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McHenry County Blog

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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
Email Cal Skinner

Recent Posts

  • Ted Dabrowski’s First and Second TV Ad During Bears Game January 18, 2026
  • Farmhouse Living Room Fire in Harvard January 18, 2026
  • 19-Year Old Arrested for Attempt to Meet 13-16-Year Old Youth for Sex January 18, 2026
  • Sunday Funnies January 18, 2026
  • Mandatory Mental Health Screening in Schools (Passed in Illinois) Found to Make No Difference January 18, 2026
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Schakowsky Pulls Ahead of Cohen after Late Arriving Votes Counted

Cal SkinnerNovember 19, 2024November 19, 2024

On election Republican Seth Cohen was leading incumbent Democrat Jan Schakowsky in Algonquin Township, the part of McHenry County gerrymandered into a congressional district with Evanston and part of Chicago. Adding in the provisional and mailed in votes, Schakowsky won McHenry County.

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McHenry County Cinches State Rep. Victory for Marty McLaughlin

Cal SkinnerNovember 19, 2024November 20, 2024

With a five percentage point spread in McHenry County over Democrat Maria Peterson, incumbent Republican Marty McLaughlin has been reelected. He is ahead of the woman the Democrats spent millions on by 47 votes.

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Democrat John Collins Maintains His Lead, Defeating John Reinert in County Board District 2

Cal SkinnerNovember 19, 2024November 19, 2024

The only close McHenry County Board race was in District 2 (Crystal Lake, Lakewood andLake in theHills). Former appointed Democrat John Collins regained his seat over incumbent John Reinert. The result is not changed significantly from Election night although Collins did end […]

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Conservation 33% Tax Hikers Win $200,000+ to $2,500 Referendum Campaign

Cal SkinnerNovember 19, 2024November 19, 2024

When balloting was announced on Election Day, the totals were 74,761 to 74,981, with opponents ahead by 178 votes. With the mailed in and provisional votes added, tax hikers were ahead 77,614 in favor to 76,757 in opposition. So taxes for the […]

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Dorr Township Candidates

Cal SkinnerNovember 19, 2024November 19, 2024

Running for office in Dorr Township are the following: Supervisor:  Susan  Brokaw Clerk:  Brenda Stack Assessor:  Tammy Benitez Highway Commissioner:  Tom Thurman, John Fuller Trustees:  Jon Sheahan, Patrick Keefe, Jim Brink, Ernie Hagenow

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Reick Summarizes State Budget Problems

Cal SkinnerNovember 19, 2024November 19, 2024

From State Rep. Steve Reick: Budget Woes are Back Again As state legislators in the minority party have been warning for years, the gravy train of “free” taxpayer money from the federal government is over, yet the appetite for spending by the […]

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McHenry County College Still Keeps Board Candidates Secret

Cal SkinnerNovember 19, 2024November 22, 2024

The filling period for local office is over, but McHenry County College still has not revealed who is running for its governing board. {CORRECTION: i GOT THE CANDIDATES IN THEAFTERNOONOFTHEFILING DEADLINE DAY.] Priceless.

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Lakewood Plans to Tax to the Max

Cal SkinnerNovember 19, 2024November 23, 2024

In a memo to the Lakewood Village Board, Administrator Jean Heckman writes the tax levy will be 3.7% higher next year than this. 3.4% of that amount is the maximum allowed under the Tax Cap law. The additional amount is from new […]

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Should McHenry County Be Discussing Leaving Illinois to Join Wisconsin

Cal SkinnerNovember 19, 2024November 18, 2024

Thirty-some counties have voted in advisory referendums to leave Illinois and join another state. McHenry County is out-of-touch with the rest of the Chicago metropolitan area politically, While dissociating itself from Illinois is pretty much impossible, such a discussion and advisory referendum […]

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Robber of Banks Gets 20 Years

Cal SkinnerNovember 18, 2024November 18, 2024

From the U.S. Attorney: Chicago Man Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Robbing Three Banks at Gunpoint CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for robbing three banks at gunpoint. In 2020 and […]

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Will Biden Authorization of Ukrainian Use of US Missiles against Russian Start WW III?

Cal SkinnerNovember 18, 2024November 18, 2024

That’s the through running through y head this morning. Donald Trump, Jr., had the same thought yesterday with this message on X: “The Military Industrial Complex seems to want to make sure they get World War 3 going before my father has […]

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DeWitt on State Budget Situation

Cal SkinnerNovember 18, 2024November 18, 2024

From State Senator Don DeWitt: As Illinois braces for a projected budget deficit of more than $3 billion, Senate Republicans are calling on Governor J.B. Pritzker to commit to balancing the budget without raising taxes on Illinois citizens and businesses. A recent […]

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Trump’s Tariff Threat Pays Dividends Already

Cal SkinnerNovember 18, 2024November 17, 2024

From “Trump Train News:” Trump Gets China To Concede On Tariffs President Trump last week raged about China’s high tariffs against American products. The Mainstream media breathlessly predicted a devastating trade war — one the MSM gleefully declared the U.S. would lose […]

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Trespassing in Woodstock

Cal SkinnerNovember 17, 2024November 15, 2024

From the Woodstock Police: The first is at the movie theater; the second Walmart.

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Mainstream Media: The End of the World as They Know It

Cal SkinnerNovember 17, 2024November 17, 2024

The last scene in “Thelma and Louise” exemplifies what the Mainstream Media have done to themselves: That description came fom Matt TabaII in the November 15th podcast after Walter Kirn spoke of the denial that the papers trafficked in about the economy […]

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Sunday Funnies – Dems Pondering Loss

Cal SkinnerNovember 17, 2024November 16, 2024

One of the disappointments to this new format is that images can’t be seen unless one clicks on the post’s title. This one is really amusing. It is taken from the Saturday Chicago Tribune editorial cartoon.

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Catholics Desertion of the Democratic Party

Cal SkinnerNovember 17, 2024November 16, 2024

The publication “First Things” dissects why Cathoics supported a Republican on November 5th. What popped out was the first reason given: First, key Democratic party policies have been locked in combat with key Catholic moral teachings for a long time now—ever since […]

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Four Have Filed for Crystal Lake Park Board So Far

Cal SkinnerNovember 16, 2024November 15, 2024

The candidates for four four-year terms: All are incumbents.

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Alcohol, Plus Pot Charge in Woodstock

Cal SkinnerNovember 16, 2024November 15, 2024

From the Woodstock Police:

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Harvard Seeking Tax Hike of 22%

Cal SkinnerNovember 16, 2024November 16, 2024

Harvard’s Black Box ad:

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Red v. Blue Election Results and Television’s Designation of Red for Republicans

Cal SkinnerNovember 16, 2024November 16, 2024

I’m still chafing from liberal television networks having fposted the color red on Republicans Red is, of course, the chosen color of Communists and Democrats are closer to that ideology than Republicans. As I learned in my only overseas junket in 1976, […]

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Comparing States Harris Won with Those Not Requiring Voter Identification

Cal SkinnerNovember 16, 2024November 15, 2024

From Newsmaz: Just a coincidence, right?

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County Tax Hike at Stake Tuesday Night, Contact Board Members

Cal SkinnerNovember 16, 2024November 15, 2024

From the McHenry County Libertarian Party: $300,000 in new real estates taxes could be relaced with money from the RTA Sales Tax, all of which now goes to transportation, but could be spent on law enforcement. Contact for County Board members follow:

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Truesday’s the Day the County Board Could Cut Our Taxes, Contact Board Members

Cal SkinnerNovember 15, 2024November 15, 2024

From the McHenry County Libertarian Party: The property tax levy could be reduced by about $300,000 by taking the money to hire three new Deputy Sheriffs from the RTA Sales Tax proceeds, rather than from the real estate tax. Contact for County […]

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Parties Forego Primary Elections in McHenry Township in Favor of Caucuses

Cal SkinnerNovember 15, 2024

Thanks to a bill crafted in 1973 by State Senator Jack Schaffer and myself, township parties in larger townships have the option of selecting tre;publicheir candidates in a party caucus or a party primary. In Algonquin and Nunda Townships, the Republicans have […]

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Apparently McHenry County College HIDING THE NAMES OF CANDIDTES UNTIL AFTER THE END OF FILING

Cal SkinnerNovember 15, 2024November 15, 2024

McHenry County College is earning the title “Last Transparent Local Government.” MCC is refusing to release the names of those who have filed for election to its Board of Trustees. A simple request did not meet with a reply…as has been the […]

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Local Hospitals Merit “A” on Patient Safety

Cal SkinnerNovember 15, 2024November 15, 2024

From Leapfrog comes ratings for how well they prevent medical errors, accidents and infections. Gaing “A” grades are the following local hospitals:

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AP Manages to Mention That Voters Care More about Price Hikes Than This Year’s Inflation Rate

Cal SkinnerNovember 15, 2024November 15, 2024

Found in an Associated Press article about how Biden should get credit for a good economy during Trump’s upcoming term: You thnk?

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Whooping Cough Cases Up in McHenry County

Cal SkinnerNovember 15, 2024November 14, 2024

From the Health Department: McHenry County Department of Health reports significant increase in pertussis cases throughout McHenry County MCHENRY COUNTY, IL – McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) has reported a significant increase in pertussis (whooping cough) cases, particularly among school-aged children, throughout […]

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McHenry County College Refuses to Release Names of Those Running for Board without Freedom of Information Request

Cal SkinnerNovember 14, 2024November 14, 2024

In a blatant exercise of its lack of transparency, McHenry County College has refused to provide the names of those who have filed to run for its governing board with my fililng a Freedom of Information request. Consider that But not McHenry […]

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Recent Comments

  • Lake County State’s Attorney Doesn’t Know It Is a State Office - McHenry County Blog on Possible Reasons the State’s Attorney Dropped the Lakemoor Hemp Case
  • The Property Tax Sale Problem That Could Cost McHenry County Taxpayers $13 Million - McHenry County Blog on McHenry County Taxpayers May Be on the Hook for $13 Million to Repay Home Equity Lost in Tax Sales
  • Cost Per Student in Crystal Lake High School District - McHenry County Blog on Test Scores, Costs for McHenry County School Districts, Link to All Illinois Districts
  • Leon Back In 9th District Democratic Party Primary - McHenry County Blog on Bruce Leon “Pauses” Campaign for 9th District Democratic Party Congressional Nomination
  • A Look at the County’s Legislative Agenda - McHenry County Blog on Taking Responsibility for Tax Money Received Is Good Government
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