Woodstock High School, 501 W. South St., recently scored a 39th-place ranking among high schools in Illinois to earn a Silver Award in the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best High School Rankings.”

McHenry County

New law gives cops green light to destroy drugs

The McHenry County Substance Abuse Coalition announced that legislation it proposed, Senate Bill 680, recently was signed into law by Gov. Bruce Rauner. The bill amends the Safe Pharmaceutical Disposal Act to allow pharmaceuticals collected by a city, village or municipality to be properly destroyed by a law enforcement agency. Currently, police may only destroy illegal and prescription drugs acquired during the course of a criminal investigation. Drugs turned in by the public must be stored in evidence until the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) picks them up for destruction at federal facilities. This process can result in large backlogs of illegal and prescription drugs sitting in police evidence lockers for months awaiting retrieval by the DEA. The McHenry County Substance Abuse Coalition is currently working with partners to acquire an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency-approved incinerator that law enforcement can use to destroy the drugs collected. For more information, call (815) 334-4000 or visit www.co.mchenry.il.us.

Crystal Lake

 Crystal Lake Police Dept. to host Seat Check Saturday

The village announced that the Crystal Lake Police Department and members of Safe Kids McHenry will participate in Seat Check Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon Sept. 23 at Pauly Toyota, 1035 S. Route 31. The annual, educational event is designed to provide an opportunity for parents and caregivers to have child safety seats checked and installed in vehicles by a a certified child passenger safety technician. Participants are encouraged to bring their child’s safety seat, the vehicle that the seat will be installed in, and the owner’s manual for both the vehicle and child safety seat. For more information, contact Officer Ed Pluviose at (815) 356-3731 or via email at epluviose@crystallake.org — or visit www.crystallake.org.

 Fox Lake

 Village of Fox Lake to host Annual Town Hall Meeting

The village announced that Mayor Donny Schmit, the Village Board of Trustees and village staff will host the Fox Lake Annual Town Hall Meeting at 6 p.m. Sept. 21 at Grant Community High School, 285 E. Grand Ave. Attendees will learn about completed, upcoming and ongoing projects, as well as the overall state of the village, and will have opportunities to ask questions of elected officials and staff members. For more information, call Village Hall at (847) 587-2151 or visit www.foxlake.org.

 Algonquin

Groot to provide free leaf and branch pick-up

The village announced that Groot Industries will provide free leaf pick-up for Algonquin residents on normal collection days, beginning Oct. 1 and continuing through Dec. 15. All leaves

must be placed in standard paper yard waste bags or in reusable 32-gallon trash containers that are clearly marked with a large, visible red ‘X.’ Leaves in loose piles will not be collected. In addition, Groot will provide free pick-up of branches during the same time period. Branches must be tied in bundles not exceeding 4 feet in length, 2 feet in diameter and 50 pounds in weight. Grass clippings, and other yard waste (such as sod, dirt or wood chips) will require collection stickers. Any bags or cans containing leaves mixed with other yard waste also will require a collection sticker. For more information, call (847) 658-2700 or visit www.algonquin.org/groot.

 Cary

 Chamber to host Cary Main Street Fest

The Cary-Grove Area Chamber of Commerce will host Cary Main Street Fest 2017 from noon to 10 p.m. Sept. 16 and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 17 at 100 W. Main Street in downtown Cary. The event includes the Rotary Club of Cary-Grove Steak Fry (Sept. 16), the Cary Shuffle 5K (Sept. 17), the Cary Main Street Fest Talent Show (Sept. 17), a variety of food vendors, a large family area and a market area with vendor booths. Live music includes 97Nine, Libido Funk Circus, The Allstars, Young Guns and Blue Sky Blind (Sept. 16), and Mike & Joe, GENR8R, 3AM and Funk City (Sept. 17). Admission is $5. Proceeds will benefit local schools, non-profit organizations through the Volunteer Grant Program, and other Chamber programs and events. For more information, call (847) 639-2800 or visit www.carygrovechamber.com.

 Woodstock

 Woodstock High earns national recognition

Woodstock High School, 501 W. South St., recently scored a 39th-place ranking among high schools in Illinois to earn a Silver Award in the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best High School Rankings.” It marks the third consecutive year that the school has been named a Silver Award winner by the national publication. The ranking report is based upon analysis of data on more than 22,000 public schools across the country. Rankings are based on reading and math results in state proficiency exams, graduation rates and college readiness based upon test data from Advanced Placement (AP) examinations. For more information, call (815) 338-4370 or visit www.woodstockschools.org.

 Huntley

Village of Huntley to host 12th Annual Huntley Fall Fest

The village announced that the 12th Annual Huntley Fall Fest will be held from 5-9 p.m. Sept. 21 (carnival only), 5-11 p.m. Sept. 22, 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Sept. 23 and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at Deicke Park, 12015 Mill St. The event includes a daily carnival, a model train display, book sale, the Craft & Home Business Show, the Car & Tractor Show, hayrides, scarecrow building and the Scarecrow Contest, food vendors, a beer garden, a variety of kids activities, an appearance by Chicago Blackhawks mascot Tommy Hawk and more. Live music includes 7th Heaven and LAVA Rock (Sept. 22), Hillbilly Rockstarz, American English, Serendipity and Livewire (Sept. 23), and Hi Infidelity, Semple and The Millennials (Sept. 24). Admission is free. Carnival mega passes (unlimited rides all weekend) are available for $75 (on or before Sept. 20) and $60 (at the fest). Unlimited ride wristbands are available for $25 (per day). For more information, call (847) 669-3180, Ext. 394 or visit www.huntleyfallfest.com.

–McHenry County News Briefs–