Local News

WOODSTOCK – Physically and emotionally, the past 14 months have taken their toll on John Reichert.

CRYSTAL LAKE – For 25 years, the Crystal Lake Deli kept the same owners and the same name.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Making a change after 52 years can be difficult, but things seem to be going well for Susie Fox.

A Navistar spokesman said Thursday that although negotiations with Lisle have continued, other potential suitors for the truck and diesel engine manufacturer.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Rick Lonigro gives parents a unique way to show pride in their children through his new Sports Spirit Signs business.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Corporate America Family Credit Union is conducting “Project Backpack,” a school supply drive running through mid-August.

WOODSTOCK – Woodstock Christian Life Services has changed its name to Hearthstone Communities, the group announced.

SCHAUMBURG – Fifth Third Mortgage Company, a subsidiary of Fifth Third Bank, is working with Freddie Mac to present the 2010 “Lending the Way” Housing and Economic Outlook Tour.

HARVARD – The Harvard State Bank has been named an ICBA 400 community bank performer by the ICBA Independent Banker magazine. The magazine honored Harvard State Bank for posting one of the best year-end earnings in 2009 among ICBA banks with $250 million to $500 million in assets.

LAKE IN THE HILLS – Leslie Mueller had found a perfectly enjoyable hobby. For eight months, she had been making soap in the basement of her Lake in the Hills home.

CRYSTAL LAKE – After a nearly three-year absence, Julie Ann’s Frozen Custard is scheduled to return to Crystal Lake next month.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Vivien Taylor’s clients always leave her with a sense of how to improve their lives.

CRYSTAL LAKE – AptarGroup said Tuesday that it posted record quarterly earnings for the second quarter of 2010.

Before Bear Stearns collapsed. Before Lehman Brothers’ bankruptcy brought the markets to its knees. Before the Great Recession had been coined.

Next month, for the first time, parents throughout Illinois will get a state-sponsored break on their back-to-school purchases.

PEORIA (AP) – Caterpillar’s second-quarter earnings shot up 91 percent with the heavy machinery manufacturer reporting robust sales of equipment for industries that range from mining and infrastructure to energy.

Although the federal homebuyer tax credit has expired, McHenry County continued its streak of year-over-year home sales gains with its ninth consecutive month of gains in June.

LAKE IN THE HILLS – T&R Communications Inc. opened 10 years ago, when Rob and Vicki Anthony decided to open their own business from their home. At the start, the company worked on phone and data systems, but it has evolved over the years to handle all kinds of electrical needs for home and businesses.

WOODSTOCK – Ron Sommers has watched the summers roll by the past 16 years, with families and kids out of school racing to his Golf and Games business for a round of miniature golf, some time in the batting cages, or dropping some quarters in the arcade games.

McHENRY – Stateline SHRM’s August meeting will feature speaker Michael Hahn discussing “Beyond Compliance: The Consultive Approach to HR.”

CRYSTAL LAKE – When Home State Bank opened its doors in 1915, its first bank president also was the mayor of the city.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The spring of 2009 was not a particularly enjoyable time for auto dealership owner Sam Oginni.

CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County College will offer an ICD-10 course this fall, designed for billers, coders and other health professionals who have a working knowledge of the fundamentals of coding.

McHENRY – The third Chipotle Mexican Grill in the county will open its doors Wednesday, in an outlot of the Kohl’s Center in McHenry, alongside Cartridge World and Jimmy John’s.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Two generations and nearly 60 years of selling cars in Crystal Lake came to an end Tuesday as John Reichert sold his Chevrolet dealership to Dennis Alf of St. Charles Toyota and Scion.

WASHINGTON – The biggest reform to the financial industry since the Great Depression is headed to the president’s desk for his signature, and its completion shows a significant impact from area legislators.

CHICAGO – The state unemployment rate dipped almost a half-percent in June, down to 10.4 percent, matching the largest monthly decline since October 1983, the Illinois Department of Employment Security reported Thursday.

CRYSTAL LAKE – When Woodstock resident Ahmed Abatorab was looking for a franchise to operate, he was hoping to find one with name recognition.

McHENRY – Staples is accepting school supply donations through Sept. 18 at its McHenry location at 2525 N. Richmond Road to benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Dundee Township.

McHENRY – Gary Lang Auto Group will host its 13th annual Classic Car Show from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Two generations and nearly 60 years of selling cars in Crystal Lake came to an end Tuesday as John Reichert sold his Chevrolet dealership to Dennis Alf of St. Charles Toyota and Scion.

ELGIN – Registration for the Master of Business Administration program and others is underway at Webster University.

The names for Centegra’s specialized care areas have added up in recent years.

McHENRY – When Lori Adcock would sip a cup of coffee at her home or at the area coffeehouse, she dreamed of the day she’d be able to open her own coffeehouse.

CARPENTERSVILLE – Main Street Bicycles has moved into a new space across the street, at 39 E. Main St. in Carpentersville.

BELVIDERE – Chrysler has announced that it would add 500,000 square feet to the body shop at its assembly plant in Belvidere.

Unusual has become commonplace for area farmers in the past two seasons.

LAKEMOOR – For more than a year, there’s been a vacancy next to Atmosphair Spa in Lakemoor.

McHENRY – Leadership training classes based on Patrick Lencioni’s “Five Dysfunctions of a Team” will be conducted from 8 a.m. to noon July 21 and July 28 at the Shah Center in McHenry.

Castle Bank has named Tom Goettsch as the Vice President, Mortgage Lending Sales Manager at its Oswego location.

CARY – An arts and framing business in Cary could be nearing the end of its 22 years of business if a new buyer cannot be found by the fall.

CRYSTAL LAKE – Dan Serafino’s tattooing career had taken him from Chicago to Kalamazoo, Mich., and he was faced with the opportunity to work in Hawaii or Seattle for the next stop in his career.

McHENRY – Cooking and baking always has been a part of Kim Loewe’s life, so running her own eatery seemed a natural.

CRYSTAL LAKE – The Crystal Lake Park District and the Illinois Solar Energy Association will host a pair of seminars on how to add solar or wind power to your property.

McHENRY – Sales are up anywhere from 50 percent to 200 percent. Customers rallied around the company to keep one of its brands in house. And a long-planned expansion is scheduled to break ground this fall.

UNION – Preserving history can require quite a bit of manpower. And generosity.

CRYSTAL LAKE – McHenry County College said Thursday that it would change the name of the Academy for High Performance to Fast Track, a program offering professional certificates and accelerated degree programs for older adults.

McHENRY – The newest business on Main Street in McHenry feels like home to its owner.

Area merchants in McHenry, Cary, Crystal Lake and Woodstock have joined to offer gift bags for graduating high school seniors and college students.

The text of U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo's statement before voting against the House financial reform bill: