Want to see something really stupid?

If you have ever wondered why you can't get a case to trial in McHenry County, check out Case No. 07AR000679! This is a civil lawsuit by a woman who went to Gus's Roadhouse and got dropped when she was on stage with one of the male "performers".

Go to www.mchenrycircuitclerk.org
Click on Case Information Search
Click on By Case Number
Enter 07AR000679, and click on Search
Click on any one of the (same) case numbers
Click on Court Events

This case was filed on November 16, 2007. That's almost four years ago.The next court date is tomorrow, September 12, 9:00AM.

Examine the list of court dates. How many have there been? Almost too many to count (easily).

One of these days judges may start telling lawyers, "Be ready in 30 days. This case is not going on for years!" If they had done this sooner, maybe the 22nd Judicial Circuit wouldn't need two new judges.

Where were you on 9.11.01?

Like so many, I know exactly where I was on 9/11, when I learned of the planes that had been flown into the World Trade Center towers.

I was in an airplane, having flown from Austin, Texas, to O'Hare. No announcement was made by the pilots while the plane was in the air. No one aboard knew about it.

After we touched down on the runway and hardly after the nosewheel had touched, my seatmate turned on her cellphone. I was just about to tell her to turn it off until we got to the gate, when her phone rang. She answered and half the plane heard her say, "What? Planes hit the World Trade Center" or something to that effect.

With that, most of the other passengers turned on their phones and began making calls.

The pilot taxied to a holding area and, after about 15 minutes there, he announced what had happened, acknowledging that many of the passengers already knew via their own cell phones.

By the time we got to the gate, the terminals were empty.. As I drove from O'Hare, the roads were empty. I don't remember today why I didn't go directly to my office at the Sears headquarters in Hoffman Estates, but I headed on back to Woodstock.

9/11 is now to be called Patriot Day, and the U.S. Flags are to be flown at half-staff. I would prefer that the U.S. Flag be flag at full staff, in full recognition and memory of the 2,977 who died. Flying the flag at full staff can send a clear message to every terrorist that he did not win on that day. Many Americans will pause in silence at 8:46AM Eastern Time; that was the time the plane hit the North Tower.

How long is a Work Zone?

As I rode back into Woodstock this afternoon on South Street from the west, I came up on 30MPH Work Zone in front of the District 200 maintenance buildings. Although I was fairly sure that there was no construction in progress on a Saturday, I slowed down. Thankfully, the car behind me slowed down, too.

Shortly after that sign, just around a bend, is a standard, regulatory, 40MPH speed limit sign. Now what? Do I speed up to 40? Keep it at 30 for the Work Zone?

Then I spotted a construction area off to the left on a side road, and then beyond that was the Work Zone speed limit sign for oncoming traffic. Could I speed up there?

It's hard to ride a motorcycle with your fingers crossed, but I was still hoping to see an End Work Zone sign. I never did.

So the question is, where does a Work Zone end, when there is no End Work Zone sign? Is it at the point where oncoming traffic reaches its first Work Zone speed limit sign?

Wouldn't it be appropriate to erect End Work Zone signs in both directions?

Marengo - Recognize these men?

Batzler

Tarrant

Recognize either of these two men? They were arrested in Rock County, Wisconsin and charged with burglaries. Police and sheriff's departments south of the state line are scratching their heads and wondering whether they were also involved in burglaries in Boone, Winnebago, McHenry and Ogle Counties in Illinois.

Arrested were Nicholas Jay Batzler, 32, of Loves Park and James Daniel Tarrant, 43, of Rockford.

If you recognize either of these men and have information that might connect them to any crimes, contact your law enforcement agency immediately.

Reminder: Batzler and Tarrant, like any other suspects, are presumed innocent until found guilty.

How long to be tolerated?

When a property in Woodstock is out of compliance with the City Code, how long should it take the City to cause the property owner to come back into compliance?

Should it take over a month to correct? These trailers and sign are in the front yard at what may be 821 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock. I say "may be" because the owner has removed the house number over the front door. The property is on the west side of Seminary at the corner of Christian Way, right across from where the beautiful Grace Hall was and where the new senior-living duplex has been constructed.

With a reasonable property owner it should be a simple matter. The Code Enforcement Officer sends a letter about the problem or makes one courtesy visit. Upon becoming aware of the violation, a reasonable property owner would correct the violation and avoid further involvement with the legal process..

But therein may be the problem - that being the word "reasonable." This property has been called to the attention of Code Enforcement many times in recent years. For months the property owner left an old pick-up truck with a snowblade backed in the driveway, with a For Sale sign on it. For about a year an old van and a large box trailer have been parked in the driveway.

Often in the mornings a truck will be parked across the sidewalk for hours, because the box trailer and the van are not parked far enough back in the driveway to allow another vehicle in the driveway without blocking the sidewalk.

Have tickets or citations been issued? Has the City gone public with its efforts to bring that property back into compliance? Doing so might hasten compliance, and it might also alert other property owners to the proper, sometimes aggressive, efforts by the City to keep Woodstock looking great.

“Angels Over America” 9/11 Memorial

Please take just a few minutes to watch the memorial on YouTube. I met the creator of it, Carolyn Long, in 1995 in Maryland. I received the following message from Carolyn Long today and share it with you. 

In honor of the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, I would like to share my revised 9/11 Memorial Video “Angels Over America” with you, and encourage you to share it and the poem from which it was created. My greatest hope is that it comfort and inspire those who view it.

View a YouTube version from: www.AngelsOverAmerica.org

This professionally produced 8-minute video, which incorporates original 9/11 video and images with music and poetry, is both a moving tribute to 9/11 victims and heroes, and an artistic work which offers healing perspectives on this pivotal moment in our nation's history.

Award-winning New York arranger and composer Mark Freeh co-produced the 8-minute video from my poem, "Angels Over America," against the backdrop of powerful 9/11 images, his stirring arrangement of "America the Beautiful," and beautiful renditions of "Amazing Grace" and "My Country 'Tis of Thee."

The Video's greatest honor was its showing prior to a large 9/11 Memorial Solemn High "Blue Mass" (honoring Men in Blue, First Responders, Military, etc.) presided over by the Bishop of Palm Beach, FL. 

The work’s unique metaphor is powerfully grounded in the reality of that tragic day and spiritually uplifting. The four segments of “Angels Over America” trace both the events and the evolution of shock and awareness, emotion and understanding that lead to transcendence.

The events of September 11, 2001, will be a part of the American consciousness forever. The lens through which we view them will shape our future, and determine how we evolve as a people. 

We must never forget that tragic day, or what got us through it—our indomitable American Spirit, that spirit of freedom born of courage and compassion, resilience and restraint known to all the world. 

“Angels Over America” is dedicated to an America that lost its innocence on September 11—but never its hope.

The DVD is available for group showings by contacting Carolyn.K.Long@gmail.com, Carolyn@AngelsOverAmerica.com, or by calling 443-250-0222. The entire poem can be read or downloaded from the website at www.angelsoveramerica.org/the-poem (When sharing, please include attribution and copyright.)

DVDs and Laminated Posters of the Poem are also available from the website, along with additional information, articles and press releases about 9/11:  www.AngelsOverAmerica.org

Thank you for viewing and sharing this message!

Rockford & Loves Park men arrested for Wisconsin burglaries

Two men were arrested in Rock County, Wisconsin, on Friday, September 2, thanks to the sharp eyes of a Rock County detective. Rock County is on the Wisconsin-Illinois state line and includes Janesville. Arrested were Nicholas Jay Batzler, 32, of Loves Park and James Daniel Tarrant, 43, of Rockford.

Was that two-man team responsible for the crime wave in McHenry, Boone, Ogle, Winnebago and Rock Counties? I'll bet there are others.

You can read the short story on Crime Tracker of NBC-TV/15 out of Madison. A resident had reported a suspicious vehicle, and the arrest unfolded from that tip.

Watch for news soon that will help Marengo area residents learn more, faster, about crime in their area. Active residents are stepping into the fray and making things happen.

Your eyes and ears can help. If you are home and hear glass breaking next door, take action. If you know someone is home, call them. If you know no one is home, call the police or the sheriff's department. Don't be the one who later says, "You know? I heard glass breaking, but ..."