Excavation Work for Western Bypass to Begin Monday

The Illinois Department of Transportation will begin the extensive excavation and earthwork needed to construct the long-awaited Western Bypass.

The first steps toward building the long-awaited Western Bypass should, weather-permitting, start Monday, state transportation officials said. Extensive earthwork and excavation will begin in the area north of Algonquin Road and west of Illinois 31 to prepare a rough outline of the new bypass route, an Illinois Department of Transportation press release states. The $70 million project would re-route traffic away from the downtown Algonquin area — and in particular, away from the intersection of Route 62 and Route 31 — in an effort to reduce congestion. The grading work should not disrupt traffic and will cost about $4.9 million, the press release states. The primary contractor is Ryan Incorporated Central, of Janesville, Wis. The work is …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (2)

NTSB Releases Initial Report into Fatal Plane Crash

Few new details were released in the report about the crash that occurred across from the Lake in the Hills Airport on May 3.

A preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed few new details surrounding the cause of a fatal plane crash in Crystal Lake in recent weeks.  Hugh Scott Clark, 65, of Lake Forest, and Paul San Filippo, 82, of Grayslake, died in the crash, according to the Northwest Herald. The report released by the NTSB confirmed San Filippo was piloting the Beech S35 Bonanza, which he owned, at the time of the crash at 3:15 p.m. May 3. The plane went down in a marshy gravel pit on the east side of Pyott Road, across the street from the airport.  The plane took off from the Lake in the Hills Airport, according to the report. Witnesses reported the plan flying low to the ground "in a very steep bank." A witness said the airplane …

• Photos (2)
• Documents (1)

Poll: Should Gay Marriage Be Legal?

President Barack Obama said that he supported gay marriage this week, while Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said he believes marriage should be between a man and a woman.

  Gay marriage came to the forefront of the 2012 presidential campaign this week. President Barack Obama said on ABC's Good Morning America that he personally supported gay marriage. "You know, Malia and Sasha, they have friends whose parents are same-sex couples. There have been times where Michelle and I have been sitting around the dinner table and we’re talking about their friends and their parents and Malia and Sasha, it wouldn’t dawn on them that somehow their friends’ parents would be treated differently," Obama said in the interview with ABC. Obama's support for gay marriage came one day after North Carolina passed an amendment defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman, the Huffington Post Reported. Republican …

•  282 Comments
• Videos (1)

RB

7:59 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012

Marie: I hope you get some clear answers, that was a good question. My experience is that the religious right feels that the Government should support them in their effort to implement laws based upon religion. I guess it's similar to the Taliban and Islamic law. Of course the Taliban may take it further with the whippings, beheadings and bulldozing of centuries old relics but, it's a slippery …   more ›

Kane to Launch Second Chance Program for Drug Offenders

Kane County State's Attorney's Office starts new program aimed at reducing recidivism and court volume.

Some low-level felony drug offenders in Kane County will have the opportunity to avoid a permanent conviction on their record and in some cases prison if they agree to treatment under a new program of the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office. The office next week will launch the Second Chance Felony Drug Program for certain offenders who face a Class 4 felony charge of unlawful possession of a controlled substance—up to five grams—and/or a Class 4 felony charge of unlawful possession of cannabis, up to 100 grams. The program, which involves drug testing and treatment, would reduce court volume and keep some low-level offenders out of the prison system. By receiving counseling and treatment instead of prison, offenders would have a better …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (3)

Indian Grove Residents, Village Find Middle Ground on Street Project

Compromise between homeowners and village prevents the removal of about 40 mature trees in an effort to preserve the neighborhood's charm.

Residents of the Indian Grove subdivision on Algonquin’s east side appear to have reached a compromise with the village regarding upcoming road and infrastructure improvements. About 35 homeowners on Tuesday attended the Committee of the Whole meeting. There, village staff members addressed ten specific concerns and requests made by the residents.  A priority for many in the subdivision was to save some of the 71 trees originally slated for removal in order for the village to make the necessary water main, road reconstruction, storm sewer installation and sidewalk improvements in the $2 million project. Specific roads slated for reconstruction in the project include Hubbard, Osceola, Cherokee and Navajo.  Although village trustees won’t …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (5)

LITH Resident to Open Drive-Through Tobacco Shop in McHenry

The McHenry City Council approved a conditional use permit for the business on Monday.

A Lake in the Hills resident is hoping to open a drive-through tobacco shop on Route 120 in McHenry by the end of this month, according to a Northwest Herald article.  The McHenry City Council on Monday voted 5-2 in favor of a conditional use permit for Syed Najmuddin of Lake in the Hills to open the drive-thru business at 3706 West Elm Street in McHenry. The business would take the place of the former Bear Creek Coffee kiosk along Route 120, which closed because of financial difficulties, according to the article.  Najmuddin told the Northwest Herald tobacco shop would be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the week and from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. The business would have "two lanes with drive-thru windows on the east and west sides …