McHenry County's traffic crackdown results in fewer fatalities just five months in

Earlier this year, the Illinois State Police announced a major initiative to crack down on traffic violations and, hopefully, curb highway deaths in McHenry County.

So far, so good.

In the five months since the state police campaign went public in May, McHenry County has seen just four traffic fatalities, according to state police statistics. That's down from 14 of them in the first 4½ months of 2007.

"The fatality rates are going, so it's looking good," Trooper Delila Huerta said late last month. "But we want to keep a presence up there and keep the rates down."

To do that, Huerta said, the agency plans to conduct a series of roadside safety checks this month in portions of the county, particularly along major state highways near the Wisconsin border.

During the checks, troopers joined by McHenry County sheriff's deputies, will look for impaired drivers; drivers operating with suspended or revoked licenses; and those with equipment violations, such as inoperable lights; and those failing to wear seat belts.

"We're trying to keep fatalities to a minimum," Huerta said. "We don't want people to forget we're out there trying to keep the roads safer."

State police are in the midst of an unprecedented effort to combat unsafe driving in the county. Whereas in past years the agency only patrolled county roads sporadically, the state police now have eight troopers dedicated to enforcing traffic laws on McHenry County highways.

Bucking the trend? For years it seemed the worst way to win a spot on the McHenry County judiciary was to be a former county prosecutor.

That changed earlier this year, when one-time Assistant McHenry County State's Attorney Robert Beaderstadt was appointed to an associate judge's post by the county's circuit court judges.

Now three more former assistant state's attorneys hope to follow in Judge Beaderstadt's footsteps.

James L. McAuliff, Marjorie L. Worth and Mark T. Gerhardt are among 10 candidates vying for an associate judge's post created in August by the Illinois Supreme Court, Chief Judge Michael Sullivan announced last week.

McAuliff is the former chief of criminal prosecutions for the state's attorney's office. He now serves as an assistant state's attorney in Cook County.

Worth and Gerhardt, both former felony prosecutors, now work in private practice at Woodstock law firms.

Joining them in the field of 10 is Joel D. Berg of Harvard; Patrick J. McAndrews of McHenry; Caroline S. Zoes of Woodstock; James S. Cowling of McHenry; James K. McBride of Johnsburg; Martin J. Coonen of Woodstock; and Jay R. Orlowski of McHenry.

As part of an upcoming evaluation period, the public is invited to comment on the candidates by writing Sullivan at the McHenry County Courthouse, 2200 N. Seminary Ave., Woodstock, IL, 60098. Letters must be received by Oct. 17.