A Blast from the Past

The Chicago Tribune Creepy Cartoonist® thinks it is high time Congress started passing some gun laws:

MASS SHOOTINGS; GUN LAWS; CONGRESS

Which Congress does he have in mind? The Congress from the Woodrow Wilson administration, obviously:

Note to Ops: This is what Congress looks like in 2022, i.e. nowadays:

Next Week ...
The Creepy Tribune Cartoonist recalls back when William Randolph Hearst said to him: "You furnish the pictures. I'll furnish the war."

The Oldest Established Permanent Floating GOP Gun Raffle

Note to Ops: The winning ticket holder to the Lake County GOP Gun Raffle has been asked to claim his AR-15 ...

Lake Villa Township Republican Club Gun Raffle

HaHa, J/K. As readers of this blog are aware, the Lake County GOP gun raffle got cancelled out of an abundance of wokeness:

The Lake Villa GOP was supposed to raffle off five guns, including an AR-15 rifle. But mass shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde led to the event’s postponement.

HaHa, J/K again. The GOP never cancels their gun raffle. It just gets moved to a new location:

Democrats criticize Kendall County GOP plan to raffle off gun similar to one used in Highland Park mass shooting

Note to Ops: Gun rafflers gonna gun raffle.

The Griff that Keeps on Griffing

Hedge-fund plutocrat Ken Griffin may be gone but he is not forgotten.

Readers of this blog will recall that after failing to defeat Lake County favorite-son Mark Curran in the primary election,

All the Justice Money Can Buy

Ken Griffin moved his Illinois investment firm, Citadel, to Florida:

Parting Griff

Griffin had better luck at the polls two years ago. Did you vote to defeat the Illinois Fair Tax in 2020? Your LakeCountyEye sure did. Why? Because Ken Griffin said so:

For billionaire Ken Griffin, it was well worth spending $54 million to ensure he and other rich Illinoisans wouldn't have to pay more tax. By the time Illinois voters streamed into voting booths on Election Day in 2020, Griffin, then Illinois' wealthiest resident, had made sure they'd heard plenty about why they should not vote to raise taxes on him and the state's other rich people. His tens of millions paid for an unrelenting stream of ads and flyers against an initiative on that year's ballot, which would have allowed Illinois lawmakers to join 32 other states in setting higher tax rates for the wealthy than for everyone else.
Ken Griffin Spent $54 Million Fighting a Tax Increase for the Rich. Secret IRS Data Shows It Paid Off for Him.

That $54 million turned out to be a good investment. Griffin would have been taxed an estimated $51 million every year, had the ballot measure passed:

the new state tax increase, which aimed to raise the rate from 5% to 8% on the highest incomes, would have cost Griffin around $51 million every year in extra tax.
Ken Griffin Spent $54 Million Fighting a Tax Increase for the Rich. Secret IRS Data Shows It Paid Off for Him.

Counting just the past two years, Griffin saved himself $102 million. At a cost of $54 million, that adds up to $48 million in Ken Griffin's pocket and nothing in the Illinois treasury.

Note to Ops: That's why Griffin is a billionaire hedge fund manager and you're not.

Stat

Q the Eye/07.03.22

Dear LakeCountyEye,

Doing less with more is harder than it sounds. Particularly when your job is to count votes.  How do I suppress the vote in my County?

Not the Lake County Clerk

Dear Willard,

Don't do it like they do it in McHenry County.  Yes, the goal is to suppress your voter turnout. But no, not your MAGA voters:

You need to allow all your octogenarian theocrats to vote as much as they can!

No, do it like they do it in Lake County. Hold your election in June when nobody expects one:

Lake County currently has the lowest voter turnout in the suburbs at 17.9%.
Why so few Illinois voters cast ballots in Tuesday’s primary

And then bus all of your people to the polls:

The Lake County Republican Party held a straw poll last week. And of course there was voter fraud. The fraudsters "bussed in a bunch of Indian voters"
Too Many Chuffs and Not Enough Indians

Pull off that trick in November and you're sure to be endorsed by Donald J Trump!

Send your questions to Q the Eye c/o ... LakeCountyEye@gMail.com

All the Justice Money Can Buy

How is it done, son? Mark Curran knows how, son:

Curran started the quarter with $10,150.09 in the bank and didn't report raising any other money since then.
Ken Griffin's no-good, lousy day

Despite spending virtually no money, Lake County favorite son Mark Curran beat opponents who spent more than $200,000 for a chance to be an Illinois Supreme Court Justice.

Curran, however, would be advised not to get fitted for his black robe and powdered wig just yet. He still needs to win the General Election in November. Where that trick of his of raising no money is not going to work.

No, Curran needs to up his game. And see what other Republicans do to win, despite being outspent by significantly better funded opponents. Like Mary Miller and Darren Bailey. Quite frankly, Curran will need to get the endorsement of backseat driver and current President of the United States, Donald J Trump.

Note to Ops: Make that powdered wig an extra large, please.

Roe No More

Lake County has paid sad witness, as an authoritarian regime wages ruthless war on its genteel, peace-loving neighbors. Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine? No, your LakeCountyEye refers to the Lake County GOP's war on women.

Lake County Senator Dan McConchie said this:

Illinois Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie argued Democrats "want to push Illinois to the utter extreme on abortion policy. Right now, Illinoisans can already get an abortion in all nine months of pregnancy for any reason and use taxpayer dollars to pay for it."
'We've planned for this terrible day': Pritzker calls for special session on abortion rights

For the record ...

Access to abortion remains legal in Illinois, which restricts the procedure only after the point of viability — the time at which a fetus can survive outside the womb.
What Illinois law allows — and prohibits — with regard to abortion

Viability is usually at 24 to 26 weeks, much earlier than McConchie's pronounced 9 months.

Coincidentally, 24 to 26 weeks from now is when entrenched incumbent Dan McConchie would be sent back to the private sector if he were voted out of office.

Note to Ops: The Illinois Primary is June 28, next Tuesday.

Parting Griff

Literally no one:

Hedge-fund plutocrat Ken Griffin does not want Lake County favorite-son Mark Curran to be an Illinois Supreme Court Justice ...

Citizens for Judicial Fairness, the group funded by Griffin, has spent nearly $50,000 on campaign mail opposing Curran's primary bid. The recently appointed chair of Citizens for Judicial Fairness, D.J. Eckert, did not respond to requests for comment. Curran said he was not sure why Citizens for Judicial Fairness was opposing his run
Ken Griffin's money expected to again play role in Illinois Supreme Court elections, starting with primary for suburban district seat

To make matters worse, Curran will have to abandon any daydreams of sitting on the IL Supreme Court and ruling on securities and exchange fraud cases against certain hedge fund managers:

Billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin is moving his company's headquarters from Chicago to Miami.
After apparent spectacular political failure, Ken Griffin takes ball, goes home to Florida

Note to Florida Ops: The Illinois Primary is June 28, next Tuesday. It is a crime to cast a ballot in two different states.

Just sayin!

Q the Eye/06.20.22

Dear LakeCountyEye,

I may be gone but all of these Townships are not.

How do the Lake County voters go about eliminating their Townships?

Boo to Townships

Dear David McSweeney's Ghost,

The voters in McHenry County have the power to eliminate their Townships. But a referendum never got to the voters there, because of some low-quality County Clerk who illegally removed it from the ballot:

The McHenry County clerk did not have the authority to throw out a McHenry Township ballot question, even if it was almost identical to a question rejected months earlier, the Illinois Supreme Court said in a decision Wednesday. The legal battle centered on whether a referendum question put forth by McHenry Township trustees asking voters if they wanted to dissolve the township should have remained on the November 2020 ballot.
McHenry County clerk erred in township ballot issue, Illinois Supreme Court rules

So if you are saddled with a low-quality County Clerk then don't try this option.  Full disclosure: This means you, Lake County!

No, just do what they did in Shields Township. Elect candidates to your Township government who will all resign:

Shields Township Supervisor Heather Kerr said she tendered her resignation from office claiming she could not work out her differences
Shields Township supervisor explains reasons for resignation; ‘I had hoped we could come to good, safe resolutions for everyone’

Besides Kerr, several deputy assessors said they would also be resigning Monday in the latest development in a very rocky period for the obscure government agency.
Shields Township supervisor explains reasons for resignation; ‘I had hoped we could come to good, safe resolutions for everyone’

Assessor Scott Helton also said in April he would be leaving and he did follow through and his resignation became effective in May. Earlier in June, township attorney Keri-Lyn J. Krafthefer informed Kerr that she would be resigning effective June 17.
Shields Township supervisor explains reasons for resignation; ‘I had hoped we could come to good, safe resolutions for everyone’

For those scoring at home, that's one Lake County Township down, seventeen to go.

Send your questions to Q the Eye c/o ... LakeCountyEye@gMail.com

More or Less

Lake County Republican elected officials have always excelled at Doing Less With More.

Sez who? Sez Lake County Republican elected official Robin O'Connor.

O'Connor sent out a campaign mailer:

Your LakeCountyEye expects a GOP spokesman will issue a clarification: "Lake County deserves a County Clerk who knows the difference between shit and shinola!"

Identity Crisis

An actual unretouched screencap from the tinfoil theocrats at the McHenryCountyBlog:

Is it a good idea to see your personal information plastered all over the Internet?

The experts all agree. The answer is NO:

• Scrub your personal identity information from that tip before sending it to some Internet blogger. Who knows who that blogger is?  He could be some uninformed octogenarian who will post your tip as-is, without redacting your personal identity information.
  
  
• And you Internet bloggers, you should redact any personal identity information from the tips that are sent to you. That tipster may be some uninformed octogenarian who will send you something without first scrubbing his personal information.

Note to Ops: Follow either or both of these suggestions to ensure safe surfing on the Web!

A Personal Uline of Credit

Lake County moneybags, Richard Uihlein, is in the news again:

That brings Uihlein's total to $9,025,000.
Uihlein ups the ante with another $3 million to Bailey

One informed expert told your LakeCountyEye: "For that kind of money, Uihlein should at least expect a topnotch yardsign for his frontyard."

Note to Ops: It's just plain big!

Who Needs Statistics?

An actual unretouched screencap from Lake County's #1 fakenews source, the Lake County Gazette:

Note to Ops: There is one advantage to obtaining your content from Russian Troll Farms, as the Lake County Gazette does. Those Russian Troll Farms have a keen grasp of the obvious.

LWV Lake County Sheriff Virtual Candidate Forum

League of Women Voters of Lake County, Illinois

Guns Guns Guns

Are you running low on guns? If so, hotfoot it over to the Lake Villa Township Republican Club Gun Raffle:

Lake Villa Township Republican Club Gun Raffle

• Charles Daly 601 Shotgun
• Anderson AM15 Forged Rifle 5.56
• Charles Daly 1911 Field .45ACP
• Ruger 10/22 Rifle Combo w/Scope & Case
• S&W M&P 9MM

Winning tickets to be drawn during the Lake Villa Township Republican Club Golf Outing Dinner:

• 5:30 PM Cocktails
• 6:30 PM Dinner (Keynote Speaker: Lake County Board Member Dick Barr)
• 8:00 PM Gun Raffle

Note to Ops: Please drink responsibly. You might be a winner.

Bet the Farm

Here's a moneysaving tip: Have you recently booked a flight to Las Vegas, because you want to place a bet on your favorite powerhouse Chicago sports franchise?  You don't need to do that any more! Go to Waukegan instead:

Plans for a sportsbook at both the American Place casino in Waukegan and The Temporary by American Place will apparently become a reality
Agreements will enable Waukegan casino to feature sportsbook; ‘It will be an integral part of the casino’

That giant bookmaking sound you hear are residents of the Village of Mettawa who are moving to Waukegan:

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Get rolling.

Loaded

Note to Ops:

Come for the libations ...

Mundelein approves beer, wine sales for gas stations in town

Come for the cannabis ...

Marijuana smokers celebrate 420 holiday at new Mundelein cannabis lounge

Stay for the guns ...

Plan for gun range and store gets good reviews in Mundelein

HaHa, by all appearances, the Village of Mundelein is a local hub for recreational marijuana, alcohol and firearms.

A tourism and hospitality spokesman issued a statement: "Enjoy your visit. If you see someone waving a pistol in your direction, please do not be alarmed.  No one here is sober enough to shoot straight."

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Make love not war.

Here Come the Judge

Lake County favorite son and future Supreme Court Justice Mark Curran is back in the saddle.

Curran, who had been kicked off the ballot for IL Supreme Court Justice, yesterday was kicked back on:

A Cook County judge ruled Thursday that three candidates who were removed in April from the race for Illinois Supreme Court judge will be reinstated for the June 28 primary election.
Three Illinois Supreme Court candidates back on the ballot in 2nd District

Curran's opponents are expected to appeal the ruling.

Proceedings like these sometimes take years to wind their way through the courts. This raises a legal question: How will Justice Mark Curran rule when his own case finally gets up to the Illinois Supreme Court?

Stay tuned!

LWV Judicial Virtual Candidate Forum

League of Women Voters of Lake County, Illinois

LWV Primary Candidate Forum

League of Women Voters of Lake County, Illinois

Curran Liabilities

OK people listen up. Everyone whose nominating petitions were challenged, but the challenge was rejected by your hearing officer, and you are now a candidate for the IL Supreme Court, please take one step forward.

Not so fast there, Mark Currran. And Susan Hutchinson. And Nancy Rotering.

HaHa, that recommendation from your hearing officer was ignored ISBE board, who voted 8-0 to remove you from the ballot:

Lake County’s June 28 primary ballot almost set; judge to decide fate of 3 state Supreme Court candidates

The Illinois State Board of Elections unanimously voted to remove these candidates from the ballot because none met a minimum ballot requirement of 791 signatures. This in spite of the fact that the ISBE's own candidate guide said only 334 signatures would be required:

State of Illinois 2022 CANDIDATE'S GUIDE

... which all three candidates exceeded.

What's the reason behind the bum's rush from the ISBE? One knowledgeable political scientist told your LakeCountyEye: "It all boils down to five words: Supreme Court Justice Mark Curran."

Note to Ops: This is why you can't have nice things.

Party Line Vote

That giant ka-ching sound you heard came from the direction of Lake County moneybags, Richard Uihlein:

Late Wednesday, conservative megadonor Richard Uihlein, founder of the privately held Uline office supply business, gave $2.5 million to state Sen. Darren Bailey's effort for the GOP governor nomination. That's on top of $1 million Uihlein already contributed to Bailey's campaign.
Another billionaire throws major cash into the race for Illinois governor

For the record, Darren Bailey lost last week in a Lake County Republican straw poll. As readers of this blog are aware, Bailey's opponent "bussed in a bunch of Indian voters" in order to stuff the ballot box:

Too Many Chuffs and Not Enough Indians

Note to GOP Ops: Are you tired of seeing your elections stolen by better organized opponents? Then equip all of your polling locations with a Corrugated Floor Standing Ballot Box:

These ballot boxes are corrugated, stand at 50", and include a plain removable header. Best of all, these boxes are available at ULINE now!

Too Many Chuffs and Not Enough Indians

The Lake County Republican Party held a straw poll last week. And of course there was voter fraud.

The fraudsters "bussed in a bunch of Indian voters":

Another picture. @chicagotribune @ThinkerChicago @nbcchicago pic.twitter.com/cFD2xGKTN3

— Gabe F. Guidarini (@GabeGuidarini) April 23, 2022

One GOP spokesman said: "You're damn sure this would never happen if John Wayne was alive now."

100% Mark Off

The Mark Curran spoof website has been removed from the ballot:

Mark Curran For Judge?

This follows in a the wake of a State Board of Elections ruling, where it was determined that Lake County favorite son Mark Curran is not eligible to be a candidate for Supreme Court Justice:

Candidate List - GENERAL PRIMARY - 6/28/2022

One veteran poll watcher told your LakeCountyEye: "I expect an appeal will be filed. Don't count the Mark Curran spoof website out just yet."

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

We Didn't Start the Fire

Note to Ops in McHenry County: When you hear someone shout FIRE! do not automatically assume it is a signal to discharge your weapons.

No, the building might be on fire:

Fire spread quickly through D'Andrea Banquets and Conference Center in Crystal Lake, leaving parts of the roof collapsed and the building a total loss, fire officials said.
D'Andrea Banquets in Crystal Lake 'total loss' following fire

The hall was a favorite haunt of McHenry County Republicans.  It was where they held their annual Lincoln dinner:

One veteran fire investigator told your LakeCountyEye: "This was clearly an Act of God. Anyone who dances with the devil that many times is going to get burned."

Take the Trains ... Please

The Easter Bunny hopped by and he left you this pop quiz:

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road in Lake County?

A: The chicken was a freight train in a chicken costume.

HaHa. When the Kansas City Southern gets bought by the Canadian Pacific Railway, Lake County will be on track to see even more commercial rail traffic:

Should the merger be approved, freight traffic will increase 380% on just the tracks owned Metra, according to an objection the commuter railway filed with the Transportation Safety Board in March. It will also further block traffic at grade crossings in Grayslake, Barrington and locations not part of Metra's network.
Lake County Board opposes proposed train merger; ‘Ambulances and police will not be able to get where they need to go’

A spokesman for the competing Canadian National Railway said: "We vehemently oppose the merger between Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern. How are we supposed to move our exploding bomb trains through Lake County, if the tracks are all clogged up with Canadian Pacific freight?"

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

Burn Baby Burn

Did you know that there is a carcinogenic pollutant that may be in the air you are breathing right now? The County, to its credit, is taking steps to mitigate the spread of this airborne toxin. At the same time, some elected officials continue to oppose these safety measures.

Is your LakeCountyEye is referring to ethylene oxide gas emissions?  No.  The carcinogen is smoke from burning leaves.

Indiscriminate leaf burning has been proscribed in unincorporated Lake County:

The measure, described as a step toward protecting public health, replaced a temporary ban enacted more than two years ago due to potential respiratory impacts from the coronavirus. Woody materials can be burned in small fires all year and in larger ones from Nov. 1 to March 31 under the new rules. But leaf burning will be prohibited.
Leaf disposal, cost an issue for some as burning ban nears in Lake County

County Board members Linda Pedersen and J Kevin Hunter, for instance, remain critical of efforts to reduce the amount of smoke particles in Lake County air.

What up with that? One Republican Party spokesman said: "Nothing to see here. Cough. Cough Cough."

Risk to Limb and Limb

The first McHenry County gun owner to shoot himself in the foot this week, failed to also shoot someone else in the foot. He was only able to shoot the other guy in the arm:

A McHenry man in his 50s who works for a Waukegan gun range injured himself and another man when he accidentally fired a weapon Friday afternoon, authorities said.
McHenry man accidentally fires pistol, injuring himself and another man at Waukegan gun range

One McHenry County expert trigger man told your LakeCountyEye: "When going for a two-pointer, always shoot the other dude's foot first. That way you get the element of surprise."

Buffalo Clips

Do you desire a home where the buffalo roam? Well, look no farther than Hawthorn Woods:

It looks like a famous bison on the run is making a new appearance in Lake County, Illinois. A woman took video of the large trespasser in the northern suburb of Hawthorn Woods Friday. Runaway buffalo 'Tyson the Bison' makes new appearance, caught on video in Hawthorn Woods

A spokesman welcomed the Village's newest celebrity ungulate: "Please enjoy Hawthorn Woods's 18 park sites that provide a variety of amenities including walking trails. In deference to Mr Bison's stay, shoes are mandated."

The Village of Buffalo Grove sent a cease and desist letter. "Any partnership between the Village of Hawthorn Woods and Mr Bison will be viewed as an infringement upon the Village of Buffalo Grove's trademark claims upon the word Buffalo."

Uncowed, a Village of Hawthorn Woods spokesman said: "And don't forget to visit the Village's Aquatic Park. Be sure to sample the Buffalo Water Wings at the concession stand."

From Russia with Love

An actual unretouched screencap from the Lake County Gazette, Lake County's #1 fakenews source:

What is a ocv.im/6UBRUFC?

To find out, your LakeCountyEye asked Google Translate:

The Russian Troll Farms that supply the Lake County Gazette with exclusive content were unavailable for comment.

Bum Steers

Open prairies, no doubt, are a good thing. But this is ridiculous:

Four of the Texas longhorns spotted around Johnsburg and Spring Grove are still at large, Johnsburg police said late Friday morning.
Texas longhorns still on the loose around Johnsburg, police say

One school got a new enrollee:

A roaming calf was spotted outside Johnsburg Junior High School Thursday morning, which officials at the school said was one of a few stops it made through town that day.
Texas longhorns still on the loose around Johnsburg, police say

According to experts, the Texas Longhorn is a breed with horns that can extend to over 8 feet.

A spokesman for Tyson the Bison issued a statement: "Texas is sending its rapists and drug dealers into Lake County. We need to build a wall along the McHenry County border to stop them."

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Git along little dogies.

The Travelling Sales Tax

An actual unretouched screencap from the Lake County Gazette, Lake County's #1 fakenews source:

And an actual unretouched screencap of the Lake County Gazette, from the same day:

Exactly how much Deer Park sales tax was collected in 2021? Nobody knows.

One thing is known.  The Lake County Gazette and the people of Russia get their news from the same source: the Russian State Media.

Operatives are challenged to guess which random numbers the Russian Troll Farms will be circulating tomorrow.

Politically Incorrect

CORRECTION ALERT!

Sharpeyed readers of this blog have spoken. Your LakeCountyEye erred in:

Better to Build a Bridge than a Wall

It was claimed that Republican Lake County Clerk Robin O'Connor was not driving the truck that struck the Long Grove bridge. This is incorrect. The correct statement should be that Lake County's Metra Citizen's Advisory Board Member Larry Falbe was not driving the truck that struck the Long Grove bridge.

Your LakeCountyEye regrets the error.

Better to Build a Bridge than a Wall

Whoever said ...

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

never anticipated the Long Grove covered bridge:

Yet another truck got stuck under the cover of Long Grove's iconic bridge, authorities said Thursday. This is the 30th time a truck has struck the bridge cover since it was reopened in August 2020 following repairs from a previous collision
Yet another truck gets stuck on Long Grove bridge

Republican Lake County Clerk Robin O'Connor was not driving the truck.

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

The Ballot In Question

Lake County moneybags Richard Uihlein wants to cancel the next election and he has the firepower to do it:

The Voter Reference Foundation is putting the nation's voter rolls online while making unsupported claims suggesting election fraud. The group's funding can be traced to a Super PAC funded by the CEO of Uline.
Billionaire-Backed Group Enlists Trump-Supporting Citizens to Hunt for Voter Fraud Using Discredited Techniques

Uihlein's foundation is putting personal voter registration information and voting history on the Internet:

In early August, the foundation published on its website the names, birthdates, addresses and voting histories for 2 million Nevada voters,
Billionaire-Backed Group Enlists Trump-Supporting Citizens to Hunt for Voter Fraud Using Discredited Techniques

And Uihlein's foundation will use fuzzy math and chicanery to show that elections are all rigged:

officials said that the methodology used to identify the discrepancies was flawed, the data incomplete or the math wrong.
Billionaire-Backed Group Enlists Trump-Supporting Citizens to Hunt for Voter Fraud Using Discredited Techniques

The message to Lake County is clear: For the love of God, don't vote ever again!

Who is your first line of defense against this foreign onslaught?  Republican Lake County Clerk Robin O'Connor.

Operatives are asked to insert their own joke here.

The Yuletides of March

An actual unretouched screencap from Lake County's #1 fakenews source, the Lake County Gazette:

If you believe the Lake County Gazette, it's never too early to early to start your Christmas shopping.

The Russian Troll Farms that supply the Lake County Gazette with exclusive content, naturally enough assume you will be giving something to your bartender on Christmas:

A bottle of Russian vodka would be perfect.

Third World War

Lake County has been sad witness to a government entity exerting illegal sovereignty over its independent neighbors. Your LakeCountyEye of course is referring to the Village of Third Lake and nearby residents of unincorporated areas.

HaHa, despite lacking jurisdiction, the Village of Third Lake wants to impose boat fees on unincorporated residents with homes on Third Lake:

Village of Third Lake
ORDINANCE NO. 22-02-02

NATO forces are not expected to intervene.