Lake in the Hills resident gets high honor from Girl Scouts

The Girl Scouts' Sybaquay Council has given the "Thanks Badge II" to Jean Murawski, a member of the Elgin-based council.

This badge honors an adult member from the council who has already received the "Thanks Badge" and continues to contributing and using their skills and talents in outstanding ways that benefit the council.

According to the nomination form, the award honors support that is "outstanding and is so significantly beyond expectations that no other award is appropriate" - this badge was created in 1987.

Murawski is a volunteer for the organization and has spent time in various positions, including scout leader, cookie shop coordinator and adviser to her service unit.

"She's always willing to support and mentor women who take on new roles," said Cindy Kocol, the council's spokeswoman. "She shares her knowledge, she's very active with the girl scouts and she continues to provide invaluable wisdom and input."

Murawski, a Lake in the Hills resident, has been part of Girl Scouts for more than 40 years - 35 years with the council - and received her badge last Wednesday during the council's adult recognition dinner.

The Sybaquay Council serves more than 10,000 girls and close to 3,000 adults in 50 communities that include McHenry County and portions of Kane, Cook, Lake, DuPage, DeKalb and LaSalle counties.

Bond call bloopers: Life can be pretty random, especially when it comes to bond call. For those who don't know, bond, set by a judge, is what someone accused of a crime pays to get out of jail while the case goes through the courts.

Here are two of the more interesting moments that occurred last week at the Elgin Branch Court.

A South Elgin man named Terrence Woods will spend his 25th birthday, which is today, in court after police said he rented a 2008 Dodge Charger from Enterprise Rent-a-Car, kept it for more than two months and ignored pleas to give it back.

Officers in downstate Champaign County pulled Woods over during a routine traffic stop and realized the car was stolen.

South Elgin police schlepped all the way down there last Monday to make the arrest.

In court, Kane County Judge John A. Noverini was about to about set Woods' bond, when Woods asked the judge if he would let him out on his signature.

"I promise, whatever date you set, I will be there, right hand to God," said Woods, charged with unlawful possession of a stolen motor vehicle and unlawful possession of a converted motor vehicle - both felonies.

But the plea fell on deaf ears.

Noverini set his bond at 10 percent of $50,000.

Then there was the case of Bryant Ferguson, the Carpentersville man accused of shoving his niece and flinging blood from a wound - caused when he swung at his niece, missed and punched a glass window instead - onto police, according to court documents.

Reports also said Ferguson, 18, was highly intoxicated at the time of the incident.

He was charged with two counts of domestic battery and one count of battery bodily harm.

During the hearing, Noverini asked Ferguson whether he'd been arrested before and Ferguson replied that his mother called the police on him once, thinking he had cheated during a game of Scrabble.

"I come from a broken family," Ferguson said.

After Noverini set Ferguson's bond at 10 percent of $5,000, Ferguson angrily said, "OK, not guilty," then headed back to his cell in a huff.

• Lenore Adkins covers Algonquin, Lake in the Hills, McHenry County College, Pingree Grove and Elgin bond call. To reach her, send an e-mail to ladkins@dailyherald.com or call (847) 608-2725.