Appointment to the McHenry County Conservation District and the Farm Assessment Review Committee are on the agenda of the next Countyu Board meeting.
They are
From the Crystal Lake Police:
From the Crystal Lake Fire/Rescue Department:
Crystal Lake, IL – The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department responded to a reported structure fire at 7:07 pm at 5705 Hickory Ln.
The first fire units arrived on scene in approximately 3 minutes and reported heavy fire conditions throughout the attached garage.
There were no occupants that were in the home at the time of the fire. All residents escaped uninjured and were relocated with the assistance of neighbors.
Several area departments responded to assist Crystal Lake Fire Rescue through Auto Aid Agreements.
The fire was considered under control in just over one hour.
The single family home sustained moderate fire damage and the garage was a total loss.
Power, gas, and water were disconnected to the property at the time of the fire.
There were no injuries to any firefighters or civilians.
The family’s four dogs and two cats were also unharmed from the fire.
The fire remains under investigation.
There was so much interest in the money brought in by Fox River Grove’s red light camera fines, I asked for recent monthly figures.
The previous article:
I cannot explain the difference in 2022 figures between what the village supplied and what Illinois Policy Institute reports.
From the Lake in the Hills Police:
From a Rockford SUV:
From the Huntley Police:
On Friday, May 17, 2024, from 5:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m., at both Dunkin’ locations,
the Huntley Police Department will take to the sky in support of the Law Enforcement Torch Run for
Special Olympics Illinois.
The Police Department will participate in Cop on a Rooftop in order to raise awareness and money for Special Olympics Illinois.
Officers will take to the rooftop and the ground of Dunkin’ throughout the morning in support of Special Olympics.
On the ground, a variety of Officers and community members will be collecting donations, selling 2024 Law Enforcement Torch Run merchandise and spending time with Special Olympic Athletes.
The eighth annual donut-eating contest will be held at 12:00 p.m., at the Princeton location.
Participants will include representatives from
Huntley Police Management Analyst Matt Ganek won the contest last year.
Everyone who donates to Special Olympics will receive a coupon for a free donut.
The first seventy-five people to donate $10.00 or more will receive a Dunkin’ mug and everyone who donates will receive a coupon for a free donut.
The Law Enforcement Torch Run is the single largest year-round fundraising vehicle benefiting Special
Olympics Illinois.
Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and competition in 18 sports for over 21,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities and nearly 9,000 young athletes ages 2-7 with and without
intellectual disabilities from communities throughout the state including Huntley. Special Olympics transforms the lives of people with intellectual disabilities through training and competition.
From the Daily Herald comes an editorial condemning Democrats for eliminating the ability of local parties to slate legislative candidates in the middle of the election season:
The suburan newspaper, probably playing to its aging subscribers, compared the astonishiong rapidity of passing the bill to save potentially vulnerable legislative Democrats to the inaction on the bill to match Illinois rules for senior drivers’ licenses with that of all other states:
For four months, they couldn’t make a decision, up or down, on a simple proposal involving mandatory driving tests for seniors, so House leaders sent it back to the Rules Committee to die.
Here’s what the Daily Herald said about Governor JB Pritzker’s remarks about signing it:
What skin-crawling effrontery, then, to cloak the bill in the language of election reform, with Pritzker even going so far as to dub it “actually an ethics bill.”
And about Democrats in general?
Instead of acting with transparency and integrity, Democrats acted with stealth and cunning to provide a vivid demonstration of the very backroom politics they claim to be fighting. They really ought to be ashamed — not just of the duplicity they showed in manufacturing this charade but more for passing up the opportunity to show some class and restraint when it would have cost them next to nothing.
This carton by the Illinois Police Institute’s Eric Allie pretty much says it all:
Hospital officials explain it this way:
Modernizing and updating our pharmacy and laboratory will enable us to have state-of-the-art equipment to deliver these essential services to our patients.
These new areas within in the hospital are designed to support the projected increase in volumes, enable more rapid turnaround times, and enhance satisfaction among our patients and teammates.
From the Woodstock Pride Facebook page:
From the Illinois Freedom Caucus:
Springfield, IL – The Illinois Freedom Caucus says Illinois is speeding toward a fiscal cliff without the safety net of COVID-19 relief funds, a situtation the Democratic majority knew was coming but subsequently ignored.
The Governor just recently had a moment of fiscal conscience and issued a memo in which he stated:
“We must prepare to implement a potential balanced budget scenario with $800 million less in available revenue.”
The Governor then goes on to basically threaten legislators and agencies by taking away member initiatives and grant projects by saying “as your agency prepares for the impact of $800 million in potential spending reductions, please focus on grant programs and other discretionary spending that has increased in recent years.”
The Governor went on to state, “keep in mind that the end of access to federal ARPA funds make it impossible to sustain many programs without additional revenue.”
“We hate to say ‘we told you so’ but we told you so.
“We have been warning about the financial implications of the ARPA funds running out and these warnings were ignored. Instead, we have been labeled ‘Carnival Barkers’ and other derogatory names.
Instead of raising taxes, we need to be looking at ways to reduce spending.
“One place to start is to stop spending money we don’t have on programs and services for illegal immigrants.
“We need to end the state’s Sanctuary State policies and stop trying to solve a problem we are not equipped to solve.
“There is more than $629 million in the Governor’s budget allocated for these programs.
“It is time to stop virtue signaling with taxpayer money. If the Democrats really cared about the priorities they have set for themselves then they would have had heeded our warnings and took steps to prepare for the fact the federal money propping up our budget would one day not be there.
“But they didn’t. Instead, they went on a spending spree and surprise, surprise there is no money.
“Call us what you like, but we prefer the term realists because we are the only ones focused on solving the financial realities facing our state.”
The Illinois Institute has tackled red light camera revenue throughout the Chicago metropolitan area.
An article reports on locations bringing in more that $1.5 million in 2022 and Fox River Grove makes the map:
The group’s research showed for the period 2008-2022 that Fox River Grove raked in $11,223,817 through September, 2023.
There were 3.2 tckets per resident.
A compilation of the research can be found here.
It shows
From McHenry County:
The signs for the Longmeadow Parkway Bridge toll came down last week, thanks in part to $1 million of Advance McHenry County funding spent to eliminate the need for it.
The McHenry County Board last December approved allocating the funding toward helping pay the remaining amount due for the bridge over the Fox River. The bridge, expected to be completed later this year, is part of the 5.6-mile-long Longmeadow Parkway Corridor, which is expected to relieve congestion on Illinois Route 62, which runs through downtown Algonquin in McHenry County.
Removing the toll has the potential to save the average commuter between $200 and $300 a year.
You can read more about the bridge project by clicking here. You also can click here to learn about the Advance McHenry County initiative that re-invests American Rescue Plan Act funding directly into thoughtful and impactful projects such as this.
From the Huntley Police:
From the U.S. Attorney:
CHICAGO — A man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for illegally possessing a handgun and participating in the murder of a man in Chicago on Labor Day weekend in 2022.
ANDREI TAYLOR illegally possessed the loaded firearm on the afternoon of Sept. 19, 2022, in the Tri-Taylor neighborhood on Chicago’s Near West Side.
Taylor was a passenger in a Kia Optima that had been stolen in a carjacking earlier that afternoon.
When a Chicago Police squad car approached the Kia, Taylor and three other occupants fled the vehicle and ran off on foot.
Taylor tossed the gun, which had an extended magazine, into the backyard of a nearby residence before he was apprehended by police.
Taylor had previously been convicted of three firearm-related felonies in the Circuit Court of Cook County and was not lawfully allowed to possess the gun.
Taylor, 27, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to a federal charge of illegal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr. imposed the prison sentence during a hearing Wednesday in federal court in Chicago.
In addition to the illegal firearm possession, Judge Tharp found that Taylor participated culpably in the premeditated murder of Kadaivion Jones, who was fatally wounded on Sept. 2, 2022, while standing on a sidewalk in Chicago’s West Garfield Park neighborhood.
The handgun illegally possessed by Taylor in the Kia was one of the guns used to shoot Jones.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Christopher Amon, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Division of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and Larry Snelling, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elie Zenner and Simar Khera.
Holding firearm offenders accountable through federal prosecution is a centerpiece of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a nationwide initiative that brings together law enforcement officials, prosecutors, community leaders, and other stakeholders to develop comprehensive solutions to the most pressing violent crime problems in a community. In the Northern District of Illinois, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has deployed the PSN program to attack a broad range of violent crime issues facing the district, particularly firearm offenses.
From WGN-TV:
NWS says EF-0 tornado traveled from Harvard, Ill. to Walworth, Wis.
From the story:
“On the Enhanced Fujita scale, an EF-0 has winds between 65 and 85 MPH and typically produces minor damage.”
From McHenry County:
WOODSTOCK, Ill. – Besides a newly redesigned and very transparent property tax bill, taxpayers now have more – and more convenient – ways to pay.
With property tax bills being mailed out Friday, May 10, Treasurer Donna Kurtz unveiled the VIP Taxpayer program, which will allow property owners to register to schedule electronic payments, get reminders of due dates, and sign up to receive next year’s bill electronically.
Taxpayers still can pay by electronic check (E-Check) without paying any processing fees as a VIP Taxpayer, or as a one-time online payer.
To sign up as a VIP Taxpayer or simply make a one-time payment, you can scan the QR code on the upper
right of your property tax bill or visit treasurer.mchenrycountyil.gov.
Installments for this year’s property taxes are due
“As a VIP Taxpayer, it’s easier and more convenient than ever to pay your property taxes, and getting started is as easy as scanning a QR code,” Kurtz said.
“If you wish to pay by E-Check, or credit card, or by mail or in person, you can still do that – this just gives you even more options.”
McHenry County’s new tax bill offers property owners a transparent accounting of where their tax dollars are going.
The list of taxing bodies on the bill are listed in descending order based on the increase in taxes from the prior year, as well as contact information for each taxing body for questions.
A pie chart next to the list shows the percentage of the bill that is applied to each unit of local government serving that property owner.
On the back of the bill, taxpayers also will find the phone numbers of every township assessor, as well as contact information for the County Assessments Office, which handles property tax exemptions and
assessment appeals.
“These new bills increase accountability as well as transparency, and the Treasurer’s Office couldn’t have done this without the help of all 120 units of local government in McHenry County who came together to help us make tax bills easier to understand,” Kurtz said.
To pay your property taxes electronically via E-Check, visit treasurer.mchenrycountyil.gov and click on Look Up/Pay Your Tax Bill.”
Once you look up your tax bill, you can click on “Pay Taxes” to begin the process.
To pay by phone, call 877-220-2247 and follow the prompts. When you pay via E-Check, write down the payment confirmation code you will receive so you have this for your records.
If you wish to pay by mail, send the payment (please do not send cash) along with the payment coupon to: McHenry County Collector, PO Box 8730, Carol Stream, IL 60197-8730. If paying by check, please write your property parcel number on it.
You can also pay in person by visiting the Treasurer’s Office at 2100 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, between 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays and pay at the window or through the drive-thru lanes. The Treasurer’s Office accepts check, cash, and debit/credit card payments.
The Treasurer’s Office will also be open from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the Saturday prior to each installment due dates.
In addition, the Treasurer’s Office has two 24-hour drop boxes, one walk-up and one drive-up.
Dropoff payments can be a check or money order (no cash), made payable to the McHenry County Collector and placed in an envelope with the payment coupon.
Finally, many local banks accept walk-in property tax payments.
A list of these participating McHenry banks, and the communities where they are located can be found at treasurer.mchenrycountyil.gov.
Keep in mind that credit and debit card payments are not accepted at these local banks – you must bring your tax bill or a copy of it, and there may be other procedures.
From the Lake in the Hills Police:
At the April 25th meeting of the Lake in the Hills Village Board, the appointment of a new Police Chief was announced.
Here’s the agenda item:
Chief of Police – Matthew Mannino – July 11, 2024 to December 31, 2024
The current Chief is Mary Frake.
From Republican Congressman Darin LaHood:
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-16) released the following statement after he voted to table the Motion to Vacate Speaker Mike Johnson:
“The Motion to Vacate was a bad idea in October, and it is an even worse idea now when we should be furthering a conservative agenda that supports hardworking American families. Speaker Mike Johnson inherited an incredibly challenging Congress with the slimmest majority in our nation’s history. He has governed effectively as a conservative and deserves our Conference’s support. Wasting our time on this distraction does a disservice to our country, this institution, and the voters who delivered a Republican Majority.”
= = = = =
The vote was 359 to 43. Eleven Republicans voted for Johnson’s ouster.
From the Epoch Times story:
Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) noted that the 11 Republicans who voted against tabling the motion to vacate—Ms. Greene, Mr. Massie, Reps. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), Eli Crane (R-Ariz.), Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), Alex Mooney (R-Va.), Barry Moore (R-Ala.), and Chip Roy (R-Texas)—joined opponents that included members of the far-left group “The Squad” that includes Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)
“So I would ask you on what planet would it be an effective Republican way to legislate if you’re voting with the most radical members of the Democrat Party?” he said. “The answer is, this is not conservatism; this is not solid Republican values.”
