From the State’s Attorney: MCHENRY COUNTY’S MOST WANTED MAN FOR NEARLY TWENTY YEARS SENTENCED FOR 2005 MURDER McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi L. Freese announces that on January 14, 2026, Roberto Valdez-Calixto, 50, previously of Harvard, Illinois, was sentenced to nineteen years […]
From tne Coroner: McHenry County Coroner, Dr. Michael Rein, announced that his office was contacted on January 9, 2026, by Northwestern Medical McHenry to investigate the death of Linda Thompson, age 78 of Fox Lake, Illinois. The decedent was involved in a […]
From the U.S. Attorney: CHICAGO NURSE CHARGED WITH DISTRIBUTING COUNTERFEIT OZEMPIC CHICAGO — A registered nurse has been charged in federal court in Chicago with distributing counterfeit Ozempic. SHARON CHRISTINE SACKMAN distributed the counterfeit drugs to three individuals in Chicago in 2023, […]
From State Rep. Jeff Keicher: Rep. Keicher Recognized as Champion for Taxpayers SYCAMORE – State Representative Jeff Keicher (R-Sycamore), the Illinois House Republican Conference Chairman, has been named a 2025 Prairie State Policy Champion by Americans for Prosperity–Illinois (AFP-IL). Keicher, a long-time advocate for reforming the […]
From JB Pritzker: Pritzker Administration awards $36 million in grants for local park projects SPRINGFIELD – Today, Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) announced $36 million in grant funding was awarded to 67 local park projects throughout Illinois […]
Found in the Chicago Tribune: Illinois 9th Congressional District candidate Bruce Leon drops out, backs ex-FBI agent Phil Andrew That pretty much says it all.
From the State’s Attorney: DANIEL SWIDERSKI SENTENCED TO THREE YEARS IN THE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS FOR AGGRAVATED DOMESTIC BATTERY CHARGE McHenry County State’s Attorney Randi L. Freese announces that on January 13, 2026, Daniel Swiderski, 31, of Lake in the Hills, […]
From State Senator Don DeWitte: JCAR Accepts Safety Protocols for Department of Corrections Mail Processes I serve on the state’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), and on Friday JCAR accepted permanent rules for the handling of inmate mail at our Illinois […]
To put it bluntly, it appears Conservatives are outbreeding Liberals. And NPR thinks that is such a problem it presented a very long piece on “the Right” has captured the subject of the need to increase the birthrate. Here’s the headline: As […]
That’s the inflation rate for 2026 upon which acceptable increases the next (fall/early winter) real estate tax levies will be based. Here’s the relevant paragraph from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased […]
From the Cary Fire Protection District: Ice Rescue Incident at Lake Killarney On Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at 4:38 p.m., the Cary Fire Protection District was dispatched to the 6200 block of Londonderry Drive in unincorporated Cary for reports of people calling […]
The $13 million comes from a Pacific Legal Foundation analysis of equity lost by tax delinquent homeowners whose taxes were paid by what are called “tax buyers.” An article written last December quantifies the exposure: The Illinois Policy Institute has this article […]
With NPR off the Federal public dole, a history of Public Radio is embedded in an article by that name. The article explaining the day states, “While we don’t know the exact origin of this day, we know it was founded to […]
On behalf of McHenry County Blog, I filed a Freedom of Information request for a recording of the last meeting of Algonquin Township. The request was denied. The denial email from FOIA Officer Pam Gavers is below: Pamela Gavers Thu, Jan 8, […]
From YouTube: Note the “Endorsed by Jan Schakowsky” message at the end of the ad.
Found on YouTube:
From The Center Square: GOP senator wants budget transparency; Dems describe open process By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square (The Center Square) – As Illinois state senators return to Springfield, Democrats and Republicans disagree over the level of transparency in the state’s […]
McHenry County pork (earmarks, if one wishes to be non-transparent) has been ferreted out by the Illinois Policy Institute. Not just for McHenry County, but statewide. I’m pretty sure I dug this information shortly aft the budget passed, but there’s nothing wrong […]
From the U.S. Attorney: FORMER OPERATIONS MANAGER FOR SUBURBAN CHICAGO MEDICAL CENTER INDICTED IN ALLEGED $900,000 FRAUD SCHEME CHICAGO — A former operations manager for a suburban Chicago medical center has been indicted in connection with an alleged $900,000 fraud scheme. From […]
Route 14 in Crystal Lake was the site of a 200-300 person demonstration against ICE Saturday afternoon. The Northwest Herald reported 600-700 people showed up at the “Ice Out” demonstration in McHenry.ATION You can see from the photos below that organizers of […]
From Senate Democrats: CHICAGO – Taking both affordability and sustainability into account, members of the Illinois Senate Democratic Caucus led a landmark law that is projected to save Illinois households more than $13 billion in energy costs over the next two decades. “As Illinois […]
From State Senator Don DeWitte: Lawmakers Set to Return to the Capitol for Spring Session With Senators set to return to the Capitol on January 13 for the start of the spring legislative session, I am renewing calls for a change in […]
From McHenry County GOPAC: McHenry County GOPAC & McHenry County Republican Party to Host Candidate Forum McHenry County, IL — McHenry County GOPAC, in partnership with the McHenry County Republican Party, will host a Republican Candidate Forum featuring Republican candidates for Congressional […]
From the Illinois Policy Institute comes these figures showing the percentage increase in home prices since 2018. As I look down the list, it seems to be that municipalities with lower priced housing stock saw the highest percentage increases. McCullom Lake, for […]
From the Lake in the Hills Police: Holiday campaign brings impaired drivers to justice, boosts seat belt use Lake in the Hills, IL — This past holiday season, the Lake in the Hills Police Department teamed up with the Illinois Department of […]
From the Illinois Policy Institute: Waste watch: Illinois gives $12M to NASCAR Illinois’ opaque budget process handed $12 million to NASCAR. Fast and furious is no way to treat taxpayers’ money. Illinois’ 2026 budget included $12 million for NASCAR, but the cash […]
From the campaign of Don Tracy: Don Tracy Calls on Democrat Opponents to Withdraw Their Tim Walz Endorsements Following Whistleblower Retaliation Claims and Fraud Revelations SPRINGFIELD – Thursday, House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer revealed that whistleblowers who warned Minnesota state leaders about widespread fraud […]
After the Republicans took control of the Illinois House in 1994 election, State Rep. Maureen Murphy (R-Evergreen Park took as one of our highest priorities the testing of pregnant women for HIV. If a woman knew she was HIV-infected, there was treatment […]
Found on Capitol Fax from the Alton Telegraph “A bill proposed in the Illinois state House would require children to complete kindergarten in order to proceed to the first grade in public schools.” Unlike my well-adjusted younger sister, who attended a private […]
From the campaign of gubernatorial hopeful Darren Bailey: Louisville, IL – Today, gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey and his running mate, Lieutenant Governor candidate Aaron Del Mar, unveiled their comprehensive “Blueprint for Illinois” during a press conference at the Illinois State Capitol. This ambitious […]