Posted in Algonquin Rd, Animal Welfare, Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Bicyclists, Commercial Horse Boarding, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Don't Change Barrington Hills, Elections, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Flock Cameras, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, Goat Rodeo, HARPS, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, IDOT, Land Use, LeCompte/Anderson Commercial Horse boarding amendment, Longmeadow Parkway, Mad Cows, Massbach Hounds, Overhead, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Riding Club Commission, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Roads and Bridges, SOS Party, Taxes, The Other Half, TMI, Topics Of Interest, Traffic, Unions, Village Code, Village Director of Administration, Your Barrington Hills on September 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The Equestrian/Riding Club Commission will be meeting this evening at 6:30 PM. Topics on their agenda include:
A copy of the agenda and Zoom link can be found here.
Posted in Animal Welfare, BACOG, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Politics, Property Taxes, School Districts, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Village Government on August 25, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The Barrington Area Council of Governments (BACOG) Executive Board is scheduled to meet this evening at 7:00 PM at the Tower Lakes Village Hall, 400 North Rt. 59.
Meeting agendas are not posted by BACOG, nor are minutes, but their website does state, “Copies of approved minutes for BACOG committee and executive board meetings are available upon request. Please submit requests by email to bacog@bacog.org.
Posted in 220, Agendas, Animal Welfare, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Clown Car, District 220 referendum, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Ethics, His Master's Voice, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois State Board of Elections, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Politics, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Resident Spotlights, School Districts, Snowflake Effect, The New Normal?, Transparency, Unions, Video Streaming, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on August 18, 2026| Leave a Comment »
CUSD 220 Board members Barry “Dr. No” Altshuler and Leah “Honey Bunny” Collister-Lazzari were found to have violated board policies last month in their 2023 campaigns for their board seats. Earlier this year, the Board also twice determined member Erin Chan Ding violated board policies as a result of her 2025 campaign. Who’s next?
The District 220 Board of Education meets this evening at 6:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. Items on their agenda include:
A copy of the agenda can be viewed here. The meeting will be live streamed on the district YouTube channel.
Related: “District 220 board members violated campaign policies, investigation finds,” “Proposed Policy Change Would Strip Anonymous Formal Grievances in Barrington District 220,” “Reminder: CUSD 220 Board of Education meeting tonight,” “CUSD 220 Board delivers second (slappier) slap on the wrist to member Erin Chan Ding,” “CUSD 220 Board of Education public comments we applaud,” “Special District 220 Board of Education meeting Monday,” “Over $100,000 in Special Interest Funding gifted to 220 Board member’s campaign in failed bid for State Rep job,” “New Evidence of Chan Ding’s Policy Violations and Conflicts of Interest,” “The D220 Board of Ed gets another ‘F’ in accountability & transparency,” “The Real Issue in Barrington 220 Isn’t Parking or Levies — It’s Leadership Culture,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency” and “Change.org Petition: ‘For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns’”
Posted in Agendas, Algonquin Rd, Animal Welfare, Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Countryside Elementary School, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Ethics, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Massbach Hounds, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Real Estate, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Taxes, Transparency, Unions on August 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The Barrington Hills Park District Board/Riding Cult of Barrington Hills will hold their monthly meeting this evening in person and via Zoom at 6:00 PM. Some topics on their agenda include:
A copy of their agenda can be viewed here. Instructions for accessing the meeting remotely can be found here.
Posted in Animal Welfare, Aunt Blabby, Barrington Hills Park District, Barrington Hills Polo Club, Big Red, Clown Car, Commercial Horse Boarding, Cook, Countryside Elementary School, County, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Don't Change Barrington Hills, Elections, Equestrian Commission, Ethics, Fox River Valley Hunt, FPDCC, FRVPC, Goat Rodeo, Horizon Farm, Horse Boarding, Illinois State Board of Elections, Immigration, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Lake, Land Use, Look For The Union Label, Massbach Hounds, McHenry, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Riding Center Advisory Committee, Riding Club of Barrington Hills, Save 5 Acres, SOS Party, Taxes, The Other Half, Unions, Your Barrington Hills on August 7, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Consolidated Election to be held April 6, 2027
To The Residents of The Barrington Hills Park District Cook, Lake and McHenry Counties, Illinois
Elections will be held to fill the following office: Park District Commissioner
Number of positions: Three (3)
All positions are for a four-year term
The candidate services provided here will assist prospective candidates locate the information and forms required to run for office.
Information contained within this section is for informational purposes only. Candidates are advised to seek appropriate legal counsel for any campaign issues.
Candidates must file their certificates of nomination with the Barrington Hills Park District designated representative.
Petition Circulation Period: August 25, 2026 – November 23, 2026. Petitions may NOT be circulated prior to August 25, 2026
The filing of nomination petitions will be accepted at 361 Bateman Road, Barrington Hills IL 60010, in the Riding Center’s Meeting Room, November 16, 2026 through Monday November 23, 2026. Office Hours will be posted here and on the online calendar.
Petitions may be filed in person by the candidate, a representative, or by mail to: Barrington Hills Park District, 364 Bateman Road, Barrington Hills, IL 60010. Nomination papers received in the mail before the first day of filing period will be returned to the sender as not filed.
Petition Documents:
Nonpartisan Petition Form (Petitions may NOT be circulated prior to August 25, 2026)
Statement of Candidacy: Nonpartisan
Loyalty Oath (optional):
Statement of Economic Interests: Filed with the Cook County Clerk. See page 22 in the Candidate’s Guide regarding filing the receipt.
Fair Campaign Practices Act (voluntary): Filed with the State Board of Elections.,
Posted in 220, Agendas, Animal Welfare, Barrington Education Association, Board of Education, Clown Car, Deception, District 220 referendum, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, His Master's Voice, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois State Board of Elections, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Mad Cows, Pension Funding, Politics, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, Resident Spotlights, School Districts, Transparency, Unions, Video Streaming, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on July 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »
CUSD 220 Board President Sandra Ficke-Bradford, Vice President Barry Altshuler and member Leah Collister-Lazzari.
The District 220 Board of Education meets Thursday evening at 6:00 PM at the District Administration Center, 515 W. Main Street. Items on their agenda include:
A copy of the agenda can be viewed here. The meeting will be live streamed on the district YouTube channel.
Related: “CUSD 220 Board delivers second (slappier) slap on the wrist to member Erin Chan Ding,” “CUSD 220 Board of Education public comments we applaud,” “Special District 220 Board of Education meeting Monday,” “Over $100,000 in Special Interest Funding gifted to 220 Board member’s campaign in failed bid for State Rep job,” “New Evidence of Chan Ding’s Policy Violations and Conflicts of Interest,” “The D220 Board of Ed gets another ‘F’ in accountability & transparency,” “The Real Issue in Barrington 220 Isn’t Parking or Levies — It’s Leadership Culture,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS – Part 2,” “BOARD OF ED VOTES, MEMBER CHAN DING MADE FLAGRANT POLICY VIOLATIONS,” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency (Updated),” “District 220’s Lack of Transparency” and “Change.org Petition: ‘For the Resignation of Erin Chan Ding ~ D220 Resources are Not for Political Campaigns’”
Posted in Animal Welfare, PAWS Chicago, Press Release on July 21, 2026| Leave a Comment »
20-Acre Hawthorn Woods Facility Will Expand Lifesaving Efforts for Large Dogs, Cats, and Spay/Neuter Services Across Chicagoland
July 20, 2026 (HAWTHORN WOODS, Ill.) – PAWS Chicago, the Midwest’s largest No Kill animal welfare organization, celebrated a major milestone on Sunday, July 19, breaking ground on the PAWS Chicago Rescue Ranch, a transformative 20-acre state-of-the-art facility that will expand its lifesaving work for homeless and at-risk pets throughout Chicagoland.
Set to open in 2027, the PAWS Chicago Rescue Ranch will become a first-of-its-kind destination focused on the rescue, rehabilitation, enrichment, and adoption of large dogs and cats, the animals most at risk of euthanasia throughout the region. The facility will also include the Forsythe Veterinary Medical Center, a high-volume spay/neuter clinic, that will expand access to affordable and free spay/neuter services based on financial need while helping prevent pet overpopulation.
Community leaders, supporters, donors, volunteers, and animal advocates gathered to commemorate the groundbreaking and celebrate the next chapter in PAWS Chicago’s nearly three-decade mission to build a No Kill Chicagoland.
“The PAWS Chicago Rescue Ranch represents the future of animal welfare,” said Paula Fasseas, Founder and Executive Chair of PAWS Chicago. “Every aspect of this campus has been thoughtfully designed around what animals need to heal, thrive, and ultimately find loving homes. By creating more space, expanding access to adopters, and investing in prevention through spay/neuter services and education, we will save more lives for generations to come.”
Once an equestrian center, the property is being transformed into a best-in-class animal welfare facility that blends nearly three decades of PAWS Chicago’s lifesaving experience with the latest advances in animal behavior science and shelter medicine. Surrounded by rolling hills, walking trails, and a scenic pond, the PAWS Chicago Rescue Ranch will provide a peaceful environment where animals can decompress and thrive while awaiting adoption.
“When PAWS Chicago began in 1997 more than 42,000 animals in Chicago were being euthanized. Today, that number has been reduced by nearly 90%,” added Fasseas. “While adoption is critical for lifesaving, it is spay/neuter that prevents pet overpopulation at its source, and the Rescue Ranch will have a robust surgery center equipped to perform hundreds of spay/neuter surgeries during large Spay Days — and help train the next generation of spay/neuter surgeons.”
The PAWS Chicago Rescue Ranch will:
Beyond serving homeless pets, the PAWS Chicago Rescue Ranch will be a destination for adoption, volunteerism, education, and community engagement. Visitors will also be welcomed by rescued farm animals, including a horned cow, llamas, miniature donkeys, goats, and pigs.
Construction is now underway. Learn more at pawschicago.org/RescueRanch.
Posted in Animal Welfare, Daily Herald, SOUL Harbour Ranch, Topics Of Interest on July 12, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Relocated Palatine Stables horses are settled in at a Wauconda farm. | Steve Zalusky/szalusky@dailyherald.com
By Steve Zalusky | Daily Herald
Behind a weathered, split-rail fence skirting a solitary gravel driveway, Cadence Gehrke reaches into a clear bag and feeds carrots to a gray Appaloosa mare.
It’s feeding time for Tinker Bell and her cream-colored leopard-spotted Appaloosa gelding companion Fuzzy at Birch Hill Farm in Wauconda.
The farm, with its peaceful pasture teeming with tall grass and wildflowers, is where the two horses are spending their twilight years.
They were among the roughly two dozen school horses and ponies displaced following the controversial closing of the Palatine Stables in late 2024. Now they are among 17 under the care of the nonprofit group Gehrke started, Equine Guardians.
Fuzzy, left, and Tinker Bell share a tender moment at Birch Hill Farm in Wauconda. Steve | Zalusky/szalusky@dailyherald.com
The organization, which is run by former instructors, boarders and longtime riders, has an online fundraising site. Several horses are listed on the website, equineguardians.org.
Equine Guardians is also holding a reunion and fundraiser from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday at SOUL Harbour Ranch in Barrington. Proceeds will go toward the horses’ care.
Article continues here.
Posted in AI, Animal Welfare, BACOG, Chicago Tribune, Data Center, Deception, Education, EJ&E/Canadian National, Hoffman Estates, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lighting Ordinance, Plum Farm development, Politics, Privacy, Property Taxes, Public Safety, Real Estate, School Districts, Sears, South Barrington, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Unions on June 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Construction underway at the new Compass Datacenters 197-acre site in Hoffman Estates on June 23, 2026. Compass is constructing five hyperscale data centers on the former Sears Headquarters campus. | Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune
By Jack O’Connor | Chicago Tribune
In lieu of statewide regulations, a growing number of Illinois cities and counties are telling data centers to come back later or adhere to new regulations.
In Aurora, what began as a 180-day moratorium ended with city officials bringing the regulatory hammer down on data centers after many community members complained about excessive noise, utility bills and environmental concerns stemming from the city’s existing facilities.
Nine months removed from the September moratorium, Aurora’s data centers are having to play by new rules. Restrictions on where facilities can be built and updates to zoning rules to give the city approval power over new developments. Strict noise emission, water efficiency and energy efficiency standards for new data centers. Mandatory annual reporting of energy use, water use, noise levels and the storage of biometric data for all data centers, including those already built.
“My administration is about putting people and planet first, so it’s making sure that the lights always get turned on for residents of Aurora, instead of seeing the power stripped away for data centers,” Aurora Mayor John Laesch said. “It’s good news that other municipalities and counties are taking action on this.”
So far, at least six counties and nine cities in Illinois have approved data center moratoriums or regulations. Since May, Bloomington, Normal, Effingham, Bourbonnais, Carbondale, Logan County and Lake County have implemented data center moratoriums ranging from a six-month ban to a whole year. McLean County took a stronger approach in June, requiring existing data centers to document their electrical consumption and mandating data center proposals to identify potential impacts on local infrastructure, emergency services and utilities.
Much of the blowback against data centers stems from concerns about the facilities’ energy and water use amid rising utility costs.
Without regulations in place, advocates and local officials worry data centers will strain the electrical grid and deplete Lake Michigan and rural well water faster than rain, runoff and groundwater can replenish them. Data centers already account for 5.4% of Illinois’ electrical consumption and that demand is expected to balloon by 133% by 2030, according to the U.S. arm of the International Energy Agency. At the same time, electric costs for ComEd customers in June have jumped 12%, while prices for Ameren customers downstate rose by nearly 30%, according to the Citizens Utility Board, a utility consumer watchdog group.
Report continues here.
Posted in Animal Welfare, Lake & McHenry County Scanner on June 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Numerous fire department respond to the 27000 block of West May Street in unincorporated Wauconda after a fire destroyed a barn and left multiple animals dead Friday afternoon. | Photo: Joe Shuman/J. Shuman Photography (2026)
By Sam Borcia | Lake & McHenry County Scanner
Two miniature ponies and multiple chickens died after a fire fully engulfed and destroyed a barn, causing $150,000 in damage, near Wauconda Friday afternoon.
The Wauconda Fire District responded around 2:15 p.m. Friday to the 27000 block of West May Street in unincorporated Wauconda for a report of a structure fire.
Wauconda Fire District Battalion Chief Adam Schlick said fire crews responding spotted a large column of smoke from Route 176.
Numerous fire department respond to the 27000 block of West May Street in unincorporated Wauconda after a fire destroyed a barn and left multiple animals dead Friday afternoon. | Photo: Joe Shuman/J. Shuman Photography (2026)
Firefighters arrived and found heavy flames coming from a barn located approximately 400 feet from the roadway.
The barn was only 15 feet away from a nearby residence, placing it at risk, Schlick said.
Fire crews quickly deployed hose lines and were able to get water on the fire in less than three minutes from arrival.
Numerous fire department respond to the 27000 block of West May Street in unincorporated Wauconda after a fire destroyed a barn and left multiple animals dead Friday afternoon. | Photo provided
The fire occurred in an area that does not have fire hydrants and firefighters established a rural water supply using water tenders.
Report continues here.
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