McHenry County Beach Closings

McHenry County Department of Health (MCDH) conducted beach water samplings at 37 licensed beaches on Thursday, July 17.  Wonder Center beach, located at 4100 E Lakeshore Drive, Wonder Lake, is on ADVISORY while two other beaches are CLOSED due to elevated bacteria levels – 

·         Wonder Woods 4, 5200 Wonder Woods Drive (Wonder Lake);

·         Sunrise Ridge, 3800 W Lakeshore Drive (Wonder Lake).

These beaches will be resampled on Friday, July 18. Residents should visit the MCDH webpage (www.mcdh.info) for the latest information on these beaches.

To prevent illness associated with swimming, all licensed beaches on the 12 lakes in McHenry County are tested every 2 weeks for E. coli throughout the summer to determine water quality.  Additional and more frequent sampling is done when elevated bacterial levels are found.    

Water sampling results are reported to the appropriate beach authorities. MCDH will post an advisory or closed signage for beaches with elevated E. coli results.  All beach water results and locations are readily available at the MCDH webpage www.mcdh.info or call 815-334-4585.

Traffic Restrictions Friday Morning in Crystal Lake

Beginning at 4:00 a.m. on the morning of Friday, July 18, 2014, the Crystal Lake City’s contractor will repair the sewer on Brink Street between Grant Street and Williams Street.  The sewer will be accessed through manholes at the intersections of Brink and Grant and Brink and Williams. 
  

While the work is being completed, traffic will be constricted at these intersections and traffic patterns may be altered.

All motorists are encouraged to exercise extreme caution while workers are present at these intersections.

Normal traffic is expected to resume by 9:00 a.m. 

House Republicans Plan To Sue President

NPR reports “House Republicans are pushing ahead with a plan to sue President Obama.”
This bit of news was sent to Town Crier just about a half hour ago.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, (dscc.org) reports:
:”Boehner’s outrageous lawsuit plan officially launched with its first Congressional hearing.”
In response, President Obama is reported to have slammed Boehner: “I have a better idea: do something, Congress.”
As expected, Democrats are giving President Obama an enormous boost from grassroots Democrats. They are seeking contributions to support the President.

Wanted--Sponsors And Exhibitors

McHenry County College seeks sponsors and exhibitors for the Green Living Expo 2014 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 at the college, located at 8900 U.S. Hwy. 14 in Crystal Lake.

This annual event to inspire people how to create a more energy efficient household and live a more sustainable lifestyle, attracts approximately 800 residents from throughout McHenry County and beyond. The Fox River Viewing tank, with over 25 different species of fish in a 2,500 gallon tank, and the Illinois State University Solar Race Car are among the vendors that will be featured.

Visitors will explore eco-friendly products and services for the household, including how to naturalize their landscaping, meet some of McHenry County’s most influential and active non-profits and find green gift ideas for holiday shopping.

The Green Living Expo is free and open to the public. The event is hosted by the McHenry County College Sustainability Center.

Early bird rate is $65 for businesses and $25 for non-profits. For more information, contact Kim Hankins at (815) 479-7817 or khankins@mchenry.edu.

Arts And Crafts Contest Using Recycled Materials

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County (EDMC) is again sponsoring an arts and crafts contest utilizing recycled materials. Entries will be displayed at the Defenders’ booth at the McHenry County Fair, July 30 through August 3, 2014.

In conjunction with the unveiling of EDMC’s BYOBag (Bring Your Own Bag) McHenry County logo and county initiative, this year’s theme centers around bags.

Create an original piece of decorative or functional art re-using old plastic bags.  Tape and glue should be kept to a minimum. Surface decoration is encouraged.

The two age categories are for students and for adults 18 and over.

 Each piece must be accompanied by a 3X5 card containing this information:

• Artist’s name
• Contact telephone and address
• Age if artist is a student; otherwise the word “Adult”
• Name of piece
• Description of piece

Judging will be based on the use of recyclable items with respect to

• Aesthetics
• Creativity
• Utility

A small prize and certificate will be awarded, and winners will be featured on the Defenders’ website and in the quarterly newsletter.

Artwork must be submitted by Thursday, July 24, 2014 to the Environmental Defenders office, 110 South Johnson Street, Suite 106 , Woodstock , IL and must be picked up from the office by August 11th.

Winning pieces will be designated with ribbons and winners notified by the start of the fair.

For more information, contact EDMC 815-338-0393 or mcdef@owc.net

The Environmental Defenders of McHenry County is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and improvement of the environment. The group provides community residents with educational programs and volunteer action on pollution prevention, sustainable land use and energy and natural resource conservation. Donations are encouraged and are tax-deductible as charitable contributions.  For more information, visit www.mcdef.org or call 815-338-0393.

Crystal Lake City Open House-Input About City Transportation

On Wednesday, July 16, 2014, the City of Crystal Lake and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning will be hosting an open house to gather input about the City's transportation system. The open house will be from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, and you can drop in at any time. Feedback received at the meeting will help us develop a transportation master plan for the City. For more information see http://www.cmap.illinois.gov/programs-and-resources/lta/crystal-lake