New Beth Bentley page hits Facebook

Yesterday's Northwest Herald article about a May 23 balloon release for Beth Bentley carries information about a (new?) Facebook page called "Missing Beth Bentley". At first glance, it appears to be a make-over of a previous page, but a closer look reveals numerous errors and misdirections. What would be the purpose of deceiving readers?

First of all, the page carries this statement under "Works at": "I AM AN ENDANGERED MISSING PERSON - PLEASE HELP BRING ME HOME!" (caps in the original)

Then it says, at the top, "Lives in Mount Vernon, Illinois." Oh, really? When Beth went missing, she lived in Woodstock. At least, nothing to the contrary has ever been stated publicly.

Who chose the "favorite quotes"?

#1 "Murder is unique in that it abolishes the party it injures, so that society has to take the place of the victim and on his behalf demand atonement or grant forgiveness; it is the one crime in which society has a direct interest.......W. H. Auden"

#2 "Lovers have a right to betray you... friends don't....Judy Holliday"

#3 “Lying is done with words and also with silence.” Adrienne Rich"

If "society" has a direct interest, then it is up to the public to keep the pressure on law enforcement agencies to keep digging.

Next, whoever put of the Facebook page didn't even get her date-of-birth right. It's February 12, 1969 (not 1967). She was 41 when she disappeared last May.

Her marital status is shown as "Married" and farther down the page reads, "Scott, Beth's husband, is devastated and has been completely ruled out of any suspicions."

Yep, he's so "devastated" that rumors were flying within a couple of months of her disappearance that Beth's purses and things were being sold off and that a single woman had moved into the Bentley family home and was also working in Scott's office. Perhaps whoever put up the Facebook page might want to check the dictionary for a definition of "devastated".

And that Scott "has been completely ruled out of any suspicions"? Whoever wrote that was dreaming (or standing downwind in the haze at a rock concert). "Ruled out" by whom? The police apparently have no suspects and have not identified any "persons of interest", but they have not ever stated that they have ruled out anybody. Period.

The page continues the lie about the 6:00PM Amtrak train from Centralia. Why do I say the "lie"? Because her traveling companion, Jenn Wyatt, called me on June 10 and told me that Beth never intended to take a train. It wasn't long after that that people began to question whether Beth ever was in Centralia, and then whether she was really ever in Mount Vernon, and then whether she ever really left Woodstock.

And then "Beth's" phone number is given, except it's the phone number for the Woodstock (Ill.) Police Department.

The Facebook page also says to see the FAQ section under "Info". The only problem with that is there isn't any FAQ section!

(Note: this was published previously but "unpublished" mysteriously by Blogger today; thus, it is re-published.)

$14,380 for 8 park benches, 2 trash cans!

I don't know, but spending $14,380 for eight park benches and two trash cans seems like a lot of money. Can't wait to see them! And to sit on them. And to throw trash in the cans.

The Woodstock City Council approved the purchase from the international firm of Landscape Forms (http://www.landscapeforms.com/). I'm glad they spent under the budgeted amount of $17,000, but why didn't they spend way under it? And why not buy from a Woodstock or McHenry County business?

After all, here's a bench for $50 at Ace Hardware. OK, so maybe the City doesn't have to go that cheap, but $14,380? Is that $1,500 for each of eight new park benches and then $2,380 for two trash cans?

And the City approved $34,916 for Hampton, Lenzini & Renwick to design more "bump-outs" around the Square. Keep in mind that this is for design (only). $35,000 for design work. Then comes the bidding process. And then construction. At what total cost? Seems the City has a pile of dough just waiting to be spent on "streetscape". The City already bought and paid for design work for bump-outs in other areas of the Square. Is none of that transferable?

And yet the City will not invest in an employee to market Woodstock and bring profitable new businesses to town. The position of Development Director has been vacant for - what? - two years. Right there was $50,000 that could have paid for such an employee. But maybe TIF dollars cannot be spent for that.

New book for men about understanding women

If Woodstock Public Library carries this, they'll have to offer extended renewals. I hear it's only available in the fine-print edition so far.

Should Woodstock repair roadway?

The other night, during hours of darkness and rain, I ran through these potholes when I drove a little to the right in the lane but where I thought the edge of the road way was. This is on westbound Lake Avenue, just west of Route 47 (just past Coleman's). Notice the white shoulder line is worn out. With water standing in the roadway, there was no way to know that the chuck holes were lurking there, just waiting to claim a tire or a rim or an alignment (or worse).

Why is this important? Because if your car is damaged from a chuckhole, you might be able to get the City to pay for it. If - IF - the damaged road surface has been reported to the City. And if the City follows the rules that IDOT uses to protect itself from claims.

IDOT will tell you, if you report pothole damage to your car, that they are responsible only if the road surface in question has been reported and if they have had time to get out to repair it. What a joke! IDOT is supposed to maintain the roads. Do you think IDOT employees report road surfaces needing repair? (Now, I don't know the answer to that question. I'd like for them to do so, but do they do so at the risk of their jobs?)

A friend in Minneapolis is fighting for a $1,500 auto repair bill, and the roads department is saying that it isn't responsible, because no one had reported the potholes.

Do your part and report them. Of course, this assumes that highway department maintain accurate records of potholes reported. And it assumes that reports don't go into the "circular file" at the end of the day. Who would know?

This road damage is being reported to Woodstock Public Works. So, if you run through these holes and damage your vehicle, you'll know that they know about it now.

Mental Health Board holds public hearing

The McHenry County Mental Health Board, one of 56 in the State of Illinois, held a public hearing tonight at McHenry County College. The first hour was composed of reports given orally, and then the group adjourned to rounds of tables in the cafeteria to discuss specific topics, such as Substance Abuse-Children and -Adults, Mental Illness, Developmental Disability, etc.

A number of young adults and older students attended, many of whom are in the AmeriCorps program.

Lazy Cake? Ever hear of that? Until tonight, I had not. Kids can buy it right over the counter in at least one convenience store. Apparently, it can be eaten to get high, although it contains no illegal ingredients.

Check tomorrow's Town Crier (http://www.towncriercl.blogspot.com/) for what I expect will be a good recap of tonight's meeting. I'm not going to spend an hour writing it up. If you are interested in mental health in our County, you should have been there tonight to hear the big picture with your own ears. Basically, the demand for services is high; funds are drying up.

Remember Thursday's event in Emricson Park. 10:30AM. Rain or shine.

On your mark, get ready, shred!

Golden Eagle Community Bank will host a community shred event this Saturday, May 21, from 9:00AM until noon.

Now's the time to collect all those old bank statements, stock records, credit card receipts, old tax papers, etc. and haul them to the bank's parking lot on Saturday and watch them disappear into an Ameri-Shred truck.

Limit of four boxes. Please help replenish the Woodstock Food Pantry and donate perishable food items. It's okay to donate more than one can.

This bank has done much to help our Chamber of Commerce survive. Make this a successful event for all. And, if you think you might have some profitable business for a bank, be sure to speak with them inside during banking hours. The bank is located in what might be commonly called the Jewel-Osco shopping center. Its address is 975 Country Club Road, just east of Route 47.

Charges dismissed against "Madison Five"

Last September 18 five men were enjoying a meal in a Culver's Restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin. Enjoying it, at least, until a squad of cops showed up in response to a customer's call about five men in the restaurant with guns.

The five were seated and wearing their handguns openly in sight, as required by Wisconsin law. The caller told the police dispatcher that there was no disturbance; she was just "concerned" that something "might" happen.

When the cops showed up, they demanded identification, and two of the men refused. According to a blog on the website of Wisconsin Carry, Inc., "Wisconsin law does NOT allow officers to demand ID from individuals who have done nothing wrong. Wisconsin law also specifically does not allow officers to arrest an individual who has done nothing wrong for merely refusing to show ID."

The two who refused were arrested for obstructing justice. How's that for bullying (by police)? Two days later, those charges were rescinded. Then the P.D. mailed disorderly conduct charges to all five.

And the fight was on.

Again from the same website, "According to Attorney (Chris) Van Wagner (representing Wisconsin Carry, Inc., and its members): 'The Madison City Attorney agreed after a full review of the police investigation and 911 call that there was absolutely no disturbance created by our members and that the disorderly conduct citations were inappropriate'." Wisconsin Carry, Inc. learned on May 5 that all five disorderly conduct charges were dismissed.

If you are going to carry openly in Wisconsin, read the law carefully, especially as to being inside your vehicle. Since a motorcycle is a vehicle, I presume the operator or passenger cannot wear a firearm openly. There is an opinion from the Wisconsin Attorney General that the peace of an "anti-gunner or do-gooder" (my words) cannot be disturbed by a person who is merely wearing a gun openly, absent any disorderly manner of that person.

If you are not a Wisconsin resident, find out in advance whether a non-resident can carry openly.

What this country needs is concealed carry in every state and then uniform laws, not laws that change at the state line. Wisconsin permits open carry, but not concealed carry.

The website for Wisconsin Carry, Inc. is http://www.wisconsincarry.org/