COVID surge brings a request for an adaptive pause

KANE COUNTY - A surge in COVID cases has not only led to calls for people to refrain from Thanksgiving holiday travel but for further restrictions on students in Kane County schools.

The Kane County Health Department (KCHD) is asking public and private schools to take an “adaptive pause” for the period of November 23 to December 4. Any of the Kane County districts using a hybrid learning system are asked to switch to remote learning, exclusively for this period of time.

Veterans gift of camaraderie

MCHENRY COUNTY - Through a collaboration of organizations in northern Illinois, dozens of veterans have benefited from a series of golf clinics, a gift before Veterans Day.

Among the veterans you’ll meet that had participated in the recent golf clinics in Lake County were Walter Flores of Oakwood Hills and Lenny Harris of Elgin. Flores and Harris are in the Healthy Minds Healthy Bodies program of Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association(NISRA)through Huntley, Cary, Dundee Township, and Wauconda and now through AllenForce’s Healthy Minds Healthy Bodies program, Flores and Harris enjoyed free golf in five training sessions at the Pine Meadows Golf Course in Mundelein.

COVID-19 health strategies In Kane County will have new leadership

KANE COUNTY - Kane County Health Department Executive Director Barbara Jeffers is sounding very positive of her staff, encouraging them to continue as they have demonstrated the health and safety of Kane County residents.

In announcing her retirement effective December 1, Jeffers said, “Their performance during the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how essential their work is to the betterment and survival of Kane County.”

As the number of COVID-19 cases continues increasing, the staff at the Kane County Health Department recognizes Jeffers eight-and-a-half years as executive director and in total 15 years at the health department.

Relief ahead for restaurants and bars in McHenry County

MCHENRY COUNTY - Restaurants and bars have been reeling in McHenry County from the shutdown this spring because of COVID-19, but many had wrestled their way back over the past few months with the help of their loyal customers. Today, “devastation” is the word you’d hear John Dickson use to describe further restrictions in McHenry County as a result of a spike in COVID-19 positivity. Dickson had represented 37 restaurants and bars from Huntley to Hebron in McHenry County Court. These establishments are affected by Governor JB Pritzker’s latest order to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

Your contributions are a turkey delight for families in need

On the morning of November 14, a truck will stop at the Grafton Food Pantry in Huntley and put the wheels in motion for hundreds of people who might otherwise not have a Thanksgiving. Forgive, if you will, the cliché because the wheels are key to the Grafton Food Pantry Thanksgiving Dinner giveaway, a two decades old tradition.
The truck driver will oversee the packing of 170 to 175 boxes of frozen turkeys into his truck at the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

Focus of domestic violence awareness on COVID-related stress

MCHENRY COUNTY - Cooped up in your home won’t turn your spouse into an abuser. This should come as a relief for the many people staying at home or sheltering in place during this COVID-19 pandemic. However, for someone already with a history of abuse, the added stress can make the violence more frequent, according to Jane Zamudio, associate director at Turning Point of McHenry County.

“We are all familiar with the stress caused by the pandemic which includes employment, financial difficulties, mental health, substance use problems, issues with online schooling, lack of social contact, and fear for ourselves or our loved ones contracting the virus.

Dining out in 2020

HUNTLEY - “Could I have five more ketchup packets?” A customer at Parkside Pub in Huntley was just served a burger and fries and caught the server’s attention. The customer figured two ketchup packets on her plate weren’t enough. The number of ketchup packets served to a customer won’t break a restaurant’s budget, but it’s part of the complete picture of COVID-related costs for restaurants and how restaurants struggle to stay on budget. It also represents how a restaurant’s staff is confronted with the daunting task of operating a business with a myriad of public health rules to follow.

Help for struggling McHenry County taxpayers

MCHENRY COUNTY - As the McHenry County Board works toward approving its 2021 budget and levy, households and small businesses pummeled by COVID-19 continue finding a sympathetic friend in McHenry County government.

McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks says, “McHenry County residents were struggling under a heavy burden long before COVID-19 . They’re being hammered now.”

Franks, a Marengo resident, is reminding taxpayers of the fiscal efforts by the board in reducing county government’s tax levy for three consecutive years. With COVID-19 hurting taxpayers, Franks says the combination of cost reduction and outside-the-box thinking are resulting in real tax savings that turned prior years’ reductions into permanent cuts for fiscal 2020, saving at least $28 million over the three-year period had the levy remained at its 2016 amount.

Former DCFS Worker Faces Pressure to Step Down from the McHenry County Board

McHenry County - McHenry County Board Chairman Jack Franks has asked County Board member Carlos Acosta of Woodstock to resign. The request from Franks came shortly after the 54-year-old Acosta, a former Illinois Department of Children and Family Services employee, was arrested by McHenry County Sheriff’s Police and charged in connection with his handling of the AJ Freund case. Acosta, a child protective specialist, was one of the investigators for DCFS during the time the Crystal Lake boy was living with his parents and at the time the parents were arrested in connection with the boy’s death.

Relief again for McHenry County property taxpayers

McHenry County - Double proof the McHenry County Board has a heart for property taxpayers struggling in the world of COVID-19.

When the crushing punch of coronavirus hit both public health and the economy, some residents were sent reeling with how they’d pay their annual property taxes in McHenry County. Relief came in April when the McHenry County Board approved a 90-day waiver for the first installment. But McHenry County has two installments and the second one was just as worrisome as the first because conditions caused by coronavirus hadn’t really improved much in Illinois.

Calling on all election judges to step forward

MCHENRY COUNTY, Il - You’re probably in the process of figuring out what method of voting works best for yourself because the General Election is less than two months away and vote by mail ballots will be mailed to voters beginning on September 24. The options for voting in Illinois are mail in (absentee ballot), early voting, or voting on Election Day, November 3.

The problem for county clerks running a smooth election process for the General Election is not in the number of voting options.

We can prevent a one two punch

You may grow weary of wearing a mask, staying at least six feet apart socially, washing your hands often, and using disinfectant on surfaces to minimize the chances of coming in contact with COVID-19. While health departments and Governor J.B. Pritzker are asking for vigilance in your efforts to reduce the spread of coronavirus, another virus is only a few months away from entering the picture.

Many health departments across Illinois are talking about action plans for their annual educational approach to influenza (flu).

Upcoming Labor Day weekend provides another economic checkpoint

HUNTLEY, Il - With the emergence of the Coronavirus pandemic, the Labor Day observance may be subdued nationwide, but creativity, adaptability, and resilience in places such as the Village of Huntley will keep the focus on honoring worker contributions. Yet, continued reports of positive cases of COVID-19 in Illinois have given us so many reasons for pessimism for an economic recovery and job picture.

That’s why any victories with the economy give us a ray of optimism for a rebounding job market.

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