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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

  • Lake in the Hills Reports Labor Day Enhanced Traffic Enforcement Results September 5, 2025
  • Notes on the Illinois Economy September 5, 2025
  • Donald Trump, Jr., Attends Fundraiser in Barrington Hills September 5, 2025
  • Odds of Catalina Lauf Wheatley Winning Bryan Donalds’ Congressional Seat Get Lower September 5, 2025
  • Trump Administration Has No Impact on McHenry County College September 5, 2025
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Cary Head-on Crash Closes Route 14 for 45 Minutes

Cal SkinnerDecember 20, 2024

From the Cary Fire Protection District: Cary Incident: Two-Vehicle Head-On Collision At 8:27 p.m., the Cary Fire Protection District responded to a two-vehicle, head-on collision near the intersection of Route 14 and Nimco Drive. Firefighters arrived within minutes and found two vehicles […]

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Harvard Rollover

Cal SkinnerDecember 20, 2024December 20, 2024

From the Harvard Fire Protection District: Harvard Incident: Single Vehicle Rollover At 7:31 p.m., the Harvard Fire Protection District was dispatched to the 18700 block of Route 14 for a single-vehicle rollover crash. Upon arrival, firefighters discovered a damaged vehicle that had […]

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Crystal Lake Mayor Haig Haleblian Suffers Two Losses to Self-Storage Owners

Cal SkinnerDecember 20, 2024December 19, 2024

McHenry County Blog wrote earlier of Crystal Lake’s intention to impose a sales tax on self-storage units. The staff memo said $150,000 would be raised. Self-storage unit owners got together and sent a detailed letter of opposition signed by James Keelan and […]

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Health Department Reports First Death of Young Child from Respiratory Syncytial Virus

Cal SkinnerDecember 20, 2024December 20, 2024

From the Health Department: McHenry County Department of Health reports first pediatric RSV death of 2024 surveillance season MCHENRY COUNTY, IL – The McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) is reporting the first pediatric death attributed to Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) of the […]

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Report Shows Wildly Inaccurate Crystal Lake Tax Increment Financial Projections

Cal SkinnerDecember 20, 2024December 18, 2024

From Crystal Lake’s Don Kountz:: Crystal Lake held their annual Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Joint Review Board and Public Hearing recently.  I’ve made a simple spreadsheet from the mandatory reports that are filed with the Illinois State Comptroller.  Items to note are […]

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When Will an Illinois Legislator Introduce a No Tax on Tips Bill?

Cal SkinnerDecember 19, 2024December 17, 2024

Unleash Prosperity Hotline #1166 reports that Virginia’s Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin is the first to support passage of a state No Tax on Tips law. He writes that on all future credit card payments in restaurants he will write “No Tax on […]

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NJ Man Sentenced to 8 Years for Grooming & Soliciting Sexual Photos from Lake in the Hills and Huntley Middle School Students

Cal SkinnerDecember 19, 2024December 21, 2024

From the State’s Attorney: VICTOR MEZA VALDEZ SENTENCED TO 8 YEARS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS FOR CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND GROOMING The Office of the McHenry County State’s Attorney, announces that Victor Meza Valdez, formerly of Ringwood, New Jersey, was sentenced to […]

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Immigration Attorney Accused of Being Crooked

Cal SkinnerDecember 19, 2024December 19, 2024

From the U.S. Attorney: Chicago Attorney Indicted on Immigration Fraud Charges CHICAGO — A Chicago attorney has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly providing false and fraudulent information to U.S. authorities to obtain immigration benefits for his foreign national clients. […]

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Librarian Gets Two Years for Stealing $770,000

Cal SkinnerDecember 19, 2024December 19, 2024

From the U.S,, Attorney: Former Head of Suburban Chicago Public Library Sentenced to Two Years in Federal Prison for Embezzling More Than $770,000 CHICAGO — The former director of the Markham, Ill. Public Library has been sentenced to two years in federal […]

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WIND Email Reveals $70,000 Salary Increase for Members of Congress in Omnibus Spending Bill

Cal SkinnerDecember 19, 2024December 19, 2024

From WIND: Nick Sortor: What the HELL has Congress done to think they deserve a $70,000 per year pay raise? They’re calling it a “cost of living adjustment.” But THEY ARE THE REASON the cost of living is so out of control. They […]

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Crystal Lake, Huntley Woodstock Nursing Homes Fined, Statewide Link Included

Cal SkinnerDecember 19, 2024December 17, 2024

From the Illinois Department of Public health (All fines levied during the third quarter can be found here.) Huntley FACILITY NAME: Alden Estates Cts of HuntleyFACILITY ADDRESS: 12140 Regency ParkwayFACILITY CITY, STATE, ZIP: Huntley, IL 60142 DOCKET NUMBER: NH 24-S0583 LICENSEE INFO: Alden […]

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Deer Shot in McHenry County Down from a Year Ago

Cal SkinnerDecember 19, 2024December 18, 2024

From the Illinois Department of Natural Resources: More than 82,000 deer harvested during Illinois firearm deer season SPRINGFIELD – Hunters in Illinois took a preliminary total of 82,496 deer during the seven-day 2024 Illinois firearm deer season that concluded Dec. 8. Comparatively, hunters […]

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Heavy Police Activity West of Crystal Lake’s West Grade School

Cal SkinnerDecember 18, 2024December 18, 2024

From the Crystal Lake Police: Heavy police activity in Crystal Lake 7:23 PM – There is currently heavy police activity in the 100 block of Heather Drive in Crystal Lake. There is no public safety threat. Please avoid this area until further […]

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FBI Investigating ATM Robbery in Lake in the Hills While Being Serviced by Technician

Cal SkinnerDecember 18, 2024

From the Lake in the Hills Police: No one injured during the Robbery of an ATM at Bank of America Lake in the Hills, IL – No one was injured on Tuesday, December 17, 2024 during the robbery of an ATM aBank […]

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Fox River Grove Announces Use for $600,000 State Grant for Lions Park

Cal SkinnerDecember 18, 2024December 18, 2024

From the Villahe of Fox River Grove: Village of Fox River Grove Receives Open Space Land Acquisition and Development (OSLAD) Grant for Developing Public Parks and Outdoor Recreational Space FOX RIVER GROVE – The Village of Fox River Grove is pleased to […]

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Antioch Man Serving as Charitable Housing Exec Indicted for Kickbacks, Bribery

Cal SkinnerDecember 18, 2024December 18, 2024

From the US. Attorney: Suburban Chicago Man Charged With Embezzling Millions from Nonprofit Organization CHICAGO — The former Executive Director of a Chicago-area nonprofit organization has been indicted on federal fraud charges for allegedly embezzling millions of dollars in cash and real […]

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Companies with More Than 15 Employees Will Soon Have to Make Salaries Public

Cal SkinnerDecember 18, 2024December 16, 2024

From the Illinois Labor Department: Pay Transparency Law Takes Effect January 1 Law requires pay scale and benefit information in job postings SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) is reminding job seekers and employers that, effective January 1, 2025, all job […]

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Second Time Is the Charm for Lakewood Police Tesla Purchase Request

Cal SkinnerDecember 18, 2024December 18, 2024

By a vote of 6-0, the Lakewood Village Board approved the purchase of a Tesla for its Police Department last night. The first time around Chief Mike Roth was not successful. He presented a cost-benefit analysis that apparently was persuasive. When asked […]

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Not Dimming Headlights Results in Pot Citation

Cal SkinnerDecember 18, 2024December 16, 2024

From the Cary Police:

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Illegals with Illinois Drivers’ Licenses

Cal SkinnerDecember 18, 2024December 17, 2024

From State Rep. Dan Ugaste: More Than 155,000 Standard IDs and Driver’s Licenses Issued to Illinois Noncitizens in 5 Months Since Law Went Into Effect.   More than 155,000 standardized IDs and driver’s licenses for non-U.S. citizens have been issued in the five […]

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Pace Budget Analysis Shows Uber or Cab Service Would Be Cheaper

Cal SkinnerDecember 18, 2024December 16, 2024

Former Lakewood village president Erin Smith recently gave a presentation to the County Board on how “2024 has been a transformative year for Pace. (Since she has been out of office going on eight years, one wonders why she is still in […]

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Rob Parrish Announces Candidacy for Nunda Township Road Commissioner, Outlines Shortcomings of Incumbent Opponent

Cal SkinnerDecember 18, 2024December 16, 2024

From Nunda Township Trustee Rob Parrish, who lost to Mike Lesperance eight years ago by three votes and has been bird-dogging him every since with the help of his brother, until-recently also a nuda Township Trustee.: I am pleased to announce my […]

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Extensive Analysis of Causalities in Hamas-Israeli War Confirms Media Bias

Cal SkinnerDecember 17, 2024December 17, 2024

I ventured into media coverage of deaths in the Hamas-Israeli war in an study by an organization called Fifty Global. MISLABELING ON THE BATTLEFIELD: How Mass Media Misrepresents Combatant Casualties as Civilian Deaths in Gaza Coverage The “findings suggest a significant imbalance […]

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Almost 13 Years for Developer Embezzling from Bank in Mayor Daley’s Neighborhood

Cal SkinnerDecember 17, 2024December 17, 2024

From the U.S. Attorney: Real Estate Developer Sentenced to Nearly 13 Years in Prison for Embezzling Millions From the Failed Washington Federal Bank in Chicago CHICAGO — A federal judge in Chicago has sentenced a real estate developer to nearly 13 years […]

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Looking at the Birthright Citizenship Debate

Cal SkinnerDecember 17, 2024December 17, 2024

A commentary by Amy Swearer published in The Daily Signal brought light on what I and many others considered settled law–that someone born in the United Stats is automatically a citizen of the United States. That is how such newborns are treated […]

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Fox River Grove and Woodstock Score Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars in State Park Grants

Cal SkinnerDecember 16, 2024December 16, 2024

From the Illinois Department of Naltural Resouirces: Pritzker Administration awards $55.2 million in grants for local park projects Grant funding will help 100 parks statewide develop recreational opportunities SPRINGFIELD – Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources announced […]

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Chinaman Laundering Money for Mexican Drug Cartel Gets 10 Years

Cal SkinnerDecember 16, 2024December 16, 2024

From the U.S. Attorney:. Chinese National Sentenced to Ten Years in Federal Prison for Laundering $62 Million in Drug Proceeds on Behalf of Mexican Traffickers CHICAGO — A federal judge in Chicago has sentenced a Chinese national to a decade in prison […]

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South Barrington Man Pleads Guilty to Not Paying Sales Tax on $104 Million

Cal SkinnerDecember 16, 2024December 17, 2024

From the Illinois Department of Revenue: Illinois Department of Revenue Announces Guilty Plea and Conviction of South Barrington Man in Long-Term Sales Tax Investigation Case of His Pizza Places Record-Breaking $104 Million in Gross Receipts Underreported Chicago – The Illinois Department of Revenue […]

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From Now through January 2nd Local Police Have Federally-Financed Cars on Duty

Cal SkinnerDecember 16, 2024December 16, 2024

It started two days ago and will continue until the day after New Year’s Day. Headlines used by various police departments include Drive High, Get a DUI and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and’ Drive merry, bright and sober this holiday […]

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71-Year Old Enbridge Pipeline That Appears to Run Through Western McHenry County Springs Leak in Wisconsin

Cal SkinnerDecember 16, 2024December 15, 2024

From Epoch News: Enbridge spokesperson Juli Kellner told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that the spill—estimated at around 1,650 barrels, or 70,000 gallons—was caused by a faulty connection on a pump transfer pipe within Enbridge Cambridge Station.

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Recent Comments

  • Pritzker’s Juvenile Detention Centers Send Press Release to Deflect from Sex Abuse Suits - McHenry County Blog on Rape and Other Sexual Abuse Charged in Illinois’ Juvenile Facilities
  • The Venezuelan Solution to Illegals in the United States - McHenry County Blog on Cutting Off the Head of the Syrian Snake Is Bringing People Home; Could Trump Attack Venezuelan Illegal Alien Problem by Getting Rid of Nicolás Maduro?
  • Crystal Lake Park District’s Nondisclosure Agreement Concerning Due Diligence with Northwestern Medical Concerning HealthBridge - McHenry County Blog on Park District Emails Concerning Healthbridge
  • Northwest Herald Features Rally in Support of Crystal Lake Park District Which Had No Mention of the Push to Buy HealthBridge - McHenry County Blog on Counterpoint to John Collins’ Argument That the Crystal Lake Park District Should Buy HealthBridge
  • Northwest Herald Features Rally in Support of Crystal Lake Park District Which Had No Mention of the Push to Buy HealthBridge - McHenry County Blog on Critiquing John Collins’ Critique of Park Board President Fred Tiesenga’s Letter to Constituents about Property Taxes Shows Almost One-Third Increase in His Park District Tax Bill over the Last Ten Years
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