Governor Pat Quinn used his amendatory veto to zero out salaries for 44 Regional School Superintendents and their Assistant Superintendents but not the positions themselves.  Most have stayed on the job but say they're having a hard time without any salary.  One said he's already cashed in an IRA and another reported his family's had to apply for food stamps.

In McHenry County there isn't even a Superintendent right now to pay.  Joe Williams who won election to the office last year passed on actually taking it in the face of questions about whether he'd get paid.

Quinn’s budget spokeswoman Kelly Kraft said Friday the governor’s office is working on a plan to pay the superintendents soon, but she wouldn't say what it was.

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
August 21
0402 HRS ALGONQUIN RD. & LAKEWOOD RD. DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL. RENDER, AMANDA P., F/W 22 YEARS OF AGE, 832 BOXWOOD RD., CRYSTAL LAKE. CHARGES: Driving under the Influence of Alcohol, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Cannabis, Improper Lane Use. RELEASED ON BOND.
0403 HRS 200 N. RANDALL RD. (MORETTI’S) DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL/ACCIDENT. BAEHNE, WILLIAM C., M/W 21 YEARS OF AGE, 1401 DRAPER RD., MCHENRY. CHARGES: Driving under the Influence of Alcohol. RELEASED ON BOND.
0810 HRS 5200 MILLER RD. (SUNSET SKATE PARK) WANTED ON WARRANT. ABRUZZO, ERNEST R., M/W 54 YEARS OF AGE, 10347 SCOTT, HUNTLEY. CHARGES: Wanted on Warrant, LaSalle County for Contempt Of Court. Bond: $500 Full Cash. RELEASED ON BOND.
0227 HRS 220 N. RANDALL RD. (MORETTI’S) BATTERY. Male vs. Male. FAIL TO FILE.
0311 HRS 220 N. RANDALL RD. (MORETTI’S) BATTERY. Male vs. Male. FAIL TO FILE.
1052 HRS 20 BLOCK OF WANDER WAY. DOMESTIC BATTERY. Husband vs. wife. No priors. FAIL TO FILE.
1106 HRS 4800 BLOCK OF BORDEAUX DR. LOST ARTICLE. Missing cell phone from unlocked vehicle.
1310 HRS 0 BLOCK OF ROYAL OAK CT. MISSING JUVENILE. Male, 15 years of age, left the residence at 2300 hours on 08/20/11. Juvenile located and returned home.
1343 HRS RANDALL RD. & ALGONQUIN RD. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
1456 HRS 5700 BLOCK OF FOXFIELD LN. DOMESTIC Step-Father vs. Step-Son. Verbal only. No priors.
1749 HRS 1000 BLOCK OF CREEK VIEW LN. INJURY ACCIDENT/ One vehicle. Male, 47 years of age, with leg, nose, mouth injuries.Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1810 HRS 2100 BLOCK OF PEMBRIDGE DR. DOMESTIC BATTERY. Husband vs. Wife. One prior. FAIL TO FILE.
1830 HRS 400 BLOCK OF CRYSTAL LAKE RD. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Male, 16 years of age, having an asthma attack. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1828 HRS 4600 BLOCK OF MACKINAC ST. CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. Vehicle was keyed. TURNED OVER TO INVESTIGATIONS
2211 HRS 1100 BLOCK OF PRIDES RUN. MISSING ADULT. Male, 20 years of age, missing. Entered into the Law Enforcement Agency Data System. TURNED OVER TO INVESTIGATIONS.
2212 HRS 1100 BLOCK OF HEARTLAND GATE. DOMESTIC BATTERY. Husband vs. Wife. No priors. FAIL TO FILE.
Algonquin
August 19
00:57am Hardin, Robert E., DOB: 04/30/53, of 202 ½ E. Algonquin Rd, was charged with Domestic Battery and Damage to Property. He was taken into custody at the same location. He was transported to McHenry County jail for AM bond court.
05:32am Kapatos, Alexis N., DOB: 11/20/92, of 1301 Maple Circle, West Dundee, was charged with DUI, Possession of Liquor by a Minor, Theft and Escape. She was taken into custody at Bristol Drive and Westbury Dr.  She was transported to McHenry County jail for AM bond court.
August 20
22:47pm Ladick, Joseph M., DOB: 09/28/92, of 8 White Chapel Ct., Algonquin, was charged with Burglary, Consumption, and Theft. He was taken into custody at 3 Lancaster Ct. He was transported to McHenry County jail for AM bond court.
August 21
13:11pm Torres, Fabian J., DOB: 04/08/87. of 922 Saratoga Parkway, Sleepy Hollow, was charged with Aggravated Arson. He was taken into custody at 100 S. Randall Rd. He was transported to McHenry County jail for AM bond court.
22:25pm Rootes, Evan B., DOB: 09/06/92, of 1820 Broadsmore Dr., was charged with Possession of a Hypodermic Needle and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. He was taken into custody at the same location. He was released after posting $150 with a court date of 09/15/11 in Kane County.
23:15pm Hernandez, Jose V., DOB: 05/21/44 of 2247 Parkway, Waukegan, was charged with DUI, No Driver’s License, Improper Lane Use and Improper Turn at Intersection. He was taken into custody at Route 31 and Front St. He was released after posting $300 with a court date of 09/28/11 in McHenry County.

Huntley Artfest Weathers Heavy Storm

A line of sometimes violent storms canceled several Saturday events in the area.  One that recovered, though, was Huntley's first-ever Artfest.

"It took eight of us to hold the (tent) down," said Artfest chairman Tom Heling, but hold it they did, then kept erecting more until the First Congregational Church's "Field of Dreams" was full of 55 art and craft exhibitors not to mention several food vendors.

As the sun finally broke through the clouds Heling, busy inflating balloons, smiled and said, "I think tomorrow's going to be an awesome day." Huntley's Artfest runs from 10 am to 4 pm today.

In the pic:  Cory Richter and 4 year-old daughter Abi of Crystal Lake watched Aurora fuzed glass artist Barry Stevens work at Huntley's Artfest Saturday.

Algonquin Lions Beanbag Tourney Raises Funds For Local Groups

Another local event that recovered from Saturday's storms was the Algonquin Lions Second Annual Beanbag Tournament.  Twenty seven of thirty one teams scheduled looked at the clouds and said, "this is going to get better."

Lions said with the 15 percent of food sales donated by host venue Buffalo Wildwings, they expected to raise about $3,500 from the beanbag tourney to support the group's scholarship program, the Algonquin Lake in the Hills Interfaith Food Pantry and other community organizations.

In the pic:  Close doesn't count in beanbags.  They've got to go into the little hole in the goal so a lot of Lions beanbags were flying Saturday at Algonquin's Buffalo Wildwings Restaurant.

Paint, Electronics Recycling Set For Sat At Algonquin Township

Saturday will be the last one in the month so Algonquin Township Road District's Recycling Center will have extra staff on hand to take in old paint, duff electronics, waste oil and (how timely) tree branches.  The extra recycling effort happens every final Saturday each month through October from 8 am to Noon at the Township complex on Route 14.

Monitors aren't on Saturday's list of electronic recyclables at Algonquin Township, by the way, but they are acceptable during the Road District's normal electronics dropoff program weekdays from 9 am to 3 pm.  If that sounds confusing, it's because two different recyclers are involved.

There are rules and exceptions for most of the recyclables.  They're listed here:
http://algtwsp.com/Algonquin_Township_Highway_Department_Recycling_Center.php

Obituaries

John H. Woodside of Huntley, formerly of Avalon, died Thursday. Entombment in Allegheny Memorial Cemetery will be private.

He is survived by his wife, the former Eleanor M. Lucas; children,  J. Russell Woodside (Joanne) of Huntley, Janelle R.  Sartell (Jonathan) of Sugar Land,TX, and grandchildren, Amy (Brad) Wackerlin, Joshua (Corrie) Woodside, Jordan (Laura) and John H. (Carol) of Texas.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Katherine Yeskey and Margaret Ley, and brothers, Robert K. Woodside and Richard E. Woodside.


Robert Paul McKernan, 76, of Chicago died August 13, at Pepper Family Hospice House in Barrington. A memorial service will be held at 11 am Tuesday at St. Joseph Cemetery Chapel, River Grove.

McKernan was born September 28, 1934, in Chicago, the son of Edward and Gertrude (Wagner) McKernan.  He shared his life with his companion, the late Marcus C. Heidemann, and with his special friend, Teri Wilson. He is survived by his brother Tom (Janice) and was preceded in death by his brother Edward.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Hospice of Northeastern Illinois/Pepper Family Hospice House, Barrington, 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
August 20
0150 HRS PYOTT RD. & RAKOW RD. DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL/DRUGS. PIORKOWSKI, TIMOTHY P., M/W 28 YEARS OF AGE, 316 TECUMSEH TRAIL APT 409, LAKE IN THE HILLS. CHARGES: Driving under the Influence of Alcohol/Drugs, Exceeded Speed Limit in a Construction Zone. RELEASED ON BOND.
0816 HRS RANDALL RD. & MILLER RD. WANTED ON WARRANT. GONZALEZ, BERNABE, M/W 36 YEARS OF AGE, 131 VILLAGE CREEK, LAKE IN THE HILLS. CHARGES: Wanted on two Warrants, McHenry County, Failure to Appear, Driving while License Suspended. Bond: $15,000 at 10%. Driving While License Suspended, No Valid Driver’s License, Speeding. TRANSPORTED TO MCHENRY COUNTY JAIL.
1234 HRS RANDALL RD. & ALGONQUIN RD. ACCIDENT Two Vehicles. Property damage only.
2301 HRS 3000 BLOCK OF RONAN DR. DOMESTIC Mother vs. Daughter. Verbal only. No priors.