Skip to content
McHenry County Blog

McHenry County Blog

  • About
  • Home

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.

We Hate Spam!

We have recently instituted a system of spam control that helps keep the McHenry County Blog a lean, mean information machine. A side product of this process is that in certain cases you might be blocked or challenged to prove that you aren’t a robot in order to comment on articles.

If for some reason the automated processes that are in place to prove that you are a human do not work, or if you have any other technical problems with the blog, please email techguy at any time for speedy resolution.

About Cal Skinner

About Cal Skinner
Email Cal Skinner

Recent Posts

  • State Rep. Jeff Keicher Seeks Interns, Pay $17.50 per Hour March 21, 2026
  • Nick Shirley Exposes Hospice Fraud in California March 21, 2026
  • Darby Hills Gets Wider Coverage of Her Bills to Strengthen Child Sex Offenders March 21, 2026
  • Public Radio Tries to Emulate Christian Radio Listener Financing March 21, 2026
  • Northwest Headline on County Board Results Better Now March 20, 2026
uncategorized

Lame Duck Democrats, Tax Loving Republicans Hit Homeowners with Double Whammy

Cal SkinnerNovember 21, 2024October 24, 2025

Besides the 33% McHenry County Conservation operating fund approval by voters, which cut the MCCD levy decrease from 60% to 45% when bonds re paid off, the County Board also voted for a levy higher that could have been lower. The three […]

uncategorized

Underage Pot Arrests in Huntley

Cal SkinnerNovember 20, 2024November 21, 2024

From the Huntley Police:

uncategorized

Reick on Higher Electric Costs

Cal SkinnerNovember 20, 2024November 19, 2024

From State Rep, Steve Reick: Wait, Who Is Responsible for the High Utility Bills? As temperatures dip, we are beginning to see our utility bills go up, again. Everything is becoming more expensive, and I hear from more and more constituents about […]

uncategorized

Republican Caris Wipes Out Schneider in McHenry County

Cal SkinnerNovember 20, 2024November 20, 2024

The tally was 62% for Re;publican Jim Caris and 38% for incumbent Democrat Brad Schneider in McHenry County. Schneider lost every precinct.

uncategorized

Evans Beats Foster in McHenry County by Five Percentage Points

Cal SkinnerNovember 19, 2024

Jerry Evans topped incumbent Bill Foster by five percentage points in McHenry County with all votes counted.

uncategorized

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.

uncategorized

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.

uncategorized

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 […]

uncategorized

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 […]

uncategorized

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

uncategorized

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 […]

uncategorized

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.

uncategorized

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 […]

uncategorized

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 […]

uncategorized

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 […]

uncategorized

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 […]

uncategorized

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 […]

uncategorized

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 […]

uncategorized

Trespassing in Woodstock

Cal SkinnerNovember 17, 2024November 15, 2024

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

uncategorized

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 […]

uncategorized

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.

uncategorized

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 […]

uncategorized

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.

uncategorized

Alcohol, Plus Pot Charge in Woodstock

Cal SkinnerNovember 16, 2024November 15, 2024

From the Woodstock Police:

uncategorized

Harvard Seeking Tax Hike of 22%

Cal SkinnerNovember 16, 2024November 16, 2024

Harvard’s Black Box ad:

uncategorized

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, […]

uncategorized

Comparing States Harris Won with Those Not Requiring Voter Identification

Cal SkinnerNovember 16, 2024November 15, 2024

From Newsmaz: Just a coincidence, right?

uncategorized

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:

uncategorized

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 […]

uncategorized

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 […]

Posts pagination

1 … 123 124 125 126 127 … 134

Recent Comments

  • Steve Willson, Asserting the Cost of Low Income Housing Is Too High, Replies to John Collins Critique of Willson’s Analysis - McHenry County Blog on John Collins Replies to Steve Willson’s Reply to Collins’ Reply to Willson’s Piece on the High Cost of Low Income Housing
  • Contested McHenry Township GOP Precinct Committeeperson Contest Results - McHenry County Blog on In the Two Hot GOP Committeeperson Contests Early & Absentee Ballots Show Interesting Results
  • John Collins Replies to Steve Willson’s Reply to Collins’ Reply to Willson’s Piece on the High Cost of Low Income Housing - McHenry County Blog on Point, Counterpoint: Wilson Replies to Collins’ Critique of His Analysis of the High Cost of McHenry Affordable Income Housing
  • John Collins Replies to Steve Willson’s Reply to Collins’ Reply to Willson’s Piece on the High Cost of Low Income Housing - McHenry County Blog on John Collins Replies to Steve Willson’s Letter on the High Cost of Low Income Housing
  • John Collins Replies to Steve Willson’s Reply to Collins’ Reply to Willson’s Piece on the High Cost of Low Income Housing - McHenry County Blog on High Cost “Low Cost” Housing in McHenry
  • About
  • Home
Copyright 2024. All rights reserved.
rswpthemes.com