In a do-over of the action taken by the McHenry County Republican Central Committee’s Executive Committee, Precinct Committeepersons meeting in convention, nominated First Assisrant State’s Attorney Randi Freese to replace her boss Patrick Kenneally on the fall ballot.
There was no opposition.
While the party’s recently revised by-laws state that the Executive Committee acts in place of the Precinct Committeepersons, it seems that is not the case when candidate replacements are to be selected.
From a reader of McHenry County Blog under this day before Christmas, 2023, article:
Hey Cal,
Mark Farrell here. (waves)
A few months back, we received an electric bill that nearly caused me to pee in my pants. The bill had been hovering around $200 to $220 for several months. As a result of the pandemic, the kids work from home and have 3 sometimes 4 high performance computers running 24/7 along with 7 monitors.
I didn’t have to turn heat on all winter.
Quite the opposite, sometimes I had to open windows to let the heat out.
Then, without warning, the bill skyrocketed to $330.
I called CommieEd and screamed bloody murder and the daft dimwit at the other end of the line simply said,
“There were no changes that would have caused your bill to suddenly jump and ‘you know’ that it costs more to heat a home in the winter, than it does to cool it in the summer.”
To which I replied, “I HAVE NOT turned my heat on all winter, so that’s a load of garbage. I don’t trust your ‘smart meters’ at all. I need someone to service the damn thing and find out if its working properly and refund me if it’s not.”
Surprisingly, she sent me to the actual service department person who scheduled a meter test for “Sometime in the next few months.”
I was never told anything about the meter test results, but with this previous bill, the charges dropped nearly $50 for absolutely no apparent reason.
We’ve not made any changes to the power usage in any way that would have affected the bill like that.
The apartment is 100% electric and nothing seems to be failing that might cause energy loss.
And, certainly nothing that would all of the sudden start using less energy without noticeable change to it’s operation.
This is particularly frustrating as I’ve been an electrician in the professional world since the mid 70’s and started working with electronics (seriously) around age 14. My father George, was an electrical engineer, so a lot of that rubbed off. 🙂
Needless to say, every time I get a reply off of a script, I cringe and grit my teeth, knowing that they are heaping on the fertilizer to someone they think is a complete cretin.
I admit, there are times I’m a bit of a know-it-all and tend to show off, but I’ve been involved with this industry for long enough to know that when they start arguing about guaranteeing shareholders profits, we are doomed.
I personally feel that common ‘required’ utilities and natural resources should never have been turned over to the commercial-for-profit marketplace.
Because, this is what happens and you can’t stop it or even kill it.
It would make my day (month / year / lifetime) to see CommunistEdison get consumed by the State.
We’re lucky they can’t offshore the operation of CommieEd, they’d need one hell of a long extension cord.
Once a company goes ‘public’, I believe that according to the SEC, that their primary goal is to always provide (ensure) their shareholders with the highest profit possible, through any and all means.
And it sure shows every time ComEd opens its mouth about how they need to make a billion or two more next year to meet their shareholders needs – oh, and possibly to do some needed work on the grid.
Not only do they hold a monopoly on the service and supply end, they hold a stranglehold monopoly on the actual fitting of service to a structure.
In other words, “You will have a Commonwealth Edison service installed and be charged accordingly, even if you don’t use our electricity.” This is going on all over the country.
In the Western states, when certain areas went all solar, wind, battery and inverters, their electricity vendors immediately created a surtax for anyone using less than a minimum amount of energy “to make up for losses”.
“to make up for losses”
What a quaint and almost poetic way of saying:
“Look here Mr/Mrs Public, you are screwed no matter what you think or what you do.
We will have our way with you and that’s that. Your only choice is what kind of lube.”
Since most of our bills are based on a percentage charge of kW/h used, you can bet even money, that every power company, in every state, will be doing the same – eventually.
That’s what a monopoly is all about, right?
The end of choice.
Seems sort of like government without representation…
I wonder how many of those “smart” power meters are skimming or should I say “skinning” us each month.
From the Harvard Police:
24-003204
On Wednesday, May 1, 2024, at approximately 7:40 am, the Harvard Police Department responded promptly to an incident at Harvard Jr. High School, located at 1301 North Garfield Street.
The response was initiated following reports of a student potentially carrying a weapon on school premises.
According to initial reports, a vigilant staff member observed a student, aged 13, brandishing what appeared to be a handgun from a backpack, showing it to other students.
In a commendable act, the staff member intervened immediately, resulting in the discovery that the weapon in question was, in fact, a BB gun.
Upon notification, the Harvard Police Department, in collaboration with Harvard Community School District 50 administration, launched a thorough investigation into the matter.
As a result, the youth involved has been charged with Disorderly Conduct and petitioned to McHenry County Court Services.
Subsequently, the youth was released into the custody of a guardian.
Photographs accompanying this release depict the BB gun, which strikingly resembles a real 1911-style handgun, lacking any distinguishing marks or orange tip indicative of its status as a BB gun, without closer inspection.
We urge parents and guardians to engage in conversations with their children regarding the gravity of bringing such items to school premises or carrying them in public areas.
While this incident was promptly identified and managed safely, it serves as a stark reminder of the potential consequences of such actions.
The Harvard Police Department remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all members of the Harvard community, particularly our students.
We appreciate the swift actions taken by school staff and law enforcement personnel in addressing this matter.
From the Lake in the Hills Police:
From the U.S. Attorney:
CHICAGO — The former Chief Operating Officer of an Illinois hospital has been sentenced to a year and a half in federal prison for illegally pocketing more than $620,000 in hospital funds.
ROBERT SPADONI was an attorney who worked as a Vice President and COO of the hospital. From 2013 to 2021, Spadoni orchestrated a scheme in which he approved payment of invoices to a vendor company that purportedly provided the hospital with administrative support and compliance services.
In reality, the vendor company – Medical Education Solutions, Inc. – had been established by Spadoni for the purpose of executing the scheme. Spadoni’s family member opened a bank account in the company’s name and steered the hospital’s payments into it. Spadoni concealed the fraud scheme by paying $1,500 a month in cash to another hospital employee to actually provide the administrative and compliance services.
As a result of the fraud scheme, Spadoni obtained approximately $622,500 in payments from the hospital.
Spadoni used the money for his own benefit, including
Spadoni, 59, of Darien, Ill., pleaded guilty earlier this year to a mail fraud charge.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly on Tuesday ordered Spadoni to pay $622,500 in restitution to the hospital.
The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Kwame Raoul, Illinois Attorney General. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Chester Choi.
From the U.S. Attorney:
CHICAGO — The owner of a suburban Chicago medical supply company has been convicted of federal fraud charges for paying kickbacks to a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs employee in exchange for procuring orders of medical equipment.
After a week-long trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago, the jury on Monday found DARREN A. SMITH, 59, of Hazel Crest, Ill., guilty of all eight wire fraud counts against him.
Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.
U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang set sentencing for Sept. 10, 2024.
Smith operated a medical distribution company based in Bolingbrook, Ill.
Evidence at trial revealed that Smith schemed with a procurement clerk in the Veterans Health Administration Prosthetics Service in Chicago to have the VA order costly medical equipment from Smith’s company in exchange for concealed kickbacks to the clerk.
The orders placed by the clerk involved unnecessary and more expensive rentals of certain medical equipment from Smith’s company instead of purchasing the equipment outright, as VA physicians had instructed.
From 2017 to 2020, the VA spent more than $2.7 million at Smith’s company and fraudulently overpaid it by more than $1.3 million.
In exchange, the clerk pocketed kickbacks from Smith of at least $220,000.
The VA procurement clerk, ANDREW LEE, 68, of Chicago, pleaded guilty to a wire fraud charge prior to trial. He is awaiting sentencing.
Smith’s conviction was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Gregory Billingsley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Central Field Office. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heidi Manschreck and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Christenson.
From the U.S. Attorney:
CHICAGO – A Chicago woman has been sentenced to a year and a half in federal prison for participating in an organized scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $16 million in small business loans and grants under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act.
MILICA SUMAKOVIC was among seven defendants indicted in U.S. District Court in Chicago for participating in a scheme that submitted more than 300 fraudulent applications seeking more than $40 million in benefits from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL).
As a source of relief under the CARES Act, the EIDL program was intended to provide loan assistance or grants to cover working capital and other operating expenses for legitimate businesses that suffered revenue losses as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Sumakovic and her co-defendants claimed in their applications that they owned and operated various businesses in Illinois and Florida.
The applications and supporting documents contained materially false representations about the defendants’ purported companies, including the number of employees and revenue amounts.
The defendants’ scheme caused the U.S. Small Business Administration to pay out more than $16 million in fraudulent benefits.
Sumakovic personally submitted and assisted co-defendant MARKO NIKOLIC in submitting eighteen of the fraudulent applications that sought more than $2.6 million in benefits.
Sumakovic, 33, of Chicago, pleaded guilty last year to a federal wire fraud charge.
U.S. District Judge Nancy L. Maldonado on April 25, 2024, sentenced Sumakovic to 18 months in federal prison and ordered her to pay $1.68 million in restitution to the SBA.
Marko Nikolic, 36, of La Grange, Ill., and BRANKO ALEKSIC, 34, of Chicago, each pleaded guilty last year to wire fraud and money laundering charges.
Marko Nikolic was sentenced in January 2024 to four years and two months in prison and ordered to pay $6.9 million in restitution, while Aleksic was sentenced in November 2023 to two years and eleven months in prison and ordered to pay $575,000 in restitution.
The four other defendants – MAJA NIKOLIC, 36, of Brookfield, Ill., NEBOJSA SIMEUNOVIC, 38, of Lyons, Ill., MIJAJLO STANISIC, 34, of Willowbrook, Ill., and DORDE TODOROVIC, 33, of Chicago – are considered fugitives and may currently be residing overseas. Warrants for their arrests have been issued.
The sentences were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago, Heather M. Hill, Acting Inspector General of the Treasury Department Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office, and Hannibal Ware, Inspector General of the U.S. Small Business Administration. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kavitha J. Babu and Brian Hayes.
“The relief programs provided by the CARES Act were designed to assist small businesses struggling to survive the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual. “Our office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to root out abuse of these important programs and hold accountable anyone who seeks to fraudulently profit from them.”
“This sentence is a great example of what can be accomplished when federal and local law enforcement agencies work in collaboration,” said HSI SAC Fitzgerald. “We will continue to work tirelessly to investigate criminals who seek to exploit the United States government and bring them to justice.”
“The sentence imposed on Sumakovic underscores the federal government’s dedication to holding accountable individuals who defrauded vital programs that served as a lifeline for businesses during the pandemic,” said IRS-CI SAC Campbell. “Make no mistake: CI and its fellow law enforcement partners remain steadfast in their commitment to holding accountable the fraudsters who exploited Covid-relief programs for personal gain.”
Last month, the Justice Department’s Covid-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force released its 2024 report detailing the efforts of the task force and its member agencies in response to widespread fraud involving many Covid-19 programs targeted by fraudsters and other criminals who sought to exploit the government’s relief efforts for their personal gain. Anyone with information about attempted fraud involving Covid-19 is encouraged to report it to the Department of Justice by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at (866) 720-5721 or filing an online complaint here.
From Wirepoints:
By Mark Glennon (founder of Wirepoints)
Few things been subjected to more scorn by progressive politicians over Chicago’s migrant crisis than Texas busing asylum seekers to Chicago.
But new data uncovered Tuesday shows that the Biden Administration has allowed far more undocumented migrants to fly directly to cities in Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis has been a particularly harsh Biden critic and had been a potential rival for the presidency.
The Biden Administration has long refused to provide the locations to which those immigrants have flown, but the details were uncovered through a subpoena by the House Homeland Security Committee.
From January through August 2023, about 200,000 migrants flew into the U.S. via the program.
Of those, 80% — 161,562 — went to four Florida cities:
Miami alone received 91,821.
Chicago had just 496 flown in by Biden. [Emphasis added.]
The 15 cities to which the Biden Administration flew in the most are listed below, provided by Fox News, which obtained the subpoena results.
Texas also received a disproportionately large number.
The Biden Administration let them fly in in through a controversial, mass parole program for migrants from four nations —
To repeat, 40,000 bused to Chicago by Texas, but 161,562 flown to Florida under the Biden Administration, of which 91,821 went to Miami alone. [Emphasis added.]
What have progressive politicians said about the fly-in program?
Nothing.
But what have they said about migrants bused to Chicago?
Biden said of the busing,
“Republicans are playing politics with human beings, using them as props. What they’re doing is simply wrong. It’s un-American, it’s reckless and we have a process in place to manage migrants at the border.”
Gov. JB Pritzker said, “
The governor of Texas needs to stop sowing chaos and needs to actually work with states…. “This is all a political game for [Texas Governor] Abbott — and, frankly, it’s cruel,” Pritzker said.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said,
“The governor of Texas needs to take a look in the mirror, with the chaos he’s causing for the people of this country. This is not just a Chicago dynamic. He is attacking our country.”
He went much further, saying
Republicans were intentionally sending migrants without coordinating with city officials in order to create chaos. “This is the same political party that did not want to accept that President Obama was actually an American,” he continued. “It’s the same Republican right-wing extremism that stormed the Capitol. It’s the same right-wing extremism that refuses to accept the results of the Civil War. It’s raggedy. It’s disrespectful it’s mean-spirited. It’s an unclean spirit, quite frankly.”
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Abbott, because of the immigrants he bused, has no “morals, humanity or shame.”
Busing to Chicago is resuming and will likely pick up as weather warms. When you hear the complaints from Illinois politicians, remember the hypocrisy: 40,000 bused to Chicago, but 161,562 allowed to fly directly to Florida.
List of cities receiving most migrants flown in by Biden Administration:
1) Miami, Florida: 91,821
2) Ft. Lauderdale, Florida: 60,461
3) New York City, New York: 14,827
4) Houston, Texas: 7,923
5) Orlando, Florida: 6,043
6) Los Angeles, California: 3,271
7) Tampa, Florida: 3,237
8) Dallas, Texas: 2,256
9) San Francisco, California: 2,052
10) Atlanta, Georgia: 1,796
11) Newark, New Jersey: 1,498
12) Washington, D.C.: 1,472
13) Chicago, Illinois: 496
14) Las Vegas, Nevada: 483
15) Austin, Texas: 171
From the Huntley Police Department:
The upcoming Citius Illinois Baseball and More Brewing’s carnival, originally scheduled for May 3-5, has been canceled due to logistical and safety concerns.
Facebook comments can be read here.
From Informed Choices comes this event:
It was during the spring primary election that the Regional Transportation Authority referendum passed…that is, barely passed.
With an under 13,000 vote majority and vote fraud found, but no recount allowed by the newly-formed State Board of Elections, Chicago suburbanites were sentenced to subsidizing the Chicago Transit Authority.
One of the pitches made by the RTA Citizens Committee for Better Transportation (I think that was what the tax hike committee called itself) was a universal fare.
It’s fifty years later and that is still being talked about.
Here is what the Better Government Association writes:
Will it mean a combined fare system?
During a City Council hearing earlier this year, CTA President Dorval Carter said Chicago’s transit network could rival those of London or Paris. But those cities have something Chicago lacks, and transit advocates say it’s a big factor in their success: a single fare card that can be used to seamlessly transfer among city trains, buses and commuter rail lines.
The proposed Metropolitan Mobility Authority Act would empower, but not require, the new agency to develop a single-fare card system. Some policy analysts say the outcome could be a key factor in whether the merger is ultimately successful.
The irony is that Cook County leaders have repeatedly called on Metra, Pace and the CTA to work toward fare integration — and the city agency has balked at the idea.
Supporters only want another $1.5 billion a year.
The BGA hints that some could come from Illinois Tollway drivers.
Rasing fares during peak hours (congesion pricing) has also been put forth.
There are two State’s Attorneys living in McHenry County who are hanging up their hats this year.
The first, of course, is McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally.
The second is Shelby County State’s Attorney Robert Hanlon.
Below is Hanlon’s resignation letter found on Illinois Leaks:
The McHenry County Republican Central Committee is meeting tonight to select a ballot replacement for Kenneally.
The GOP Executive Committee previously picked Kenneally’s First Assistant Randi Freese, but state law says such a choice must be made by the entire Central Committee.
From Lake County Right to Life:
The topic of Marijuana and the terrible effects it has/had on our Country/State/County as well as Families should be of prime importance to everyone no matter their age or religious affiliation.
Why, because most people do not realize the dangerous effects that using Marijuana has for/on unborn babies, their mothers, individuals, crime, families as well as the physical, emotional and spiritual impact it has had on our culture.
Illinois has legalized Marijuana for both recreational and medical use.
Please come and hear our speaker and decide for yourself on the issue and what we can accomplish.
Again, the program is free, but you must register to attend. Call Lake County Right to Life at 847-223-7022 or Bonnie at 847 644 8456.
I first heard of this voting concept at an American Legislative Exchange Council convention in the 1990’s
A Mississippi State Representative told me the legislation was passed in order to keep blacks off the ballot.
After it showed up in California, it became apparent that any minority (Republicans in California’s case) could be kept off the ballot \.
Now come Democrats in Illinois seeking to impose the same system.
Here is what McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio told WBEZ:
With the increased expenses and potential voter confusion at how to fill out their ballots, McHenry County Clerk Joe Tirio said he doesn’t know what problem ranked choice voting would be solving.
“I think cats and dogs understand what being outnumbered is,” Tirio said. “That’s one of the things that makes our democracy so accessible to all, is that we all understand if this candidate gets one more than that candidate, then that first candidate wins.”
When I first ran for State Represenative, Illinois had a system wherein members of the House of Representatives were elected three members per district.
Voters were given three votes which could be divided as follows:
The result in most districts was that two members of the majority party gained election and one from the minority party.
In the majority party, one was usually from the establishment side and the other more independent.
The Chicago Sun-Times wrote in its 1972 endorsement of me that I was an “independent Republican.”
The idea had never occurred to me before that labeling, but I guess it was accurate.
As McHenry County Treasurer I had not shied away from challenging Republicans when citizens brought complaints.
For example, when I figured out that the County Supervisor of Assessments was assesseing new homeowners at 60% of market value and the county average was 43.2% (at least that’s the number that just popped into my head), I worked with the Involved Citizens Association to conduct assessment to sales ratio studies using two different methodologies.
All appeals to the County Board of Review were rejected under the tutelage of Supervisor of Assessments Stanley Cornue, but the thirteen who allowed me to appeal their assessments to the newly-former State Property Tax Appeals Board won.
Their assessments were dropped from 60% of what they paid when they bought their homes to the 43% figure.
Substantial publicity resulted as I handed out refund checks.
One was for about $500 to a Crystal Lake Coventry homeowner.
Since the 1982 Cutback Amendment led by Pat Quinn State Representatives have been elected from single-member districts, which resulting in the virtual elimination of independent Republicans and Democrats in the Illinois House.
From the McHenry Police:
On Monday, April 29th, 2024, at approximately 9:45 PM, the McHenry Police Department and McHenry Township Fire Protection District (MTFPD) responded to the intersection of Elm Street (IL Route 120) and Green Street for a reported single vehicle crash.
The preliminary investigation determined a black 2013 Cadillac CTS travelled east on Elm Street through the intersection of Richmond Road (IL Route 31), lost control and left the roadway striking both a light pole at Green Street and the vacant building at 3510 W. Elm Street.
The driver and only occupant of the vehicle, JOSEPH A. GALAN, 21, of Harvard, Illinois, was transported by MTFPD to Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital and then flown to Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville, Illinois, for treatment of his injuries, which were considered serious.
GALAN was charged with the following:
The McHenry County Regional Crash Assistance Team responded to the crash scene to assist in the
investigation.
The team consists of police officers from the McHenry Police Department, Woodstock Police Department, Spring Grove Police Department, Harvard Police Department, Cary Police Department, and the Johnsburg Police Department.
If anyone has any additional information related to this matter, they are asked to contact the Criminal
Investigation Division of the McHenry Police Department at 815-363-2599. Those wishing to pass along anonymous information are encouraged to call the McHenry Police Department’s tip line at 815-363-2124. All calls made to the tip line are anonymous as Caller ID is not used.
= = = = =
Photo from the McHenry Police Department.
At hte lead Republican on the Senate Transportation Committee, State Senator Don DeWitte is quoted in the Daily Herald article on Democrats’ plan to fold the RTA, CTA, Metra and Pace into an agency called the Metropolitan Mobility Authority.
Here’s DeWitte’s contribution:
Republican state Sen. Don DeWitte of St. Charles supported the idea of consolidation under a stronger RTA but opposed the new board structure.
“I believe one of the reasons we are here … is because of years of mismanagement and fiscal instability have put the CTA in such dire straits that I don’t believe they can survive without a continued revenue subsidy coming from the suburbs.
“And I believe this whole process is an attempt to garner more control over that revenue stream,” said DeWitte, minority spokesman on the Transportation Committee.
As usual, RTA Board Chairman Kirk Dillard focused on getting more tax dollars.
From the Crystal Lake Fire/Rescue Department:
Crystal Lake, IL – The Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department responded to a reported structure fire at 5:14pm at 1425 Blue Herron Dr.
The first fire units arrived on scene within 7 minutes and reported light smoke conditions at the front of the 2 story home.
There was one occupant and one animal home at the time of the fire and they were able to exit the house unharmed.
The fire was deemed under control 35 minutes after the first arriving crew.
The single family home sustained fire, heat, smoke, and water damage and the home is deemed
uninhabitable.
Power and gas, were disconnected to the property at the time of the fire.
The fire remains under investigation.
Estimated loss to the property is $45,000.
There were no injuries to any firefighters or civilians.
Algonquin/Lake-In-The-Hills, Huntley, McHenry, Woodstock and Nunda Fire Departments assisted with the call.
This cartoon by the Chicago Tribune’s Scott Stantis speaks to the problem of getting enough signatures to get on the ballot that is now facing Green and Libertarian Party members:
Fromthe Crystal Lake Police:
From friend of McHenry County Blog:
Joe Biden is having trouble with Generation Z aka the Zoomers aka the lil’ zoom-zooms.
The following picture was taken at George Washington University in Washington D.C.
That’s what students did this weekend.
Meanwhile, Joe Biden went to a dinner for “journalists” and told “jokes.” The event was not too funny. Arguably, Biden was better than the host Colin Jost but only because Jost bombed.
Watching livestreams of the protests, I heard “F### Joe Biden” chants break out several times.
These students are the opposite of Trump supporters, however, they hate Joe Biden.
His strategy seems to be
Overall, it’s not going well for him.
He trails polls in most swing states.
That is why his sycophants in the media are writing stories with the theme of “the economy is good, you just don’t understand it.” Patronizing and gaslighting voters in such a way usually does not work.
Protests and potentially riots won’t help him.
Any story about crime does not help him.
Stories about mass layoffs don’t help him.
Stories about men competing in female sports won’t help him.
Foreign war escalation also won’t help him.
His 2020 strategy of “I’m not Trump” appears to have reached its limit.
