tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90957506591021202372024-03-12T17:04:39.226-05:00Woodstock AdvocateGushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.comBlogger7859125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-70203144444215422252023-01-12T14:32:00.003-06:002023-01-12T14:32:33.304-06:00Pritzker Bans Some Semi-Automatics<p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, Fat Guy Pritzker has signed into Illinois law a ban on semi-automatic weapons. Th7e ban affects long guns with a capacity greater than 10 rounds and a handgun with a capacity over 15.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Is this Pritzker's attempt to convert Illinois into Nazi Germany? Russia? other Eastern Bloc countries? China? Japan? England? Australia? New Zealand? Canada?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">You all know, of course, that the criminals in Illinois will be first in line to report or turn in their guns by October 1. Yeah, sure.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Just one more reason that I am so glad that I escaped from Illinois in 2014 and will never go back. Like many, I'll even avoid driving through Illinois.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Did Pritzker commit perjury when he took the oath of office to support the Constitution of the United States?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A dozen sheriffs have stated they will not enforce the law.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">What about Sheriff Rob Tadelman? Read his <a href="https://www.mchenrysheriff.org/statement-from-sheriff-tadelman-regarding-house-bill-5471/" target="_blank">statement</a> on H.B. 5471, which became law on 1/10/23 as Public Act 102-1116. It looks like a different law but also about certain firearms.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And notice how the People of Illinois got conned with that Bill, which started out as a bill that related to public adjusters and then was gutted and replaced with a gun-control bill. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Call Tadelman and ask him where he stands. 815.338.2144</span></p>Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-55613638713805511392021-02-24T19:01:00.002-06:002021-02-24T19:01:38.268-06:00<p>Eleven years ago Beth Bentley vanished from Jefferson County, Illinois, near Mt. Vernon.</p><p>Her burned remained have been found and identified.</p><p>Will the Jefferson County (Ill.) Sheriff's Department ever solve this case?</p><p>Will one or more of the persons-of-interest finally crack? Many believe that the first to crack (confess) gets a break that the others don't.</p><p>Signs of cracking up might be frequent changes of habits (drinking, smoking, etc.); frequent job changes; irrational mood swings; enlarged need for mental health services; loss of sleep; weight gain (or loss). Or maybe the good, ol' Guilty Conscience might just (finally) kick in.</p><p>There are, or were, people in Woodstock who know what happened to Beth.</p><p>One of these days everyone will know.</p>Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-65758644682685790432020-05-23T10:00:00.000-05:002020-05-23T10:00:00.365-05:00Beth Bentley - 10 years laterOn May 23, 2010 Jenn Wyatt (says she) drove Beth Bentley from Mt. Vernon, Ill. to the Amtrak station in Centralia and dropped her off for the evening train to Chicago.<br />
<br />
Now, if you still believe that (or ever believed it), call me right away, I still have that bridge in New York I'm trying to sell.<br />
<br />
On December 4, 2017 the Illinois State Police discovered burned remains in Jefferson County, Ill., outside the city limits of Mt. Vernon.<br />
<br />
On about November 19, 2019 it was announced that those remains were those of Beth Bentley.<br />
<br />
Today, May 23, 2020, is ten years after Beth vanished.<br />
<br />
No. 1 Question is, of course, if Jenn was telling the truth, how did Beth get back to the Mt. Vernon area and end up in the burn pit?<br />
<br />
What does Jenn really know about Beth's disappearance? And what do the Ridge brothers really know about Beth's disappearance?<br />
<br />
Is the Woodstock Police Department really still investigating? They have been hampered by the 330 miles between Woodstock and Mt. Vernon. But they had several chances to learn more in 2010.<br />
<br />
Jenn was in possession of Beth's car in June 2010, when a McHenry County deputy came upon her stopped car outside Woodstock in the middle of the night. And the WPD could have squeezed one of the Ridge brothers when they encountered him.<br />
<br />
Why might Jenn and the Ridge brothers be Persons of Interest? Jenn and Beth reportedly drove from Woodstock to Mt. Vernon on the night of May 20, 2010. If they left at 10:00PM, they might have arrived at the Ridge brothers' place in Jefferson County about 4:00AM. There has never been any formal disclosure of what occurred between their arrival and Beth's last being seen on Sunday. The media have continued to report that Jenn dropped Beth off at the Amtrak Station, but many people stopped believing that soon after Beth vanished.<br />
<br />
One of these days somebody is going to be charged with crimes. A number of crimes come to mind. Who will spill the beans first and hope for a break for "cooperating"?Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-4400482976563194782020-03-25T08:14:00.003-05:002020-03-25T08:14:35.559-05:00Outrageous Traffic Fines, McHenry CountyIs the fine for a speeding ticket in McHenry County really $164.00?<br />
<br />
Recently I had occasion to look up traffic fines. (No, I did not get a ticket.) I found a <a href="https://www.mchenrycountyil.gov/county-government/departments-a-i/circuit-clerk/criminal-traffic-information/payment-amounts-for-minor-traffic-violations" target="_blank">schedule</a> that shows the fine for a citation up to and including June 30, 2019 was $120.00. If you waited until July 1, 2019 to get caught for speeding, the fine is $164.00. That's an increase of <span style="color: red;"><b>36.7%</b></span>.<br />
<br />
The new schedule combines the violations for 1-20MPH above the limit and 21-25MPH over. In other words, the fine is the same whether a County mountie runs you down and cites you for 25MPH over or a Bull Valley cop cites you for 1MPH over. (Assuming there still are Bull Valley cops and that the ticket is answerable in McHenry County Court, not in the "Bull Valley system".<br />
<br />
The minimum fine appears to be $164.00 and that's if you pay in advance and plead guilty.<br />
<br />
If you go to court, the judge will assess the fine <u>AND</u> you will be responsible for court costs and fees.<br />
<br />
The traffic judge might take pity on you and set your fine at $100. You'll breathe a sigh of relief and walk out of the courtroom thinking you have saved $64.00.<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">BUT... just wait until you walk up to the payment window.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">One Google search result for the amount of court costs and fees revealed: </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">"Minor </span><b style="background-color: white;">traffic</b><span style="background-color: white;"> ticket </span><b style="background-color: white;">court costs</b><span style="background-color: white;"> would be $226.00 (schedule 10) in addition to the fine set by the judge. Major </span><b style="background-color: white;">traffic</b><span style="background-color: white;"> offenses would be $325.00 (schedule 9) in </span><b style="background-color: white;">court costs</b><span style="background-color: white;"> plus the </span><b style="background-color: white;">court</b><span style="background-color: white;"> ordered fine."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">So that speeding ticket fine of $164.00 plus $226.00 will cost you <b>$390.00</b> to walk out of the courthouse!!!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i><b>Why isn't there a revolution in McHenry County???</b></i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Remember when a burned-out headlight was $75.00? (2007) Or failing to signal a right turn far enough ahead of an intersection? $75.00</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well, somebody has to pay for that fancy courthouse and all those employees and judges sitting there, and YOU are that somebody.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Judges will tell you not to get mad at the women at the payment counter. They only collect the money. Court costs and fees are set by State legislators and the McHenry County Board. There is where you direct your anger and outrage!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">If you are going to plead guilty, mail in your fine and waiver BEFORE the court date. Or take it in person to the courthouse BEFORE your court date (which you probably cannot do during the COVID-19 health crisis). </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;">Even if you walk into court and plead guilty, you are going to get slammed with the court costs on top of the fine!!! $390.00 worth of Slam.</span><br />
<br />Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-69760953859569394912020-02-15T09:35:00.001-06:002020-02-15T09:35:57.112-06:00Know where your library (card) is?I just read John Daab's story about his first library card. The story starts on page 25 of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Vultures-Other-Friends-John-Daab/dp/B084DG2YP6/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1G2T3UGOIAGM3&keywords=vultures+and+other+friends&qid=1581779147&sprefix=vultures+%2Caps%2C159&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Vultures and Other Friends</a>.</i><br />
<br />
His book is NOT one to get at the library. <i>Buy </i>it. Own it. Read it. Share it. Give it as gifts.<br />
<br />
I don't remember my first library card, which would have been in University City, Mo. Probably before you were born. John's story did, however, remind me of my first (and only) foreign library card.<br />
<br />
I had gone to Belize in 1992 to visit a friend with whom I had had one date in Denver in 1986, some short time after which she left the country. She had been in Mauritania for four years. After that, wherever she lived, she lived the way the people of the country do.<br />
<br />
My trip turned out to be 5½ weeks, and it had to, of necessity, be a low-budget trip. I ended up spending $400 door-to-door. But, first, back to the library card.<br />
<br />
In July 1992 in Corozal Town, Belize, there wasn't much to do. We walked everywhere - to the tortilla factory every morning, to the produce market, to fish in the bay and catch catfish (which the locals wouldn't eat), and to the town library. Everyone had to have a library card, including foreigners. In order to get a card, one had to apply.<br />
<br />
And, to apply, you had to have a signature of an official on your form. What could be more official than the signature of the town mayor, and that's where I went with my form. He was gracious and signed my application, and off I went to collect my card. I'll have to find my diary of that trip. For some reason, I think my library card might still be with it.<br />
<br />
Corozal was a small town. The Population sign at the edge of town read "7000", but I think that was wrong. I guessed at 700. But maybe the area all around it was counted, because the 2010 census was over 9,800. Perhaps they counted everyone who could walk into town and get back home in one day.<br />
<br />
How did I get away for 5½ weeks for $400? I had a frequent-flyer ticket that I used to Mexico City (and back). My brother happened to be in Mexico City on business, so I spent one night with him at the Hotel Nikko. My friend had suggested I take a second-class train from Mexico City to Chetumal, but my brother's plant manager insisted I take a first-class bus (since I didn't speak Spanish). He took me to the bus station and told me to sit until the bus came to "that" door at 5:00PM and get on. "And don't walk away from your backpack." Twenty-four hours later I took the "Belize bus" from Chetumal across the border and arrived at 11:00PM. "Surprise! I'm here..."<br />
<br />
On the return trip I took a bus back to Mexico City and a cab to the airport. Arriving at a Delta counter I asked when the next plane was. The agent started stamping papers and then said, "If you can get to Gate 20 before the door closes, that's your plane." I made it, but my backpack didn't. It arrived the next day.<br />
<br />
The flight connected in Houston, and I went through Customs there. When the Customs agent asked where my luggage was, I held up my orange day-pack. I told him I had been visiting a friend in the Peace Corps. All he heard was "Peace Corps" and he waved me through.<br />
<br />
I got into Denver at 12:20AM, after the last bus serving the old Denver Airport had departed. Thinking about how I would have gotten "home" in Belize in the middle of the night, the choices were 1. take a bus; 2. take a cab; 3. walk. The bus was out, and I wasn't going to wreck my budget with a cab fare, so I walked home. Four and one-half miles in the middle of the night.<br />
<br />
It was a beautiful night and a great way to return to civilization.<br />
<br />
Be sure to read John's book. Your memories will coming flooding back, too.<br />
<br />
Oh, yes. Why did my friend leave the country after one date with me? She reminded me that she had asked me how to get a job overseas, and I had replied, "Oh, I don't know. Call the Peace Corps."Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-91966664369876674772020-02-07T07:09:00.000-06:002020-02-07T07:40:01.312-06:00Woodstock Author Publishes Book<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvP5Ewa5FjhVIPilamQ4vxUsHZYXNgaq3NUD3IzfFi3uhQcnn3GW51ApY0h602PoqG1NDsivuZEWaztUSzMXPeQjwyiIjEauCgAiWDNAG7_KTXoOd4NTzT3Vris-zxr_-fpFBX7w4imUU/s1600/Daab+book+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvP5Ewa5FjhVIPilamQ4vxUsHZYXNgaq3NUD3IzfFi3uhQcnn3GW51ApY0h602PoqG1NDsivuZEWaztUSzMXPeQjwyiIjEauCgAiWDNAG7_KTXoOd4NTzT3Vris-zxr_-fpFBX7w4imUU/s320/Daab+book+cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
Woodstock resident John Daab has published a new book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Vultures-Other-Friends-John-Daab/dp/B084DG2YP6/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=vultures%2C+daab&qid=1581079784&sr=8-2" target="_blank">Vultures and Other Friends</a>.<br />
<br />
I've known John and his wife, Kathy Spaltro, since 1996, and I enjoyed his columns in The Woodstock Independent. As soon as I read the first story, as a sample on the Amazon site, I knew I had to own the book.<br />
<br />
That story reminded me of an IMAX movie I had seen in Denver in about 1976. The movie was "To Fly", a history of flight. At the Boettcher Auditorium screening, four birds of prey were flown in the theater by the Colorado Raptor Society, before the movie started. I still remember the thrill of watching a falcon launched from the back of the theater, as a second handler stood on the stage and swung a leather rope holding a piece of meat. When the piece of meat sailed out over the audience, that falcon nailed it on the fly!<br />
<br />
The next morning I called many friends and urged them to see the movie and the live birds. Over the next week a number of them called me to ask, "What birds?" It turned out the birds of prey were flown only on the night I was there!<br />
<br />
I'm betting that John's other stories will bring back more memories.<br />
<br />
Grab a copy of his book (go on; buy the paperback edition!) for $10 and display it proudly on your coffee table or bookshelf. And read it! There is a Kindle edition available, too, if you prefer to build your digital library. You can find it on a different Amazon page by searching by the book title.<br />
<br />
Image of the cover used with permission.<br />
<br />Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-7485843959177082842019-11-24T10:00:00.000-06:002019-11-24T10:00:13.100-06:00Housing Authority - Part 9What could have the McHenry County Housing Authority have done differently? What <i>should </i>it have done differently?<br />
<br />
First of all, it should have taken the tenant's complaint seriously. The employees of the MCHA seem to have "circled the wagons" and made up their minds. Once "they" decided that pawn shop loans were "income", they were not going to back down.<br />
<br />
Even when I quoted HUD Regulations to them and pointed out that the Tenant was not engaged in a business of "pawn shop loans" and certainly was not an employee of the pawn shop, they should have asked themselves the question, "Could the Tenant be right?"<br />
<br />
When I suggested to the Executive Director to get an opinion from a CPA, that fell on deaf ears. What would a CPA have said? "Are you kidding me?" I guess they wanted to avoid that embarrassment.<br />
<br />
But they should have re-read the HUD Regulations, especially the part about "net income", not gross income. Even if they didn't know what the difference was, it should have caused them to inquire about it. And they should have made an effort to understand what short-term collateralized loans really are.<br />
<br />
The Housing Authority must have, or know, a CPA.<br />
<br />
The problem was compounded by the unwillingness of the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners to recognize the error in gross income vs. net income. And, as a banker of 35 years' experience, he should have known in a heart beat that short-term collateralized loans are not income.<br />
<br />
Further, the Executive Director was wrong when she said that many of the pawn shop loans had not been redeemed. As a matter of fact, all of them were redeemed. But, even if none had been redeemed, that would not have caused loan proceeds to become income.<br />
<br />
The Housing Specialist and the Housing Supervisor should be required to attend trainings by HUD in how to understand and apply Regulations.<br />
<br />
How many other Tenants of the MCHA have been harmed by staff mistakes?<br />
<br />
Many Section 8 tenants do not have the resources to challenge errors successfully. Some of them might assume that the staff should know the rules and regulations and they would apply them correctly. Now we know that they don't know some of the Regulations and they don't apply them correctly.<br />
<br />
And, worse, they dug in their heels when challenged.<br />
<br />
If you know any clients of the MCHA who has been treated unfairly, let me know. As I have said many times, "I am not a lawyer, but ..." <br />
<br />
Write to <a href="mailto:gus@woodstockadvocate.com">gus@woodstockadvocate.com</a>Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-41778309371146148912019-11-23T09:35:00.000-06:002019-11-23T09:35:02.941-06:00Housing Authority - Part 8An appeal beyond the Executive Director should never have been necessary. But her statement that they "always use Gross Income" told me that she did not understand the difference between earned income (wages) and business income (which has gross income, expenses and net income).<br />
<br />
On October 25 I mailed a letter to the Chicago Regional Office of HUD, explaining the complaint and enclosing copies of the Housing Specialist's determination of the reduction in assistance and the Hearing Officer's Decision, which completely - and incorrectly - upheld the position of the MCHA.<br />
<br />
I estimated that my letter would be delivered on Monday, and so I waited until Tuesday to call.<br />
<br />
I was fortunate to be connected with an official at the regional office. A few minutes after our conversation, his administrative assistant told me that my letter had been received, and I asked if she would take it right in to the official.<br />
<br />
The help from that official was outstanding. He undertook investigation of the complaint personally and immediately. Two days later he called the MCHA Executive Director and explained that pawn shop loans were NOT income. That was Thursday, October 31.<br />
<br />
Let's be clear. He did not over-ride HUD Regulations. He <i>explained </i>the HUD Regulations.<br />
<br />
And still the MCHA malingered in correcting the problem. They only needed to do at least two things.<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li>Adjust the monthly assistance to the correct amount for November; and</li>
<li>Issue a check for the amount that had been improperly withheld from the September and October rent assistance.</li>
</ol>
<br />
MCHA is a small agency. I'm sure the employee group is a close-knit group. I'm sure they all want to get along well.<br />
<br />
And, when they screw up, they should fix the problem quickly. The Executive Director could have ordered the correction and the preparation of the adjustment check that Thursday. Instead, they claimed they had to wait for the letter from the Regional HUD Office. And wait they did.<br />
<br />
But the tenant finally was able to pick up the adjustment check, and the MCHA paid the correct amount of rent assistance for the November 1st rent.<br />
<br />
Tomorrow - look for my comments about how this should have been handled at the MCHA office in Woodstock or at least upon escalation to the Board of Commissioners.Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-19046212610552780362019-11-22T10:36:00.001-06:002019-11-22T10:36:28.017-06:00Housing Authority - Part 7When should a Board of Directors intervene in the operation of an agency it directs?<br />
<br />
Its function is to <i>direct </i>the agency, not "manage" the agency. But when it is informed that the agency is not being properly managed, then the correct duty of the Board is to investigate and determine whether, in fact, the agency has been mismanaged and, if it has, then its duties is to direct corrective action.<br />
<br />
Is that what happened when the Board of Commissioners of the McHenry County Housing Authority was informed of the errors and conduct of employees of the Authority and even of the error of a hearing officer? Did the MCHA retain an impartial, independent, unbiased, unaffiliated hearing officer? Or did it "stack the deck"?<br />
<br />
When the Executive Director refused to consider an appeal of the hearing officer's Decision, which merely rubber-stamped the errors made by employees, I contacted the Chairman of the Board of Commissioners, Keith Leathers.<br />
<br />
Leathers is Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending for Home State Bank. According to his <a href="https://www.homestbk.com/keith-leathers">bio</a> on the Home State Bank website, he has been on the Board of Commissioners of the McHenry <span style="font-family: inherit;">County Housing Authority for 18 years. With 35 years of commercial banking expertise and as a <span style="background-color: white;">graduate of the Graduate School of Banking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, you'd think he would immediately realize that a short-term collateralized loan was not "income". It might be reasonable to assume that he would have at least some familiarity with HUD Regulations or know where to look quickly in the Regs for a particular question.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">In his October 24, 2019 response Leathers advised that MCHA staff is certified and experienced in the programs they administer. He stated that "While the use of "pawn shops" is not a usual source of income it is not excluded from HUD regulations."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">What he did not say, and could not say, was the the use of pawn shops was <i>included </i>as income in HUD Regulations. Because it's not. Furthermore, it's not any source of income. A pawn shop loan is not income. How could a graduate of the UW-M Graduate School of Banking not know that?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">The MCHA was treating the making of pawn shop loans as a business. And, even so, it was considering only the proceeds of the loan received. It disregarded the repayment of the loan. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">First of all, it wasn't a business, at all. And even if it had been, HUD Regulations call for the determination of Net Income. The MCHA Executive Director told me they use only Gross Income. I recognized that she was most likely referring to Wages, not Business Income. It also seemed that she did understand the difference between Gross Business Income and Net Business Income. Every pawn shop transaction would have resulted in a loss, not a profit.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Leathers also wrote that the MCHA is "better suited for hearing officers to have expertise in HUD income regulations, not an expert in accounting and income tax." He said later in his reply, "When using an outside hearing officer, it is important to ensure they know the rule and PHA policy related to decisions under dispute and are informed of the limits to decisions that can be made in a hearing."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">Now, the last part of that sentence really bothered me. Exactly what were the "limits to decisions" that the hearing officer could make? Could she find for the Appellant? Against the MCHA?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">He directed me to MCHA for the contact at HUD for an appeal. But I didn't need that. Contact information was readily available at <a href="http://www.hud.gov/">www.HUD.gov</a> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">On Friday, October 25, I mailed a letter to the Regional Office of HUD in Chicago. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">What was the response? Come back tomorrow. Fasten your seat belt!</span></span>Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-83804931050650598332019-11-21T10:04:00.000-06:002019-11-21T10:04:42.281-06:00Citizen Beats Bull ValleyThere is a citizen out there who took on Bull Valley and its revenue plan. He fought and he fought and he fought. Was this David vs. Goliath? Or David vs. a mole hill? But a mole hill that could spend taxpayer dollars. Dollars after dollars after dollars.<br />
<br />
I don't know the Petitioner, the person who was harmed by the tactics of the Bull Valley PD and its former Chief. Most drivers know the reputation of the Bull Valley PD, or at least its reputation for many years.<br />
<br />
From McHenry County Circuit Court record, this case appears to be No. 15LA000407, Charles A. Casamento v. Village of Bull Valley et al. Virtually impossible to find among the many cases involving Bull Valley, but easily found in search results for James Page.<br />
<br />
I had heard a story about one of its part-time police officers who would stop local Mexican pizza delivery drivers for speeding. Being such a nice guy, he would "let" them pay their speeding fines on the spot, in cash, so that a hot pizza wouldn't cool off. Very considerate, right? That officer was allowed to resign. He should have been prosecuted and sent to jail.<br />
<br />
Well, the local lawsuit was settled this week. Read this posting from Facebook.<br />
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<span class="v_62s6m4i6i" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="fsm fwn fcg" style="color: #90949c; font-family: inherit;"><a class="_5pcq" href="https://www.facebook.com/justiceforbvpd/posts/3833935619965808?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDBS8Kn6yLH4pxdYUjsy3jxKYOERXpCn7W3qGXyaV-VPJZhhGwmHxob-L0zFZe-0EzrJcN3xdYj0j-unES7OJmhmJr9cD-uSh__0Coi5ra6ogppiU5kIplG4WpbiDVgz5naYw380J2rY24X1crgq7U6NqHAKCPa8x-5RMRhtQ7HzRaJdmuPSQymYHipLqbihmb6v8yh7wZ__irqS0QaNHklmIKEBrTC9L9WsnVJKXGWGx9udtBqgzavjBCkJCvlznA-xZCbMugP8-guB1QjIpcCVttBoJxc2WWHNi3aRZfhg9YkoiUHJnBrtdKkEo2fth48qULTxCKSR0cPQ11wh0QU4O2z83PlDK0Ok_1lv3GXorwqRvWTvRA&__tn__=-R" style="color: #616770; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="">15 hrs</a></span></span><span aria-hidden="true" class="_6spk" role="presentation" style="font-family: inherit;"> · </span><a aria-label="Public" class="uiStreamPrivacy inlineBlock fbStreamPrivacy fbPrivacyAudienceIndicator _5pcq" data-hover="tooltip" data-tooltip-content="Public" href="https://www.facebook.com/#" role="button" style="color: #616770; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: middle; zoom: 1;"><i class="lock img sp_PwEZywy1x4q sx_0caa8d" style="background-image: url("/rsrc.php/v3/yj/r/AE-e0Vw8Uhd.png"); background-position: 0px -258px; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: auto; bottom: -1px; display: inline-block; height: 12px; margin-bottom: -5px; position: relative; vertical-align: top; width: 12px;"></i></a></div>
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I’ve been waiting for this day for almost 4 years. Four days short of 4 years actually.<br />Tonight, the jury concluded that I was falsely arrested and maliciously prosecuted by Jim Page and the village of Bull Valley holding them liable for my damages.</div>
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One month ago at a pre-trial conference with the judge, opposing counsel, and my lawyers, it was ruled that there would be many things that were not to be discussed or allowed into the trial as evidence. While I don’t agree with t<span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">hat decision, I respect the rule of law and it applied to both sides - but in my opinion there was so much more that wasn’t allowed on my side.</span></div>
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My attorneys went into the lions den this week with two hands tied behind their backs and simply delivered the best case they could have with what we were allowed to do. They fought and battled like no one I’ve ever seen to make sure the jury understood the most they could from what happened to me. I am extremely grateful by their efforts in the monumental task.<br />Thank you Jeannie Ridings and George Kililis for all of your hard work. And Randal Baudin Sr who initially assisted me and filed the lawsuit. <br />And thank you to all the anonymous police officers who assisted me from day one. You know who you are and I am extremely grateful.</div>
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After understanding the rules of evidence before the trial, we had assumptions that my damages would be under $10,000. Tonight, 12 jurors awarded me $55,000. While it is not the amount we were hoping for, I am extremely satisfied simply over the principle and I understand it was way more than I thought it would be based on the rules going into trial.</div>
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I will say this one last time. I started this campaign over five years ago to help every citizen who either drives through or enters Bull Valley. The police department for so many years was running a major racketeering and illegal ticketing operation robbing citizens blind for so many years and left unchecked. My initial goal was to figure out what was going on and help one of my employees at the time. And then the rest is history from there.<br />I gave them an opportunity to make a course correction and rather than change course, they tried ruining my life. At the end of it, the illegal ticketing operation has ceased, several police officer positions have been eliminated - including the chief of police and I now understand people can drive through the village for the most part without the fear of having their lives turned upside down.</div>
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Thank you for all of your interest in my case, and I want you all to know today justice has been served.<br />Cheers.</div>
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I myself never had a problem driving through Bull Valley but, then, I'm the guy who was often at the front of the line of cars, poking along at exactly the posted speed limit and making full stops at Stop signs. I had heard about speeding tickets for 2MPH over the posted limit, although a former Chief told me that none of his officers ever wrote a ticket for less than 10MPH over.<br />
<br />
Congratulations to Mr. Casamento for your perseverance and your victory.Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-86987786380491138702019-11-21T09:38:00.000-06:002019-11-22T10:08:06.754-06:00Housing Authority - Part 6Once I got involved with this and saw the dead-end into which the tenant had run, I contacted the Executive Director of the McHenry County Housing Authority, Kim Ulbrich.<br />
<br />
In a telephone discussion, she upheld the decision of her employees and the hearing officer.<br />
<br />
It was obvious to me that she, too, did not understand that there was no way that a short-term collateralized loan could be income. I mean, it just does not make sense.<br />
<br />
The only reason that it was "income" in the eyes of the Housing Authority was that the Housing Specialist, the Housing Supervisor and the hearing officer had decided to call it income. Whether or not it was legally "income".<br />
<br />
When I inquired about the appeals process, Kim said she, as Executive Director, was not an appeals end-point. This was hard for me to grasp.<br />
<br />
The hearing officer had conducted an "informal hearing", as identified in the decision. The Executive Director should have the authority to over-ride it, if it is wrong. Just as a judge has the authority to over-ride a decision by a jury.<br />
<br />
But the Executive Director informed me that an appeal could only be made to HUD or through a lawsuit.<br />
<br />
Seriously?<br />
<br />
After I thought about that, I made a list of possible levels of appeal:<br />
<br />
The McHenry County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners (composed of Keith Leathers, Chair (Home State Bank, Crystal Lake); Mary Reid, Vice Chair; Victor Oswald, Huntley; Mary Donner, Crystal Lake; Lyn Orphal, Huntley; Kevin Myers, Oakwood Village; Marty Kampmeier, McHenry)<br />
The McHenry County Board<br />
The McHenry County Mental Health Board<br />
Thresholds<br />
Then HUD<br />
And then the courts<br />
<br />
And, of course, there are the newspapers and blogs: Northwest Herald, Daily Herald, McHenry County Blog, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, and the television stations.<br />
<br />
I started with Keith Leathers. See you tomorrow.Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-81346001421661312682019-11-20T09:38:00.002-06:002019-11-20T09:38:43.004-06:00Housing Authority - Part 5<span style="font-family: inherit;">Continuing with the saga of the Section 8 tenant of the McHenry County Housing Authority whose monthly assistance was reduced, because an Authority clerk decided that pawn shop loans were "income".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On September 27 a hearing was conducted on an appeal. The tenant challenged the Authority's consideration that a "short-term collateralized loan" was "income".</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Housing Authority selected the hearing officer. HUD Guidelines call for the selection of a hearing officer who has knowledge of the particular item or issue being contested. Did the Authority do so?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The hearing officer selected, who can remain nameless here, includes this in her LinkedIn profile: "<span style="background-color: white;">Management of HUD-based grants to McHenry County agencies, programs, and municipalities. .."</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Right there could be enough to decide that this hearing officer might be biased in her partiality. Could she make a decision against the McHenry County Housing Authority? Not that she would, but <i>could </i>she? Could she be impartial, independent? If the tenant was right that a pawn shop loan was not income, could or would she support the tenant and rule against the McHenry County Housing Authority? How would that affect her future working relationship with the Authority?</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What happened on September 27 was she swallowed - hook, line and sinker - the argument of the Housing Authority. According to her written decision, issued on October 4, 2019, she ruled that deposits of cash received from pawn shop loans were "cash income", </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Her whole premise that pawn shop loans was unsupported. She didn't determine that the tenant was engaged in any business; the fact was that he was not. He merely borrowed some money for a short period of time. He did this several times. If one time was not "income", then a number of times would not be income. She ended her Decision with "As such, I concur with the determination of income calculation performed by the McHenry County Housing Authority."</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">She was wrong; it was wrong.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But the tenant continued to suffer the reduction in monthly assistance. A clerk told him that if he could produce future checking statements without similar "deposits", then his case would be re-considered.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It was at this point I got involved. </span></span>Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-89401590575980014322019-11-19T11:52:00.002-06:002019-11-19T11:52:35.803-06:00Housing Authority - Part 4Are pawn shop loans income? Is the use of a pawn shop a "business"?<br />
<br />
At one point a clerk at the Housing Authority provided the tenant with its form for calculating business income. The Housing Authority was trying to support its unjustifiable position that a pawn shop transaction was a business. It provided a worksheet titled "SELF-EMPLOYED INCOME WORKSHEET".<br /><br />
The first problem with completing it, of course, is that the Tenant was not self-employed. And then the Housing Authority had considered the total of several loans as income, without any adjustments for expenses.<br />
<br />
The question of completing such a form and for a tenant to submit it could put the tenant in a position of having submitted false information to the Housing Authority. The Authority offered the form and expected him to complete it. But where would the legal responsibility fall, if he did complete it and submit it?<br />
<br />
It's a pretty big deal, in my book, to submit a form containing false information to a HUD-affiliated agency.<br />
<br />
But let's go down the path followed by the Housing Authority.<br />
<br />
How much income would a pawn shop customer have, if he borrowed $100. A typical pawn shop transaction requires collateral worth substantially more than $100. Then the borrower (customer) must pay back the loan, plus interest, within a stated period of time; that time period is, for example, 30 days. That's why these are called "short-term collateralized loans".<br />
<br />
Let's say the pawn shop charges a fee of 20% for a 30-day loan. When the customer redeems the pawn ticket, he would pay $120.00 and get his collateral back.<br />
<br />
You figure it out. How much "income" did he have?<br />
<br />
First of all, he didn't have <i><b>any </b></i>income, because it was not a business transaction.<br />
<br />
But, if you filled out the Self-Employed Income Worksheet and put $100 on the top line as income, where would you put the $120 that he paid back? Would you list that as an expense?<br />
<br />
How much is $100 less $120? There is, of course, no "income". In fact, there is a loss. A $20 loss.<br />
<br />
The tenant and the Housing Authority could not reach a meeting of the minds, and the conclusion reached by the Housing Authority was appealed. An appeal hearing was scheduled for September 27.<br />
<br />
Of course,, that was well past the due date of the September rent and just five days before the tenant's October rent was due.<br />
<br />
Some back tomorrow to learn about the hearing on the appeal.Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-83502459098064808712019-11-18T09:24:00.001-06:002019-11-18T09:24:47.020-06:00Housing Authority - Part 3Probably the Housing Authority should not have intruded on the tenant's privacy by examining his checking account statement. But when an "authority" asks for information, often clients of such an authority don't know whether they can refuse to comply without risking loss of a benefit. Was that the case here?<br />
<br />
The Housing Authority has the right to ask about amounts and sources of income? The HUD Regulations allow this. The purpose is to make allowed adjustments in benefits, in view of changes in income.<br />
<br />
In any event, this particular client has not yet learned to live within the limits of his SSI/SSA benefit and during a month he may need more money. He has avoided PayDay Loans, but he has used pawn shops as a temporary source of funds.<br />
<br />
When the Housing Authority's clerk identified such loans, she decided they were income. It must have been an arbitrary conclusion on her part and probably supported, if not guided, by her supervisor. The result was a reduction in monthly assistance of $220.00. <br />
<br />
The way this works is, when the Housing Authority reduces its monthly assistance, then the tenant is required to pay that amount to the apartment complex management as an increase in his share of the monthly rent. Discussing, disputing, challenging such a reduction with the person who made the decision goes nowhere.<br />
<br />
There is a appeal process. In this case an appeal was made, and a hearing was scheduled for the end of the first month of the reduction in assistance.<br />
<br />
Before you hear about the appeal hearing, consider what you think would be a fair appointment of a hearing officer. Should that hearing officer be independent? Impartial? Unbiased? With knowledge of HUD Regulations and of the specific item being contested?<br />
<br />
Come back tomorrow for information on the hearing that was held.Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-6344473787972925792019-11-17T06:52:00.001-06:002019-11-19T11:52:56.118-06:00Housing Authority - Part 2It started when the Section 8 tenant reported that he had found a job. The Housing Authority got ready to adjust his monthly housing assistance. Then they wanted to see his checking account statement.<br />
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One professional told me that was "problematic". I can only guess what that means. Probably that the Housing Authority had no right to examine his personal checking account statement.<br />
<br />
The clerk at the Housing Authority noticed deposits on the statement (his only income at that time was SSA and SSI checks at the beginning of the month). He explained those as being deposits from pawn shop transactions.<br />
<br />
What is a pawn shop transaction? It is a "short-term collateralized loan". Generally speaking, a customer takes something of value (TV, computer, cellphone) into a pawn shop, borrows money, puts his property up as collateral, and walks out with cash.<br />
<br />
Is there anyone who has passed Third Grade who would think that cash received as loan is Income?<br />
<br />
You don't even have to read the HUD Regulations to believe it is <i>not </i>income.<br />
<br />
Keep reading here over the next few days to learn how not only did the first-level clerk at the Housing Authority conclude that the loans were "income", but so did her supervisor, a hearing officer, the Housing Authority's executive director, and the Chairman of the Housing Authority's Board of Commissioners (who happens to be a banker!).Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-13970359979151808632019-11-16T08:08:00.000-06:002019-11-16T08:08:32.877-06:00McHenry County Housing Authority - How is it doing?Recently a situation involving the McHenry County Housing Authority (MCHA) was called to my attention. It involved a Section 8 tenant who had had his housing assistance reduced it. Unfairly, it seemed.<br />
<br />
It should have been easy to resolve. After all, there are regulations that dictate how monthly assistance is calculated. I expected that the regulations had been in place for years and should be well understood by the employees who are in charge of such calculations.<br />
<br />
Who establishes the regulations? HUD does. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, of which the Hon. Ben Carson, M.D. is the Secretary.<br />
<br />
OK, so what was going on?<br />
<br />
The tenant reported to MCHA that he had found employment and that his income would change. This would mean a re-calculation of his housing assistance. No problem so far.<br />
<br />
But then the MCHA wanted to inspect his checking account statement for deposits of income. And this is where the problem began.<br />
<br />
The tenant's statement showed deposits, which the MCHA employee questioned. When the tenant answered that he had made some pawn shop transactions and had deposited the amounts borrowed, the MCHA employee decided those deposits were "income", and she re-calculated and lowered his housing assistance because of that "income".<br />
<br />
If you are a client of the MCHA or know someone who is, have you, or have they, had any problems with adjustments in their housing assistance?<br />
<br />
If you (or they) challenged MCHA decisions, what was the outcome?<br />
<br />
Come back tomorrow for the "next chapter" in this tenant's story.Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-65314466533807708832019-10-23T16:51:00.001-05:002019-10-23T16:51:15.833-05:00Send information to State's Attorney<span style="font-family: inherit;">McHenry County Blog closed its article about Beth yesterday with this: "<span style="background-color: #fef3dd;">The results of the joint investigation conducted by the ISP Zone 7 Investigations, ISP Zone 1 Investigations and Woodstock Police Department (WPD) have been forwarded to the Jefferson County State’s Attorney’s</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #fef3dd;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">office for review."</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If you have any information, thoughts, suspicions or ideas about how Beth Bentley died, send them to</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Honorable Sean Featherstun<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Jefferson County State’s Attorney<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">100 S. 10<sup>th</sup> Street, Room 203<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mt. Vernon, IL 62864</span></div>
Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-29041206796388977092019-10-22T15:01:00.002-05:002019-10-22T15:01:59.867-05:00ISP Press Release on BentleyEarlier this afternoon the Illinois State Police issued this press release:<br />
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<div style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px;">
ISP MAKES POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION ON REMAINS OF BENEDETTA “BETH” BENTLEY</div>
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DuQuoin, IL – Illinois State Police (ISP) officials announce the positive identification of the body of Benedetta “Beth” Bentley. The human remains, located on December 4, 2017 in rural Jefferson County, have been positively identified.</div>
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On May 23, 2010, a friend reportedly dropped off Beth Bentley at an Amtrak Station in Centralia, Illinois. Bentley was reportedly taking a train back to her home located in Woodstock, Illinois. Bentley did not return home and was reported missing. Information was developed which led the ISP to a rural location in Jefferson County where suspected human remains were recovered at the location.</div>
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The results of the joint investigation conducted by the ISP Zone 7 Investigations, ISP Zone 1 Investigations and Woodstock Police Department (WPD) have been forwarded to the Jefferson County State’s Attorney’s office for review.</div>
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No further information will be available from the ISP.</div>
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All subjects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.<br />###</div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The "friend" mentioned in that release is Jenn Wyatt. Was she telling the truth at the time, when she said she dropped Beth off at the Amtrak station in Centralia?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I saw the phone records for several people on a group phone bill, and the pattern of calls was definitely suspicious.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Woodstock Police Department was the lead investigating agency, because it was where she was reported missing. However, Woodstock is more than 300 miles from Mt. Vernon and Jefferson County, and it would have been difficult and expensive for Woodstock PD to investigate thorough.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Did the Illinois State Police get a tip to check out a burn pit? Who tipped them? Did that person seek immunity for providing the tip? </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Never lose hope in DNA testing. It might take a while; might take years. But cases get solved many years later. </span></div>
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Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-77403737306164515482019-10-22T14:53:00.002-05:002019-10-22T14:53:39.944-05:00Remains are of Beth BentleyThe Illinois State Police is reporting that burned remains found approximately two years in Jefferson County, Illinois, near Mt. Vernon, are those of missing Beth Bentley, then 41, of Woodstock.<br />
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Beth was reported missing in May 2010, when she did not return from a trip to Mt. Vernon, Iowa with her friend, Jenn Wyatt. There are many articles on this blog. For a couple of years I wrote weekly about her being missing.<br />
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There were plenty of suspicions floating around about what happened to her. There were too many misdirections and red herrings. Too many stories that didn't match up. Too many sketchy circumstances.<br />
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Those closest to these stories should be worried big-time now that her remains have been found. In my mind, there is no doubt that at least six people have known since May 2010 exactly what happened to her. Until now they apparently have kept their mouths shut. Now that they know the little burning trick didn't work, maybe at least one of them will be nervous enough to speak up.<br />
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Obviously, she never took a train from Centralia, as Wyatt said. How is Wyatt going to explain now about the identity of the burned remains? Wyatt claimed then that she had driven Bentley to the Amtrak station and dropped her there, so that Bentley could take the train to Chicago and on to Woodstock. Will she stick to that story now?<br />
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Thanks to the numerous people who tipped me off to the short story in the <a href="https://www.nwherald.com/2019/10/22/burned-remains-confirmed-to-be-those-of-woodstock-woman-missing-since-2010/a56fpl4/">Northwest Herald</a>. The Illinois State Police will remain quiet; it's an open case.<br />
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The next court date on the probate of Beth's Will is scheduled for February 18, 2020. Will Judge Chmiel find good reason to hold the probate open? Can anyone explain the Motion to Impound that was filed on December 21, 2017? Is this similar to sealing court records? Why would that have been requested?Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-12560521434610341692018-12-17T08:47:00.004-06:002018-12-17T08:47:59.060-06:00WARNING: Learn now about GuardianshipsDo you know an elderly person who is trying to live on his/her own? Do you know a family in which children of that person are battling over control of a parent's healthcare and/or assets? Are <i>you </i>a person who might find yourself needing a guardianship in the future? Or unwillingly ruled a Ward by some court?<br />
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Recently I learned of Americans Against Abusive Probate Guardianships, whose website is <a href="http://www.aaapg.net/">www.aaapg.net</a> <br />
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Now is the time to become familiar with some of the horror stories regarding guardianships and to begin steps to avoid them from affecting you in the future.<br />
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Too often I have told people that they might need a lawyer to protect them from their lawyer. I myself have been adversely affected by poor (even criminal) legal advice, but not so far as any guardianship. But I have a friend of 25 years whose life was turned upside-down by guardianship actions, brought on by her own sister, that affected their elderly mother and may have directly resulted in the mother's death. She is now suing the State of Wisconsin, a nursing home and a major national charity. And she is having to do it <i>pro se</i>.<br />
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Another friend, this one in a Chicago suburb, has watched her brothers and a friend of one of the brothers take control of their 95-year-old father. She became subject to an Emergency Order of Protection that forbids her to contact her father in any way. I encouraged her to get legal representation without delay and to discuss an immediate Motion to gain at least email communication with her dad. A judge granted that Motion, and then one brother had her charged with violating the Order. This resulted in her arrest and jailing! (And a second fee for legal services.)<br />
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She wasn't going to watch BROKEN but did, after I told her that her father is one court date away from a guardianship.<br />
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Watch this powerful video, titled BROKEN, about the abuse that occurs when people and authorities collude to take over an elderly person's life and assets: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUzjkc8Y0QM&feature=youtu.be">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUzjkc8Y0QM&feature=youtu.be</a><br />
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Two videos will open your eyes. One is this trailer: <a href="http://www.vimeo.com/imagin8r/theguardians" id="yiv3294621562yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1545026823284_13790" rel="noopener noreferrer" shape="rect" style="color: #0096ef; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span id="yiv3294621562yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1545026823284_13791" style="color: #0066cc;">www.vimeo.com/imagin8r/theguardians</span></a><br />
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Consider pre-ordering the documentary titled "The Guardians" at $12.99 in the next ten days through <span id="yiv3294621562yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1545026823284_13785" style="color: #0066cc; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-guardians/id1442753626" id="yiv3294621562yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1545026823284_13784" rel="noopener noreferrer" shape="rect" style="color: #0096ef; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-guardians/id1442753626</a> </span><span style="cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">Could be the best $12.99 you'll spend in 2018.</span><br />
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The producer/director writes that the film won eight major awards, played at 21 festivals worldwide, and is being aired in nine countries. But NOT in the United States. No network in the USA was willing to show it. Why not? My guess is the legal industry is too powerful.<br />
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How often have I told people, "You need a lawyer to protect you from your lawyer"? That was certainly true in McHenry County. Watch this videos and the documentary.<br />
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And take a hard look at donating to and supporting the AAAPG.<br />
<br />Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-60062153927349781142018-05-16T08:34:00.000-05:002018-05-16T08:34:38.849-05:00Is your CWP info confidential?You probably think your application and file information for your concealed carry permit are private. Right? But how would you know if it is being released to nosy people? You wouldn't.<br />
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According to this blog in Wisconsin, http://racinecountycorruption.blogspot.com/, the sheriff of Racine County may be disclosing protected information. And doing so in violation of DOJ guidelines.<br />
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I can't explain why the author of that article mentions Appleton and Ashland, which are well outside Racine County, which is south of Milwaukee. But perhaps the good Sheriff of Racine County believes he can release any State of Wisconsin concealed-carry records, not just Racine County residents.<br />
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If you wonder whether your own records can be released, file a FOIA Request with your own sheriff's department. Have someone else request your records. A sheriff's department will be in a Catch-22 situation. If they are releasing the records but lie and say they aren't, that will bite them where it hurts, when the truth comes out. If they are releasing them and tell the truth, then it's time for law-abiding registrants to haul them into court.Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-24988230676355844172018-05-02T08:26:00.002-05:002018-05-02T08:26:48.023-05:00Expect new Medicare cardIf you are receiving Medicare benefits, expect to receive a new Medicare card between April 2018 and April 2019.<br />
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Your previous card is being replaced with a new card that will not have your Social Security Number on it. The new card will have a distinct number on it that will become your identifying number for Medicare purposes. (Wasn't your Social Security Number <i>your </i>number?)<br />
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If you have moved, check and update the address in your Social Security account at www.ssa.gov/myaccount or call 800/722-1213 (TTY 800/325-0778).Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-37922396383801238082018-04-26T07:56:00.001-05:002018-04-26T07:56:10.850-05:00Whose Remains Were Found?When the Illinois State Police announced the finding of burned remains on December 4, 2017 in Jefferson County (Ill.), the spotlight was once again on Beth Bentley, who vanished in May 2010.<br />
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Read a current article <a href="http://www.x95radio.com/2018/04/23/authorities-not-immediately-prepared-to-file-charges-in-beth-bentley-case/">here</a>. Radio station 95.3 operates out of Centralia, Ill.<br />
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Anyone who believes that Beth ever was near the Amtrak station in Centralia probably also believes in the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. I have no idea why the media continue to even mention that red herring.<br />
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It seemed strange to me that the State Police would mention Beth Bentley in the article about the found burned remains, <i>unless </i>they felt the possibility of a very strong connection between Beth and that site.<br />
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It is certainly premature to consider charging anyone, since the remains have not yet been identified.<br />
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Are all the "likely suspects" still in sight? A short list of people who probably know what happened to Beth might include ten familiar names. Who is keeping an eye on them? Has anyone left town or dropped out-of-sight?<br />
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How did the State Police "happen" to find the burned remains? Who told them where to look? I hope that person's Will is up-to-date. I would encourage that person to make a full video recording of everything known about Beth's life and disappearance "just in case". Then put it in a safe place, such as the office of an honest attorney who can be trusted to turn it over to police, should an "accident" occur.Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-60355828828437593842018-04-09T09:42:00.000-05:002018-04-09T09:42:07.124-05:00Finding Beth Bentley - GPR?Has anyone heard more about the State Police investigation of unidentified remains found near Mt. Vernon? Results could take a while, but ...<br />
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My FOIA Request for the location where the remains were found was denied by the Illinois State Police, as I expected it would be. I considered filing a Request for Review with the Public Access Counselor in the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, but I decided not to. There are plenty of people closer who could inquire, but I don't know of anyone else, outside of law enforcement, who is interested enough to invest some time.<br />
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A week or so ago I read a news article about a body that was found in the U.S. after 30-40 years, using Ground-Penetration Radar (GPR).<br />
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How helpful could it be, if it turns out that the remains found by the State Police are not Beth?<br />
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I can think of two places in Woodstock and two in McHenry that ought to be searched with GPR.<br />
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If you know anything about GPR, please get in touch.Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9095750659102120237.post-21685273318368472322018-03-02T13:18:00.002-06:002018-03-02T13:18:34.642-06:00A. Cooper vs. LoeschAnderson Cooper tried to sandbag Dana Loesch over Trump's gun comments this past week. I don't understand why so-called "personalities" at CNN don't publish email addresses so that viewers can comment directly to them.<br />
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He asked, more than once, whether the NRA feels "betrayed" by Trump.<br />
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I didn't feel "betrayed" by Trump. He's a guy so far up the mountain and out of touch with real people that he can't even begin to understand what's happening here on the USA portion of the planet.<br />
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I don't mind if guns get taken away from mentally-ill people. I don't want them harming themselves, others or me. They can have their day-in court (Due Process) and, if they are deemed mentally stable enough to possess guns, a court can return them. Then we can be mad at the judge who returns the guns, if the owner later goes on a rampage with the gun(s).<br />
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I think the NRA understands Trump.<br />
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Dana Loesch is one smart cookie who isn't going to get cornered by Cooper.Gushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09036550825708569102noreply@blogger.com4