Fox River lock operation hours cut at McHenry dam
McHENRY – Starting May 1, when the lock re-opens for the boating season, operating hours will be reduced at the William G. Stratton-Thomas A. Bolger Lock and Dam on the Fox River in McHenry.
The reduced hours are an effort to manage costs during challenging fiscal times, according to an Illinois Department of Natural Resources news release issued Friday.
The IDNR operates the dam. Officials said in the news release that the lock would be closed Mondays and Tuesdays, except for holidays, starting in May. New hours Wednesdays and Sundays will be from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The lock will be open from 10 a.m. to midnight Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Holiday hours will be from 10 a.m. to midnight.
For two years, hours have been from 8 a.m. to midnight daily from May 1 to Oct. 1 and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31.
Funding availability requires the postponement of hiring staff, the release said. IDNR is working on finding ways to raise revenue and restore services as quickly as possible, according to the release.
The McHenry County Board will have a resolution on the May 5 County Board Meeting Agenda opposing any reduction in services. Please contact Pam Althoff, Dan Duffy, Mark Beaubien, Mike Tryon and Jack Franks; let them know that Springfield can cut costs else ware. At a time when we are encouraged to have a "staycation", reducing the hours of operation at the William G.
Stratton-Thomas A. Bolger Lock and Dam is a poor decision.
Choose To Move
www.choosetomove.org
Happy New Year from Springfield
A new year means that new state laws take effect. Here is a sampling of some of the new legislation on the books, which you can read online in full at the Illinois General Assembly’s site, www.ilga.gov:
– Carbon-monoxide detectors: House Bill 5284 requires carbon-monoxide detectors in all homes that use fossil fuels to heat or cook and have an attached garage. The detector must be placed within 15 feet of a sleeping area.
– Identity theft: Senate Bill 2310 allows residents to protect against identity theft by putting a security freeze on their credit reports. Information is available on the Attorney General Identity Theft Hotline at (866) 999-5630.
– Good Samaritans: Senate Bills 2303 and 2968 amend “Good Samaritan” laws to protect people with first-aid training from being sued for attempting to help injured people.
– Health insurance: House Bill 4125 requires most private insurance plans as well as all state and local plans to pay for treatment of autism and other pervasive child developmental disorders.
– Eminent domain: Senate Bill 3086 requires that governments have clear and convincing evidence that private land is needed for public use before seizing it.
It also requires governments to reimburse an owner’s relocation expenses and legal fees in some instances.
– Elder abuse: House Bill 4676 requires the Illinois Department on Aging to investigate reports of senior self-abuse or self-neglect.
– Sex offenders: Several new laws address the monitoring of sex offenders.
Police now have the ability to monitor paroled child sex offenders and sexual predators through global positioning system technology.
The state also imposed stricter guidelines for sex offenders near child-care facilities. The changes were made in House Bills 4222 and 4606, as well as Senate Bills 0859, 2873, 2962 and 3016.
– Railroad crossings: Senate Bill 2865 gives local governments the power to install cameras at railroad crossings to crack down on drivers who go around lowered gates.
– Military impostors: House Bill 4121 makes falsely claiming or wearing a military valor medal a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $200. Medals worn for theater or historical re-enactment are exempt.
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McHenry County Burning Ordinance
At the County Board meeting on September 16, 2008 the health department gave a presentation on alternatives to leaf burning. I did not support the latest version of the Burning Ordinance. The health department has done a good job of finding alternatives, however, I believe that a lot of people in McHenry County will have a difficult time and added expense to take care of their leaves this fall. For information on composting, mulching and other alternatives, please visit the website for environmental health. Scroll down on the page until you find the link for open burning of landscape waste.
http://www.co.mchenry.il.us/common/CountyDpt/Health/
Welcome
Welcome to my blog.
I am currently a member of the McHenry County Board and was re-elected on November 4, 2008. I am humbled by the many supporters who came out on election day and voted for me. I hope to serve you well the next four years.
Let me tell you a little about myself. I graduated from Marian Central High School in Woodstock and received a bachelors degree from NIU. I have been married to my husband, Jerry for 26 years and have two children, Jill a student at Northern Illinois University and Jim who attends Purdue University. While my children attended Marian Central, I was involved with the music boosters and served as co-president for two years. I am the bookkeeper at The Church of Holy Apostles in McHenry. I taught CCD for 10 years and received the Bishop O'Neill Award in Catechetics in 2002. I currently am in charge of training and scheduling altar servers. I also am a tax preparer at H & R Block in Crystal Lake. I am on my subdivision board of directors and for the past eight years have been the secretary for my subdivision in Wonder Lake.
I am a six year member of the McHenry County Board. I have served on several committees. As a member of the Human Resources committee, I have saved the taxpayers over $400,000 by self funding our employee health insurance. While serving on the Law & Justice committee I have been a proponent for an additional dispatch person from the sheriff's department to help with our local fire and police departments. This became a reality last spring.
I have a good working relationship with our Senator Pam Althoff; this helps our voices get heard in Springfield.
Endorsed by:
Pamela Althoff, IL State Senator Mike Tryon, IL State Representative
Keith Nygren, McHenry County Sheriff Lou Bianchi, McHenry County States Attorney
Sue Low, Mayor of McHenry Rick Mack, President of Ringwood
Tony Topf, President of Wonder Lake Donna Schaefer, McHenry Township Supervisor