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.

The hat says it all!

This month, Sun City resident John Kligis, a WWII Veteran with the Navy and Coast Guard, celebrated his 100th birthday. In order to commemorate the special day, neighbor Jan Pozdol organized the neighborhood event, a drive-By tribute.

Pozdol asked friends and neighbors, “Decorate your car if possible, make a sign, wave a flag, and make some noise.”

‘Dill’ with it

You might have noticed the announcements by Sun City announcing the Perk-N-Pickle at Pavilion Circle Drive every Friday or seen the Food Truck parked there.

Justin and Alicia, the owners, keep busy. They have been serving up food at a constant rate from 11 to 7 p.m.

The international race for a successful vaccine, part 2: A clinical trial physician and his viewpoint on today’s vaccine/drug development

Dr. Michael Bukhalo, a Rolling Meadows dermatologist and primary investigator for clinical trials, would like to give us his viewpoint on the current international search for a successful corona virus vaccine and drugs.

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 funny bones

Indeed, like most traits, our sense of humor is influenced not only by genetics but also by environmental factors like upbringing, culture, and social circle.

Sun City resident Jacque Stashwick is a woman who loves to get a laugh, loves to tell a story, and loves to have fun talking to you.

Birthday Twinsies!

(Above) Virginia Nowak birthday surprise on her lawn on August 17, 2020. (Below) Russ DiPrizio finds his lawn announcing his 80th birthday also on August 17.

Meet the governing board candidates as they prepare for upcoming elections

Tuesday, August 4 provided the opportunity for all six candidates competing for the five open seats on the Sun City Community Association of Huntley (SCCAH) board of directors, to mingle amongst each other as they prepare their campaigns for the upcoming elections.

With the October 14 deadline for residents to cast their votes quickly approaching, this election poses some unique obstacles for the candidates having to navigate around the restrictions placed upon them by the current pandemic.

Introducing My Huntley News

I’d like to introduce you to our new endeavor My Huntley News (or myhuntleynews.com), a fully digital news publication dedicated to covering the Village of Huntley on a hyper-local level.

Amidst pandemic, local farms open with bumper crop of precautions

Indulging in freshly picked produce from the farm stand is a summer rite of passage. But as with many seasonal traditions during the pandemic, new rules have taken root to keep this summer ritual safe.

‘Nun’ too predictable

You might not know her name, but if you have attended any concerts in Sun City, outdoor or indoor, you might have seen Juliana Krupka encourage residents to get up and dance to the music.

“We have music in our hearts,” Krupka said.

Olivia Morales, 22, looks back on March 2020 with bemusement. “When everything was in lockdown and none of us were sick, we thought we were bored,” she said. “But that was nothing compared to this. We would rather be bored than have anyone experience anything like this.”

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.

COVID-19 Cases Rising in Lake and McHenry Counties

Public health officials in Lake and McHenry Counties are urging the public to take action to slow the spread of COVID-19. As of August 3, the testing positivity rate in the North Suburban Region was 4.9 percent, with daily increases reported in 4 of the past 10 days.

The butterfly effect

You may know Janet Graf from her stunning performances in the Sun City’s theatre productions. Outside of the theatre, Graf raises Monarchs. This year she has released around 95 butterflies.

“I find the eggs on a milkweed leaf, I break the leaf off and I put them in a glass container on my counter,” Graf said.

In Need of a Good Laugh?

There is an apology on order, dear readers. Much of my current columns have been dedicated to heavier topics. But with what we have been going through, we are in need of an escape. And the best way for this is in comedies. Luckily there are a number of great recent choices to bring on the yucks and guffaws.

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.

Lost wheelchair base

In Del Webb near pool. Thought to have been left when person was picked up during rain on Sunday. Parkinson’s resident was returned to DeerPath with only back rest of seat. The base has two batteries and looks like a black scooter.

Reward offered. If found, please call 847-209-9978.

Huntley Plan Commission reaches verdict on potential Hampton Inn Hotel project

The ongoing discussion on whether to approve of Woodstock Hotel, Inc.’s petition to construct a four-story, 100 room Hampton Inn Hotel appears to be getting some traction within the confines of Huntley’s body of government. As of July 13, the Huntley Plan Commission recommended the approval of the hotel project by a vote of four to one.

The 63,208 square foot hotel is slated to occupy 3.7 acres of the 11.3-acre Lot 2 of the Huntley Crossings Final Plat of Subdivision, with the main entrance to face towards Route 47.

The time to wear a mask is now

Throughout the end of this past March, confusing statements on whether or not to wear face masks could be heard emitting from various U.S. communication media. But with all of us still in the coronavirus battle and with cases mounting daily, Americans unanimously (including the White House) seem to be in agreement. Our First Lady, Melania Trump, comments “Even in the summer months, please remember to wear face coverings and practice social distancing.” She continues, “The more precautions we take now can mean a healthier and safer country in the fall.”

Ex-selling at beauty

Darlene Rutledge, a Sun City Resident, has worked at the same job for 47 years and continues to work at that job.

“I joined as a Mary Kay Consultant in Springfield area on April 1, 1973, to get out of the house a couple of times a week as a break from my 1 & 4-year-old with a big goal of making $30 profit a week, and I expected to quit. I was the first consultant and director in my hometown of Springfield, Illinois,” Rutledge said.