It's the first day of school for District 300 students.  The outfits are new and clean, the hair is perfect and the smiles are big — a perfect photo opp for many parents.  Share your photos with the community and make your kid feel extra special by posting their pictures on Patch. Please be sure to include your child's name, grade and school with the picture.  Here are some easy ways you can submit your photos:  You can post directly to this article. Click on the "Upload Photos and Videos" tab above, choose the photo you would like to upload and then include your child's name, grade and …

A couple months back, the Algonquin and Lake in the Hills Patch sites merged giving you all of your Algonquin and LITH news on one site at Algonquin-Lake in the Hils Patch. Prior to this, we ran two separate Facebook and Twitter pages for the respective Algonqun and Lake in the Hills Patch sites. To make life easier for everyone moving forward, we will be providing all of your Algonquin and Lake in the Hills social media updates on one Twitter page and one Facebook page. And we will be shutting down the Lake in the Hills Patch Facebook page and the @LakeHillsPatch Twitter page on Friday.  We …

For many District 300 students, today is a glorious day.  Summer vacation is so close — the last day of school is today. Early release times are available on the district's website.  Students and parents, what were some of your most memorable moments from the past school year? And what are you looking forward to this summer? Tell us, by commenting below.  And how about photos—we know you have plenty! Share one great photo of your child from the past school year on Patch and let them know how proud you are of them. Students, share your memories with friends by posting a photo to this article…

Big Brothers Big Sisters will wind down its "30 Men in 30 Days" campaign this Monday at Buffalo Wild Wings in Algonquin, and Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Patch will be at the event to help show our support. The whole purpose of the campaign is to encourage men to sign up as mentors for Big Brothers Big Sisters. The organization also will host a wing-eating contest, and Wii bowling will be available at Monday's event, which will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at Buffalo Wild Wings, 461 S. Randall Road, Algonquin.  In McHenry County, about 70 percent of children who are seeking mentors through Big Brothers…

They are checking their hair, texting their friends, talking on the phone — all while also going 60 mph down the road.  Survey results recently released by the AAA Foundation found that teen girls are twice as likely as teen boys to use their cellphones and other electronic devices while driving. The first-ever study using in-car video footage of teen drivers found that electronic devices appeared to be the main avenue for distracted driving but not the only one. “Cellphones, texting, personal grooming, and reaching for things in the car were among the most common distracting activities found…

Starting today, Lake in the Hills Patch has become one with Algonquin Patch.  The combination of the two sites is meant to strengthen our coverage of both communities.  This decision comes after receiving feedback from the community and spending time covering these communities — much of the issues affecting Algonquin readers also affect Lake in the Hills readers and vice versa. Having all of the information in one place on the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Patch site will make it easier for you to keep up with all that is going on without having to flip back and forth between sites. Here are …

In recent months, readers have logged hundreds of votes and comments sharing their favorite restaurants in our weekly Chowdown Showdown feature and Chowdown polls. Thank you to everyone who has participated. The Chowdown Showdown simply is meant to be a fun way for readers to share their favorite restaurants for certain entrees and for others to get ideas on places worth checking out. Moving forward, we have decided to take on a different format for voting in the Chowdown.  First off, voting now will be stretched over the course of two weeks instead of five days. This will allow us enough …

A clever question by one Lake in the Hills resident caught the attention of the White House administration in recent weeks.  Steve Dessent of Lake in the Hills submitted his question for President Barack Obama as part of a call-out from Patch.com in January. The White House asked Patch.com to extend an invitation to readers and in turn agreed to respond to the best questions from across the nation.  Keep in mind, there are more than 800 Patch sites nationwide. Seven questions were selected, including Dessent's. And video responses from White House administration were provided — including the …

Do you like getting your daily dose of news from Lake in the Hills Patch? Then don’t forget to follow us on Facebook. For Facebook, it’s easy! All you have to do is "like” Lake in the Hills Patch and you’ll stay up to date on LITH news while you’re on Facebook socializing with your friends and family. I post the latest headlines on the Facebook page, as well as links to other stories I think you would find interesting. So once you’re a fan, you’ll have access to that information in your news feed without having to do a thing. To me, the best part of my job is interacting with the community. …

Patch.com is excited to present at this week's Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Chamber of Commerce Business over Breakfast.  Advertising Manger Vanessa Baker, Algonquin Patch Editor Savannah Ziegelbauer and Lake in the Hlls Patch Editor Amie Schaenzer will share with the community and area businesses how they can use the Patch sites to stay informed and ways to use Patch to interact with the community for personal and professional purposes.  The chamber's business over breakfast will be held from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at the chamber's office, 2114 W. Algonquin Road in Lake in the Hills.  There are …

Are you wondering what will be making headlines tomorrow on Lake in the Hills Patch? We've included a synopsis below of some of our top stories for Tuesday, Jan. 31. Is there something you think we should be checking into or you would like to see covered? Let us know by commenting below.  Do you have something to say about one of our topics? E-mail the editor at amie.schaenzer@patch.com or comment below. We will try to get your feedback into the article. If you would like to be a source for a story, please provide your full name and contact information.  LITH Patch Coverage for Wednesday, Feb…

Are you wondering what will be making headlines tomorrow on Lake in the Hills Patch? We've included a synopsis below of some of our top stories for Tuesday, Jan. 31. Is there something you think we should be checking into or you would like to see covered? Let us know by commenting below.  Do you have something to say about one of our topics? E-mail the editor at amie.schaenzer@patch.com or comment below. We will try to get your feedback into the article. If you would like to be a source for a story, please provide your full name and contact information.  LITH Patch Coverage for Tuesday, Jan. …

Are you wondering what will be making headlines tomorrow on Lake in the Hills Patch? We've included a synopsis below of some of our top stories for Thursday, Jan. 26.  Is there something you think we should be checking into or you would like to see covered? Let us know by commenting below.  Do you have something to say about one of our topics? E-mail the editor at amie.schaenzer@patch.com or comment below. We will try to get your feedback into the article. If you would like to be a source for a story, please provide your full name and contact information.  LITH Patch Coverage for Friday, Jan…

Are you wondering what will be making headlines tomorrow on Lake in the Hills Patch? We've included a synopsis below of some of our top stories for Tuesday, Jan. 24.  Is there something you think we should be checking into or you would like to see covered? Let us know by commenting below.  Do you have something to say about one of our topics? E-mail the editor at amie.schaenzer@patch.com or comment below. We will try to get your feedback into the article. If you would like to be a source for a story, please provide your full name and contact information.  LITH Patch Coverage for Tuesday, Jan…

In recent years, the village of Lake in the Hills has made a push to encourage residents to keep their holiday shopping dollars in the village.  The Shop Lake in the Hills campaign is meant to educate residents on the importance of shopping in town, since a portion of the sales tax dollars spent in the village goes back into the community in the form of capital projects and by providing better services for residents, according to the Shop Lake in the Hills website.  "... Shopping locally is like reinvesting your dollars back into the community where you live," according to a press release on…

Did you know you could say "thank you" on Patch?  That's right: the announcements' section of this site has a subcategory meant for all those "thank you’s" out there. The announcements post directly to our site. With Thanksgiving quickly approaching, a "thank you" announcement could be a great and easy way to show gratitude this holiday season. It's also a great outlet to allow your child to share his or her thoughts and to thank someone who has made a difference in his or her life.  All you need to do is log in to the site and hover over the news tab at the top of the home page and then …

Happy Halloween, Algonquin and Lake in the Hills!  We want to use this space to encourage you to share photos of your creative costumes, adorable children all dressed up and, of course, let’s not forget our four-legged friends (we know you've gotten them a costume, too!).  There is no deadline for posting your photos to this article, so post often, post many, and let others know they can do the same.  In addition, if you would like to participate for a chance to win in our nationwide Halloween photo contest. You can post your photo here through Nov. 1.  Don't know how to post a photo? Click …

Dear Lake in the Hills Patch readers,  Today, Lake in the Hills Patch celebrates its one-year launch-day (it is like a birthday but just for websites).  The whole purpose of Lake in the Hills Patch, like all the Patch sites, has been to provide the most localized news to the communities we cover. For me, that means covering Lake in the Hills inside out and backward, hopefully providing the most interesting, and relevant content for our readers.  We still are learning and growing and always open to constructive comments and criticism on what we can do better. We also would love to hear what …

It's just one of those days that you remember where you were and what you were doing and how you felt when you heard.  On Sept. 11, 2001, I was driving to school in northeastern Wisconsin. It was my freshman year of college, and I had a morning introduction to media class to get to.  I didn't have time to turn on the T.V. news that morning. And I didn't have the radio on as I drove to class.  When I got to my school, I noticed crowds of people gathered around the TVs in hallways as I rushed to class. I was focused on getting there on time.  Needless to say, I was very much out of the loop …

Thanks to all who stopped by the Lake in the Hills Path tent at the Summer Sunset Festival's EXPOsure event Sunday.  We received a lot of excellent feedback from the community.   And also were able to snap some adorable pictures of kids willing to dress up and try our photo booth. We also hosted our first-ever coloring contest at the Sunset Festival and will be posting the entries later this week.  Feel free to reach out to me with anymore questions at amie.schaenzer@patch.com or like us on Facebook.