The village hoped to offer an incentive plan to annex about 70 homes surrounded by the existing Lakemoor borders.

Cary

Village Board approves proposal for affordable senior housing

In a 4-3 vote, the Committee of the Whole approved the project “Cary Senior Housing.” The 68-unit apartment building will be on 3.91 acres at the southwest corner of Three Oaks Road and Feinberg Drive, north of Jewel-Osco and west of the post office. David Burg of the development company, PIRHL, in Cleveland, Ohio made the presentation to the Committee. Trustees against the proposal sited the community concerns about another big box apartment complex.

Crystal Lake

Judge denies reduced bail for man, who attacked

Despite pleas for leniency by Assistant Public Defender Angelo Mourelatos, Judge Sharon Prather denied bond reduction for his client, Joseph A. Laudicina. Mourelatos claimed Laudicina wielded a butter knife and made no attempts to flee when Crystal Lake Officer Kris Kroll responded to a call on June 22. Kroll claims he shot Laudicina when Laudicina charged at him with a knife. Police officers responded to a call the day before where, at the same address, Laudicina allegedly punched a woman several times and strangled her. Laudicina was out on bond pending a 2013 domestic battery case at the time. The most serious charge against Laudicina carries special sentencing range of 20-80 years because it alleges a crime against a police officer. Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Combs will proceed with trying Laudicina with attempted murder of a police officer. He is also accused of aggravated domestic battery and home and vehicular invasion.

Huntley

Teacher receives Those Who Excel award.

District 158 fifth-grade teacher, Chris Bessey, 47, received the Outstanding Early Career Educator award from the Illinois State Board of Education as part of the Those Who Excel program. Bessey began teaching three years ago. She encourages students to be life-long learners and to use their Chromebooks in every way they can to expand their views of the world. Bessey began her career pursuit online, after her youngest child started middle school.

Lake in the Hills

Vacationing couple struck and killed in Florida hit-and-run

John R. Berg, 62, and Viola G. Flores, 51, were struck at 8 p.m. Oct. 18, while crossing the street, while vacationing in Clearwater, Fla. Authorities did not identify the owner of the vehicle believed to be the one involved in the fatalities has been as the driver.

Lakemoor

Citizen backlash nixes annexation plans.

The village hoped to offer an incentive plan to annex about 70 homes surrounded by the existing Lakemoor borders. However, due to feedback at the last meeting and a petition opposing the annexation with 78 signatures representing the homeowners involved, the trustees voted unanimously to discontinue the effort at this time.

Marengo

District 154 buses provide Wi-Fi access

Doing homework on the bus just took a new turn. Marengo high school is the only northern Illinois school that provides a laptop to every student. Now those students can access the Internet while on Wi-Fi equipped school buses. The softball team also used the bus that piloted the Wi-Fi program. The coach felt that students benefited when road-games can take up to 90 minutes to get to. The Wi-Fi extends beyond the buses, allowing students to work off the bus at other schools.

McHenry County

2016 Budget shrinks by $10 million

The 2016 budget stands to be the lowest in almost a decade. Among the reasons is reduced staffing at the sheriff’s office and the department of health. Every county department reduced its budget. Modifications to employee health insurance accounts for another $1.7 million decrease. The County Board voted 5-2 Oct. 20 to lower the levy for the county-run Valley Hi Nursing Home. For the fourth straight year, county government will not take the inflationary increase that taxing bodies under the tax-ca- law can get.

Woodstock

Chamber of Commerce to move off the Square

Woodstock Chamber of Commerce is the only chamber to own its own building. That is about to change. The Chamber voted unanimously to sell the building on the square for about $189,000. The Chamber is financially sound, yet the sale will help them expand their membership and services. The Chamber hopes to be housed in the basement of Woodstock City Hall.

–McHenry County News Briefs–