Lake County briefs

Antioch woman charged with forgery:

An Antioch woman has been charged with one count of forgery after trying to pass off three counterfeit $20 bills to buy booze at Amber Liquors in Lake Villa on Dec. 13, police said. Kimberly A. Rothunde, 43, of the 23000 block of West Lake Shore Drive, paid for her purchase and left the store about 1 p.m. A store clerk thought the bills looked suspicious and wrote down Rothunde's license plate number. Lake Villa Police showed up at Rothunde's home and found 11 more of the fake bills, said Police Chief Ron Roth. Rothunde was taken to Lake County jail.

Messiah chorus in Antioch:

The Antioch Community chorus, directed by Kris Bolin, will present Handel's "Messiah" at St. Peter Catholic Church, 557 Lake St., Antioch, Sunday, Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free. Festival Arts of Antioch sponsors this concert annually. Call (847) 395-1333 or (847) 265-3152 for more details.

School gets grant:

Mundelein High School teacher Brett Wilhelm has received a grant to buy pedometers for use in physical education courses. The grant comes from Trustmark Insurance Companies, officials said. The amount was not included in a news release. The devices should be available for use when students return after winter break.

Early voting:

Early voting is Jan. 11-28, 2010 at 20 sites across Lake County. An early voter must be registered to vote and cast their ballot in person at the local early voting site assigned to them. Voters can visit www.VoteEarly.info to confirm they are registered, preview the official ballot (after the State Board of Elections certifies all candidates) and to see a picture and driving directions to the local early voting site. An early voter must present a valid government issued identification card containing their photograph. Also, a recent change in Illinois law permits any registered voter to vote by mail and no reason for doing so is required. Requests can be made for the upcoming election via email at votingbymail@lakecountyil.gov or at (847) 377-2406. Voters participating in the primary election must provide a party preference when requesting a ballot. For voters who like the option of not leaving the comfort of home, the Lake County Clerk's office now offers a permanent voting by mail program. Online enrollment forms are available at www.VotingByMail.info which can be printed, signed and mailed. Lake County Clerk Willard Helander said permanent enrollment helps the office gauge the number of voters choosing to vote by mail and, therefore, reduce increased printing costs under the new "choice of three" voting methods.