Johnny Appleseed, AKA Steve McPhail, will greet people at Crystal Lake’s Johnny Appleseed Fest as he strolls around, telling his story throughout the day, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 30.

NATIONAL

Report: Student loan debt prohibiting millennials from buying homes

Student debt is delaying millennials from buying their first home by seven years, according to a study recently released by the National Association of Realtors.

The report focuses on younger millennials (born 1990 to 1998) and older millennials (born 1980 to 1989). Those surveyed – even older millennials earning higher incomes – say that they can’t save for a down payment because they are paying off school loans.

The study found that 20 percent of millennial respondents own a home.

The respondents said they are typically carrying a student debt load of $41,200 that surpasses their annual income of $38,800. Some 79 percent borrowed money to finance their education at a four-year college; 51 percent are repaying a balance of more than $40,000.

About 60 percent say that if they didn’t have a student loan, they would put that money toward buying a home.

The report says there are ways for people with student debt to get mortgages, but many millennials are unaware of them. It calls on the federal government to do a better job of educating would-be homebuyers. It also calls for tax breaks to encourage businesses to pay off student loans as part of their employee compensation packages.

COUNTY

Grant supports college courses for high school students

A new grant is supporting a McHenry County College program, which allows high school students to earn college credit. The $10,000 grant, from the Illinois Community College Board, will support enrichment activities for culinary, horticulture and computer courses.

Dual-credit culinary classes will be available to students at Crystal Lake South High School. Grant funds will be used to purchase textbooks and pay for a field trip to the National Restaurant Association Show in Chicago. Students who complete the sanitation and safety course can sit for the Illinois Food Service Safety test, qualifying them to work in a restaurant.

MCC is partnering with Huntley High School to offer a lab science course, Introduction to Plant Science, in an online, blended format. Students will complete online coursework and use the high school science lab to conduct experiments. It’s the first time Huntley is offering a blended lab science course. The grant pays for professional development training for the instructor.

Huntley offers dual-credit college algebra and English composition classes with MCC. Huntley teachers must have a master’s degree in the subject area to teach a dual-credit class.

The grant also will help MCC train high school instructors to continue teaching Computer Literacy for Windows, one of MCC’s most popular dual-credit courses. Approximately 500 students from eight area high schools take the class each year.

CRYSTAL LAKE

Johnny Appleseed Festival marks its 25th year

Celebrating 25 years, Johnny Appleseed Fest is Crystal Lake’s largest one-day event that brings families and the community together to celebrate fall with music, demonstrations, craft fair, farmers market and the Great Ball Race. The annual free event will be held 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 30, in downtown Crystal Lake.

Meet Johnny Appleseed, portrayed by Steve McPhail, as he strolls the streets of downtown, telling his story throughout the day.

Other activities include entertainment, apple pie baking and scarecrow decorating contests, family activities and demonstrations of antique apple cider press and apple peelers.

New this year will be a Community Pancake Breakfast hosted by Bethany Lutheran Church. Breakfast will be served from 7-10 a.m. at the church, 76 E. Crystal Lake Ave. Tickets are $5 for adults; $3 for children, 3 to 10 years old; and $15 per family. No cost for children under 3. Pay at the door. Each patron will receive one Johnny Appleseed Festival event ticket, which can be used for games, activities, rides and souvenirs. Proceeds from the pancake breakfast will benefit the Bethany Youth Group’s upcoming trip. RSVP on the festival’s Facebook page.

HEBRON

Lucky numbers add up to $450,000

The lucky numbers were 3, 4, 9, 16 and 28. That combination won a Hebron man won almost a half-million dollars in the Illinois Lottery.

Donald Raef won $450,000 from a Lucky Day Lotto Illinois Lottery ticket sold at BP gas station, 7615 Route 14, Crystal Lake, during the Sept. 8 evening drawing. His ticket matched all five numbers. Raef has been playing the same numbers for several years. He plans on buying a house with part of the money.

The retailer received a bonus of $4,500, or 1 percent of the prize amount, for selling the winning ticket.

–McHenry County News Briefs–