The Woodstock Chamber of Commerce announced that Home for the Howlidays will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 10 at Beyond Stable Farm, 11129 Route 176.

McHenry County

MCC approves flat tax levy for sixth straight year

McHenry County College announced that the MCC Board of Trustees unanimously approved a flat tax levy for the sixth year in a row, saving taxpayers more than $20 per homeowner over six years while offering a massive economic impact to the college district. While MCC is allowed — by law — to collect revenue tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI), members of the Board agreed to not collect CPI revenue from taxpayers for a sixth consecutive year, resulting in a flat tax levy. By holding the levy flat again this year, the college district’s taxpayers will have saved approximately $22.20 per parcel over the past six years. Based on the overall average cost per parcel of $186.04 (based on 2017 McHenry County data), this $22.20 savings per parcel represents a cut in taxes of nearly 12 percent. By not capturing new property growth since 2013, a cumulative savings per parcel has saved taxpayers a cumulative estimate of $6.19. When factoring in new property growth savings, the total actual savings jumps to $28.39 or 15.3 percent tax savings. In addition, by not levying according to the CPI-U annually since 2013, a cumulative savings per parcel has saved taxpayers a cumulative estimate of $63.31. For more information, call 815-455-3700 or visit www.mchenry.edu.

McHenry County

Slew of Dist. 155 students make National Merit semis

Community School District 155 announced that the National Merit Scholarship Program recently named 13 District 155 high school seniors as National Merit Semifinalists. The Semifinalists are: Oscar Cortes, of Cary-Grove High School; Aditya Khandeshi, Joshua Moore and Arden Podpora, of Crystal Lake Central High School; Dominik Bogacz, Scott Campbell, Daniel Minogue, Casey Mutka, Trevor O’Connor and Matthew Relic, of Crystal Lake South; and Akash Sureshkumar, of Prairie Ridge High School. One student’s name was withheld from the list per request. The Semifinalists represent less than 1 percent of high school seniors in the United States and are the highest-scoring in each state after taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. All Semifinalists will find out if they have advanced to Finalist standing in February 2019. Beginning in April, National Merit Scholarship winners will be awarded. For more information, call 815-455-8500 or visit ww3.d155.org.

Huntley

Veterans Day Ceremony & Collection Event on tap

The village announced that it will host the 2018 Veterans Day Ceremony & Collection Event on Nov. 11 at the Huntley Veterans Memorial, located in the Town Square, 11704 Coral St. The event features a ceremony to honor military veterans at 11 a.m., coinciding with the Collection Event (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.). Volunteers will be on hand to collect donated items as part of an effort to stock the shelves at New Horizon, a transitional living program for homeless veterans operated by nonprofit organization TLS Veterans. Items needed include bath soap, body soap, deodorant (men’s and women’s), razors (men’s and women’s), toothbrushes and toothpaste, toilet paper, napkins, paper plates, paper towels, copier paper, socks, winter coats, hats and gloves, canned goods, pasta and pasta sauce, rice, gas station gift cards and Tide laundry detergent pods. For more information, contact Barb Read at 847-515-5262 or via email at bread@huntley.il.us — or visit www.huntley.il.us.

Woodstock

Pet rescue groups to hold major adoption event

The Woodstock Chamber of Commerce announced that Home for the Howlidays will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 10 at Beyond Stable Farm, 11129 Route 176. The event, co-sponsored by nonprofit organization P.A.W.S. (Pets Are Worth Saving) TN, based in Clarksville, Tenn., and Glory Bound Rescue Ranch, a no-kill rescue/sanctuary in Marengo, is designed to save shelter pets (dogs, cats, horses and other pets) in need, including The Hooved Companion Project. Adoptable pets looking for “forever” homes will be on-site throughout the day. The event also includes local vendors, photo opportunities, a tack swap/sale for riding enthusiasts, food and beverages, and more. Admission is free. For more information, call Glory Bound at 815-388-2594 or visit www.woodstockilchamber.com.

Lakemoor

Wait for permit keeps new Dunkin’ store on hold

The village reported that Dunkin’ Donuts is still planning to build a new store at 209 W. Rand Road (Route 120). The delay is a result of Dunkin’ Donuts currently being unable to secure an Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) permit to construct a new driveway. IDOT maintains jurisdiction over West Rand Road/Illinois Route 120. With the winter months approaching, Dunkin’ Donuts is working with IDOT to secure a permit in order to begin construction in spring 2019. For more information, call 815-385-1117 or visit www.lakemoor.net.

Island Lake

Craft Faire to aid After School Club, Summer Camp

The village announced that the Island Lake Recreation/Club Annual Craft Faire will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 17 and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 18 at Village Hall, 3720 Greenleaf Ave. The event includes a wide selection of unique, quality handcrafted items, a bake sale, and food and refreshments. Admission is $1 and includes a door prize ticket. Proceeds will benefit the After School Club and Summer Camp programs. For more information, call 847-526-8764 or visit www.villageofislandlake.com.

–McHenry County News Briefs–