Animal House Shelter celebrates 20 years

HUNTLEY - Over the course of 20 years, Animal House Shelter began in a single home and developed into a respectable safe haven for Animals all across America. The no-kill non-profit shelter has cumulatively saved 62,000 animals who’ve been impacted by natural disasters, neglect, and abuse.

In 2000 Lesley Irwin, the owner of the shelter, rescued animals in Huntley and gave them a home within the confines of her own property, including her basement and garage. On June 19, 2002 she turned the current facility at 13005 Ernesti Rd.

Huntley Public Library offers new services following expansion

HUNTLEY - Following a two-year construction process that concluded in February, the Huntley Public Library has introduced new services and spaces for residents to be productive and complete their creative tasks.

During the expansion process, the Huntley Public Library, 11000 Ruth Rd., designed community surveys and discussed plans with focus groups to decide which renovations and additions were optimal for residents and addressed their concerns. The additions include new technology and a variety of new rooms.

“These are the things they wanted to see at their library,'' said Doug Cataldo, marketing and media developer for the library.

Artist opens inclusive tattoo studio in Elgin, provides gallery for local artists

ELGIN — Tattoo artist Amy Porter will provide a gallery for local artists to showcase their art, as well as an establishment for anyone to come receive their “transformative” tattoos inside her new tattoo studio located in Elgin.

Alchemy Tattoo & Gallery will open in April at 107 E. Highland Ave. The tattoo shop will feature the artistic expression of the four tattoo artists at Alchemy, including Porter, and four gallery shows a year.

Porter, 33, said she wanted to create a more inclusive tattoo shop, especially for women and the LGBTQ community, by eliminating the open floor plan found at typical tattoo shops, and instead incorporate individual rooms for the artists to work.

Woodstock paper maker of 43 years designs eco-friendly paper straw that lasts 24 hours in beverage, decomposes in 90 days

WOODSTOCK - Guy Spinelli, age 72, opened his business Boss Straw in March 2021 out of the building he owns for his paper manufacturing company, Guy’s E Paper LLC in Woodstock, IL. His straw invention comes in four sizes and lasts 24 hours in any beverage, then decomposes in 90 days.

After working in the paper manufacturing industry since 1979, Spinelli began research for the Boss Straw in February 2019. He said he wanted to overcome three inconveniences when drinking out of a paper straw: how long the straw lasts in a beverage, eliminate the paper taste, and stop carbonation from shooting to the top of the straw.

Lake in the Hills band director selected to march in Tournament of Roses Parade

LAKE IN THE HILLS - Band Director Jake Walker, age 24, marched in the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, CA on Jan. 1. Representing his students at Martin Elementary School, Walker played trumpet in the Saluting America's Band Directors Marching Band.

Walker was selected to perform in the Roses Parade’s first ever band director marching band and float beside 270 other band directors from across America and Mexico. Together they performed an original arrangement by Ohio music composer Lisa Galvin of Meredith Wilson’s “Seventy-Six Trombones,” according to the Roses Parade website.

Patrick Engineering presents Kreutzer Realignment Project proposal to Village Board

HUNTLEY - The concept to improve Kreutzer Road 400 feet east of Route 47 to Haligus Road was presented by Patrick Engineering at the Village Board meeting on Dec. 9. The board will decide whether or not to go forward with the Kreutzer Road Realignment Project by the end of January.

The project entails an additional center lane on Kreutzer Road to allocate more space for trucks to back into the loading docks. Surrounding traffic will then be able to drive around this pause in traffic flow, Project Manager Jeff Pisha said.

Covington Lakes Subdivision Project nears completion

HUNTLEY - The Covington Lakes Subdivision Project, organized by the Village of Huntley, is part of the five year Capital Improvement Program. The pavement of all roadways in the Covington Lakes and Coves of Covington Subdivisions will be completed by Aug. 27.

The Covington Project is 85% complete, said Timothy Farrell, director of public works and engineering for the Village of Huntley.

He said the project was broken into two phases.

“The northern phase — phase one — is 95% complete.

Barefoot Hawaiian show to return to Lake in the Hills

LAKE IN THE HILLS - The Village of Lake in the Hills will be welcoming back their Barefoot Hawaiian show on Aug. 4 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in a new location: Ken Carpenter Park, Miller Rd. and Randall Rd.

The last time the Barefoot Hawaiian show was performed in Lake in the Hills was around four to five years ago, said Casie Peltz, Recreation Coordinator for the Village of Lake in the Hills.

She said the Village has organized this show five to eight times in the past, and they decided to bring it back after their survey results pointed to people wanting it back.

McHenry County medical officials host webinar, answer parents’ questions regarding youth COVID-19 vaccine

MCHENRY COUNTY - The McHenry County Department of Health held the first of their two part webinar on July 14 for local parents who have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, available to youth aged 12 to 17 as the school year approaches.

The virtual event featured Dr. Jon Kaufman, Pediatric Associates of Barrington, Dr. Lisa Messinger, from Northwestern Medicine, and Dr. Laura Buthod, a retired pediatrician and MCDH Medical Advisor.

Messinger answered if the COVID-19 vaccine is safe for children.

The vaccine contains MRNA, she said.

The production of resident theatre group’s “I Hate Hamlet” begins

HUNTLEY - The production of the play “I Hate Hamlet” will premiere at Cosman Theatre, 12015 Mill St. in September. The beginning process has been completed, and the crew is on their way to complete rehearsals in August.

Director Regina Belt-Daniels said the Huntley Park District advisory board landed on “I Hate Hamlet” before the COVID-19 pandemic, with the intention to uplift people once events started to open back up.

“I Hate Hamlet” follows tv actor Andrew Rally, who has accepted the part of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but he doesn't like Shakespeare and isn’t crazy about playing the role of Hamlet, Belt-Daniels said.

McHenry County enters summer in drought, agriculture market affected

McHENRY COUNTY - McHenry County has entered summer in a severe drought, leaving local farmers struggling to grow a decent crop, and the County struggling financially as it depends on the agricultural market.

Typically there's precipitation in the winter and spring, and then a drought period in the summer, but the county does not usually begin summer in a drought, which has raised concerns this year, said Scott Kuykendall, water resources specialist at the County Department of Planning and Development.

While the snowfall in February helped bring moisture up, higher winds sucked moisture from the ground, as did high temperatures, causing a drought, Kuykendall said.

Local historians celebrate African American history and future in honor of Juneteenth

MCHENRY COUNTY - Governor JB Pritzker declared Juneteenth an official state holiday on June 16, recognizing it as National Freedom Day. In celebration of Juneteenth, Gloria Van Hof, McHenry County historian and lecturer of the Underground Railroad, and Patrick Murfin, McHenry County historian and social justice activist will be acknowledging how far America has come and what still needs to be done.

Juneteenth commemorates the day federal troops marched into Galveston, Texas to liberate African Americans who were still enslaved in 1865 after Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation on Jan.

Huntley Legion to host fifth annual Veterans Vet Fest

HUNTLEY - The Huntley Legion Veterans Vet Fest will be on June 19 at 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. in Town Square to allow veterans in surrounding areas to connect with each other and socialize.

“It’s like a large party,” said Mike Stojak, club manager of The Huntley Legion.

The Huntley Legion will ask for donations at the door. Charities that the legion collaborates with to help veterans will set up tables with their information at the fest to collect money for local veteran organizations.

THE DOORWAY TO OUR COMMUNITY