McHenry County Blog

A press release from State Rep. Kent Gaffney, who is seeking to retain his seat against challenges from Danielle Rowe and Dave McSweeney:

Chicago Tribune Endorses Kent Gaffney for State Representative

Fox River Grove, IL – The Chicago Tribune has endorsed Kent Gaffney for State Representative in the Republican Primary for the 52nd House District.

The Chicago Tribune praised Gaffney’s budget expertise and fiscal discipline, saying:

Rep. Kent Gaffney of Lake Barrington toiled for years as the House Republicans’ budget director, making him an indispensable voice for spending discipline in Springfield. His forceful arguments are backed by a firm and often unassailable command of the numbers… Gaffney was appointed to the seat in July. Taxpayers need him to stay there.

Gaffney was endorsed by the Daily Herald earlier this month, which said:

…we endorse Gaffney, who is grounded by a realistic and practical approach to budgetary stewardship, having spent more than a decade as budget director for House Republicans.

Since taking the seat in June, Gaffney has been an active participant in his caucus’s talks on pension reform and other key issues… In addition, his state financial know-how provides an authoritative boost for lawmakers in the budgeting process. He aims to apply that knowledge to benefit his district…

Kent Gaffney is the endorsed Republican for State Representative. Kent is endorsed by 50 local Republican leaders, the Barrington Township Republican Organization and “Team Nunda.”

Representative Gaffney’s pro-jobs, pro-growth agenda earned him the endorsement of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce PAC. Kent is endorsed by ABATE and the National Rifle Association for his strong support of our constitutional rights.

My wife and I left the Illinois Republican Convention in Decatur on Saturday about 3:30.

When we got to Clinton, guess who saw the Clinton Antique Mall and wanted to stop.

I figured there might be a soft drink machine with a Diet Coke, so agreed.

The first part looked more like an interior designer’s store that your typical antique mall. We discovered we had arrived on a special day.

Free hot dogs.

I ran into a woman with one of those oval convention badges. It turned out to be DeKalb County Republican Party Chairman Mary Simons. I reminisced about the lumber dealer who used to be county chairman in the 1970′s. Conrad Hultgren, she said.

We talked about Tom Johnson, who went from the appointed DeKalb County auditor to Governor Richard Ogilvie’s Director of Local Government Affairs. That lead to Tom’s uncle, Stan Johnson, who represented part of McHenry County in the 1970 constitutional convention and, next, to another constitutional convention.

Simons told me that her family was from Madison County and had bought late 10950′s Republican crook State Auditor Orville Hodge’s home. People kept asking if they had looked for money in the walls, she said. (Michael Howlett won the office after that Republican scandal.)

We then found a more traditional part of the antique mall next door. That took more time.

In any event, on the way home, it was hard to miss weather alerts.

First, from WHOW, which has a new higher aerial with 6000 watts.

We listened to oldies, but goodies between Decatur and beyond.

At Bloomington where we saw this cloud, we decided to go up Interstate 39, instead of hearing up Route 55 to Dwight for the Route 47 turnoff.

Soon, we were glad we did.

After we lost WHOA, we found WJEZ-FM Dwight.

The coverage was just outstanding. I learned that Program Director Kent Casson, weather on call person, Todd Lowery, and Engineer Lane Lindstrom were the voices we heard.

The tornado had just passed north of Dwight, damaging some farm buildings. (Before we outran the station’s signal, neighbors were reported to be there helping clean up.)

When we got about halfway to Rockford we stopped at a gas station. The attendant said that a tornado had skipped across the landscape north of her station.

There was no radio station on in the convenience store, so I asked her how she found out.

“Scanner,” she replied, pointing to it.

We kept going north, thankful that we had chosen the roundabout route, but mainly four-lane route home.

It took us west of the tornado.

I figured if we hadn’t stopped in Clinton for the better part of an hour, we would have encountered the tornado as it neared I-39 and, had we taken Route 55, we would have been near Dwight when it started doing damage.

Lisa Smith, of the Wheeling Township Republican Organization, took Interstate 55 home. She was between Odell and Dwight.

She shot these photos of the tornado.

We took the Northwest Tollway from Rockford to the Route 20 Exit at Hampshire.

We were being chased by a thunder storm that turned into the tornado that hit Lake County.

= = = = =
All the photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the tornado ones are worth the look.

My wife and I left the Illinois Republican Convention in Decatur on Saturday about 3:30.

When we got to Clinton, guess who saw the Clinton Antique Mall and wanted to stop.

I figured there might be a soft drink machine with a Diet Coke, so agreed.

The first part looked more like an interior designer’s store that your typical antique mall. We discovered we had arrived on a special day.

Free hot dogs.

I ran into a woman with one of those oval convention badges. It turned out to be DeKalb County Republican Party Chairman Mary Simons. I reminisced about the lumber dealer who used to be county chairman in the 1970′s. Conrad Hultgren, she said.

We talked about Tom Johnson, who went from the appointed DeKalb County auditor to Governor Richard Ogilvie’s Director of Local Government Affairs. That lead to Tom’s uncle, Stan Johnson, who represented part of McHenry County in the 1970 constitutional convention and, next, to another constitutional convention.

Simons told me that her family was from Madison County and had bought late 10950′s Republican crook State Auditor Orville Hodge’s home. People kept asking if they had looked for money in the walls, she said. (Michael Howlett won the office after that Republican scandal.)

We then found a more traditional part of the antique mall next door. That took more time.

In any event, on the way home, it was hard to miss weather alerts.

First, from WHOW, which has a new higher aerial with 6000 watts.

We listened to oldies, but goodies between Decatur and beyond.

At Bloomington where we saw this cloud, we decided to go up Interstate 39, instead of hearing up Route 55 to Dwight for the Route 47 turnoff.

Soon, we were glad we did.

After we lost WHOA, we found WJEZ-FM Dwight.

The coverage was just outstanding. I learned that Program Director Kent Casson, weather on call person, Todd Lowery, and Engineer Lane Lindstrom were the voices we heard.

The tornado had just passed north of Dwight, damaging some farm buildings. (Before we outran the station’s signal, neighbors were reported to be there helping clean up.)

When we got about halfway to Rockford we stopped at a gas station. The attendant said that a tornado had skipped across the landscape north of her station.

There was no radio station on in the convenience store, so I asked her how she found out.

“Scanner,” she replied, pointing to it.

We kept going north, thankful that we had chosen the roundabout route, but mainly four-lane route home.

It took us west of the tornado.

I figured if we hadn’t stopped in Clinton for the better part of an hour, we would have encountered the tornado as it neared I-39 and, had we taken Route 55, we would have been near Dwight when it started doing damage.

Lisa Smith, of the Wheeling Township Republican Organization, took Interstate 55 home. She was between Odell and Dwight.

She shot these photos of the tornado.

We took the Northwest Tollway from Rockford to the Route 20 Exit at Hampshire.

We were being chased by a thunder storm that turned into the tornado that hit Lake County.

= = = = =
All the photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the tornado ones are worth the look.