Historic Ford School Returns To Original LITH Site

It only took about 15 minutes Friday to haul the 135 year-old Ford School 1,000 feet down Algonquin Road from Algonquin's old Stonegate Nursery.  The last 50 feet north and 15 feet up to its original site in Lake in the Hills' Ford School Park was a bear, though, and took almost another hour.

"It just kind of got me in the stomach when I seen that thing roll down the road," said 94 year-old Albert Ebel who began his education at the one-room school in 1923 when he was only 5 years old.  "My folks sent me to school early so my older sister could pull me through the snowbanks," said Ebel.

Over the past year the Lake in the Hills Historical Society begged and cajoled an estimated $25,000 in money, material and manpower to save the Ford School from a wrecker's ball and move it back where it was before it was abandoned and relocated in 1946.  Society head Bob Spooner said once the school's jacked down onto a new foundation, volunteers will restore the it to the way it looked in 1922. "We have pictures of that," said Spooner.  "We've got everything but the maple flooring," he said.  "It had maple flooring.  You know anyone with some old maple flooring?" 

In the pic:  Hauling the old Ford School down Algonquin Road was actually the easy part Friday.  Crews had to use a winch to pull it up from the road to its new/old location in LITH's Ford School Park.

Many Stroll Woods Creek In Algonquin Conservation Community Day

Algonquin's annual Conservation Community Day Friday focused on the Chicago Wilderness alliance's "Leave No Child Inside" initiative.

The group thinks childhood has changed with kids building Internet sites instead of forts in the woods and talking on cell phones instead of tin cans and string.  That was why 20 area nature and conservation groups lined the Woods Creek bike/pedestrian path to entice youngsters to get off their digital duffs in favor of the sort of unstructured time in nature that they think fosters creativity, emotional well-being, independent learning and problem solving.

In the pic:  Friday was the first Algonquin Conservation Community day for two year-old (next week) Trevor Jimenez's and Mom Carrie.  Trevor really liked LITH Fenwalk guide Barb Wilson's real coyote skull with fangs and everything. 

GOP Candidate Visits ALITH Chamber

GOP State Rep. candidate Dave McSweeney started to rev up his campaign this week to win the 52nd District House seat.  Thursday the Barrington Hills businessman visited the Algonquin Lake in the Hills Chamber of Commerce to make contact with folks from the east parts of Algonquin and Lake in the Hills which be added to the district in the November election.

McSweeney has no Democratic opponent but may face a challenge from the widow of former 52nd District Rep. Mark Beaubien.  Dee Beaubien has a little over a week left to gather enough signatures to run against McSweeney as an independent.  She's got a campaign committee but no one's been able to locate a website for the run.

In the pic:  Dave McSweeney (left), candidate for 52nd District State Rep.,  made nice to local Chamber of Commerce members this week.

Some Medicaid Patients To Feel Pinch Of Cuts Soon

By Jamey Dunn, Illinois Issues
Some Illinois residents on Medicaid will lose coverage or see their benefits rolled back after Gov. Pat Quinn signed a package of Medicaid reform legislation this week. Hundreds of thousands of letters have already been sent out by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services to notify Medicaid patents that they will no longer be covered for certain care, or in some cases, will no longer be offered Medicaid benefits at all. Most of the cuts will take effect at the start of the new fiscal year on July 1.

The changes include a reduction in the amount of household income that adults can make and be eligible for the FamilyCare program. Only those who make less than 133 percent of the federal poverty level, which is $30,660 for a family of four, will keep their coverage. The law also eliminates the Illinois Cares Rx program, which helps low-income seniors pay for their medication.

Under the reforms Medicaid will no longer cover dental care for adults except in emergency situations. Group therapy for nursing home residents will also be eliminated. The department will limit access to certain services. Medicaid patients will only be allowed four prescriptions a month and eye glasses every two years. Prior approval from the department will be needed to replace or repair medical equipment, such as wheelchairs. DHFS plans to hire an outside company to review the state’s Medicaid rolls and purge any recipients who are not eligible.

Supporters of the changes said they are needed to save the Medicaid program. Lawmakers voted last year to push billions in Medicaid bills from the current fiscal year into Fiscal Year 2013. A projection from the Civic Federation predicted that if no action were taken, the backlog of unpaid Medicaid bills would have reached $12 billion by 2017. “One of our most important missions in Springfield this year was to save Medicaid from the brink of collapse,” Gov. Pat Quinn said in a written statement.

But advocates said cuts to services and tightening eligibility should have been a last resort. Jim Duffett, executive director of the Campaign for Better Health Care, said lawmakers should not have isolated Medicaid from the rest of the budget when making spending decisions. Quinn called on lawmakers to make a $2.7 billion reduction to the Medicaid liability. Duffett said Medicaid cuts should have instead been weighed against other spending, such as tax breaks for businesses. “We as a state have to decide what are our priorities.”

Hospitals and nursing homes will see the rates they are paid for treating Medicaid patients reduced. Hospitals will see a rate cut of 3.5 percent. Nursing homes and other providers will see an average rate cut of 2.7 percent. Doctors, dentists, clinics, safety-net hospitals and critical access rural hospitals are exempt from rate cuts. The cuts and efficiencies to the Medicaid program combined with the reductions to provider rates will save the state an estimated $1.6 billion.

The plan also relies on a $1-a-pack cigarette tax increase that goes into effect on June 24.

You can read Jamey's full report at:  http://illinoisissuesblog.blogspot.com/2012/06/some-medicaid-patients-will-soon-feel.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
June 15
0318 HRS 00 BLOCK OF W. ACORN LN. DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL. LINTON, MICHAEL A., M/W 35 YEARS OF AGE, 1 W. ACORN LANE, LAKE IN THE HILLS. CHARGES: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Failure to Signal, Disobeying a Traffic Control Device. RELEASED ON BOND.
0025 HRS 400 BLOCK OF E. OAK ST. FOLLOW UP ARREST: CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. GERMAIN, RENEE A., F/W 19 YEARS OF AGE, 404 E. OAK ST., LAKE IN THE HILLS. CHARGES: Criminal Damage to Property. RELEASED ON BOND.
1702 HRS LAKEWOOD RD. & MILLER RD. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
1932 HRS 3500 BLOCK OF SONOMA CIRCLE. DOMESTIC BATTERY. Husband vs. Wife. Two priors. FAIL TO FILE
2018 HRS 277 N. RANDALL RD. (YUMZ FROZEN YOGURT) ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
2124 HRS 10 BLOCK OF LINCOLN ST. DOMESTIC. Mother vs. Daughter. Verbal only. Four priors.

Huntley Formally OK's Video Gaming, Buys Downtown Building

The Huntley Board Thursday voted formal approval to allow video gaming in Huntley, despite a last-ditch effort by Trustee Harry Leopold postpone it.  "Video gaming is really gambling," said Leopold who charged gambling was a bad thing.

Leopold said he'd informally polled 22 golfers and 88 bridge players on finding overwhelming opposition to the plan.  However, none of the other trustees supported tabling the question and Leopold's was the only "no" vote when it came time for final approval.

In a surprise move, the Board voted to buy the old Huntley Farmside offices at 11801 Main St. for $115,000.  Village Manager Dave Johnson said the price was a bargain since it was listed at $350,000.  He said after the property ended up in the hands of a bank the Board talked in closed session about buying the property for Downtown development.

The building's currently occupied by a gold-buying store and a cleaning service. It's located in the middle of a municipal parking area, however, and broad brush Downtown improvement plans call for more parking Downtown.  "Parking would be one (possible) developmental use," said Johnson.

In the pic:  11801 Main in Downtown Huntley.

Work Begins/Began On Huntley Full Interchange

As Mayor Chuck Sass put it Thursday, construction of the Huntley's full interchange between Route 47 and I-90 "has sort of started".  The day was supposed to be the official start of work but crews started removing trees and brush from the right of way Saturday and by the end of Thursday had almost finished stripping the site to make way for earthmoving.

Huntley Trustee Harry Leopold said the Sun City Board tried to save and replant the trees from Van Acker Road but couldn't manage to do it before they fell to the chainsaws.  Contractors crews trucked the logs off to Lumber Jacks in Woodstock Thursday but said they weren't sure they'd be used for anything since they were mostly cottonwoods.

So far, the start of work hasn't had much effect on traffic.  That will probably change soon, though, since a pile of new gas main was delivered to the site this week.

Slowdowns On Algonquin Road Set To Start Monday

The Village of Lake in the Hills officials warned Thursday of lane closures starting Monday on Algonquin Road between Randall and Harvest Gate.  The closures between 9 am and 3 pm might run all week as the Village installs plants, shrubs, and trees in the median.

The project is a joint effort between the villages of Lake in the Hills and Algonquin with support from the McHenry County Division of Transportation to improve the appearance of the median island on Algonquin Road, currently only boring turf.

Grafton Twp. Passes Budget, Argues Over Credit Card

About two dozen residents attended Thursday's Grafton Township Board meeting.  It might have been a record turnout in the past three years which have seen constant conflict between Supervisor Linda Moore and the rest of the Grafton Board.

The extra spectators appeared in the wake last week of Internet postings of Moore charges to the Township credit card that some thought were profligate.  In a press release (not sent to FEN) Moore justified most of them as ordinary business expenses.  However, Thursday during the public comments period Pam Fender, former Township Administrator whom Moore fired, read off a list of the Supervisors charges at restaurants and a couple of sight-seeing tours in Washington DC she hadn't explained.  Moore said the meals were while she was on Township business and later told FEN the tours were an official part of a national convention for township officials.

Moore and the Board had wrangled earlier in the session over the credit card which they directed her to cancel two months ago but which she has continued to use to the tune of about $2,400 last month.  "The credit card has been in place since 2005," said Moore who noted the Township Board had authorized getting it in the first place.  Constantly interrupting each other, trustees replied that was true but now they were unauthorizing it.

Thursday's meeting started with a perfunctory public hearing to approve a $1.6 million Township budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year.  Among other minutiae, it scaled back Grafton Township Senior Bingo from twice a month to once.  Moore supporter Loretta Wuich in her public comments later begged, "Please don't cut our Senior Bingo."  Board budgeteer Betty Zirk had originally chopped the item in half to help pay the Township's monumental legal bills but Thursday she said another reason was because Moore was spending so much time on Bingo that she wasn't getting meeting packets ready for trustees in time.  Trustee Rob LaPorta accused Moore of failing to prioritize her time.  "Senior Bingo doesn't interfere with the Supervisor's duties," said Moore.

Moore charged trustees were actually "micromanaging" her in violation of Circuit Judge Michael Caldwell's order that she was responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Township.  That set off another rant by trustee Jerry McMahon. He called for Caldwell's removal from the bench bringing a visible cringe from the rest of the trustees before they could finally make him be quiet again.

Flagging after two hours of battle, trustees only raised comparatively mild objections to Moore's surprise request they renew the Township's health insurance plan before it runs out.

"This letter is dated May 14 and we're just getting it now?" complained trustee Rob LaPorta.

"It was given to the Assessor and the Road Commissioner," replied Moore.

"But it wasn't given to the Board," cried Trustee Barb Murphy.

In the pic:  Former Township Administrator Pam Fender read a list Thursday of what she said were dubious credit card charges made by Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore.

Huntley American Legion Hosts Flag Burning

Depending on intent, the act of burning the U.S. flag is either a crime (USC Title 18, Chapter 33, Section 700) or a final measure of respect (USC Title 3, Chapter 1, Section 8k).  Respect was what Huntley Post 673 American Legionnaires and a lot of area Scouts had in mind Thursday with an evening Flag Day ceremony to dispose of worn out national emblems in the prescribed manner.  The flags whose colors, famously, "Don't Run" generated an awful lot of heat during the annual event.  However, one way or another, the Stars and Stripes have been doing that for 235 years now. 

Governor Signs Off On Medicaid Cuts, Cigarette Hike

By Jayette Bolinski, Illinois Statehouse News
Gov. Pat Quinn Thursday signed off on a cigarette tax hike and a series of changes to the state’s ailing Medicaid system to help Illinois save billions of dollars. The reforms, which will boot thousands of low-income Illinoisans from the Medicaid rolls, include $1.6 billion in cuts, raising the state’s cigarette tax by $1 a pack to $1.98.  They also include stricter monitoring of Medicaid claims for fraud and reducing payment rates to health-care providers.

The changes were designed to plug a $2.7 billion gap in the state’s Medicaid obligations, and they go into effect July 1. Earlier this week the state began notifying thousands of Illinois families and individuals by mail that they may no longer qualify for health-care services.
Among the cuts is the elimination of Illinois Cares Rx, a state-only prescription subsidy program mainly for senior citizens. Dental services will be restricted, and some prescriptions will be limited to four per month.

Thousands of families will be cut from the rolls, too, as parents who earn more than 133 percent of the federal poverty guidelines, which equates to about $20,000 a year for a two-person household, will no longer receive Family Care health coverage.

In addition, the reforms end the practice of rolling Medicaid costs from year to year, and they allow the Cook County Medicaid system to limit Medicaid coverage to its residents.

Rates to some provider groups will be cut by 2.7 percent, except for doctors, dentists, clinics, safety-net hospitals and critical-access rural hospitals. Non-exempt hospital’s rates will be cut by 3.5 percent. Nursing home cuts average 2.7 percent.

You can read Jayette's full report at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/8814/il-quinn-signs-off-on-medicaid-cuts-cigarette-tax-hike/

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
June 14
1638 HRS VIRGINIA RD. & PINGREE RD. NO VALID DRIVER’S LICENSE. CASAS, CLAUDIA, F/W 25 YEARS OF AGE, 122 WOODSTOCK ST., CRYSTAL LAKE. CHARGES: No Valid Driver’s License and Disobeying a Traffic Control Device. RELEASE ON BOND.
0039 HRS 400 BLOCK OF E. OAK ST. CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. Property dropped off in complainant’s driveway. PENDING INVESTIGATION BY REPORTING OFFICER.
0143 HRS 1000 BLOCK OF CHERRY ST. DOMESTIC. Male vs. Female. Verbal only. No priors.
1242 HRS CRYSTAL LAKE RD. & HILLTOP DR. FOUND ARTICLE. Pedestrian found a set of key. Returned to owner.
1830 HRS 5200 MILLER RD. (SUNSET PARK) ASSIST AMBULANCE. Male, 13 years of age, possibly broke his ankle. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
2222 HRS 200 S. ANNANDALE (LEROY GUY PARK) FOUND ARTICLE. Cellphone found. Placed into evidence.
Algonquin
June 13
15:39pm Cocom, Marco A.. DOB: 12/28/79, of 3010 Wakefield Drive #M, Carpentersville, was charged with No Valid Driver’s License and Speeding.  He was taken into custody at Route 31 and Route 62.  He was released on a Personal Recognizance Bond with a court date of 07/25/12 in McHenry County.
June 14
06:57am Gilmore, Keith W., DOB: 11/12/68, of 610 Gaslight Drive, Algonquin, was Wanted on a Warrant out of McHenry County for Residential Burglary, Theft and Criminal Damage to Property.  He was taken into custody at 610 Gaslight.  He was transported to McHenry County Jail to await a bond hearing.

Edgewood Drive Reconstruction Grinds Toward Halt

The Village of Algonquin is heading upstairs in the AT&T hierarchy in hopes of breaking a logjam on Edgewood Road that could delay the end of reconstruction on the important east/west commuter route until next year.  "We haven't gotten very far with middle management," said Public Works Director Bob Mitchard, "so we're going to try a little higher."

Public Works Project Manager Shawn Hurtig said he's running out of workarounds for AT&T lines that need to be relocated so contractors can finish laying new storm sewers along Edgewood toward Hanson Road.  He said AT&T was notified the lines needed moving late last year but nothing happened.  "May 1 is about when we began to see we really had a problem," Hurtig said.

Actually Hurtig has two problems.  The first is to get high executive attention at the phone company without actually antagonizing anyone.  The second is to keep Edgewood work going but not so much that the road might stay closed this Winter if the company doesn't come through.  "We've stopped before we put in a plan from which we can't recover," Hurtig said.

In the pic:  Steel for a new bridge deck showed up this week but storm sewer work is still stymied on Edgewood Drive in Algonquin.

Lemonade For The Library Coming To Huntley In July

The only pastime ranking higher in American Summer lore than running a lemonade stand is whitewashing a fence and Tom Sawyer locked that one up more than century ago. So it wasn't surprising four years ago when the Hassells and Laughlin kids in Huntley's Southwind neighborhood decided to set up a stand.  What was surprising was what they did with their profits; they gave the money to the Huntley Area Public Library.

 More surprising still, though, is how the idea's grown. “Last year more than $630 was donated and used to purchase materials for the Children’s Area of the library," said Library Director Patrick McDonald. “The children are so excited when they come in to donate the money they raised.” 

That's why the kids and the library have set July 23 to 29, as a sort of Library Lemonade Stand Week to raise more money for the Library.  Kids who'd like to run a lemonade stand can call the library at (847) 669-5386 ext. 21 by July 16 to register. (Unless they're really little and maybe their Mom's should help.) Then August 1, they can bring in their donations to the library to receive a certificate and have their pictures taken.

Individuals and businesses can also participate. A $25 donation to the Library earns an official recognition as a “Lemonhead” during Huntley Library Lemonade Stand Week.

In the pic:  Huntley's Hassells and Laughlin kids running their Lemonade For the Library stand a couple of years ago.

Woods Creek Watershed Group Heads For Great Outdoors Monday

The fifth meeting for "stakeholders" in the Woods Creek Watershed--which is to say, pretty much everyone--will move out of Algonquin's Board Room into the great outdoors with a morning-long bus tour of the 9 square-miles of streams, lakes, wetlands, and upland prairies, savannas, and woodlands in question.

The ecological quality of the Woods Creek Watershed was long thought to be in good condition. Maybe it even was but tests show development in southeast McHenry County within the past 15 years has begun to degrade the watershed's quality. Since parts of it lie within the villages of Algonquin and Lake in the Hills,the City of Crystal Lake and the Crystal Lake Park District, all of those agencies have joined together to figure out what to do about it and how to do it without tripping over each other.

Free buses laid on by LITH Parks and Rec and the Crystal Lake Park District will head out from Algonquin Village Hall at 8:15 am Monday to nine locations in the watershed to look at headwaters, restored wetlands, high quality areas and sedimentary and phosphorous sources and pollution sampling areas. Return to Village Hall is epected to be  Noonish.

There's more info about the Washershed Plan at: http://www.algonquin.org/egov/docs/1318436787483.htm

Watershed coordinators are Algonquin's Katie Parkhurst at 847-658-4184 or Michele Zimmerman at 847-658-2754.

In the pic: Monday's Woods Creek Watershed tour will visit locations in Algonquin, LITH and Crystal Lake.

Another Award For Algonquin Township Recycling

Nonprofit group USAgain gave another award Wednesday to the Algonquin Township Road District's already-award-winning recycling program.  The national textiles-recycling group honored the Township for diverting 400,000 pounds of clothing from landfills last year.  USAgain Director of Governmental Affairs Carlo Cavallaro said all the collections in Chicago only totaled 500,000 pounds. 

According to the group's certificate of sustainability Algonquin Township's collected 4 million pounds of textiles for recycling saving 5.6 billion gallons of water, 29 million pounds of CO2 emissions and 23,000 cubic yards of landfill space.

In other news at Wednesday's meeting of the Algonquin Township Board Road Commissioner Bob Miller reported the State of Illinois has promised to make good on four different grants totaling $645,000 but only pay the first 25 percent.  Miller said the Township would have to apply again to get the rest of the money and intended to since the grants were supposed to compensate for funds already spent on several Township repair projects.

In the pic:  USAgain textile recycler Carlo Cavalero (left) presents an award to Algonquin Township Road Commissioner Bob Miller for collecting so much old clothing. Cavalero said Algonquin Township was the group's first governmental collector in the U.S. 

Panel Assembled To Discipline Indicted Lawmaker

By Jayette Bolinski, Illinois Statehouse News
A bipartisan panel of Illinois House lawmakers has been assembled to determine what, if any, professional discipline should be handed down for indicted colleague Rep. Derrick Smith.

House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago,  appointed from his party — Barbara Flynn Currie, Edward Acevedo, Greg Harris, Camille Lilly and Kim du Buclet, all of Chicago, and Al Riley of Olympia Fields — to the Select Committee on Discipline. House Republican Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, selected from his party: Chapin Rose, of Mahomet; Michael Connelly, of Lisle; Renee Kosel, of New Lenox; Sid Mathias, of Buffalo Grove; Chris Nybo, of Elmhurst; and Joe Sosnowski, of Rockford. State Reps. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, and Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, will head the committee.

According to House guidelines, Lang and Durkin will “try” the case, and the 12 lawmakers are “jurors” who will hear the case. The jurors can exonerate, reprimand, censure or expel Smith.

Smith, a Chicago Democrat, was indicted in April on a federal bribery charge after authorities allegedly recorded him accepting a $7,000 bribe. The case is pending in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois. The state House’s investigation is separate from and has no bearing on the criminal investigation.

You can read Jayette's full report at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/8792/il-panel-assembled-to-decide-discipline-for-indicted-lawmaker/

In the pic: Derrick Smith

Another State Lawmaker Allegedly Behaving Badly

By Andrew Thomason, Illinois Statehouse News
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Tuesday arrested State Sen. Suzi Schmidt on misdemeanor charges of criminal damage to property and criminal trespassing.The charges stem from damage the Lake Villa Republican allegedly did to a neighbor’s animal’s feed bag, according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Schmidt also was served with an emergency stalking, no contact order involving the same neighbor set to expire July 3, according to the Lake County Circuit Clerk’s Office.

It wasn't Schmidt’s first run-in with the police. In 2010 which Schmidt told a 911 dispatcher to ignore her husband’s emergency calls after she locked him out of the house claiming she'd caught  him cheating on her with the same neighbor as in this week's case. Schmidt was not arrested after that incident, or after a later domestic dispute in which she allegedly rammed her husband’s car with her own. Schmidt said she would not resign her office after the 911 tapes and news of her seemingly volatile marriage surfaced. However, Schmidt, 60, announced earlier this year that she was not running for re-election.

Ronald Holmes, a spokesman for the Senate Democrats, said the Senate has no plans to initiate a process against Schmidt that is similar to the one in the Illinois House regarding state Rep. Derrick Smith.

You can read Andrew's full report at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/8803/il-senator-arrested-on-property-damage-trespassing-charges/

In the pic: Suzi Schmidt

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
June 13
0043 HRS ROUTE 31 & VIRGINIA RD. NO VALID DRIVER’S LICENSE. LOPEZ, CHIHUAQUE EDUARDO, M/W 26 YEARS OF AGE, 253 UTEG ST. APT. 7, CRYSTAL LAKE.  CHARGES: No Valid Driver’s License, Disregard Official Traffic Control Device for No Left Turn. RELEASED ON BOND.
1045 HRS VIRGINIA RD. & PINGREE RD. WANTED ON WARRANT. ETTNER, EILEEN E., F/W 50 YEARS OF AGE, 224 HEALY ST., ELGIN. CHARGES: Wanted on Warrant, Kane County, for Failure to Appear for Driving While License Suspended, Bond Set at $2,500/10% Applies, and Disregarding a Traffic Control Device. RELEASED ON BOND.
1342 HRS 400 BLOCK OF E. OAK ST. DOMESTIC BATTERY. WEST, BRANDON C., M/W 25 YEARS OF AGE, 483 MAPLE AVE., CARPENTERSVILLE. CHARGES: Two Counts Domestic Battery. TRANSPORTED TO MCHENRY COUNTY JAIL.
0236 HRS 900 BLOCK OF WILLOW ST. ASSIST OTHER POLICE DEPARTMENT. Assist Lake County Sheriff to locate a missing subject.
1808 HRS RANDALL RD. & POLARIS DR. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
2324 HRS 100 BLOCK OF ACORN LN. MISSING JUVENILE. Male, 16 years of age, did not return home by curfew. Entered into LEADS.

Groundwater Will Meet Future Algonquin Growth Says Report

Algonquin will need more wells and water towers in the next 28 years but the village isn't running out of water according to a study for the Algonquin Village Board Tuesday.  If the Village can cut average water use 15 percent, it can save 25 percent of the cost of new water supplies until 2040 the study concluded.

Jeffrey W. Freeman, VP at Engineering Enterprises, Spring Grove, told trustees conservation efforts have already lowered Algonquin's old water use trendline and new measures can probably cut it more.  At the current rate of increase the Village will need four new wells and two new water tanks by 2040, Freeman said. However, with more conservation the Village would only need two new wells and one new tank.  That would drop the cost of new water by 2040 from $24 million, Freeman estimated, to only $17 million.

The important news, Freeman said, is that there's still probably plenty of water available in Algonquin's shallow and deep aquifers. That would obviate the need for water from Lake Michigan or the Fox River, either of which would be possible but likely not practical, according to Freeman.  Trustee Brian Dianis recalled McHenry County's 2006 groundwater study that warned villages in Algonquin Township would probably soon exceed the capacity of their shallow aquifers.  "What you're presenting doesn't have the same flavor," he said.

Freeman replied that McHenry County's study is becoming outdated.  First, he said, it assumed manic growth that, as it turned out, didn't happen.  Second, area villages began programs to reduce water demand and they worked.  However, most important, Freeman said, advanced geological techniques are starting to show there's more groundwater in southeast McHenry County's shallow aquifers than anyone thought six years ago.

The report was only informational but the Board gave an initial OK Monday to Engineering Enterprises' updating the Village's 10 year-old water system plan. Trustees added one important proviso, though.  Monday's report assumed Algonquin's population, based on Chicago Metropolitan Agency For Planning projections, will be 52,000 residents by 2040, something the Board doesn't expect to happen.  "Make it 42,000" said Village President John Schmitt.  "CMAP took every inch of open open space we've got and (assumed) apartments on it," he scoffed.

In the pic:  Algonquin's water usage has actually fallen since the Village began water conservation efforts.

No Danger To Public Despite Algonquin Boil Order

There was no danger to the public this weekend when the Village of Algonquin issued a boil order for almost 400 homes near Hanson Road and Huntington Drive.  The Village Water Department didn't think there was but. by State law, "The order we issued to the public was the order we have to issue to the public," said Public Works Director Bob Mitchard.

A routine Illinois EPA water sample Friday showed slight bacterial contamination, according to Mitchard but other nearby samples didn't.  Suspecting a testing error the Village sent in another sample the next day but that one failed, too.  Mitchard said workers finally installed a brand new sample tap and the third test came out fine, allowing the boil order to expire Sunday.  "They're conducting a post-mortem (on the old tap) to see what went wrong," said Mitchard.

Algonquin To Hold Tenth Conservation Community Day

Algonquin will hold its tenth annual Conservation Community Day Friday from 11 am to 2 pm along the Woods Creek Bike Path from Bunker Hill Drive south to Woods Creek Lane. This year’s theme is “Leave No Child Inside” to highlight the Chicago Wilderness initiative. The free public event
aims to educate and inform people about the environment, how natural resources are being protected in the community, and what local residents can do to conserve resources and protect
the environment.

Parking for the event will be available on Bunker Hill Drive, Woods Creek Lane, Brookside Avenue, or at the Harnish Drive Library. Groups with displays at the event include:

    McHenry County Conservation District
    Dundee Township Open Space Program
    Applied Ecological Services (Woods Creek Watershed Plan)
    Village of Algonquin ECO Committee
    Land Keepers
    Natural Areas Volunteers
    The Land Conservancy of McHenry County
    Village of Algonquin Utilities Division
    Village of Algonquin Parks and Forestry Division
    Waste Management
    Community Energy Inc.
    McHenry County Water Resources
    Algonquin Area Public Library
    McHenry County Health Department
    Environmental Defenders of McHenry County
    McHenry County Audubon Society
    Eastview Elementary School Earth Club
    Kane DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District
    Illinois Paddling Council
    Craft tables sponsored by the Village of Algonquin

Residents with blown out gym shoes can bring them along for recycling at Algonquin's Conservation Community Day.

Conservative Group Charges Green Exec Has Big Carbon Footprint

By Scott Reeder, Watchdog.org
The boss of a company that planned to sell "green" electricity to District 300's Joint Wind Consortium uses over six times as much power as most Illinois consumers according to an analysis by the conservative Heartland Institute.

Michael Polsky, CEO of Chicago firm Invenergy, rules an empire of hundreds of wind turbines, however, “The average Illinois household uses 9,600 kilowatts of electricity per year and Mr. Polsky uses 56,000 kilowatts.” said James Taylor, managing editor of Environment & Climate News and a senior fellow for Heartland. The divorced 62-year-old exec lives in a 13,500-square-foot, 132-year-old mansion at 25 E. Banks St. in Chicago.

Polsky declined to be interviewed and spokeswoman for Invenergy declined to divulge details of federal grants or tax credits the firm has received. But in other news interviews Polsky has stressed the need for further government subsidies for wind and solar energy — not just for its environmental benefits but also to diversify the nation’s sources of energy.

“This is just a classic case of 'Do as I say but not as I do,'" fulminated Peter Schweizer, a fellow at the Hoover Institution conservative think tank.

Invenergy planned to sell the Wind Consortium power from windmills at a new location near Kewanee but the plan fell through when the company tried to lock the Consortium into a 20-year agreement.  District 300 and other members of the consortium finally decided to buy school power from an alternative energy supplier now owned by Exelon. 

You can read the full report on this story at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/8782/test-2/

In the pic:  The Chicago mansion owned by "green" energy mogul Michael Polsky

Obituaries

Ethel Mae Solomon, 70 died peacefully Thursday in Florida. A visitation will be held Sunday, July 1, from 1 to 3 pm at DeFiore Jorgensen Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Huntley, with a wake service at 3 pm

Solomon was born in Oelwein, IA, the daughter of John and Helen Elliott.  She is survived by her husband, Daniel Solomon; daughters, Danielle (Howard) Rau and Karen(Joe) Males, and by her grandchildren, Tyler and Brandon Rau, and Alexis Males.

She was preceded in death by her parents and her son Daniel.

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
June 12
1644 HRS RANDALL RD. & ALGONQUIN RD. DRIVING WHILE LICENSE SUSPENDED. SIEGEL, MOLLA R., F/W 53 YEARS OF AGE, 1565 MILLBROOK DR., ALGONQUIN. CHARGES: Driving While License Suspended. RELEASED ON BOND.
0857 HRS MILLER RD. & RANDALL RD. INJURY ACCIDENT. Two vehicle accident. Female with neck pain. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
0907 HRS 300 BLOCK OF COUNCIL TRAIL. FOUND ARTICLE. Bank deposit bag located on side of the road. Returned to owner.
1016 HRS 2900 BLOCK OF BRISBANE DR. ASSIST POLICE. Assist Franklin Park Police in locating a lost cellphone. Returned to owner.
1508 HRS 200 BLOCK OF WEDGEWOOD CIRCLE. CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. Damage done to the overhead garage door. PENDING INVESTIGATION BY REPORTING OFFICER.
1518 HRS RANDALL RD. & POLARIS DR. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
1644 HRS MILLER RD. & RANDALL RD. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
1744 HRS 900 BLOCK OF VIEWPOINT DR. SUSPICIOUS INCIDENT. Child was approached by a subject in a white van.
1911 HRS 1216 CRYSTAL LAKE RD. (RYDER PARK) DOG BITE. Two juveniles where bitten by a Great Dane puppy

D300 Board Approves Saving $1 Million On Replacement Computers

Without discussion, the District 300 Board of Education approved a plan to replace 1,100 obsolete computers and almost 600 monitors with used but refurbished ones to save about $1 million.  In another cheese-paring move the Board tabled buying a pair of brand new Driver's Ed cars to see  if there might not be more savings from buying a couple of low-mileage ex-rental cars.

The District's oldest desktop and laptop computers, including some at Algonquin Middle School and Eastview and Algonquin Lakes elementary schools, won't take the district-wide upgrade to Windows 7 this Summer. Tech chief Eric Willard had estimated buying new ones and some new monitors would cost about $1.4 million.  The refurbished equipment with a three-year warranty will only cost about $400,000. 

Members worked themselves into a a bit of a tizzy over a request to buy two new $21,000 Drivers' Ed Impalas when only one dealer bothered to submit a valid bid, the more so when they found the ten year-old cars they were to replace only had 71,000 miles on the clock.  Member Susie Kopacz suggested it might make more sense to buy low-mileage ex-rental cars but Member Joe Stevens suggested it would make even more sense to have a formal set of standards for when cars need replacing in the first place.  The group finally decided to put off buying cars for a while.  "There was a lot of detail we didn't know until tonight," complained Stevens.

The Board also wrestled Monday with how to appear even-handed during track resurfacing at Jacobs and Dundee-Crown high schools while adding two more lanes at Jacobs and fixing a drainage problem at DC.  Last week Jacobs Boosters promised to donate $40,000 for the extra lanes and the Board finally approved the plan after Member Dave Alessio pointed out that, whatever it looked like, "There's not much time left to get this done this Summer."

Board members also gave formally approved hiring a new Worker's Compensation administration firm.  Budgeteers estimated the move would save $134,000 per year for the next six years.

Algonquin Joins Huntley In Watering Restrictions

The Village of Algonquin will crank watering restrictions up to yellow status Wednesday allowing landscape and lawn watering only before 9 am and after 6 pm on even days for even numbered addresses and odd days for the odd addresses.

Village Manager Bill Ganek said the village was moving to yellow watering restriction a little early this year because it's been such a dry Spring.  "We're seeing the water levels in our shallowest wells starting to fall," he said.  "They're the ones most sensitive to precipitation." he added. "Or lack thereof."

It's been both a hot and dry Spring in Illinois.  State Climatologist Jim Angel reported last week that March, April and May this year were the warmest since 1895 with an average temperature of 59.1 degrees.  At the same time, Angel said Illinois Spring precipitation has been only 57 percent of normal at 2.4 inches.

The Village of Huntley's already gone to code yellow watering--an odd/even scheme with sprinkling from 6 to 9 am or 6 to 9 pm.  Lake in the Hills hasn't set any watering restrictions yet.  "We haven't seen levels where that's a problem," said Water Superintendent Eric Babcock.

In the pic:  It's been a hot dry Spring in Illinois.

Pre-Trial Conference Set To Help Resolve Grafton Road Suit

Judge Thomas Meyer Monday set August 7 for a hearing on whether to dismiss Grafton Road Commissioner Jack Freund's lawsuit against Supervisor Linda Moore.  Moore Attorney Tim Hoppa told Meyer Moore had made "substantial payments" to the Road District, one of the issues in Freund's complaint, and suggested the others, a dispute over an office and the payment of health insurance for Freund's wife, might be resolved during a pre-trial conference.

"I like that idea," said Meyer who scheduled the conference for July 20.  Pre-trial conferences are supposed to speed up civil cases but it's an open question whether it will work in this instance.  In the hallway Monday Hoppa called Freund's complaint a "vendetta" against Moore.

Walsh Sponsors Job Fair In Schaumburg

GOP Congressman Joe Walsh whose Eight Congressional District includes part of McHenry County will host a job fair Wednesday in Schaumburg where the newly-remapped district will be geographically centered after the November election.

Walsh’s Job Fair will be at Robert Frost Jr. High, 320 W. Wise Rd., Schaumburg, from 11 am to 3 pm.  It's free and there's no advance registration.  Included among Illinois employers hiring will be  Northrop Grumman, Carmax, Pace, Abbott Laboratories, according to Walsh's office.

In the pic:  Where Joe Walsh's job fair will be Wednesday.

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
June 11
0355 HRS 101 N. RANDALL RD. (DOMINICK’S) DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL. WALSER, LINDSAY MARIE, F/W 28 YEARS OF AGE, 3505 W. BEACH DR., MCHENRY. CHARGES: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Driving Under the Influence with a Breath Alcohol Content Over .08, Improper Turn at Intersection, and Improper Lane Use. RELEASED ON BOND.
2108 HRS 471 N. RANDALL RD. (PAPA SAVERIO’S) FOLLOW-UP ARREST: HIT & RUN LAVOIE, ESTHER E., F/W 25 YEARS OF AGE, 2940 BRAHMS LANE, WOODSTOCK. CHARGES: Leaving the Scene of a Property Damage Accident. RELEASED ON BOND.
0900 HRS 400 BLOCK OF PRIDES RUN. TELEPHONE HARRASSMENT. Female receiving unwanted text messages. TURNED OVER TO INVESTIGATIONS.
1358 HRS 1400 BLOCK OF WASHINGTON ST. INDENTITY THEFT. Unauthorized transactions coming out of complainant’s bank account. PENDING INVESTIGATION BY REPORTING OFFICER.
1509 HRS ALGONQUIN RD. & LAKE DR. ACCIDENT. Vehicle vs. Deer.
1535 HRS PYOTT RD. & RAKOW RD. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
1919 HRS 2000 BLOCK OF DAYBREAK DR. BURGLARY TO MOTOR VEHICLE. Multiple items taken from complainant’s unlocked vehicle. TURNED OVER TO INVESTIGATIONS.
2015 HRS 250 N. RANDALL RD. (COSTCO) ASSIST OTHER POLICE AGENCY. Assisted Crystal Lake Police Department with a domestic battery.
2250 HRS 5000 BLOCK OF CROSSVIEW LN. DOMESTIC. Father vs. Son. Verbal only. No priors.
2254 HRS 400 BLOCK OF WINSLOW WAY. INFORMATION FOR POLICE. REFERRED TO SOCIAL SERVICES.

McHenry County Home Sales Up, But Foreclosures Increase, Too

The number of homes sold in McHenry County reached their highest level in two years in May with 359 residential closings, according to the latest report from Heartland Realtors, formerly the McHenry County Association of Realtors.  The average price of a McHenry County home rose, too, to $172,000 in May marking the third month of increases since a $149,000 low in February.

The Illinois Association of Realtors reported last month that McHenry County home sales were 50.1 percent ahead of last year’s sales during the first quarter.  January through March of this year saw 707 units sold, versus 471 last year.  That State Association attributed the improvement to record low mortgage rates, buyer perception the economy's improving and distressed housing "keeping prices competitive".

Indeed, they must be very competitive in McHenry County. According to the latest report from the Circuit Clerk's office, there were 273 new foreclosure filings in May. That's 46 more than the same month last year.  Through May, new foreclosure cases this year are 2.7 percent ahead of last year's pace with 1,326 filed so far.

Bland Takes Third In LITH Triathlon

Almost 300 local athletes swam, pedaled and ran a total of 20 miles through Lake in the Hills Sunday in the village's sixth annual LITH Triathlon.  Oswego's Mark Hauser fought his way past the finish line quite literally when wind turned the inflatable arch at the finish line into an impromptu limbo bar.

Hauser turned in a 1:14:32.10 time for the half-mile swim in Woods Creek Lake, 15 1/2 mile bike ride and 4 mile run.  Palatine's Dean Hewson was second with a time of 1:15:23.85 time and LITH's own Steve Bland took third place with a 1:15:34.65 clocking.  West Dundee's Jennifer Harrison was the first female across the line with a 1:22.28.95 performance.  She was 15th overall.

Overall times may have been a little slower this year than usual.  There were muttered oaths and imprecations from some competitors who had trouble racking their bikes in Ken Carpenter Park at the transition for the final run.  Some of that might have been due to copious adrenaline among the top competitors, though.  One rider about the overshoot the dismount point for the bike corral came perilously close to using his feet for brakes.  The thing is, he wasn't wearing any shoes.

Full results for the 2012 Lake in the Hills Triathlon can be found here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/96686969/Overall-Results

In the pic:  Steve Bland crosses the  finish line at the Lake in the Hills Triathlon Sunday.

Algonquin Flatfeet Hoof It For Illinois Special Olympics

Algonquin Police helped celebrate the 25th Illinois Torch Run to support the Special Olympics Sunday joining a thundering herd of flatfeet running from Barrington Hills to McHenry.  Algonquin PD officers and Special Olympian James Williams carried the torch 18 miles over the course.

The McHenry County run was one of 23 legs to the event which ends in Normal where the opening ceremonies of the Special Olympics Illinois Summer Games will take place. McHenry County coppers have raised $750,000 for the Special Olympics since the Torch Run started in 1986.  Last year Algonquin PD was the 19th highest fundraiser for the event among over 400 in the state.

In the pic:  Algonquin officers Chris Filippini, Kyle Neamand and Brandon Pump and Special Olympian James Williams joined the McHenry County Torch Run pack at Algonquin's Town Center Sunday.

Huntley Church Garage Sale To Benefit Green Trees Beautification

Volunteers organized donations Sunday for Huntley's Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church garage sale Friday from 9 am to 4 pm and Saturday from 9 to 1.  Proceeds from the sale will go to benefit the Church's general activities but 10 percent of this year's profits will support sprucing up the landscape at Huntley's Green Trees senior housing project.

The Church has contributed funds for a lot of the trees and shrubs that have already been planted at the project.

Additional donations of baby stuff, tools, clothes and furniture can be dropped off at the church Monday and Wednesday mornings from 9 am until Noon.

State Unfunded Public Pension Liability May Rise

By Andrew Thomason, Illinois Statehouse News
A possible change to one of the state’s public pension systems casts a shadow on any reform Illinois lawmakers enact this summer. The Teachers Retirement System, the largest state-run public pension system, is reviewing the numbers to calculate how much it will make on its investments.

If the figure is lower than the current expected rate of return — 8.5 percent — the system's unfunded liability would increase. In fact, if the adopted rate of return figure is less than 7.75 percent, the unfunded liability would continue to grow yearly, said Hans Zigmund, associate director at the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget.  A recommendation for a change to the expected rate of return for TRS investments, which happens every five years, could come as early as its June 21-22 board meeting.Under current assumptions, TRS has an unfunded liability of $44 billion, or 55 percent unfunded, meaning it only has enough assets on hand to cover 45 percent of the cost of current and future pensions.

State Sen. Jeffrey Schoenberg, D-Evanston, said the rate of return could be lowered because of pressure from the bond-rating agencies, which determine a state’s credit worthiness.  “The rating agencies like Moody’s and their counterparts have been more insistent in recent years that the return on investments be re-calibrated to be more accurate,” Schoenberg said. “This is not only happening in Illinois, but across the nation as well.”

The rate of return on investments for the past decade has been 6.2 percent, rather than the expected return of 8.5 percent, according to TRS spokesman Dave Urbanek.  But Urbanek said TRS investments, during the past 30 years, have averaged a return of 9.3 percent.

You can read Andrew's full report at: http://illinois.statehousenewsonline.com/8764/unfunded-public-pension-liability-could-go-up-in-il/

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
June 10
0030 HRS RAKOW RD. & MCHENRY AVE. EXPIRED DRIVER’S LICENSE FOR MORE THAN A YEAR. DONOHOE, BENJAMIN A., M/W 31 YEARS OF AGE, 480 JOHNSON ST. MARENGO. CHARGES: Expired Driver’s License for More Than a Year, Speeding in a Construction Zone, Operating an Uninsured Motor Vehicle. RELEASED ON BOND.
0235 HRS 311 N. RANDALL RD. (AMC THEATERS) DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL. ORTEGA-SANTIAGO, ALEJANDRO, M/W 31 YEARS OF AGE, 576 DARLINGTON #1 CRYSTAL LAKE. CHARGE: Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Driving While License Suspended, Transportation of Open Alcohol Container. RELEASED ON BOND.
1138 HRS 101 PYOTT RD. (BUCKYS) WANTED ON WARRANT. AGUIRRE, MICHAEL A., M/W 26 YEARS OF AGE, 2 HASTINGS CT., LAKE IN THE HILLS. CHARGES: Wanted on Warrant McHenry County Sheriff, Failure to Appear, Three Counts of Domestic Battery, $5000 @ 10%. Wanted on Warrant Kane County Sheriff, $25,000 @ 10% Failure to Appear, Possession of a Controlled Substance. Driving While License Revoked, No Insurance. TURNED OVER TO MCHENRY COUNTY
1340 HRS 4590 PRINCETON LN. (VACANT UNIT) CRIMINAL DAMAGE TO PROPERTY. Front glass door broken.
1430 HRS 00 ELIZABETH CT. THEFT OVER. Theft of money from a safe in the residence. TURNED OVER TO INVESTIGATIONS.
1810 HRS 471 N. RANDALL RD. (PAPA SAVERIO’S PIZZA) HIT & RUN. Vehicle struck in parking lot. ISPERN sent for offending vehicle. Property damage only.
1850 HRS 1500 BLOCK OF MONROE ST. ASSIST AMBULANCE. Male, 32 years of age, evaluation. Transported to Sherman Hospital.
1907 HRS MCKINLEY ST. & MONROE ST. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.
2043 HRS 200 BLOCK OF TERRAMERE LN. DOMESTIC Mother vs. son. Verbal only. No priors.
1941 HRS 1216 CRYSTAL LAKE RD. (RYDER PARK) FOUND ARTICLE. A set of keys. Placed into evidence.
Algonquin
June 9
00:41am Stangler, Michael V., DOB: 09/27/89, of 191 Seminole Avenue Apt #7, Elgin, was charged with DUI, DUI Over, Improper Lane Use and Driving Off Roadway.  He was taken into custody at Route 62 and Lake Cook Road.  He was released after posting $300 with a court date of 07/11/12 in McHenry County.
June 10
01:28am Powers, Stefanie J., DOB: 09/21/89, of 637 Atwood Avenue, Rockford, was Wanted on a Warrant out of Boone County for Failure to Appear on a payment of fees for a DWLS charge.  She was taken into custody at 5 Arrowhead Drive.  She was released after posting $182, with a court date of 06/22/12 in Boone County.
June 11
00:38am Lock-Brooks, Terri A., DOB: 07/16/67, of 5533 N. Galena Road, Peoria Heights, was charged with DWLS, Improper Lane Use and No Proof of Insurance.  She was taken into custody at Randall Road and Stonegate Road.  She was released after posting $150 with a court date of 07/11/12 in McHenry County.

Congressman Meets McHenry County Voters Added To Sixth District

Sixth District Congressman Peter Roskam did a meet and greet Saturday in Crystal Lake with GOP supporters in Crystal Lake.  It was the first time the GOP's Chief Deputy Whip in the House visited McHenry County since parts of it including eastern Algonquin and Lake in the Hills were added to his district for the November Election. The timing wasn't the best, though, since a lot of party faithful were still in Tinley Park for the Illinois Republican State Convention.

Roskam told about 20 voters the nation faces a choice this year that might reverberate for the next generation.  "We've got to stop spending money we don't have," said Roskam.

Roskam faces Democratic challenger Leslie Coolidge, a south Barrington CPA and self-described environmentalist and progressive.

In the pic:  The fourth-ranking Republican in the House, Peter Roskam, met Saturday with McHenry County voters newly-added to his district for the General Election.

Huntley Pediatric Cancer Foundation Helps Victim Attend Prom

Cancer Kiss My Cooley, the foundation in honor of young Huntley Cancer victim Carter Kettner made its first "Kiss of Hope" donation recently to a Des Plaines girl diagnosed with brain cancer.

Maine West Junior Amber Moosvi, 16, is undergoing expensive chemotherapy and her mother wasn't sure she'd be able to attend her junior prom.  KCMC spokeman said the group made sure Amber and 30 classmates enjoyed a pre-prom dinner and a limo ride to the big event.

CKMC's mission is to fight pediatric cancers such as the one that claimed six-year old Carter two years ago and help the victims and their families. 

At least two fundraisers are planned this year. Info on them is availalbe at  CKMC's website  at:  http://www.cancerkissmycooley.org/help.php

In the pic:  Young cancer victim Amber Moosvi went to her prom with the help of Huntley's CKMC foundation.

Colonial Cafe Penny Pancakes Raise Funds For Tumor Ride

The Algonquin Colonial Cafe's annual Penny Pancake Day Thursday raised $1,361 to help support the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation's Chicagoland Ride for Kids event July 15 at Elgin Community College.

The Algonquin Colonial gets to pick a local charity each year to benefit from chainwide fundraising event.  Details on the Chicagoland Ride are here: 
http://www.pbtfus.org/rideforkids/events/2012/chicagoland.html

In the pic:  The Putek family from Lake in the Hills dug into a pile of Penny Pancakes Thursday. That's Mom Valerie and (clockwise) Caroline, Stephen, Mathew and Mark.

Chicago Cabbie Convicted Of Aiding Al Qaeda

A Chicago man, who personally provided financial support to an alleged terrorist leader he met in Pakistan, was sentenced Friday to 7 1/2 years in federal prison for attempting to provide additional funds to him after learning he was working with al Qaeda.

Raja Lahrasib Khan, a Chicago taxi driver and native of Pakistan who became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1988, had pleaded guilty in February to one count of attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, following his arrest in March 2010. 
       
Khan, 58, displayed “toxic altruism” U.S. District Judge James Zagel said in imposing the 90-month sentence, followed by lifetime supervised release, in Federal Court in Chicago. The judge said it was a “profoundly aggravating factor” that Khan’s crime occurred after he chose to become a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Although Khan’s actual donations, about $500 and attempted donation, about $1,000, were not very substantial amounts, that didn't matter, according to the judge.

Khan, who was born and resided in the Azad Kashmir region of Pakistan before immigrating to the United States in the late 1970s, admitted that he met with Ilyas Kashmiri, a leader of the Kashmir independence movement, in Pakistan in the early to mid-2000s and again in 2008.  At the time of the second meeting, Khan knew or had reason to believe that Kashmiri was working with al Qaeda but he gave Kashmiri approximately 20,000 Pakistani rupees and made other donations or tried to at other times until 2010.

In the pic:  Raja Lahrasib Khan

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.

JOHN J. LAGRIPPE, DOB: 04/04/66, 1145 SAWMILL LANE, ALGONQUIN. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF EXPLOSIVES, ENDANGERING THE LIFE AND OR HEALTH OF A CHILD (TWO COUNTS).--Algonquin PD

RYAN C. O’BRIEN, DOB: 03/31/75, 930 JEWETT STREET, WOODSTOCK. UNLAWFUL VIOLATION OF ORDER OF PROTECTION (SUBSEQUENT OFFENSE).--Woodstock PD
  
CLAUDIA MELESIO, DOB:  10/01/1979, 808 8TH STREET, HARVARD. BURGLARY, THEFT.--McHenry County Sheriff's Office

DAVID J. KRUEGER III, DOB:  03/14/1992, 5419 ABBEY DRIVE, MCHENRY. UNLAWFUL FICTITIOUS IDENTIFICATION CARD.--McHenry PD

ZAYRA OLIVA-DOMINQUEZ, DOB:  08/25/1984, 4408 W. PRAIRIE AVENUE, MCHENRY. DISORDERLY CONDUCT, THEFT.--McHenry PD

VALISSA A. MOORE, DOB:  12/04/1965, 532 BUNKER STREET, WOODSTOCK. AGGAVATED BATTERY.--Woodstock PD

TRAVIS L. HOWARD, DOB:  06/14/1986, 207 ILLINOIS STREET, CRYSTAL LAKE. FORGERY.--Crystal Lake PD
  
JANICE M. NORMAN, DOB:  11/26/1979, 367 SANDHURST   APT 7, GLEN ELLYN. THEFT.--Cary PD
  
DEREK S. GABRIEL, DOB:  08/01/1988, 611 NORTH RIVER ROAD, MCHENRY. BURGLARY, THEFT, FORGERY.--McHenry County Sheriff's Office

PAUL D. HOFFMAN, DOB:  01/08/1962, LKA:  4017 SENECA ROAD, WONDER LAKE. UNLAWFUL USE OF A CREDIT CARD.--McHenry County Sheriff's Office
  
BRIAN A. DOERR, DOB:  08/09/1974, 2707 CHAPEL HILL ROAD, JOHNSBURG. UNLAWFUL FAILURE TO REGISTER AS A SEX OFFENDER.--Johnsburg PD
  
SAMANTHA A. DUCAT, DOB:  07/19/1987, 1921 MAIN STREET, SPRING GROVE. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DELIVER A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DELIVER CANNABIS, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DELIVER A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE WITHIN 1,000 FEET OF A SCHOOL, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A HYPODERMIC SYRINGE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA.--Spring Grove PD
  
JASON AARON COHEN, DOB:  06/22/1991, SPRING GROVE. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.--Spring Grove PD
  
PATRICK E. ADKINS, DOB:  04/09/1987, 1609 EAST MILL ROAD, RICHMOND. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.--Spring Grove PD
  
ALEXANDER J. SCHULZ, DOB:  08/20/1988, 2422 SPOJNIA, MCHENRY. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF HYPODERMIC SYRINGE OR NEEDLE.--McHenry County Sheriff's Office
  
TRAVIS J. JOYNER, DOB:  04/27/1984, 1502 WEST PINE STREET, HOLIDAY HILLS. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DELIVER CANNABIS, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF CANNABIS, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF DRUG PARAPHERNALIA, UNLAWFUL USE OF A WEAPON.--McHenry County Sheriff's Office
  
JEREMIAH B. PEDERSEN, DOB:  04/21/1983, 105 MAPLE STREET, WOODSTOCK. UNLAWFUL POSSESSION WITH INTENT TO DELIVER A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE, UNLAWFUL POSSESSION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE.--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
June 9
0620 HRS 220 N. RANDALL RD. (MORETTIS) INFORMATION FOR POLICE. Contact with a registered sex offender.
1442 HRS 1300 BLOCK OF CUNAT CT. DOG BITE. Male, 11 years of age, was bitten by a dog. Animal Control notified.
2102 HRS 1300 BLOCK OF CUNAT CT. DISORDERLY CONDUCT.  Ex-boyfriend keeps attempting to contact ex-girlfriend. FAIL TO FILE.
2139 HRS 1300 BLOCK OF ADAMS ST. ACCIDENT. Two vehicles. Property damage only.