Residents looking for some fun and safe holiday activities need to look no further than say, their own neighborhood perhaps. This is the case for Huntley resident Shannon Hill and her family, who have entered their home in the Light Up McHenry holiday lights contest, having been making preparations since before Halloween.

The contest allowed participants to enter their homes into one of five categories which ranged from “White Christmas” (best all white display) to “Blow it Up” (most inflatables per square foot).

According to McHenry County Board member and treasurer Cindy Gaffney, the primary reason for the meeting, involved discussing the argument that MCDH Board members felt that their messaging about COVID-19 concerns were not being accurately portrayed by the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office.

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Allison Thompson, Elgin: “Not having to wear a mask, especially when it was hot. It kind of sucks.”

Jason Garrett, Elgin: “Indoor dining I miss the most. I like getting served. Taking your food and leaving right away, it’s not something you want to do to enjoy a nice meal.”

James Tran, Algonquin: “I just miss the concerts and hanging out, the fairs and getting out and socializing.

Watching a Christmas Hallmark movie or volunteer bell ringing are both good ways to spend your time between now and Christmas.

“We’re gearing up for a marathon that will start as soon as the vaccine becomes officially available,” said MCDH Nursing Director Susan Karras. “Vaccine allotments will vary by county, and the State’s plan starts with distributing vaccine to counties with the highest death rates. We will all need to continue to use the preventative tools we know that work—watching our distance, washing our hands and wearing our masks—until a vaccine is widely available and a large portion of the population has received an adequate dosage.”

COVID-19 mobile testing units scheduled by MCDH are operated by the State of Illinois. Any resident who is tested at a mobile site can expect to be contacted by the State with their test result 4 to 7 days after the day of their visit. A phone number and name are required in order to receive results. 

Susan Karras, the Public Health Nursing Director for MCDH, stated that the Health Department has entered into a contractual agreement with the Village of Algonquin to use their Public Works facility as one location to distribute the vaccines, with the other confirmed location being the McHenry County Fair Grounds.

Historic roots aside, Sew Hop’d has been keeping busy each holiday season since its debut, to ensure disadvantaged families get the opportunity to experience the magic of the holidays along with everyone else.

With one of the busiest travel times of the year just around the corner, the police department reminds motorists to buckle up and drive sober, according to a news release from the department.

‘On regular days and holidays alike, law enforcement too often sees the results of driving impaired and not wearing a seat belt,” Chief Robert Porter said the in the release.

As previously reported in My Huntley News, a 78-page lawsuit was filed on behalf of 37 restaurants including Papa G’s and BBQ King of Huntley, asking for an issuance of a temporary restraining order for relief from Gov.

The $113,000 reconstruction of the bridge on Harmony Road over Coon Creek, about 10 miles west Huntley High School, involved replacement of two deck beams. The bridge had been closed since Oct. 2 for the work performed by Copenhaver Construction Inc. and paid for by motor fuel tax and RTA funds.

The Illinois Department of Transportation approved the bridge, which allowed it to be reopened to traffic without the weight restrictions that have been in effect.

Huntley Travel Managing Owner Bernice Bakley is optimistic about the prospect of a coronavirus vaccine.

“However, there are still so many obstacles for the travel industry to overcome before traveling truly opens up,” Bakley said. “Besides the obvious reasons many people are not currently traveling, the industry is dealing with some media outlets saying it is unethical to recommend travel during the pandemic and insinuating travel advisors would lie about safety to get people to travel couldn’t be farther from the truth,” she said.

Yet it is not just diabetics that are at risk, senior citizens and the immunocompromised also need to be vigilant about limiting their time outside of the home.

McHenry County was placed under Tier 1 mitigation by the State on October 31 due to 7-day rolling average testing positivity rates that exceeded 8% for three consecutive days. Testing positivity has continued to climb since late October and medical and surgical bed availability in McHenry County is currently at 27.3%, the lowest it’s been since spring.

The board set Dec. 10 as the date for a hearing on the village’s budget for the coming year, as well as the tax levy.

The only question in the budget is where the board plans to cut to make up for the $220,807 increase in contributions to the village’s police pension fund. The village is required by state law to increase contributions until the pension fund is 90% of fully funded by the year 2040.

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.

The post read, “To all who know and love Chuck Wheeler-with great sadness, we have to announce the loss of our beloved husband and stepfather Chuck. Chuck passed away in his sleep last night and will be missed dearly.”

Though Susan followed up shortly stating that funeral arrangements are in the works, she has not made any further updates.