Police Outreach and Training

The Round Lake Police Department recently hosted the Waukegan Fire Department Bomb Squad for two training sessions. Each member of the patrol and investigations sections of the police department attended the training which included a demonstration of the bomb robot (that would be the picture) and a lengthy discussion about the protocol for the deployment of the bomb squad. The members of the police department enjoyed the training and were very impressed with the technology and the capabilities of the robot. The next time there is a suspicious package in the Village of Round Lake, you can be sure that the bomb squad will be called out to handle the situation.

The Police Department also hosted two training sessions with the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group (MEG) this week. The purpose of the training sessions was to familiarize the officers, detectives and command staff with the operations of MEG and to introduce our MEG liaison. There were three MEG agents who conducted the presentation, which was approximately an hour and a half long. Our staff now knows exactly who to contact and how to contact them when they develop a street contact that could lead to drug arrests, etc.

Supermarket Coming Soon?

Last Tuesday the property owners of the Synnesvedt parcel on 3 corners of the 120 and Fairfield intersection appeared in front of the Village's Planning and Zoning Commission (Read Daily Herald article here). Thier proposal for the 300 plus acre project includes roughly 500 homes and more importantly 70 acres of commercial property. The bulk of the commercial is going to be owned by Jewel and of course the centerpiece is a Jewel supermarket. Some of the project highlights are:

• A set aside for the 120 bypass on the southern end of the project.
• The three corners of the project on Fairfield and 120 will have the commercial with the bulk of the commercial being on the NW corner.
• There are 11 outlots on the NW side of the property along Fairfield and 120.

I would like to emphasize that this is still a concept and needs to work its way through approvals at the village planning commission and then the village board.

If you want to see a PDF of the tentative site plan please email me at bgentes@eroundlake.com its an 11 x 17 black and white rendering but you can get a good understanding of it however.

Swimming in a Chamber of Commerce Pool

Today was the first breakfast meeting of the "Mayors of the Area" under the auspices of the Round Lake Area Chamber of Commerce. While the Mayors meet pretty regularly to discuss issues and concerns, this was a first since it was sponsored by the Chamber. While I am a supporter of the Chamber I have felt over the last few years that chamber has steadily declined in membership and focus. I pretty much stopped attending because I got zero value from it.

However recently the chamber board has gotten on the remodeling wagon and quite frankly so far I like what I am seeing. They have a new Executive Director in Jan Bauer and are trying to refocus the mission of the chamber with outreach to Hispanic businesses, and establishing a dialogue with elected officials amongst many other things. So this breakfast meeting was a good idea! There was a quite frank discussion of what the chamber should and should not be. I have high hopes!

Later in the day I went to the Park District pool and did 45 minutes of water aerobics with the Tuesday night class, working on flexibility for my upcoming assault in two weeks on the USATF Illinois Open/Master Outdoor State Championships in Sterling Illinois. I am going to focus on speed events entering the long jump, 100, 200, and 400 meters. The 10 ladies in the class abused me quite roughly since I had no idea what each exercise entailed since it occurred underwater and I am as blind as a bat without my glasses on.

Notte Veneziana Sul Lago Rotondo Questo Sabato

I proprietari della barca di zona sono consigliati a decorare ed illuminare in su le loro barche e partecipare sabato alla parata veneziana annuale di notte sul lago rotondo. Ci allora saranno fireworks al randello di paese alpino al crepuscolo. Una conclusione adatta al Quarto della celebrazione di luglio.

A proposito non dimentichi il quarto normale dei fireworks di luglio sul lago hook pure! Ciò è la seconda notte veneziana che è patrocinata dalla Commissione rotonda dell'amministrazione del lago. L'anno scorso, ci erano 11 barca decorata nella parata. Non ci è tassa da entrare.

La parata comincerà a seguire il registro a 7 p.m. al beachfront sull'estremità del sud del lago rotondo sull'azionamento del puntello del lago attraverso dal villaggio rotondo Corridoio del parco del lago. La parata della barca farà due giri intorno al lago rotondo. I premi riceveranno in varie categorie compreso più patriotic, la maggior parte di luce e del più creativo.

I giudici sono sindaco rotondo Jean McCue del parco del lago, moi, sindaco rotondo Rich Hill della spiaggia del lago e presidente rotondo Chris Gentes del distretto del parco di zona del lago. Il basamento di riesaminazione sarà al parco rotondo della spiaggia del lago sul angolo di nord-ovest del lago rotondo. I premi riceveranno a 8:30 p.m. Nel caso di tempo inclemente, la parata sarà tenuta la seguente notte, il 2 luglio.

Per quelli di voi non fluenti in italiano come sono, segua prego questo collegamento.

NOTE: Scroll down and see the post in English...geez no one has much of a sense of humor judging by the emails I am getting.

2nd Annual Venetian Night Parade on Round Lake

Area boat owners are encouraged to decorate and light up their boats and participate Saturday in the Annual Venetian Night parade on Round Lake. There will then be fireworks at the Alpine Country Club at dusk. A fitting end to the Fourth of July celebration. By the way don't forget the regular 4th of July Fireworks on Hook Lake as well!

This is the second Venetian Night that is sponsored by the Round Lake Management Commission. Last year, there were 11 decorated boats in the parade. There is no fee to enter.

The parade will begin following registration at 7 p.m. at the beachfront on the south end of Round Lake on Lake Shore Drive across from the Round Lake Park Village Hall.

The boat parade will make two tours around Round Lake. Prizes will be awarded in various categories including most patriotic, most lights and most creative. Judges are Round Lake Park Mayor Jean McCue, moi, Round Lake Beach Mayor Rich Hill and Round Lake Area Park District President Chris Gentes. The reviewing stand will be at the Round Lake Beach park on the northwest corner of Round Lake. Prizes will be awarded at 8:30 p.m. In case of inclement weather, the parade will be held the following night, July 2.

The Actual Moment of Truth at the Dedication

Here is the Village board holding the ribbon, while I applied the cut, from left to right part of Chief Cliff Metaxa, Trustee Bob Del Prato, Jerry Shaw, Don Newby, Patty Blauvelt, yours truly, Clerk Jeanne Kristan, Trustee Sherry Perkowitz and Public Works Director Davis Clark and State Senator Bill Peterson. Thanks to Ted Lohman for the picture!

What does a Dedication, Queens, Soccer and a Mayor have in Common?

Why I was at all of them this weekend! We had the dedication of the Police and Public Works facility on Saturday which went very nicely. We had way to many people for me to mention here, however I would guess nearly 400 people flowed through the center. The jail cells and the public works trucks were the highlights it seemed. I told most of the kids we were having a drawing to stay overnight in the cells, which they all thought was cool. One set of parents offered me cash to make sure there kid was chosen! In reality my daughters boyfriend was always going to be the guest.

Later that afternoon I was off to my annual trip to the Round Lake Area Queens pageant where I escorted two queens onto the stage. After intermission I got the annual picture of the outgoing queens. Which for those of you have been in my office at the village hall know that these pictures hang in my office.

I did leave slightly early however to go home and see Mexico play Argentina in the second round of the World Cup. Maxi Rodriguez of Argentina broke my heart with a wonder goal in overtime to eliminate Mexico 2-1. I won't even go into how I feel about the US performance in the World Cup by the way!

By the way bonus points to the person who send me a picture of the dedication that I can use here, becuase I got nothing!

Pictures from on High!

Picture of Hart's Field home of the Mighty Spartans, AYSO soccer teams and location of my runs up Hart's hill!

The little hatch on the north side of the water tower where the painters crawl outside the tower to paint! Now that's insane!

The intersection of 134 and Hart Road with the ACE Hardware and Lakes Bowl in the background.

Dedication is Today!

Today from 9 to noon is the dedication of the new Police and Public Works facility at 741 Townline Road in Round Lake.

An open house with tours of the facility will be from 9am until noon. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 10am. Refreshments will be served. I look forward to seeing you there!

2nd Annual Landscaping Contest

The Village of Round Lake will be sponsoring our annual “Landscaping Contest” for residential homes in July. If you would like to have your home entered, please register by calling the Village Hall (847) 546-5400 before July 14th. The homes will be judged by the Board the week of July 17th, with the winners announced at the August 7th Regular Board Meeting.

Fireworks 101

Its that time of year again and judging by the noise I heard last night this post might be late. Here is what is prohibited and permitted by the State of Illinois for consumer use!

• Specifically permitted-- Sparklers, snake/glow worm pellets, smoke devices, trick noisemakers, and plastic or paper caps.
• Specifically prohibited-- Firecrackers, torpedoes, skyrockets, roman candles, and bombs.

I went to the National Council on Fireworks Safety website and found quite a few things but something that I thought made some sense to place here is the following.

Tips on Choosing Safe Fireworks

It is extremely important to know the difference between a legal consumer firework and a dangerous explosive device. Items such as M-80s, M-100s and blockbusters are not fireworks, they are federally banned explosives. They can cause serious injury or even death. Stay away from anything that isn't clearly labeled with the name of the item, the manufacturer's name and instructions for proper use. Here are some more tips to help ensure a safe Fourth of July:

Fireworks are not toys. Fireworks complying with strict regulations enacted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission in 1976 function primarily by burning to produce motion and visible or audible effects. They are burning at approximately the same temperature as a household match and can cause burn injuries and ignite clothing if used improperly.

NEVER give fireworks to young children. Close, adult supervision of all fireworks activities is mandatory. Even sparklers can be unsafe if used improperly.

Select and use only legal devices. If you choose to celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks, check with your local police department to determine what fireworks can be legally discharged in your area.

Stay away from illegal explosives. Illegal explosive devices continue to cause serious injuries around the Fourth of July holiday. These devices are commonly known as M-80s, M-100s, blockbusters or quarterpounders. Federally banned since 1966, these items will not contain the manufacturer's name and are usually totally unlabeled. Don't purchase or use unlabeled fireworks. If you are aware of anyone selling such devices, contact your local police department.

Homemade fireworks are deadly. Never attempt to make your own devices and do not purchase or use any kits that are advertised for making fireworks. Mixing and loading chemical powders is very dangerous and can kill or seriously injure you. Leave the making of fireworks to the experts.

The Summit of Round Lake!

In my continuing quest to visit all of Round Lake, I hit one the tallest thing in the village yesterday! I climbed the water tower coached by our Director of Public Works Davis Clark.

I choose this water tower in the downtown because according to Davis it has railing at the top! Much safer in my mind! The basics of the water tower are 500,000 gallon (opps 750,000) storage with a height of 165 feet.

To climb the tower you go up four flights of stairs to the landings. To make sure you don't plunge to your untimely demise there is a safety harness that hooks into a ratchet system that hooks onto a metal tube that runs up and down the center of the stairs. You have to lean back and apply pressure to the harness to make the ratchet move up or down. If you move off that angle the ratchet won't open and you are restricted to a fall of maybe a foot. I did not attempt to test that out however.

When I got into the tower I was confronted with this type of ladder. If you look closely you can see the metal bar running up the ladder where you hook the harness on. This is the final climb through the ball in a nice tube. One of the climbs was in the gloom, and that was not nice ascending or descending. I did not look up once or look down either, just at the next rung and kept moving.


After about 15 minutes of steady climbing I neared the summit, my sherpa Davis had gone on ahead to open the hatch and he snapped the above picture. At this point even though I was smiling I was panting! I was also recalling my last experience with a Ferris wheel in Lindenhurst and my extreme dislike of heights. Suprisingly when I made it to the top stepping out on the top was remarkedly easy.

I am not sure if this is a smile or a grimace, it might actually be me gasping for breath. Although I think it was harder going down then up. I am going to post more about what I saw on the tower in another post. I was not going to write on the actual ascent but everyone I told about this was more interested in what's inside the tower rather then what I saw. So you get what you ask for.

Village School Student Leaders Visit Us!

A few weeks ago the Student Council from Village School came for a village visit. They spent an hour with me where I conducted a mock meeting with them, I had enough kids to have all the trustee spots, media, and staff spots filled. I even had one kid as the audience who did public comment! I had a great time as always and I think the kids did as well.

After they visited me they went down to the new Police and Public Works building and got tours there as well. The second picture is of all of them in one of our new jail cells as a matter of fact!

Save the Date for the Dedication of the New Police and Public Works Complex

I would like to extend an invitation to you along with Village Clerk Jeanne Kristan and the board of Trustees to the dedication of the new Police and Public Works facility. The event will be held on Saturday, June 24th 2006 at 741 Townline Road in Round Lake.

An open house with tours of the facility will be from 9am until noon. A ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 10am. Refreshments will be served. For more information please contact Trustee Sherry Perkowitz or at (847) 452-3681.

Happy Fathers Day to Me!

Three years ago I bought a fractional share of a race horse named Time for Karakorum that was renown for seeing the top of the stretch in first and then letting all its buddies run right by it so it could finish last. 12 losses in a row with one in the money finish made me an unhappy camper. However I was able to trade my share for a unraced 2 year old filly named Karakorum Starlet last year. She raced 3 times last year with two seconds, then took 4 months off to relax, and then about 3 months ago she started racing again and has won 2 races and finished 2nd as well.

Today in the 7th race she won a non-winners of one allowance race at Belmont race track as the 3-5 favorite and she won easily for her second win. Now that's a fathers day present! I was going to post this earlier but I decided to wait until the race was over so it could be "real news"!

One of Round Lakes Strength's-- Water!

Water seems to be a given. You turn on the tap and out it comes. Round Lake is very lucky because we were one of the founding members of an organization called the Central Lake County Joint Action Water Agency or JAWA for short. What does this mean? The short answer is Lake Michigan water some of the best drinking water in the country comes out of taps because our membership in this organization.

The reason this is big is because well water in western Lake county and Eastern Mchenry is and has been at risk for quite a while of drying up. One local business outside of JAWA has 3 well's that are 1,800 feet deep, one of them is already unusable.

JAWA represents the community's of Grayslake, Gurnee, Lake Bluff, Libertyville, Mundelein, Round Lake, Round Lake Beach, Round Lake Heights, Round Lake Park, Lake County, Vernon Hills and Wildwood. So if you live in these areas and have city or village water, it came from Lake Michigan.

We have two water towers in the village, one on Wilson Road in the Northwest corner of Valley Lakes, the second is near the corner of 134 and Hart Road. You can't miss them they are big and white! We also have the ground storage tank along Nippersink Road, which we are going to be expanding to contain 2.5 million gallons of storage. This project is being paid for by bonds from impact fees developers have paid to the village over the years.

The website for JAWA has lots of interesting information on water, Lake Michigan and the agency. Some of the interesting facts are:

• The lake contains so much water that 400,000 gallons of water (rain or snow) fall on it every second of the day!
  
• 320,000 gallons of water evaporate off the lake every second as well.
  
• Lake Michigan is the 5th largest lake in the world. (Caspian Sea, Lake Superior, Lake Victoria and Lake Huron are bigger)

I have appointed Trustee Jerry Shaw as Round Lake's Director on JAWA and I serve as the alternate for the monthly board meetings. Jerry usually reports to the board about the meetings he attends under trustees comments at the next available board meeting.

Household Electronic Collection Day

Before you throw away a piece of electronic equipment, please consider the following recycling and safe disposal options. It is important to keep toxic and reusable materials out of our landfills.

So on July 10, 2006, the Village of Round Lake in conjunction with SWALCO, will be hosting a "Household Electronics Collection" at the Public Works Facility from 8am to 5pm. Residents are encouraged to bring their unwanted electronic devices to the Round Lake Public Works facility for proper disposal. For a list of what is and is not accepted please go here.

The Fish Tank Takes Shape!

Here are the forms for the tilt-up concrete sides of the 2.5 million gallon ground storage tank that is being constructed on Nippersink just east of Fairfield road. Its making tons of progress! Drive by and peek!

Future Leaders of America

Today I am volunteering at Warren High School for the Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda (FBLA) I am helping out with their preparation for the national competition in late June! I am scheduled to help interview the candidate for the "Future Business Leader" and the critique for the "Business Ethics and Multimedia" presentations.

FBLA is an education association of students preparing for careers in business and business-related fields. The Association has four divisions:

• FBLA for high school students
• FBLA Middle Level for junior high, middle and intermediate school students
• PBL for postsecondary students
• And the Professional Alumni Division for business people, educators and parents, who support the goals of the Association.

The FBLA-PBL Mission is to bring business and education together in a positive working relationship through innovative leadership and career development programs.

I love doing stuff like this, I think as a community leader you absolutely have to give of your time and your skills to make a difference. If you would like to explore the events, go to fbla-pbl.org and select the FBLA high school tab and then click at the left side choices on FBLA competitive events and then FBLA

Click it or Ticket-- Round Lake Enforcement

On June 2, 2006, the Round Lake Police Department conducted a "Click It or Ticket" - Safety Belt Enforcement Zone at the intersection of Town Line Road and Bacon Road. The four hour operation was extremely successful in not only educating motorists, but also in the enforcement of violations. The police officers wrote a total of 32 citations. The breakdown of citations was 27 seatbelt citations, 3 child safety seat violations, 1 no drivers license violation and 1 no insurance violation. The Round Lake Police Department receives reimbursement from the State of Illinois through a grant for manpower for the operation. The Police Department has other enforcement zone activities planned for this summer so make sure you are clicked in!

The Village Wants You!

The Village of Round Lake has three openings for involvement in the village. One is an appointment on the Planning and Zoning Board, the second is one on the Architectural Review Board and the last is a spot on the Round Lake Lake Management Commission.

The Planning Board meets the last Tuesday of the month and as needed at 7 pm. The terms are 7 years long. You would be appointed by me and would be ratified by the village board before you could take your seat. There are 7 spots on the board.

The Architectural Review Board meets once a month as well at 7pm also. It has 7 members which serve 2 year and 3 year terms. You would be appointed by me and would be ratified by the village board before you could take your seat.

The Lake Management Commission is a 9 person board that oversees the management of the actual "Round Lake". I have three appointments on the board for Round Lake, and the other two communites on the Lake Round Lake Beach and Round Lake Park also have three. They meet once a month or so on Friday's in the evening.

When I took office 5 years ago the outgoing Mayor told me that he struggled to find people willing to serve. I have never had a hard time finding people to serve becuase I tried to open it up to as many people as I could. Other then Ed Amman (who was appointed 53 years ago) on the Planning Board I have appointed every single other person to all the village posts. I appoint about 40 total (I just counted). Some however have to be employees of the village to serve.

• You have to be registered to vote (I will check).
• You have to be over 18.
• You must have lived in the village for 180 days.
• Please review the links above for what kind of things each board does. Nothing available for the Lake one however!
  

Here is how we are going to do this. I am looking for some specific areas of representation. In the past I have tried to find a good geographic mix on the boards of the various areas, I have some in mind right now, but since I would or could discourage interest I will not let you know my specific interests.

Please send me an email bgentes@eroundlake.com expressing your interest.

Viva Mexico and USA USA USA!

I grew up in Mexico as many of you know. It was there that I learned to play and enjoy soccer. I have attended 3 world cups (Mexico 70, Mexico 86 and USA 94) and seen many games including the final of 1994 between Brazil and Italy. The most agonizing game I have ever watched was the second round game between Mexico and the USA in the last world cup because I support both national sides passionately. Today however at 11 Mexico debuts in this world cup against Iran, Monday the USA does against the Czech Republic.

I do promise to return to Round Lake related items after my soccer obsession on the blog.

NOTE: the black and white picture in the previous post was the exact instant the ball crossed the line in the 1966 world cup final which gave England its only win. The ball hit the cross bar and came straight down and the Germans claimed it never crossed the line. The referee thought differently and awarded the goal to give England the lead 3-2 in overtime! Kudos to soccer nut Brian Brubaker for getting this almost instantly, to easy for him!

Every 4 Years-- Its World Cup Time

I am a soccer/football fanatic. Four years ago I woke up at 2 am and 4am and 6am to watch the World Cup from Japan and Korea. This year it will not be so bad since the games are on during the day! I am seriously psyched! Brian Brubaker and I are planning to watch every minute of every game he is HUGE fan of the game.

Today at 11am is the first game of the 2006 World Cup in Germany with Germany taking on Costa Rica! Mmmmm a savory match-up! Bet you can't wait Brian!

Bonus points for the person who can tell me what this picture is about. Not sure what the prize is but I will come up with something interesting!

Save the Date! July 28-30 2006

The Round Lake Streets of Summer Festival is July 28-30, 2006. The Streets of Summer fest for 2006 planning is now under way and let me say this will be the biggest event to date. The entertainment starts on Friday night, with the modern rockers, Local H head-lining the main stage. On Saturday night, Round Lake welcomes the number one Beatles Tribute Band, American English. You will not be disappointed with the realism and costumes that this band brings out.

In addtion there will be carnival rides and food vending by Windy City Carnivals. To accommodate the carnival, the location is being moved from the downtown to the grounds behind Magee School at the intersection of Cedar Lake road and Hart road. The main parking will be held at the Metra parking lot. I will be posting more information on parking as well as times for all events including a car show and a motorcycle show.

The best part is that the entrance to the Streets of Summer is free. If you are interested in volunteering with the 2006 Streets of Summer, please send an e-mail to Sean Gillette. He is our festival chairman!

Strategic National Butter Reserve Located in Round Lake

The federal government has the National Strategic Petroleum Reserve, and now Round Lake has its lesser cousin the National Butter Reserve. Its home? Apparently my freezer! The foil wrapped slabs of which there are 27 in my freezer are 1 pound slabs of butter!

Why are they there you may ask? Trust me I did, although in a different tone of voice with a rather more forceful choice of adjectives as well.

My mother in law and her brother are going on a cruise for 11 days, and apparently the fear is that the power will go off in Chicago the moment the plane is airborne and will never return thus causing the butter reserve to melt and deprive my mother in law and her brother the potential to manipulate the global butter market on their return to Chicago.

All I can say is thankfully the strategic tomato sauce reserve and the national pasta holdings did not have to be relocated in Round Lake since electricity is not needed to protect these valuable assets. Lastly thank god the mother in law is not a blog reader!

Parking over the Sidewalk

I have gotton tons on questions about parking and blocking the sidewalk and in fact it was a topic at the village board meeting a few weeks ago. Its pretty simple you can not block the sidewalk when you park on your driveway (1b). This is NOT village code but rather Illinois State Law. I am taking the relevant passage from state statute and pasting it here.

I would also note that you may not park you car on train tracks (1h), or you face a fine and community service, as well as losing your car when the train hits it. I do not get many complaints about this however for some reason!

(625 ILCS 5/11‑1303) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 11‑1303)
Sec. 11‑1303. Stopping, standing or parking prohibited in specified places. directions of a police officer or official traffic‑control device, no person shall:

• 1. Stop, stand or park a vehicle:
• a. On the roadway side of any vehicle stopped or parked at the edge or curb of a street;
  
• b. On a sidewalk;
• c. Within an intersection;
• d. On a crosswalk;
• e. Between a safety zone and the adjacent curb or within 30 feet of points on the curb immediately opposite the ends of a safety zone, unless a different length is indicated by signs or markings;
• f. Alongside or opposite any street excavation or obstruction when stopping, standing or parking would obstruct traffic;
• g. Upon any bridge or other elevated structure upon a highway or within a highway tunnel;
  
• h. On any railroad tracks. A violation of any part of this subparagraph h. shall result in a mandatory fine of $500 or 50 hours of community service.
• i. At any place where official signs prohibit stopping;
• j. On any controlled‑access highway;
• k. In the area between roadways of a divided highway, including crossovers;
• l. In a public parking area if the vehicle does not display a current annual registration sticker or current temporary permit pending registration.
• 2. Stand or park a vehicle, whether occupied or not, except momentarily to pick up or discharge passengers:
• a. In front of a public or private driveway;
• b. Within 15 feet of a fire hydrant;
• c. Within 20 feet of a crosswalk at an intersection;
• d. Within 30 feet upon the approach to any flashing signal, stop sign, yield sign, or traffic control signal located at the side of a roadway;
• e. Within 20 feet of the driveway entrance to any fire station and on the side of a street opposite the entrance to any fire station within 75 feet of such entrance (when properly sign‑posted);
• f. At any place where official signs prohibit standing.
• 3. Park a vehicle, whether occupied or not, except temporarily for the purpose of and while actually engaged in loading or unloading property or passengers:
• a. Within 50 feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing;
• b. At any place where official signs prohibit parking.
• c No person shall move a vehicle not lawfully under his control into any such prohibited area or away from a curb such distance as is unlawful.

(Source: P.A. 89‑245, eff. 1‑1‑96; 89‑658, eff. 1‑1‑97.)

BREAKING-- Missing Child

Last night Corina Sveica was found in Harvey IL and has been reunited with her family. Right now that's basically all I know. But obviously we are relieved that she has been found safely.

Hate Junk Mail

I do! Today's Daily Herald had a wonderful article on reducing credit card solicitation go check it out! Then there is a website called OptOutScreen.com where you can take your name off the lists for 5 years and for life as well! I believe! Of course I get what seems to be 3 or 4 a day of these exciting offers so even if it's a scam, which I doubt, it could not hurt!

MONDAY NOTE: A total of 146 people have outclicked to this site as of 5 pm today. Hopefully all to opt-out!

Traffic is Climbing and Not Just in Lake County

This is a graph of my traffic for the last year. However these are hits not visitors and this is a daily average. However the visitors have followed a similar upwards movement as well. However that graphic is a active server graphic and I can't copy it as a jpeg.
My daily traffic seems to be in the 1,000 to 1,500 a day range, although weekends drop off considerably. In rereading some of my posts I thought the ones in February were quite dull and in fact I actually repeated a few posts from the year before and sure enough my traffic dipped because of it as well.
As I have told many of you I am still surprised that more then 50 people a day even bother with the blog. Although recent visitors seem to be more interested in the comments section then the "Mayor Bill" section.

Dreamed of Being on the Radio?

One of the nicest things in the Round Lake Area is WRLR-FM (98.3) which is a low powered radio station that serves western Lake County. It is completely staffed by volunteers, and has been on the air for nearly a year now.

They are always looking for volunteers and also looking for on-air personalities as well. If you have always thought about being the next Eric and Cathy, Edward Murrow or Paul Harvey then contact Station President and Founder Bish Krywko at rondaradio@hotmail.com.

120 Open House and Public Forum is Quite Successful

One of the 120 public forum's was held last night from 4-7 at the Hainesville Village Hall. We had an excellent crowd in fact sometimes it was an overflow. There were opportunities to review and then to comment on the project. The review aspect consisted of a quite a few informational flyers and then we had large maps that covered the major aspects of the project, environmental, traffic and land use. The maps illustrated the projects various facets ranging from the ADT (Average Daily Traffic) counts to the type of land in the corridor.

I was very gratified to see a strong contingent of Round Lakers! Al Villasenor, Michael Blum, Liz Nelson, Tim Latta, Deb Jones, and Todd Wright among many others who I missed! We also had a strong contingent from the county board and from mayors and elected officials as well. A special guest was Congresswomen Melissa Bean, who along with Congressman Mark Kirk are advocating on both sides of the aisle for our next step in funding, which is the Phase 1 engineering! We are asking for $15 million and we are quite hopeful.