Staff/Contact Info Advertise Classified Ads Submission Guidelines

 

MY SUN DAY NEWS

Proudly Serving the Community of
Sun City in Huntley
 
News & Features Columnists Editorials Hang Your Hat Obituaries My Huntley News

May 20, 2021

Stew Cohen

Grafton Township’s lone race in the Republican consolidated primary

The only contested race in Grafton Township for the February 23 Republican Consolidated Primary is between Assessor Alan Zielinski and his challenger Terra de Baltz of Huntley. While voting is important whether it’s one contested race or a dozen, the significance of this race is what this story will detail.

Where did I come from? Stories worth telling are worth passing down

Some years ago, my eight-year-old son asked me, “Where did I come from?” For those of us 55 and better, we may still recall this question our children asked us. Based on the way my son ate his meals back then, I was tempted to tell him that he came from cave dwellers.

Contributions are a Turkey Day delight for families in need

On the morning of November 14, a truck will stop at the Grafton Food Pantry in Huntley and put the wheels in motion for hundreds of people who might otherwise not have a Thanksgiving. Forgive if you will the cliché because the wheels are key to the Grafton Food Pantry Thanksgiving Dinner giveaway, a two decades old tradition.

The truck driver will oversee the packing of 170 to 175 boxes of frozen turkeys into his truck at the Northern Illinois Food Bank. From there, the driver will deliver the turkeys and boxes of trimmings to Grafton Food Pantry where several dozen pantry volunteers will unload the boxes for the turkey giveaway.

COVID metrics present tough times ahead for holiday plans

Doubling down on COVID-19 and taking added precautions are what you’ll hear today and for the next few weeks from the Public Health Administrator in McHenry County and the director of the Kane County Health Department as we come ever closer to Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The breakneck speed in which COVID related negative news in late October has popped is jarring because many parts of Illinois were moving forward, stepping toward normalcy.

Doing it right at Valley Hi Nursing Home

Since the first COVID-19 cases were reported earlier this year in the U.S., Valley Hi Nursing Home in McHenry County has not had a single resident test positive for coronavirus.

The “resident centered” county-run long-term facility in Woodstock made news because Valley Hi stands out from other similar nursing homes across the country that have not been free of COVID cases. National statistics show 42 percent of COVID deaths have occurred in nursing homes and other long term care facilities.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Holiday season traditions such as Christmas concerts may not survive the COVID social distancing test for large gatherings, yet any holiday traditions we can hold onto may give us the feeling of hope this Thanksgiving and Christmas. A small red pot dangling from a pole symbolizes the hope our community can come together and support those in need. However, the Salvation Army of McHenry County won’t have enough of those “small red pots dangling from a pole” manned to meet their goal if volunteers don’t sign up soon to ring bells for the Red Kettle campaign.

Parkside Pub describes the highs and lows of Covid-era restaurant life

“Could I have five more ketchup packets?”

A customer at Parkside Pub in Huntley was just served a burger and fries and caught the server’s attention. The customer figured two ketchup packets on her plate weren’t enough. The number of ketchup packets served to a customer won’t break a restaurant’s budget but it’s part of the complete picture of COVID related costs for restaurants and how restaurants struggle to stay on budget.

Let’s Get a REAL ID

Limiting travel because of COVID-19 restrictions has had an impact on the human psyche. You’re itching to get away, anywhere just to see a new environment. But you may have become confused over a few key facts swirling in your head. Sun Day is here to unclutter.

A Peek into Post-COVID primary and secondary education

A visionary in academics believes that once we’re on the other side of COVID-19, the public will likely see major changes in the “factory model” of primary and secondary education.

Dr. John Burkey, former superintendent at Huntley Community School District 158, is excited about the future of education and believes COVID is going to accelerate the changes.

Calling on all election judges to step forward

You’re probably in the process of figuring out what method of voting works best for yourself because the General Election is less than two months away and vote by mail ballots will be mailed to voters beginning on September 24.

Labor Day weekend provides economic checkpoint

With the emergence of the Coronavirus Pandemic, the Labor Day observance may be subdued nationwide, but creativity, adaptability, and resilience in places such as the Village of Huntley will keep the focus on honoring worker contributions. Yet, continued reports of positive cases of COVID-19 in Illinois have given us so many reasons for pessimism for an economic recovery and job picture. That’s why any victories with the economy give us a ray of optimism for a rebounding job market.

The flu waits in the wings

You may grow weary of wearing a mask, staying at least six feet apart socially, washing your hands often, and using disinfectant on surfaces to minimize the chances of coming in contact with COVID-19. While health departments and Governor J.B. Pritzker ask for vigilance in your efforts to reduce the spread of coronavirus, another virus is only a few months away from entering the picture.

The return of e-learning

Every residence where a student lives in Huntley Community School District 158 will become a center of learning “temporarily” replacing the traditional classrooms in the 2020-2021 school year.

On the first day of student remote attendance set for Friday, August 21, all students in District 158 will report from their own residences. This is what’s called a modified remote learning model for this fall.

Back to school… sort of

Creating a whole new way of operating a school and educating students in the world of COVID-19 has had hundreds of Huntley School District 158 staff members working tirelessly against the calendar as the start of a new academic year draws near.

Dan Armstrong, director of Communications and Public Engagement, knows that some people may not understand the complexity of a school district.

Phase 5, the new goal

Moving into Phase 4 for the State of Illinois is a type of “thank you” from the governor’s office that comes with relief and the hope of normalcy. In the governor’s message on Illinois moving into Phase 4, JB. Pritzker said he looked at the data provided by the Illinois Department of Public Health.

COVID-19 and the next step in the process of privacy rights

Deputies with McHenry County Sheriff’s Police, municipal law enforcement officers, and other first responders will not continue receiving names of people infected or testing positive for COVID-19.

Contact tracing

Both Kane and McHenry County Health Departments are awaiting word from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) on grants for additional funding of contact tracing. Each county sent their plans on exactly how they would use the yearlong grant for their respective contact tracing program.

Huntley protests remained peaceful

In the wake of the death of George Floyd, the message of Black Lives Matter has arrived in smaller towns across America, and Huntley is no exception. Protesters arrived with peaceful intent and showed signs of encouragement in how the youths of this nation are spearheading peace and a common ground in race relations.

The Call of the Wild

“T’ree vair’ good dogs,” Francois told Perrault. “Dat Buck, heem pool lak hell. I tich heem queek as anyt’ing.” Maybe you’ll instantly recognize this dialogue from the classic book, The Call of the Wild, by Jack London. The Call of the Wild is described as a short adventure novel, published in 1903. The book is …

Huntley PD discusses defunding, complaint management, policing practices, community outreach

President Donald Trump calls for specifics in his level of rebuilding police departments while some activists are pushing for defunding. However, an important tool is missing from the toolbox that’ll rebuild law enforcement in America. To prevent the whole of law enforcement from toppling is a simple tool, called the “level,” used to create balance.

An unmitigated mental health crisis, part II

May (when this story was researched and written) was Mental Health Awareness Month. For this part of the story Sun Day has turned to Scott Block, executive director of the McHenry County Mental Health Board, Jane Farmer, executive director of Turning Point, Phyllis Seyler, program manager of NAMI-McHenry County, and Dr. Melissa Katz, clinical director of Samaritan Counseling Center of the Northwest Suburbs.

An unmitigated mental health crisis

You won’t need to listen very long before you hear this plea, “Get the country open again.” This is not a lone voice pleading the case for resuming a normal life. After staying home week after week building to month after month, we’re hearing more of a collective shout that has registered with people throughout the U.S. “Get the country open again,” has become a rallying cry.

Local college grad helps create MCDH COVID resource guide

You really don’t have to look very far for examples of people helping others amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In the medical field, nurses, doctors, and paramedics are helping on the front lines. Whether it’s on the front lines or behind the lines, the war on COVID-19 has drawn the attention of mostly everyone with medical training. From the field of public health, the McHenry County Department of Health and the health departments in Kane, Lake, DuPage, Will, and Cook Counties, are facing serious challenges every day.

Lupo on probation after sentencing [updated 5/19]

The Kane County Circuit Clerk’s office says Jennifer Lupo is serving two years on probation. The judgment order for the former finance manager of Sun City Huntley staff also called for 20 days in the Kane County Jail.

McHenry County property tax relief arrives

Property taxpayers in Del Webb Sun City-Huntley are more than ready for good news in the form of relief. Whether you live in Grafton Township in McHenry County or in the Kane County portion of Sun City Huntley, you’ll have extra time to pay the first installment of your property taxes.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of health information

A slow erosion of our liberties is a price we’re paying for coming out the other end on the coronavirus pandemic. Some of our civil liberties may be eroded; it’s just too early to tell for how long. However, the list of what we are not allowed to do seems to be getting longer based on the governor of each state reacting to the numbers of coronavirus cases. Right or wrong, our fundamental belief in medical privacy called HIPAA is the latest target for eroded rights.