Local

PORT BARRINGTON – Insurance officials have taken control of a Port Barrington home destroyed by fire this week.

WOODSTOCK – A McHenry County judge slightly reduced bail for one of two men accused of running a major marijuana-growing operation from a McHenry rental home.

WOODSTOCK – A Chicago student who tried to save three of his drowning classmates and witnessed their deaths at Camp Algonquin last November is suing the McHenry County Conservation District.

MCHENRY – A 12-year-old girl is recovering after being hit Friday evening by a PT Cruiser as she and a friend crossed Route 31 just north of McCullom Lake Road. Police say the girls were not in a crosswalk.

WOODSTOCK - The Algonquin woman who once faced theft charges for removing a doggie waste container is suing her homeowner’s association for costs associated with her defense.

WOODSTOCK - One criminal case remains pending in a McHenry restaurant arson after a 17-year-old was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison today as part of a plea agreement.

WOODSTOCK – A Chicago student who tried to save three of his drowning classmates and witnessed their deaths at Camp Algonquin last November is suing the McHenry County Conservation District.

WOODSTOCK - Prosecutors want a judge to increase bond for a Carpentersville man they suspect is seeking deportation to avoid an attempted-murder charge.

WOODSTOCK – A Lake in the Hills Democrat who has spent more than two decades working for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office wants to be McHenry County’s top police officer.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Apartment vacancies nationwide hit a 23-year high this year, according to Reis Inc., a real estate research firm.

MARENGO – An overloaded fireplace caused a Thursday morning blaze that damaged a Marengo home.

LAKE IN THE HILLS – A proposed small wind turbine policy will come back to the village’s Planning and Zoning Commission next month with pictures and clearer language at the suggestion of residents.

FOX RIVER GROVE – Village officials took a closer look Thursday at a long-term plan for redeveloping Fox River Grove’s downtown.

FOX RIVER GROVE – Police are seeking help from the public to nab culprits who stole $45,000 of construction equipment from crews working along Route 14.

McHENRY – The holiday season will get its official kickoff this weekend in McHenry.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The McHenry County chapter of AARP will have its annual Christmas luncheon and entertainment at noon Dec. 3 at the Fountains at Crystal Lake, 965 N. Brighton Circle West.

WOODSTOCK – The McHenry County Department of Health is joining Research!America and leading U.S. public health organizations in asking Americans to give special thanks to their federal, state and local “public health heroes” who protect the nation’s health throughout the year.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The youth ministry of Unity Church of Crystal Lake will collect new and gently used coats Sundays from Dec. 6 through Dec. 20.

ELGIN – Open registration for spring 2010 credit classes is under way at Elgin Community College.

WOODSTOCK – A 22-year-old former McHenry area man accused of storing a stolen boat in a stranger’s boathouse accepted a negotiated agreement Thursday.

GENEVA – Jurors have ruled the death of a Woodstock woman a homicide after police said the driver who struck the SUV she was in was drunk and had marijuana in his system.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Police said no one was injured in a three-car crash that occurred Thursday at Main Street and Congress Parkway.

CHICAGO (AP) – Oprah Winfrey's iconic television talk show will end in 2011 after 25 seasons on the air, her production company said Thursday.

MARENGO – An overloaded fireplace caused a Thursday morning blaze that destroyed a Marengo home.

GENEVA – Jurors have ruled the death of a Woodstock woman a homicide after police said the driver who struck the SUV she was in was drunk and had marijuana in his system.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Air travelers nationwide scrambled to revise their plans Thursday after an FAA computer glitch caused widespread cancellations and delays for the second time in 15 months.

In the morning, Mary Valenti would feed her four cats. At night, she would go outside to feed another.

WOODSTOCK – A Hurricane Katrina refugee was legally insane when he stabbed his girlfriend repeatedly because he thought she was a demon, a McHenry County judge ruled Wednesday.

Freeport Mayor George Gaul­rapp visited McHenry County on Wednesday as he continues his campaign against incumbent 16th District Republican Congressman Don Manzullo.

RICHMOND – Richmond Township is seeking applicants to fill the position of township clerk.

Police throughout the county plan to increase patrols from before Thanksgiving through the end of the holidays.

HUNTLEY – By the third attempt in less than a week, some business was accomplished Wednesday by the Grafton Township Board.

FOX LAKE – After a little tweaking to the proposal, the Fox Waterway Agency unanimously approved an increase in user sticker fees for watercrafts on the Chain O’ Lakes and Fox River effective in the 2010 season.

CARY – District 26 board members met among percussion equipment and music stands Wednesday night while claiming that they might have to cut band, choir, music and more unless they increase property taxes.

Sam Komin, 3, of McHenry, checks out an alligator head Wednesday during the Fur, Feathers and Scales program at the Johnsburg Public Library. "This library is the greatest," said Komin's mother, Mia. "I home school my kids, so we're here all the time for different events and to use the resource center."

McHENRY – Area residents will have the chance to send gifts to soldiers overseas this holiday season.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital will conduct a free H1N1 vaccination clinic Saturday in Crystal Lake.

ELGIN – Elgin Community College will host several events in December for prospective students.

CARY – Celebrate 35 years of art by local artist and McHenry Community College Continuing Education instructor Diane T. Wlezien at the Inspired Art Studio in Cary.

LAKE IN THE HILLS – Village residents are invited to participate in the Lake in the Hills holiday lights decorating contest.

ELGIN – The spring term at Webster University’s Elgin campus begins Jan. 4.

WOODSTOCK - A McHenry County judge today found a Hurricane Katrina refugee who repeatedly stabbed his girlfriend because he thought she was a demon “not guilty by reason of insanity”

CHICAGO (AP) — U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo said Tuesday that his comment that suspected terrorists imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay follow a "savage religion" has been misinterpreted.

WOODSTOCK – A 56-year-old former Crystal Lake man told a judge he drove drunk despite a dozen convictions about the time his father died and his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Shannon Sauer is IV-free now. Just weeks ago, more than 20 tubes protruded from her body – some from her arms, some from her legs, some from her neck.

WOODSTOCK – A judge told a Crystal Lake man Tuesday that he should apologize not to her but to the disabled nephew whose eye socket he fractured in May.

ALGONQUIN – Illinois Environmental Protection Agency officials will knock on doors Friday in downtown Algonquin as they determine which properties will get extra testing after last month’s discovery of groundwater and soil contamination.

ALGONQUIN – An Algonquin man is free on $100,000 bond after police said he forced sex on a housekeeper.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Settler’s Acres. Lake Fortitude. Sapphire Shores.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Students receiving special education services in local high schools will get extra help in math to help boost their performance in the subject.

HUNTLEY – The Huntley Police Department launched a new tip line Tuesday to help give residents a new way to provide information anonymously about criminal activity within the village.

ALGONQUIN – When Ian Stevenson saw the picture of his German shepherd, he kissed it and said: “Look! Tanner came home!”

WOODSTOCK – A free college financial planning workshop will be Dec. 2.

WOODSTOCK – The En­vironmental Defenders of McHenry County are holding an ongoing used book sale at 225 N. Main St. on the Woodstock Square.

McHENRY – Moraine Hills State Park will be closed to the public during two upcoming weekends to accommodate deer hunters.

ELGIN – AIDS activist Jeanne White-Ginder, mother of the late Ryan White, will be the keynote speaker Dec. 1 during the World AIDS Day Breakfast at Elgin Community College.

CARY – After casting one of the two votes against closing Maplewood School on Monday night, District 26 school board President David Ruelle resigned from the board effective immediately.

WOODSTOCK – A McHenry County judge declined to reduce the $40,000 bail for a homeless man accused of leaving a gash in his girlfriend’s forehead that required five stitches.

HUNTLEY – In what appeared to be an attempted theft, a freezer unit compressor was left dangling 3 feet above the ground at a local restaurant this weekend.

SPRINGFIELD – As parties involved in the lawsuit surrounding a 2006 fatal crash on Route 25 await a ruling from the state’s high court, attorneys wonder whether the court’s ruling could broaden who can be held responsible for someone else’s drinking.

Home Instead Senior Care offices serving Illinois have scheduled a free Web conference for family caregivers Thursday as part of National Family Caregivers Month.

Lucas Iversen appeared to be like any typical 2-year-old. A healthy, happy boy who loved to wear glow-in-the-dark pajamas to bed.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The Crystal Lake CROP Walk, which was Oct. 18, raised $14,000, organizers announced Tuesday.

WOODSTOCK – The Woodstock Public Library will host a presentation today in honor of National GIS Day.

WOODSTOCK - A 56-year-old former Crystal Lake man told a judge he drove drunk despite a dozen convictions around the time his father died and his mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

WOODSTOCK - A judge told a Crystal Lake man today he ought to apologize not to her but to the handicapped nephew whose orbital bone he fractured in May.

After casting one of the two votes against closing Maplewood School on Monday night, District 26 school board President David Ruelle resigned from the board effective immediately.

CARY – Maplewood School will close its doors for the final time at the end of the school year.

CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County College Board of Trustees are requesting more analysis of the proposed site of a new Metra station in Crystal Lake.

JOHNSBURG – Village officials expect next month to give Wal-Mart the go ahead to build a Supercenter store.

WOODSTOCK – A small Woodstock design firm owner is suing an employment agency that sent her a bookkeeper who ultimately embezzled more than $150,000.

CRYSTAL LAKE – A debate will be Friday evening at McHenry County College for Republican challengers to U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean’s seat.

PORT BARRINGTON – A Monday morning fire that destroyed a vacant house and damaged neighboring homes remained under investigation.

CRYSTAL LAKE – A 28-year-old man remained in custody Monday after police said he threw coffee in the face of a Starbucks barista during the weekend.

MARENGO – The Ertmann family of Marengo is inviting residents to participate in a countywide toy drive to benefit Children’s Memorial Hospital.

HUNTLEY – Back by popular demand, the District 158 Education Foundation’s Breakfast with Santa will be Dec. 5 at Marlowe Middle School, 9625 Haligus Road, Lake in the Hills.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The education committee of the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County will present a showing of the documentary film “Food, Inc.” at their Full Moon Theater next month.

SPRING GROVE – Village officials tonight will discuss raising the prices of mandatory vehicle stickers.

CRYSTAL LAKE – A “be thankful” arts and crafts evening for children and families is scheduled from 6:35 to 8:15 p.m. Thursday at the Art Cottage, 400 Highland Ave., Crystal Lake.

UNION – A juvenile was in stable condition after a two-vehicle crash this weekend in Union.

HUNTLEY – Grafton Township Supervisor Linda Moore found herself once again sitting next to empty seats Monday night.

McHENRY – The McHenry SportsClips will host a Cut-a-Thon from 4 to 8 p.m. Sunday at the shop, 2451 N. Richmond Road, McHenry.

WOODSTOCK – Four area Centegra Health System primary care centers will be offering H1N1 vaccinations today, Thursday and Saturday.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Senior Helpers will offer free early memory screenings for seniors today in conjunction with National Memory Screening Day.

WOODSTOCK – A 23-year-old Rockford man who left natural gas seeping from four burners in an Algonquin area home was sentenced to two years in prison Monday as part of a negotiated agreement.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Expect bell ringing outside local shops as The Salvation Army’s red kettles begin to arrive at 9 a.m. Friday.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Pioneer Center for Human Services will host its fourth annual holiday luncheon and book review beginning at 11:15 a.m. Dec. 1.

WOODSTOCK – The Democratic challenger for U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo’s seat will be a guest at Wednesday night’s Democratic Party of McHenry County meeting.

CRYSTAL LAKE – An author and editor is set to give a talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as part of an ongoing series of lectures on current issues at McHenry County College.

LAKEMOOR – Village officials narrowly voted to allow a red-light camera company to study the intersection of Routes 12 and 120.

WOODSTOCK – A local judge once again was tapped to head an statewide organization that helps people in the legal field and their families handle mental health and addiction problems.

GENEVA – Kane County Republican Party leaders urged the more than 300 people at the 14th Congressional District candidates forum Sunday to support whichever man wins the February primary so that the party can reclaim the seat from the Democrats.

WOODSTOCK – A one-vehicle crash at the intersection of Wilson and Streit roads between Harvard and Woodstock sent one man to the hospital via Flight for Life helicopter Monday evening.

CARY – Maplewood School will close its doors for the final time at the end of the school year.

WOODSTOCK - A 23-year-old Rockford man who left natural gas seeping from four burners in an Algonquin area home was sentenced to two years in prison Monday as part of a negotiated agreement.

PORT BARRINGTON – Officials are investigating an overnight fire that destroyed a vacant house.

A commercial calling Catholics back to the church is coming to a TV near you.

Drive through a developing subdivision and chances are good that if there's no special service area in the neighborhood, there will be signs boasting that fact.

ALGONQUIN – Maurices is partnering with Toys for Tots to collect toys for disadvantaged children at its Woodcreek Center location.

McHENRY – It could cost a little more next year to lie poolside or throw a picnic in McHenry.

The Illinois State Police, District 2, Special Enforcement Teams, along with local and county law enforcement agencies, will conduct a traffic enforcement blitz along Route 31 in McHenry and Kane counties today.

LAKE IN THE HILLS – A proposal to allow certain small wind turbines on homes and businesses in the village will have an official public hearing this evening.

BULL VALLEY – When Jessica Sexton agreed to pick up and care for a few outdoor cats last month, she only expected to find six or seven.

What's happening this week in news, sports and entertainment.

WOODSTOCK – The Woodstock Public Library’s Youth Services Department plans a number of upcoming programs.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Two student athletes at Crystal Lake Central High School are asking the community for help with their honors English project.

WOODSTOCK – Freeport Mayor George Gaulrapp will be a special guest at the Democratic Party of McHenry County meeting Wednesday.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Larry Brown wants what any parent does for a son or daughter.

WOODSTOCK – It’s unlikely that prosecutors could prove criminal charges related to William Vahldieck’s death after a coroner’s jury couldn’t determine what caused it, officials said.

WOODSTOCK – A four-year university is coming to McHenry County.

LAKE IN THE HILLS – Village leaders are one step closer to flipping an unwanted house that the village now owns on Sugar Creek Court after finding a company last week to gut the place because it sustained significant water damage.

It took crews about a half-hour to gain control of a large fire Saturday afternoon in unincorporated McHenry County near Cary, but no one was injured in the blaze.

CRYSTAL LAKE – It was the performance of their lives.

CRYSTAL LAKE – A Lake in the Hills man who led police on a car chase Friday night hit two squad cars during the ordeal, police said.

Arlene Lynes grew up in northern New Jersey. She moved to Woodstock with her family about 12 years ago. Her husband, Keith, was in the U.S. Air Force, and the family moved often before settling in Woodstock.

WEST DUNDEE – The Dundee Township Historical Society will participate Nov. 21 in the Country Corners Holiday Bazaar. The event will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 21 at 35W859 Burr Oak Lane in West Dundee.

WOODSTOCK – It has been a long road for Carlos Leivos, who came to America from El Salvador when he was 22 years old with few contacts and a Spanish native tongue.

CRYSTAL LAKE – A Lake in the Hills man who led police on a car chase Friday night hit two squad cars during the ordeal, police said.

It took crews about half hour to gain control of a large fire in unincorporated McHenry County near Cary Saturday afternoon, but nobody was injured in the blaze.

Over the past three years, the average salaries paid to public school teachers have increased in every school district but one in the McHenry County area.

LAKE IN THE HILLS – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood sat about 200 feet from Randall Road with a view of the lunch rush Friday as local officials told him why the thoroughfare’s widening project deserves federal funding.

HARVARD – Harvard High School got a glimpse of the promise that their future could hold when five alumni were inducted Friday into the school’s Hall of Fame.

WOODSTOCK – A man accused of holding his girlfriend inside a Woodstock motel for two hours after he hit her in the head plans to ask a judge to reduce his bail Tuesday.

HUNTLEY – This week, Grafton Township trustees were a no-show.

WOODSTOCK – Two Crystal Lake-area residents are facing felony charges after police allegedly found partially processed marijuana and 78 marijuana plants in their home.

McHENRY – A detached garage belonging to a fire equipment supply business caught fire Thursday night.

ALGONQUIN – Four people were injured in a three-vehicle accident on Randall Road on Friday that spilled 30 frozen turkeys on the busy roadway during rush hour.

LAKE IN THE HILLS – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood sat about 200 feet from Randall Road with a view of the lunch rush Friday as local officials told him why the thoroughfare’s widening project deserves federal funding.

WOODSTOCK - Two Crystal Lake-area residents are facing felony charges after police allegedly found 78 marijuana plants and partially processed marijuana in their home.

Goodbye, door-to-door encyclopedia sets. Hello, Pampered Chef parties.

WOODSTOCK – A McHenry County Board committee affirmed the population projections used to devise the 2030 Land Use Plan on Thursday at its first meeting on the proposal.

CARY – Road work on two major east-west thoroughfares has some motorists seeing red.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Jake and Elwood had it easy. Getting the band back together is tougher during a recession than it was in the movie, “The Blues Brothers.”

JOHNSBURG – Students at St. John the Baptist Catholic School probably will think twice the next time they screw in a light bulb.

WOODSTOCK – A 30-year-old man accused of frac­turing a cat’s jaw and destroying its eye when he hit it with a golf club is serving a year of nonreporting probation.

WOODSTOCK – The Secretary of State’s Woodstock office is closed because of electrical problems.

HUNTLEY – Dozens of parents packed a District 158 school board meeting Thursday night to round out a months-long public debate that has proven to be the most fiery since last fall’s teachers strike.

WOODSTOCK – A free college financial planning workshop will be Dec. 2.

CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County College’s Trips and Tours office is offering a 10-day tour of Ireland from April 18 through 27.

McHENRY – The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County will conduct a recycling drive Saturday to collect household batteries, fluorescent tubes, and compact fluorescent light bulbs.

ALGONQUIN – Algonquin’s Port Edward Restaurant will be featured Friday on the popular “Check, Please!” Chicago dining TV program.

BARRINGTON – Dirk Beveridge has launched his campaign to unseat Congresswomen Melissa Bean, D-Ill., in the 8th Congressional District.

A limited number of injectable H1N1 vaccines will be administered by the McHenry County Department of Health.

The Internal Revenue Service is looking for 58 McHenry County residents whose tax refund checks were returned through the mail marked undeliverable.

CARPENTERSVILLE – The Carpentersville Police Department has received a state grant to be used to fight drunken-driving crashes.

ALGONQUIN – An Illinois Environmental Protection Agency official said Thursday during a meeting with concerned citizens in downtown Algonquin that the groundwater directly beneath him was contaminated.

MARENGO – The Marengo Fire Department put out a fire in a corn drier Thursday evening along Kishwaukee Valley Road.

WOODSTOCK – A McHenry County judge plans to rule next month on whether to release a convicted child murderer from a secure facility for sexually dangerous people.

WOODSTOCK - A 30-year-old man accused of fracturing a cat’s jaw and destroying its eye when he hit it with a golf club is serving a year of non-reporting probation.

WOODSTOCK – The latest effort by a local computer business to go green has some residents in a nearby subdivision seeing red.

HARVARD – Earlier this year, Harvard let Bob Burkart go as superintendent of parks and recreation, effectively eliminating the city’s parks program.

PRAIRIE GROVE – After months of controversy, the District 46 school board president said she hoped that two administrators’ plans to leave their posts would help the community move forward.

Illinois is one of 10 states headed for economic disaster, according to a new study.

A handful of young students methodically placed a white tablecloth and other symbolic items across a round table Wednesday morning as 2,500 people looked on in silence.

Military veterans are a heterogeneous group – they don’t all look like John Wayne.

CRYSTAL LAKE – A portion of Pingree Road is set to get another lane, widening the street from two lanes to three.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Author and humanities scholar Clay Jenkinson plans to bring Thomas Jefferson and Theodore Roosevelt to life in a performance at the Raue Center.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The McHenry County Mental Health Board will offer a second session of Mental Health First Aid Training in a few weeks.

SPRING GROVE – More than 30 displays by local artists will be on view at the Affair of the Arts from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, at The Shores of Turtle Creek, 7908 Winn Road, Spring Grove.

CARY – Take a walk on the wild side with artist Lois DiPerna of Johnsburg during an art show at The Inspired Art Studio.

SYCAMORE – A Lake in the Hills man was one of two men arrested Tuesday just after police said they burglarized a home in the 1300 block of Sandcastle Drive in Sycamore.

FOX LAKE – The Fox Waterway Agency will host the second of two public hearings on proposed sticker fee increases tonight.

HARVARD – The McHenry County Sheriff’s Office and Safe Kids McHenry County will be hosting a free car seat check Saturday at Harvard Chevrolet Buick GMC.

LAKEMOOR – Village officials will discuss tonight whether to allow a red-light camera company to study the intersection of Routes 12 and 120.

WOODSTOCK – A pair of programs next week at the Woodstock Public Library will offer ways to preserve the past as well as preserve the planet.

A spring graduate of Northern Illinois University is recuperating in a Texas hospital after he was injured in last week’s shooting at Fort Hood Army base in Texas, members of his family said.

MARENGO – A handful of young students methodically placed a white tablecloth and other symbolic items across a round table Wednesday morning as 2,500 people watched on in silence.

SYCAMORE – A Lake in the Hills man was one of two men arrested Tuesday just after police said they burglarized a home in the 1300 block of Sandcastle Drive in Sycamore.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Army veteran Virgil Mathis sat tall and proud of his service to his country.

BARRINGTON – Several Illinois leaders sat down with nurses at Advocate Good Shepherd to discuss health care issues at both the federal and state levels.

UNION – A group of four boys slowly began lowering an old, tattered American flag down the flagpole outside their school Tuesday.

McHENRY – City officials said they had a plan to combat a smell described as “worse than a Port-A-Potty.”

RICHMOND – School officials in Districts 2 and 157 plan to take the next step toward merging.

CARY – Past and present village leaders are paying keen attention to the precarious financial situation of Cary School District 26.

Throughout McHenry County, municipalities have used special service areas, or SSAs, to pay for everything from water and sewer systems to neighborhood maintenance.

RICHMOND – Residents in Richmond Township can be notified about major emergencies by e-mail, text message or by visiting a Web site.

JOHNSBURG – Johnsburg High School seniors and their parents are encouraged to attend a presentation about college financial aid at 7 p.m. Thursday.

WOODSTOCK – The fifth annual Concert for Chilama will take place Saturday at Stage Left Café on the Woodstock Square.

WOODSTOCK – The fifth annual Fair Trade Gift Fair takes place Nov. 21 at Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Woodstock.

UNION – The Union Lioness Club will have a Feather Party from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at Miss Kitty’s Saloon, 1101 E. Grant Highway, Marengo.

ELGIN – People seeking full-time and part-time employment are invited to attend the Elgin Community College 2009 Job Fair.

When Judy Irwin was a teacher, she’d often anonymously leave coats or shoes on a child’s doorsteps if she knew he or she was in need.

WOODSTOCK – A 41-year-old Rockford man was sentenced to 14 years in prison Tuesday as part of a plea bargain in which he admitted giving heroin to his nephew, who died of an overdose.

WOODSTOCK – A 41-year-old Fox River Grove woman cried Tuesday as a judge sentenced her to two years probation for cocaine possession.

ROCKFORD – Democratic voters in northern Illinois will have an opportunity to see the major candidates for governor and U.S. senator in the February primary.

WOODSTOCK – Fire officials were focusing on an exhaust fan in a first-floor apartment as the likely cause of a Monday fire in the Prairie View Apartment Complex.

ALGONQUIN – The Friends of the Algonquin Public Library will conduct a pre-holiday book sale Thursday to Sunday.

CARY – Police are investigating a fight Sunday in which a 21-year-old man was cut in the back with a knife or broken bottle.

WOODSTOCK – A psychologist recommended that a 70-year-old man convicted of murdering a 3-year-old girl in 1962 be released from a facility for sexually dangerous people with some restrictions.

A McHenry County grand jury recently indicted:

LAKE IN THE HILLS – American Legion Post 1231 plans its annual turkey raffle Saturday.

ALGONQUIN – A slew of state officials will be on hand Thursday evening to address residents’ concerns about soil and groundwater contamination found in downtown Algonquin around the old Toastmaster building.

PRAIRIE GROVE – Two District 46 officials cited “a distracting controversy” in their decisions to leave their posts at the end of the school year.

PRAIRIE GROVE – District 46 officials tensely discussed employee benefits and debated merging with nearby districts at a meeting Tuesday night.

WOODSTOCK – A 41-year-old Fox River Grove woman cried Tuesday as a judge sentenced her to two years of probation for cocaine possession.

CARY – Police are investigating a fight Sunday in which a 21-year-old man was cut in the back with a knife or broken bottle.

WOODSTOCK - A 41-year-old Rockford man was sentenced to 14 years in prison as part of a plea bargain in which he admitted delivering the heroin to his nephew, who died of an overdose.

CARY – The village's former president delivered a sharp rebuke to the Cary District 26 board following a discussion of a tax hike referendum.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but maybe not as much as last year.

The more than 1,300 employees at the Mc­Henry County Government Center have to get special permission to tweet, re-tweet and poke.

WOODSTOCK – A coroner’s jury ruled Monday that the manner of William J. Vahldieck’s death was “undetermined.”

Several hospitals in McHenry County and the surrounding area are enacting temporary visitor limits, hoping to control the spread of the H1N1 virus.

McHENRY – Nominations are being accepted for the Frank E. Low Award, the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce’s highest award to an individual for distinguished community service.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The winter-spring 2009-10 Crystal Lake Park District program brochure will be mailed to residents beginning Saturday.

CARY – The District 26 board could vote on two controversial issues this month: closing a school and asking the taxpayers to support a significant tax hike.

WOODSTOCK – A 27-year-old Woodstock man was sentenced to 2½ years in prison for threatening to rape and kill a mentally handicapped teen who refused to get in his car.

A Woodstock firefighter punches a hole in the ceiling of a bedroom to help locate the fire in the 670 Leah Lane apartment building Monday night.

MARENGO – In 1872, who would you have seen to order blinds for the house?

HUNTLEY – The Huntley Area Jaycees will host its second annual “Wheel of Meat” fundraiser Nov. 21 to benefit the Grafton Township Food Pantry.

CRYSTAL LAKE – A young Lake in the Hills girl involved in a multiple-vehicle crash Saturday reportedly is home and doing well.

NEWTON, Iowa – Eustace K. “E.K.” Shaw, former chairman of the board of Shaw Newspapers, died Friday in Newton, Iowa, where he and his wife, Nancy, had lived the past 60 years. He was 84.

WOODSTOCK – A judge declined to reduce bail Monday for a 35-year-old Palatine man accused of financing and organizing a large-scale marijuana growing operation in McHenry.

SOUTH ELGIN – The 35th annual Turkey Spin of the South Elgin Lions Club will be Nov. 20.

WOODSTOCK – A 52-year-old Antioch Upper Grade School teacher formally denied Monday allegations that he had four sexual encounters with a one-time student between March 1997 and April 1999.

RICHMOND – If dis­aster struck Richmond today, local police and firefighters would be the first to respond. In a few months, there will be another contingency eager to help during floods, snowstorms and other catastrophes: residents.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The Crystal Lake Historical Society will offer candle light tours of Col. Palmer House with a “Welcome Home Soldiers: Christmas 1863” theme.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Contestants are being sought for the Miss Crystal Lake Pageant, which will be part of the Crystal Lake Business Expo on March 27.

WOODSTOCK – The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County are holding a used book sale at 225 N. Main St. on the Woodstock Square.

ALDEN – The annual Alden-Hebron Community Thanksgiving Eve Service will be hosted this year by Alden United Methodist Church.

JOHNSBURG – A bingo session to benefit the McHenry Lions Club will be at 7 p.m. Monday at the McHenry Moose Lodge, 3535 N. Richmond Road.

WOODSTOCK – A McHenry County judge didn’t believe that a 50-year-old Crystal Lake man’s first two drunken-driving convictions were committed by someone else after his wallet disappeared in the late 1970s.

CARPENTERSVILLE – The community’s opinion on the overall quality of education provided in District 300 as well as its thoughts on the district’s fiscal responsibility have improved during the past two years, survey results presented to the school board Monday night show.

WEST DUNDEE – A 54-year-old West Dundee woman was sentenced to three years in prison for abducting her own children.

WOODSTOCK – Crews worked for more than two hours Monday night to battle a fire that appeared to start between the walls of a Woodstock apartment complex.

WOODSTOCK – A coroner’s jury ruled Monday that the manner of William J. Vahldieck’s death was “undetermined.”

WOODSTOCK - A judge declined to reduce bail today for a 35-year-old Palatine man accused of financing and organizing a large-scale marijuana growing operation in McHenry.

CRYSTAL LAKE – A young Lake in the Hills girl involved in a multi-vehicle crash on Saturday is reportedly home and doing well.

Parker Lyon Williams learned to love school at an early age.

WOODSTOCK – No charges will be filed in the death of William J. Vahldieck, 20, who died in May after a collision on a softball field, prosecutors said.

HUNTLEY – There are two things that 11-year-old Lexie Ziolkowski can’t live without – books and NASCAR.

MARENGO – The Marengo-Union Library District will continue its “Group Picks” book club series this month with “The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” by Rebecca Wells.

LAKE IN THE HILLS – Northbound traffic will start using the new roadway today on Pyott Road.

WOODSTOCK – People living in homes in rural areas that constantly are exposed to the wind could save money by installing a windbreak. A teleconference Thursday by the University of Illinois Extension Service can help them to learn how.

WOODSTOCK – Police are looking for a man who tried to rob a Mobil gas station on South Eastwood Drive late Saturday.

RICHMOND – A one-vehicle crash caused a power outage Sunday in Richmond.

What's happening this week in news, sports and entertainment

ELGIN – National Book Award finalist Bonnie Jo Campbell will read from her latest book, “American Salvage,” and other works during an event Thursday.

ROUTE 14: Expect delays as workers improve Route 14 between Crystal Lake and Fox River Grove. Work will stretch through the month of November.

A local family got a visit from former Pittsburgh Penguins great Mario Lemieux on Friday. In October, 12-year-old Nick Miller of West Dundee was diagnosed with leukemia. Miller has begun undergoing treatment for the disease and had to give up hockey.

WOODSTOCK – McHenry County State’s Attorney Louis Bianchi said he would not hesitate to seek the death penalty against violent criminals such as Mark Smith or Brian Dugan.

JOHNSBURG – Video gambling is legal in Wisconsin. It’s not in Illinois.

CARY – The District 26 school board could make two major decisions this month after receiving input from a key committee this week.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The Get Real! event Saturday at Evangelical Free Church in Crystal Lake was the culmination of a labor of love for six McHenry County moms. The women, who are raising or raised teenage daughters, designed the conference as a way to share their experiences and faith with area mothers.

The Illinois State Police, District 2, Special Enforcement Teams, along with local and county law enforcement agencies, will conduct a traffic enforcement blitz along Route 47 in McHenry and Kane counties today.

Fresh out of college, Harvard resident Mary McCauley took a job with McHenry County as a juvenile probation caseworker. She never left.

MARENGO – Want some assistance navigating the Internet, dealing with e-mail, learning Microsoft Word, or blogging?

CRYSTAL LAKE – A mother and child were taken to area hospitals after a man crashed a car into a building and hit several cars in a nearby parking lot Saturday night.

Shift change is at 7 a.m. at the Crystal Lake Fire Department. But to be ready in case an emergency occurred at 7:01 a.m., most firefighters arrive much earlier to prepare their equipment.

WOODSTOCK – Police said they uncovered a three-county pot-growing scheme in which two men allegedly paid others to sign leases for houses they subsequently outfitted with grow lights and other sophisticated equipment.

There were no floods or droughts during the agriculture growing season this year, but a perfect storm of cool and wet weather all season has pushed harvest back unusually late.

McCullom Lake residents who missed the deadline to get medical monitoring under a court settlement in the brain cancer lawsuits might get a second chance.

SPRING GROVE – Volunteers who want to take a guided walk through and clear the buckthorn from Horse Fair Park in Spring Grove should arrive at the park at 9 a.m. today.

The Illinois State Police, District 2, Special Enforcement Teams, along with local and county law enforcement agencies, will conduct a traffic enforcement blitz along Route 23 in McHenry and DeKalb counties today.

CRYSTAL LAKE - Two Crystal Lake businesses allegedly sold alcohol to minors, police said after a 20-business compliance check Thursday.

HUNTLEY – Today, the lease expires for Grafton Township to remain in its Vine Street office location.

JOHNSBURG – Experience life with the March sisters today and Sunday as Johnsburg High School presents the musical version of the classic novel “Little Women.”

Legendary comedian and talk-show host Joan Rivers will perform her sometimes-acerbic brand of stand-up at 8 p.m. today at Raue Center for the Arts, 26 N. Williams St., Crystal Lake.

INDIANAPOLIS - A Round Lake woman and her two young children were critically injured in a crash Friday night after a 72-year-old man allegedly mistook his car's accelerator for the brake.

WOODSTOCK – Two men have been charged after police said they were operating a large-scale, indoor marijuana operation across McHenry, Lake and Cook counties.

Authorities who want to investigate the McCullom Lake brain cancer cases first will take the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention up on its offer to review previous research.

WOODSTOCK – The future of the Woodstock Station property remains in limbo after a public auction Thursday at the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.

WONDER LAKE – Although Stefanija Jen­sen swears by her morning ritual, it’s not the kind of thing she tends to bring up in conversation.

CARY – Plans for an $800,000 improvement project at Hoffman Park are moving forward, but construction on the new amenities likely won’t start this year.

McCULLOM LAKE – Anthony Loporchio has been removed from his post as police chief in McCullom Lake.

HUNTLEY – Administrators presented the District 158 school board Thursday night with a revised plan to spend $1.6 million in federal stimulus dollars on special education.

WOODSTOCK – Centegra Health System has received another shipment of H1N1 vaccine.

CRYSTAL LAKE – A fundraiser will be Nov. 15 to help pay medical bills for a Crystal Lake woman who suffered a brain aneurysm.

LAKE IN THE HILLS – Citizens infected with a fictitious pneumonic plague will line up outside Lincoln Prairie Elementary School on Saturday to help test the site as a medication dispensary in case of an emergency.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The McHenry County Audubon Society will host a program about wind energy and birds Nov. 12.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Two homeless people face retail theft charges for allegedly stealing 112 lottery tickets worth more than $1,000 from a 7-11 store in a three-day spree.

WOODSTOCK – Three people accused of stealing three shotguns from a McHenry home remained in jail Thursday evening.

ELGIN – A Crystal Lake attorney plans to ask the Illinois Supreme Court to hear a libel case after an appellate court sided with the Northwest Herald.

LAKE IN THE HILLS – The Lake in the Hills Rotary Club and the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Interfaith Food Pantry will host a mobile food pantry today at Lake in the Hills Village Hall.

JOHNSBURG – Monday is the last day for McHenry Township residents to appeal their property assessments.

CARY – About 60 20-pound turkeys will be raffled off Nov. 15 in Cary when the Cary-Grove Amvets host their annual turkey raffle fundraiser.

MARENGO – Veterans and their families will join about 2,000 students from Marengo-area schools to celebrate Veterans Day on Nov. 11.

ELGIN – High school students interested in attending Elgin Community College and learning more about preparing for college are invited to an open house Wednesday.

WOODSTOCK – The future of the Woodstock Station property remains in limbo after a public auction Thursday at the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office.

McCULLOM LAKE – Anthony Loporchio has been removed from his post as police chief in McCullom Lake.

McHenry County properties with foreclosure filings increased 56.4 percent in the third quarter compared to the same period last year, according to a Chicago-based nonprofit organization.

WOODSTOCK – The Mc­Henry County Board soon will begin the final review process of the 2030 Land Use Plan.

Alex Levels usually looks to nature to get her through her regular workouts.

HARVARD – The city has sued Stratford Banquet Facility to enforce a 1992 agreement that the business hook up to Harvard’s water supply.

Centegra Health System will be distributing H1N1 vaccines at scheduled clinics today, and the McHenry County Department of Health also set up more of its own clinics.

WOODSTOCK – Numbered plastic balls decided the ballot order Wednesday in six Republican primary races for McHenry County.

LAKE IN THE HILLS – Chuck Ruth never has been one to brag.

CARPENTERSVILLE – A 17-year-old driver was cited in a collision that resulted in a pedestrian being struck by a second car, police said.

HUNTLEY – The village of Huntley is cautioning its residents about recent solicitation letters from a company called Home Service.

McHENRY – The Lil’ Warrior Fun Fair will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday in the gym at McHenry High School West Campus, 4724 W. Crystal Lake Road, McHenry.

CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County College will host a fire alarm inspection and testing workshop from 8 a.m. to noon Nov. 12 for electrical inspectors, fire service personnel, building inspectors, city engineers, and others who perform fire alarm system inspections and acceptance testing.

MARENGO – A group of Marengo area schools will be hosting a free educational workshop Saturday for McHenry County parents.

LAKE IN THE HILLS – Each holiday season, the Lake in the Hills Village Hall is transformed into a winter wonderland.

McHENRY – A spaghetti dinner and dessert fundraiser will be this weekend for Brittani Navarre-Shoemaker.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The Kick Up Your Heels for Hospice Barn Dance is planned Saturday.

Three additional clinics for the H1N1 vaccine, available by appointment only, have been set up by the McHenry County Department of Health.

Kelly Landers helped plan her 10-year high school class reunion from hundreds of miles away.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The City Council hasn’t been sold on plans for a new Metra station in Crystal Lake.

WOODSTOCK – The McHenry County Board rejected an advisory referendum on video gambling, but it will be another month until the board votes on whether to ban it.

McHENRY – The city of McHenry expects to have more power to raise taxes, enforce property standards, and allocate revenue soon.

WOODSTOCK – A 27-year-old Algonquin man accused of wielding a knife in a botched drug deal remained in jail Tuesday afternoon with $150,000 bail.