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McHenry County Blog

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About

Cal Skinner

This is a journal of news and opinion designed to bring to light matters of public interest and to encourage public participation in the governmental process. Emphasis will be on McHenry County, but Illinois state news will be covered. Articles and photos are copyrighted and may not be reproduced without explicit written permission.

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About Cal Skinner

About Cal Skinner
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Recent Posts

  • Opportunity to Get Up Close and Personal with State Senator Craig Wilcox July 14, 2025
  • Pritzker Sends Search and Rescue Team to Texas July 14, 2025
  • Lakewood Considering Joining Class Action Suit against Forever Chemical Manufacturers July 14, 2025
  • 25 Years for 2021 Marengo Circle K Armed Robbery July 14, 2025
  • Pot + Alcohol Mixture for Arrest July 14, 2025
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Opportunity to Get Up Close and Personal with State Senator Craig Wilcox

Cal SkinnerJuly 14, 2025May 12, 2025

The place is in Cary and the time is tomorrow: July 15: Conversations Untapped, Spirit Water Brewery, Distillery, and Taproom, 3300 Three Oaks Road, Cary, 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM

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Pritzker Sends Search and Rescue Team to Texas

Cal SkinnerJuly 14, 2025July 14, 2025

From JB Pritzker: Illinois Sends Search and Rescue Team to Texas Springfield—An Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) team from Illinois is headed to Texas overnight to assist with operations after deadly flooding this week. This group of 39 rescuers from fire departments, […]

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Lakewood Considering Joining Class Action Suit against Forever Chemical Manufacturers

Cal SkinnerJuly 14, 2025July 11, 2025

From the Lakewood Village Board agenda package for Jully 15th: Consideration for Approving an Agreement for Legal Services Related toAFFF PFAS Litigation GKW & W, along with Mike Stag of Stag Liuzza, has been engaged by municipalities in Illinois to represent them […]

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25 Years for 2021 Marengo Circle K Armed Robbery

Cal SkinnerJuly 14, 2025July 14, 2025

From The State’s Attorney: ANTONIO PEDROTE SENTENCED TO TWENTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS FOR ARMED ROBBERY WITH A FIREARM McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi L. Freese announces that on July 11, 2025, Antonio Pedrote, 30, of Berwyn, Illinois, was […]

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Pot + Alcohol Mixture for Arrest

Cal SkinnerJuly 14, 2025July 14, 2025

From the Cary Police:

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Another First Ranking for Which Illinois Taxpayers Won’t Rejoice

Cal SkinnerJuly 14, 2025July 12, 2025

From the Illinois Policy Institute: Illinoisans paid the highest state and local taxes for wireless cell phone services in the nation in 2024 – $136 per family more than the average. An increase in Illinois’ telecommunication tax July 1 just made them […]

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Rich Miller Challenges Pritzker to Improve Poor Administration of Food Stamp (SNAP) Benefits

Cal SkinnerJuly 14, 2025July 12, 2025

The reason? The lower the fraud rate, the lower the share a state government has to pick up. From Rich Miller’s Sunday Chicago Sun-Times column: Won’t be easy, but Illinois has a chance to mitigate SNAP cuts Gov. JB Pritzker frequently touts […]

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Lake in the Hills Reports July 4th Enhanced Enforcement Results

Cal SkinnerJuly 13, 2025July 13, 2025

From the Lake in the Hills Police: The Lake in the Hills Police Department releases Fourth of July enforcement statistics Lake in the Hills, IL – The Lake in the Hills Police Department issued a total of 75 citations, including .arrests, during […]

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Tribune Quotes Marengo Methodist Church Food Bank Spokesman in Article about Democratic Party Forum

Cal SkinnerJuly 13, 2025July 13, 2025

John Arient is quotes in a Sunday Chicago Tribune article entitled, “Leaders slam fed SNAP changes at Geneva event.” Run by the local Methodist Church, Stone Soup spokesman John Arient is quoted. I take part in the 1:30 Friday food distribution at […]

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Sunday Funnies

Cal SkinnerJuly 13, 2025July 13, 2025

From the Illinois Policy Institute cartoonist Eric Allie:

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Route 12 Railroad Crossing Closed All Week

Cal SkinnerJuly 13, 2025July 11, 2025

From the McHenry County Department of Transportation: Wisconsin and Southern to Perform a Temporary Closure of Wilmot Road for Railroad Crossing Work WOODSTOCK, Ill. – The McHenry County Division of Transportation announces that Wisconsin and Southern Railroad will be performing a temporary […]

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One Crystal Lake Car Dealer Prepared for Tariffs on Japan

Cal SkinnerJuly 13, 2025July 12, 2025

M’Lady Nissan has had scores of vehicles parked in the vast parking lot in front of Ace Hardware in Crystal Lake. I’m wondering if the dealership had to pay upfront or had a special financial arrangement with Nissan.

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Transport Van Crash on Route 31 in McHenry Sends Nine to Hospitals, One by Copter

Cal SkinnerJuly 13, 2025July 13, 2025

From the McHenry Fire Protection District: Vehicle Accident On Saturday, July 12th, at approximately 7:20 p.m., the McHenry Township Fire Protection District (MTFPD) was dispatched to a motor vehicle accident with reported entrapment at the intersection of Prime Parkway and Illinois Route 31 […]

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Local Duck Hunting Blind Lottery Coming Up

Cal SkinnerJuly 13, 2025June 6, 2025

From the Department of Natural Resources: Illinois waterfowl blind drawings sites and schedule released for 2025 season SPRINGFIELD – Waterfowl hunters should mark their calendars for upcoming waterfowl blind drawings at several public hunting areas in Illinois. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources […]

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An Unexpected Tee Shirt at Crystal Lake’s Independence Day Parade

Cal SkinnerJuly 13, 2025July 10, 2025

Presumably worn by a man whose ancestors were Tories. Perhaps a visitor from Canada.

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Volkswagen Settlement Finances Four Electric Buses for Huntley School District

Cal SkinnerJuly 13, 2025July 12, 2025

From the JB Pritzker Administration: Gov. Pritzker Announces Funding for 46 New All-Electric School Buses ​ CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) to announced seven grant awards totaling more than $13 million for 46 new […]

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Gun Charges Lodged against Marengo 19-Year Old

Cal SkinnerJuly 12, 2025July 11, 2025

From the Marengo Police:

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Seven More Years for Threatening Probation Officer

Cal SkinnerJuly 12, 2025July 10, 2025

From the U.S Attorney: FEDERAL INMATE SENTENCED TO ADDITIONAL SEVEN YEARS IN PRISON FOR THREATENING U.S. PROBATION OFFICER IN CHICAGO CHICAGO — A federal inmate has been sentenced to an additional seven years in prison for threatening a U.S. Probation officer in […]

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Lakewood Announces Surplus Equipment

Cal SkinnerJuly 12, 2025July 11, 2025

From the most recent agenda of the Lakewood Village Board packet:

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“Criminal Defacement” Graffiti on Lake in the Hills Street

Cal SkinnerJuly 12, 2025July 11, 2025

From the Lake in the Hills Police comes this image at Lakewood Rd / S Annandale Dr:

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Woodstock Continues Crackdown on Transients

Cal SkinnerJuly 12, 2025July 7, 2025

From the Woodstock Police: Date Occurred: 6/30/2025, Location: S. EASTWOOD DR. & LAKE AVE. Name: HEADLEY, KENNETH E., Address: TRANSIENT, Sex: M Race: W Age: 46 Charges: Disposition: ARRESTED, CITED & RELEASED ON NTA

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Stories You Won’t Read in McHenry County Newspapers

Cal SkinnerJuly 12, 2025July 9, 2025

From Lee County Florida:

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Hebron Lutheran Church May Have Been Hit by Lightning

Cal SkinnerJuly 12, 2025July 12, 2025

Found ABC Channel 7: “Don Gritmacker, church council president, said lightning may have potentially hit the church. “We have a possible lightning strike on the steeple. We don’t know that for sure. It has not been confirmed. The structure is sound.”

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44 Years in Road Rage Case Started with Throwing a Water Bottle

Cal SkinnerJuly 12, 2025July 12, 2025

From the State’s Attorney:  SENTENCED TO 44 YEARS IN THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS FOR THE OFFENSE OF ATTEMPT FIRST DEGREE MURDER AFTER BENCH TRIAL McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi Freese announces that on July 9, 2025, Juan A. Colon, 29, of Waukegan, […]

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Democrats in Crystal Lake Independence Day Parade

Cal SkinnerJuly 12, 2025July 10, 2025

It was raining by the time the contingent representing the McHenry County Democratic Party made it down the hill on Dole Avenue Sunday afternoon. But before the parade began I ran into Evanston Mayor and former State Senator Dan Biss looking for […]

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Horse Falls on Man Near Harvard

Cal SkinnerJuly 11, 2025July 11, 2025

From the Harvard Fire Protection District: Traumatic Injury Incident – Busse Road On Friday, July 11, 2025, at 1:45 p.m., the Harvard Fire Protection District responded to the 500 block of Busse Road for a reported traumatic injury. While en route, crews […]

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Lightning May Have Struck McHenry Home

Cal SkinnerJuly 11, 2025July 11, 2025

From the McHenry Fire Protection District: Waterford Road Fire On Thursday, July 10th, at approximately 10:30 p.m., the McHenry Township Fire Protection District (MTFPD) was dispatched to an inside smoke investigation in the 6900 block of Waterford Drive in McHenry. Fire crews […]

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Two Years in Federal Pen for Man Who Threatened FEMA Employees & Local Police

Cal SkinnerJuly 11, 2025July 11, 2025

From the U.S. Attorney: SUBURBAN CHICAGO MAN SENTENCED TO TWO YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR THREATENING FEMA EMPLOYEES AND LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for threatening Federal Emergency Management […]

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Son of “El Chapo” Pleads Guilty

Cal SkinnerJuly 11, 2025July 11, 2025

From the U.S. Attorney: OVIDIO GUZMAN LOPEZ—SON OF “EL CHAPO” AND A HEAD OF SINALOA CARTEL—PLEADS GUILTY TO FEDERAL DRUG CHARGES IN CHICAGO CHICAGO – OVIDIO GUZMAN LOPEZ, who succeeded his father—Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as “El Chapo”—as one of the […]

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Sex Offender Fails to Register in Cary

Cal SkinnerJuly 11, 2025July 11, 2025

From the Cary Police:

Posts pagination

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Recent Comments

  • Race for Democratic Party Nomination to Replace Jan Schakowsky Expanding–Up to Twelve So Far - McHenry County Blog on Phil Andrew Still Another 9th District Democratic Party Hopeful
  • New Count on Real Estate Taxes Exceeding $10,000 - McHenry County Blog on Federal Tax Legislation Will Reward Thousands of High Property Taxpayers in McHenry County
  • Pritzker’s Presidential Poll Numbers Flatlining - McHenry County Blog on Pritzker, a Two-Percenter
  • Counterpoint to John Collins’ Argument That the Crystal Lake Park District Should Buy HealthBridge - McHenry County Blog on YMCA Would Be Hurt If Park District Buys HealthBridge
  • Northwest Herald Pours Gasoline on Crystal Lake Park District’s Newly-Elected Majority as New Board President Shares His Phone Number - McHenry County Blog on DEI Supporters Keep Up Pressure on Crystal Lake Park Board, Conflict of Interest Charged for New Attorney, Pitch Made for Purchasing HealthBridge, Lake Advisory Committee Discussed
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