Take down t-shirts at courthouse!!!

I must agree with Attorney Matt Haiduk in his complaint about the t-shirts in the courthouse. Did you read today's front-page article in the Northwest Herald?

I admit, though, that as many times as I have been in the courthouse and walked up and down the stairs from the first to the third floor, I never one read any of the messages on the t-shirts, and my curiosity was not piqued at all by their being there. (Wait, folks; I still do see red lights when I'm driving!)

But I agree with Attorney Haiduk that they do not belong in the courthouse, now that my attention has been called to their message. The courthouse is a place of justice (well, it is supposed to be...). Defendants who enter the courthouse are presumed to be innocent.

A while back I wrote about the comment of a defense attorney to me, when I asked that attorney about Turning Point. I won't repeat the words that were used, but I got the impression that misery awaits any man on whom Turning Point sets its sight. He won't be "presumed innocent."

Court Administrator Dan Wallis ducked when Haiduk complained to him, and he passed the buck to County Administrator Peter Austin. Pete told a reporter that he signed this year's request "without thought" (OK, so I'm quoting him out-of-context), and will bring up the issue at a meeting with courthouse officials tomorrow.

Sorry, Pete; not good enough. You should have revoked the permit and taken down the display. Then bring it up with courthouse officials. Who are those "courthouse officials", anyway.? The buck stops with the County Administrator. By the time a decision is made by a "committee", the month will be over and the display's permit will have expired. That Wednesday meeting must be an internal administrative meeting, not involving elected persons, because it is not on the County Calendar. Thus, won't all the attendees be lower in the pecking order than the County Administrator?

Okay, everyone. Mark your 2012 calendars for May 1 and let the County Administrator know what you think about "inflammatory political speech" (in the words of Woodstock attorney Dan Hofmann) in the halls of justice. Don't let these t-shirts return in 2012.

By the way, how did Jenny Kane get past security with her camera? Anyone trying to enter the courthouse is threatened with having their camera(s) confiscated by courthouse security officers, who tell persons with cameras that they will not get back anything that is confiscated.

Grafton Township legal bills - yikes!

Linda Moore, Supervisor of Grafton Township, issued a press release yesterday. Pity the folks who live in Graftton Township... When all of the Grafton Township voters realize that their elected trustees allowed $340,000 to be blown out of town, what will the reaction be at the polls on the next voting opportunity? If there was every a reason to "throw the bums out", now there are 340,000 of them.

Of course, I don't think the trustees are "bums"; it's just a phrase, don't you know?

FIGHT AGAINST GRAFTON TOWNSHIP LEGAL FEES

Linda Moore, Supervisor of Grafton Township, said that she went to court this morning because she is morally opposed to paying the excessive and unreasonable legal fees she believes are being charged to Grafton Township.  “The attorney’s fees charged by the trustees’ attorneys are a lot more than my attorney’s fees,” Moore observed, “and my lawyer charges more per hour.”  Unfortunately, the court ruled that paying the trustees’ legal bills with tax dollars was a ministerial duty of the supervisor.  The court did not allow argument to determine if the legal bills of the law firm, Ancel-Glink, were reasonable or proper bills. 

Of particular concern, Moore said, was a recent bill submitted for the appeal of whether her attorney would be appointed as the township attorney.  “My attorney’s litigation fees are approximately $49,000, while the trustees’ attorneys have been paid a total of $340,000 (emphasis added) for litigation.  “I just think the trustees’ attorneys are too expensive.  They could get good representation for a more reasonable price.”

Ms. Moore said the court’s order compelling payment of over $45,000 in additional fees will be complied with.  “I started this litigation because the trustees literally threw me out of my office,” Moore said.  “I’m back, thanks to the court order.  Now I just want this thing to end and find a good reasonably priced, township attorney.”  She added, “The trustees will probably want to appeal this whole thing and cost the township a fortune.”

Moore pledged to continue her fight for the taxpayers of Grafton Township.  “It’s time for Grafton Township officials to consider cost-cutting measures, we just can’t keep up with this rate of spending.”

Where are the workers?

Where are the workers today in downtown Woodstock, where the streets are torn up for the "streetscape" improvements?

A beautiful day in October, perfect for pouring concrete and finishing a job, so that some semblance of order can be restored and the merchants can feel like they are back in business. And where are the workers and cement trucks? Nowhere in sight; that's for sure. They ought to be swarming all over every corner, finishing this job quickly and eliminating the interference with business-as-usual.

If a survey of downtown merchants and customers on the Square were done, I wonder what they'd have to say. And what will they say, after the job is done?

A. It's beautiful; it was worth the inconvenience and the wait.
B. It's nice, but ...
C. What a waste of money!

Wouldn't some "Pardon our mess" signs be nice? And maybe some signs announcing the targeted completion date? And utilizing DBTR's comment last week of some smiley faces on the signs that could be changed from frowns to smiles, as completion date nears?

Then Woodstock could really be the little town that cares!

Tired of the struggle?

"Families are under assault. Defiance, disrespect and power struggles are common. There is too much yelling and screaming. Marriages are suffering. Schools and churches are not immune. It's time to fight back with practical, concrete action steps.
 

"How can parents get back control over their homes if they can't control themselves? How can we teach our kids self-control if we don't model it? We show parents and teachers step-by-step how to discipline AND build close, trusting relationships. It's unlike any training you've ever experienced. And it's coming to Chicago. If YOU act."

Can you relate to the above?

Contact your schools now. Forward this to principals, staff, teachers and other decision-makers in your school district. Ask them to bring Kirk Martin to McHenry County during the week of January 18-23.

For information on Kirk's programs, go to www.celebratecalm.com and call Brett at 888.506.1871 regarding scheduling and information.

Driver at risk in Tollway work zone

A Letter to the Editor in this morning's Northwest Herald reports the risks incurred by a driver on the Illinois Tollway in our area. Nick Chirikos of Algonquin drove with his family recently on westbound I-90 from Algonquin to the Illinois-Wisconsin state line. On that drive he spent 46 miles in a Work Zone.

Mr. Chirikos must be the only other law-abiding driver in northern Illinois. Feeling adequately warned by the threat of a $375 fine if he got caught speeding, Mr. Chirikos obeyed the 45MPH speed limit - almost, as he wrote that he set his vehicle's cruise control at 47MPH. If his vehicle is like mine, there is a slight error between the speed shown on the speedometer and the true speed of the vehicle.

When my GPS indicates 45MPH, my speedometer shows 47MPH. Frankly, I trust my GPS is the more accurate of the two. So let's assume that Mr. Chirikos was traveling exactly at 45MPH.

What was his experience? "... the most life-threatening hour we have ever experienced". He was tailgated. Actually, it's worse than tailgating when an angry driver runs right up behind you and then swerves in the passing lane. It's a sign of aggression; it's a threat; it's prosecutable, if you can find a trooper to stop the violator. He was cut off by other angry driver who swerved right back into the lane after passing him.

The BIG question is why is a construction zone 46 miles long or, at least, why is a Work Zone speed limit in place for the entire construction zone? Highway engineers give little, if any, thought to the disruption in traffic or to the plight of law-abiding drivers like Mr. Chirikos (or me).

Why doesn't ISP Director Hiram Grau drag himself up to northern Illinois and ride with Mr. Grau or me in that Work Zone? At the speed limit, Director Grau. No fair speeding. Then order your troopers to enforce the speed limit, and not at 10-12-15-20MPH over the posted speed limit. AT the speed limit. That's what the speed LIMIT is; it's the Limit!

The following email was sent to the ISP FOIA Officer this morning:

This is a Freedom of Information Act request for documentation (or information) pertaining to operations of the Illinois State Police work zone radar van(s) and mailed-tickets program.

An acceptable response will be a copy of reports or memoranda which generally answer my request. I do not wish to place an unnecessary burden on the Illinois State Police to respond to my request.

Please provide documentation or information which will generally provide the following information:

1. Number of radar computerized tickets issued by the Illinois State Police in the last 30, 60, 90 and 365 days.
2. Number of days when the radar vans were in use.
3. Locales (by county, city or Interstate) where the vans were used.
4. Disposition or estimate thereof of tickets issued; i.e., the number paid without contest; the number contested, requiring court appearance by ISP trooper; the number dismissed.
5. the speed tolerance (number of MPH)  granted to drivers over the posted Work Zone speed limit before a ticket is generated.
6. the percentage of tickets not issued after manual review of computer results
7. the categories of exceptions to issuing a ticket (ex., police car exceeding speed limit without emergency equipment in use; State of Illinois government vehicles; personal vehicles of legislators, etc.)
8. Number of tickets issued by mail by troopers operating the radar vans to drivers using handheld cell phones in Work Zones.

Information received from you may be published in articles on my blog (www.WoodstockAdvocate.com). Response by email will be acceptable.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Milliman 5K, Nov. 6 - save the date

On Sunday, November 6, a 5K benefit plan is being planned for Scott Milliman by his daughter, Jessica. The course will be at the Three Oaks Recreation Area (Crystal Lake, Ill.) with an 8:00AM start.

The theme is "No Hurdle Too High". Scott is currently undergoing chemotherapy again for a recurrence of brain cancer.

Pre-registration ($15.00) is due by Friday, October 21.
Race Day registration is $20.00
Race materials indicate that the City of Crystal Lake will nail you for $5 for parking at Three Oaks.

Race items are available: T-shirts ($15); hats ($10); stickers ($5); and Scott's book, My New Family, ($10). Shirts, hats and the book are available only by pre-order. Stickers by pre-order or on race day.


Registration can be mailed to Anita Zeken. Checks should be made payable to The Milliman Fund.

Contact information for forms and additional information:

Jessica Milliman, 815.219.3232; jessicamilliman@yahoo.com

Sponsors include Baird & Warner, State Farm Insurance (Nick Slaughter, agent), Xtgraphics in Wauconda, Country Donuts, Conscious Cup Coffee, General Store, and Einstein Bagels.

Beth Bentley - Week 73

And one more week has passed, with no apparent interest or further investigation into the disappearance of Beth Bentley. Beth was 41 when she disappeared sometime between May 20-23, 2010 and someplace between Woodstock, Illinois, and Mount Vernon, Illinois.

Beth has not been heard from or seen since her friend, co-worker and traveling companion of the week-end, Jennifer Wyatt, says she dropped Beth off in Centralia, Illinois, near the Amtrak station. Not to take a train, either, according to Jenn on June 10, 2010, when she called me.

This is "just" a missing person case, according to the initial story from the Woodstock (Ill.) Police Department. That classification has never changed. Not one person has been named a person-of-interest or a suspect in Beth's disappearance.

The police have said that her phone and credit cards have not been used since she disappeared. But a rumor persists that Beth's cell phone "pinged" in McHenry County late on Sunday, May 23, 2010. And another rumor persists the McHenry law office of her husband, Scott Bentley, where Beth was office manager and legal secretary, was broken into and computer files removed that night. Is it a coincidence that both of these rumors are founded in Sunday night? The McHenry Police Department responds to a FOIA request that it has no report of a break-in at Scott's office. Did one of Beth's older sons really sleep at the office for a few nights, in case the burglar returned?

Police have never released information about telephone and credit card usage on that week-end immediately prior to her disappearance. If her disappearance is marked from the last time that she was reportedly seen by friend Jennifer, then Beth was last seen between 5:30-6:00PM on Sunday, May 23, 2010, in Centralia.

Has a critical analysis been made of her cell phone records for the weeks before and her credit card usage in Mount Vernon before and on that week-end?

If this is really "just" a missing person case, why is it that no details have been released?

Last summer I contemplated setting up a command center in a storefront on the Woodstock Square. When no interest or support surfaced, I put the idea on the shelf. After all, I didn't even know her. But plenty of people around here did know her.

When is the last time you saw a Missing Person poster for Beth or heard anyone ask if there was anything new in her case?