Crystal Lake

Crystal Lake resident Donna Clasen, 44, could not imagine sending her two daughters to school for eight hours a day where they would have to sit in desks and be told what to do.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Appointments are still available for a June 1 cardiovascular screen at the McHenry County Department of Health.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Registration for the Crystal Lake Public Library’s summer reading program begins next week.

CRYSTAL LAKE – To help students in the northwest corner of McHenry County save time and transportation costs, McHenry County College will offer select classes in Harvard in the fall semester.

CRYSTAL LAKE – With lawmakers considering steep cuts to education funding, school officials in McHenry County may be forced to rethink everything from class sizes to staffing in the coming years.

CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County College has partnered with the Light Center to offer a two-day animal-assisted therapy and learning course June 14 and 15.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The Continuing Education Department of McHenry County College will offer eight reading skills programs for 4-year-olds through adults.

McHENRY – The 23rd annual Friends of McHenry County College Foundation Golf Invitational will be June 8 at the McHenry Country Club.

CRYSTAL LAKE – As McHenry County College officials study ways to pay for a 10-year, $278.5 million campus expansion, they are determined to make a property tax increase a last resort.

CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County Marine Corps League will host the state convention June 1 and 2 at the Crystal Lake Holiday Inn.

WALKUP ROAD: A planned closure of Walkup Road has been postponed from mid-June. The closure has not yet been rescheduled.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Registration is open for the Crystal Lake Park District’s newest program, Grand Oaks Child Care. The program will open as soon as the required minimum number of children are enrolled.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Anyone owing money to the IRS may find out how to reduce their tax debt by attending an Offer in Compromise information session offered by McHenry County College on June 12.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Motorists who refuse to wear their safety belt will draw the attention of the Crystal Lake Police Department as it participates in the Illinois Click It or Ticket campaign through the Memorial Day weekend.

CRYSTAL LAKE – School District 47 is considering full-day kindergarten in the 2013-14 school year, but parents might have to pay for it.

CRYSTAL LAKE – They took both of his hands and one of his eyes, but they couldn’t break his spirit.

WOODSTOCK – After about 3½ hours of deliberation Thursday, a jury found a woman guilty of trying to kill her boyfriend by setting their townhouse on fire as he slept inside.

ALGONQUIN – The villages of Algonquin and Lake in the Hills, the city of Crystal Lake and the Crystal Lake Park District have joined to create a Woods Creek Watershed Plan.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Jim Sabo joined the board of Crystal Lake Babe Ruth Baseball when his son Doug started playing in 1983.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Readers are hungry for bondage – or, more likely, just fantastical escape from reality.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The Rev. Michael Lapsley, an Anglican priest who was active in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, will present “Redeeming the Past: My Journey from Freedom Fighter to Healer” on May 29.

WOODSTOCK – Documents found on a home computer of a woman accused of trying to kill her boyfriend included death spells, a Crystal Lake detective testified Wednesday.

CRYSTAL LAKE – After public criticism of McHenry County College’s 10-year, $280 million expansion plan, the college board’s chairwoman told the college’s executive staff to increase its enrollment projections in next year’s budget.

WOODSTOCK – Prosecutors say Carrie Gil tried to kill her boyfriend after running up more than $15,000 in credit card debt under his name, but defense attorneys questioned that theory, saying prosecutors lack physical evidence.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The Mental Health Board invites community members to voice their opinions about the needs of individuals who have a mental illness, developmental disability, traumatic brain injury or are dealing with substance abuse issues at an annual public hearing Monday.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Residents and some small businesses could see lower energy bills this summer when new rates, secured by the city this week, go into effect.

WOODSTOCK – A trial is expected to begin today for a Crystal Lake woman accused of trying to kill her boyfriend by setting their home on fire in September 2010.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois will host an introduction to Girl Scouting for adults May 22.

Nathaniel Spiers attended a geocache rally in Crystal Lake months after receiving a GPS device in 2009 as a Christmas present.

CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County College’s Trips and Tours program plans a five-day trip to see Niagara Falls, Canada from July 18 to 22.

WOODSTOCK – Doctors found Kathy Brazas’ breast cancer during a routine mammogram. They caught it early and worked quickly.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Underneath a cloudy sky and brisk winds, hundreds of McHenry County residents on Saturday night set up tents and temporary, makeshift homes made out of boxes on the grounds of Immanuel Lutheran Church.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The agency investigating last week's fatal plane crash says that the owner of the single-engine plane was flying the aircraft when it went down earlier this month.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Hundreds plan to sleep outside in tents and cardboard boxes Saturday as part of a countywide effort to end homelessness.

CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County College will host a “Getting Started” seminar from 5 to 6:30 p.m. May 23 in Room A102 for adults interested in earning a college degree or certificate but are unsure how to proceed.

CRYSTAL LAKE – What Mormons really believe will be explored at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Lifetree Café.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Faith in Action of McHenry County and Autumn Leaves will celebrate National Older Americans month by sponsoring a free luncheon May 23 in honor of seniors in the community.

In his many years with the U.S. Postal Service, Algonquin post office Delivery Supervisor Romy Ramos always expects to see nonperishable food come to the post office in the days leading up to the annual Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Local March of Dimes volunteers will come together May 20 to raise awareness and funds at the March for Babies.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Convincing the community to back a $28.6 million plan to double the size of the Crystal Lake Public Library might be a hard sell.

CL Service League

CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County Youth Orchestras music director Gene Power approached Cathy Ames with a “crazy” idea.

CRYSTAL LAKE – A pilot program teaching eighth-graders the art of digital storytelling aims to improve writing test scores without requiring students to write.

CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County College has launched a new noncredit online course called ReadyMath through a program with ed2go.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The Crystal Lake Park District recently hired a veteran from a well-known tennis club to replace outgoing Racket Club manager Walt Herrick Jr.

WOODSTOCK – A Lake Villa man was sentenced Monday to two years of probation and ordered to pay almost $850 in restitution for his role in the 2008 burning of a gazebo.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The 15th annual Bob Blazier Run for the Arts brought a near-record number of racers to downtown Crystal Lake on Sunday.

A female reported missing from the Fox Lake area was found Saturday during a traffic stop in Gurnee that also turned up crack cocaine and a loaded gun.

CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County Department of Health and Centegra Health System are partnering to offer a once-a-week quit-smoking class for adults. Seven weeks of classes begin May 16.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The Crystal Lake Park District Indian Guides and Indian Princesses will have their annual golf fundraiser May 18.