MY SUN DAY NEWS

Proudly Serving the Community of
Sun City in Huntley
 
News & Features Columnists Editorials Hang Your Hat Obituaries My Huntley News June 29, 2026
Staff/Contact Info Advertise Classified Ads Submission Guidelines
 

Q&As delve into property tax increase

Below are questions submitted to McHenry County Chief County Assessment Office Robert H. Ross, ASA by Sun City residents following the Saturday, June 18 meeting held in Drendel Ballroom that addressed the recent increase in property taxes.

College of Knowledge

Almost every morning if you are walking through N. 28 you will see Louie Theodore sitting in his garage with a group of close friends “chitchattin over a cup of coffee.” This group was branded the “College of Knowledge” by Ralph Whenes, who was one of the original members alongside Theodore, Bob Passaglia, and Blackie.

Geezer Moments: June 30, 2011

I have had some very funny and often strange “moments” sent to me by readers since I started this column last year. This one, however, probably most typifies life as an active senior here in our Sun City community. It comes from Joan and Jim Rice, and originally was too lengthy to use in the space allotted for my column, so I’ve had to do some serious editing to make it fit. Here’s their story:

Tip 19: Air Conditioner Maintenance

The unit on the outside of your house with the large fan pointing upward is called the condenser unit. It contains the compressor and the condenser heat exchanger. The condenser is like the radiator in your car. It has tubes that wrap around all four sides of the box. These tubes have thin aluminum fins to dissipate the heat. Its function is to get rid of the heat that is collected from inside your house. The fan draws air across the fins and tubes of the condenser and exhausts this air upward.

Health savings accounts setup

This article is targeted to our Sun City Residents who are between the ages of 55 and 65. The rising costs of health insurance have forced many of us to change our health care coverage to higher deductible plans to reduce the insurance premiums.

“It’s a buyer’s market” in Sun City

If it looks like there are a lot of “for sale” signs dotting the lawns of Sun City homes, it’s no illusion – the number of homes for sale is up from previous years.

Dining Out With the Geezers: Moretti’s

This week’s review is on Moretti’s, located on Randall Road, just in front of Costco. Moretti’s is the current breed of family restaurant/sports bar with a diversified menu.

Hot to fox trot

Nick Koplos, Neighborhood 32B, won second place in the 10 Mile Fox Trot Race held in Elgin on Memorial Day. Nick, 74 years old, competed with other male runners in the 70-74 year age category. Mr. Koplos currently runs an average of 20 miles weekly as training for long distance races.

SunCPAC Q&As: June 30, 2011

How does a home’s assessment relate to market value?

If the ‘show’ fits

If the shoe fits, Sun City resident Sheila Gillis definitely wears it. As Celtic Club Member and Ted O’Sullivan Show Part II writer, producer, director, she wears a lot of shoes. But when you’re following in the footsteps of Ed Sullivan himself, it would take that to put on a big “shoe” like The Ted O’Sullivan Show Part II, staring Paul Runkel as Ted O’Sullivan, among his many famous guests, not the least of which includes Marilyn Monroe.

I am my own worst critic

If there’s one thing a reporter or editor gets used to real quick, it’s criticism. Whether they can spell the word right off the bat is a crapshoot. But criticism is something we in newspapers deal with a lot, and how each reporter or editor handles it is about as varied as a tiger’s stripes. I knew one reporter who treated them like trophies and hung them on his cubicle wall – the worse the better.

Church rental contract in balance

Nearly 13 years ago, when Sun City’s covenants and regulations were developed, situations such as a church or other “outside” group renting space in an association-managed facility were not anticipated.

Wellness place 2nd annual community cancer event a huge success

Nearly 700 cancer survivors and supporters joined forces to champion the 2nd Annual Wellness Place Community Cancer 3K Walk/5K Run on May 14 at Harper College. Even unseasonably cold, windy and rainy weather could not dampen the spirits of those who walked and ran to build awareness, celebrate survivors and raise funds for Wellness Place, cancer education and support, in Palatine, IL.

An honorable journey

A few of my neighbors here in Sun City suggested that I send you information about a trip I made with VetsRoll for WWII and Korean War veterans from May 16 through May 19, 2011. The trip consisted of 200 veterans and 111 volunteers and was funded by donations from individuals and the business community mostly from Beloit, Wisconsin.

Collection for Joplin

Judy and Pete Hartleb in their former neighborhood did a collection for a flood disaster down south and one of their neighbors took the collection down to the victims. The Hartlebs have wanted to do a collection for the tornado victims in Joplin, MO but had no means of driving the collection to Joplin.

daVinci in the OR?

Patients in greater McHenry County will soon have access to robot-assisted surgery close to home, thanks in part to a grant from the Centegra Health System Foundation. The foundation’s board of directors approved a $500,000 grant to help Centegra Health System purchase the da Vinci Surgical System, a technological advancement that is helping Centegra and its affiliated physicians take surgery to the next level.

Roaring through Sun City

On June 25, hundreds of bikers will rip through Sun City raising plenty of noise and funds on their way north to help children with cancer attend a camp designed just for them.

Tip 19: Garage Door Maintenance

Back on January 13, we talked about things you need to do to keep your garage door working well. (To review this article, go to the mysundaynews.com website and search under columnists.) We have heard about a few door spring failures and have some more complete information on how to deal with this type of failure.

Come, listen, learn

As the fair market value of homes in general continues to decline, what is the process by which real estate taxes are determined? What steps can be taken to better manage the process from a home owners’ point of view? Is there any relief in sight for the next payments this year or for next year’s bill? Many would like to know.

Inheritance and Estate Taxes

I received a number of emails from readers who responded to our last column on the Federal Gift Tax. They noted that the Gift Tax was imposed on the donor versus the recipient of the gift, and they raised the question of what taxes, if any, must be paid by the recipients. Currently, there are no taxes paid by recipients of gifts at the Federal or Illinois state levels for Illinois residents. Residents of other states should check with the applicable state’s revenue department to determine if the state imposes taxes on recipients of gifts.

Medicare vs. Medicaid, the difference

In the confusing world of medical and insurance benefits, it can be difficult to navigate among all the different benefit programs. Medicare and Medicaid are two benefit programs that are available that are often confused with one another. Understanding the difference between these two programs is critical in being able to navigate the realm of benefit programs available.

Dining out with the Geezers: Georgia’s

This is a new and hopefully informative column written by residents for residents. Our columnists are not trained or paid professionals, nor do they get complimentary meals from the restaurants they visit. They arrive unannounced and do not reveal that they will be doing a review. The criteria for evaluating each dining experience will include the following: quality, variety offered, quantity of food vs. dollars spent, service, ambience, and desire to return. They will usually be accompanied by another couple whose opinion will be included in the evaluation.

Gone 500 miles when the day is done

On a cold April Monday morning in 1970, Steve Goodman sat on a southbound Illinois Central train, gazing out the window. Beside him sat his young wife, Nancy. They were taking a day trip to visit Nancy’s grandmother, who was already in her 90’s, so that the old lady could meet the young man that her granddaughter had married.

Modifications Committee explains roles, functions

As we move into summer, many residents will make changes and improvements to their property, most of these projects will be submitted to the Modification’s Committee for review and approval. The sole function of the Modification’s Committee is to assure that all exterior changes to our homes and yards are in accordance with the Design Guidelines.

Body and mind teaming up for good health

Competition. It’s like breathing, eating, or talking. It’s part of our natural makeup. We were born with the instinct to compete.

FBI Special Agent hosts presentation on scams

People exploiting others through nefarious means has been around for centuries. Today those people bombard your email inbox with mountains of spam. According to J. Goodman and W. Yin in their presentation entitled, “Online Discriminative Spam Filter Training,” in the proceedings of the Third Conference on Email and Anti-Spam (CEAS), in 2006, about 80% of all emails are spam. Within that spam are countless emails that are trying to scam you. The old adage of, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is,” rings very true for most of these scams.

Celebrity Scramble: June 16, 2011

These are cryptograms consisting of quotations by famous people, past or present. Each letter in the puzzle stands for another letter. Today’s clues are as follows.

Laughter by Paul: June 16, 2011

Sally was a very nervous flyer. During a trip from Arizona to Maryland, it didn’t help that her connecting flight from Denver was delayed twice because of mechanical problems.