Lake County's Faces of the Year
Top educators, a man using pigs to get at local government and politicians are part of the wide range for Lake County's Faces of the Year.
Famous Dave dives into Gurnee
Famous Dave Anderson made his bones on ribs, but he opened a new venture in Gurnee in February that he says will revolutionize how Americans spend their vacations.
Anderson's $136 million KeyLime Cove Water Resort joined a tourist roster that includes Six Flags Great America and Gurnee Mills.
Sitting on a deck at the Crazy Toucan Margarita Grille, Anderson said KeyLime Cove's target market is from a 75-mile radius. He said his one-stop resort will capitalize on more Americans taking shorter getaways closer to home.
Principal innovating at Prairie Crossing
New Prairie Crossing Charter School Principal Brian Greene has been making his mark in just a few months on the job.
One of Greene's initiatives is "catching" students at the Grayslake grade school performing a nice deed or on generally good behavior. Four or five pupils who are selected from a monthly drawing get to join Greene or lunch and pie at Bakers Square in Libertyville.
Greene also helped to launch an initiative to give students "tickets" if they are found not wearing a helmet if bicycling to school, citing safety concerns. A child would bring the slip home to a parent to be signed and returned to school officials.
State senator has hands full
Democratic state Sen. Terry Link of Waukegan had more going on than just an easy re-election in November.
Link heads the Lake County Democratic Party. That led to him locking horns with county GOP honchos, who formally accused him of not properly completing financial disclosure paperwork.
Tired of the Republicans' action, Link said: "If these idiots want to keep (pursuing) this witch hunt, I'm going to file a libel suit against them. I'm done with the harassing and misleading the public."
Just before Election Day, Link criticized the Lake County GOP for filing a lawsuit over potential voter fraud.
Friedman going out in style
Veteran Libertyville Elementary District 70 Superintendent Mark Friedman's career reached a high point in November.
Friedman was named 2009 Illinois Superintendent of the Year. He's retiring at the end of the academic year.
"You can't put it into words," said Friedman, 61. "Nobody ever thinks about (winning awards) when you do your job every day. It comes as a surprise."
Sheriff Curran in spotlight
Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran made a splash in December when he announced he was tried of what he claimed is the Democratic Party's culture of corruption and joined the Republicans.
However, that isn't all he did over the year.
Curran went behind bars for a week to learn what life is like for Lake County jail inmates. An attorney by training, Curran also attended the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy and wrote a strong letter to President Bush asking that he reject a request to let former Illinois Gov. George Ryan out of federal prison early.
Spirited welcome
It wasn't a quiet start for the Mundelein High School careers of Superintendent Jody Ware and Principal Lauren Fagel.
Over the years during homecoming week, students celebrated their class by wearing clothing with certain colors on Spirit Day. However, that's not what happened after homecoming week began Sept. 22 under the watch of Ware and Fagel.
Spirit Day was canceled, with Fagel citing how 85 pupils were suspended for a variety of infractions related to the celebration in 2007.
Dozens of Mundelein High students to protested the cancellation Sept. 24 by wearing specially designed shirts to get their message across.
Pigs to fight Island Lake
Bob Wargaski, 61, of unincorporated Wauconda Township, welcomed three pigs to his property in November as a way to fight a water well and tower neighboring Island Lake wants to build.
Wargaski hopes his pig farm's waste will be enough of an environmental problem to thwart Island Lake's water well and tower. He claims the village project would cause his water well to become dry.