Storms ravage Fox Valley again in 2007

Residents along the Fox River were left with flooded basements and sandbagged yards after a wet summer that saw the river spill over its banks.

Low-lying homes from Algonquin to South Elgin flooded as late-August rain battered northern Illinois, and later, as the rain storms dumped on southern Wisconsin trickled down into Illinois' already strained rivers.

The flooding closed streets and parks and created dangerous conditions on the river, which was closed to boaters.

More homes flooded when violent storms hit the area Aug. 23-24, causing canceled flights, delayed trains, power outages and downed tree branches.

Several cars were swept away on flooded streets, though no serious injuries were reported.

Municipalities spent the next week removing tree branches, repairing roads and fixing traffic lights damaged in the storms.

Less than a week after the storms, a Carpentersville woman was rescued after being swept into the river by flood waters, and hanging onto a branch for five hours.

More than 10,000 sandbags were distributed to local homeowners, while as many as 265,000 ComEd customers in northern Illinois were without power.

At least 600 homes and apartments throughout Kane County sustained flood damage.

Kane County has estimated the damage from the flooding and storms at $4.1 million.

The county was among six counties declared federal disaster areas in September.

McHenry County, which estimated its flood damage at $1.5 million, was declared a disaster area in November.

The designation means homeowners, businesses and nonprofit organizations may apply for low-interest loans to repair the flood damage -- a process that is still ongoing.

2. Crash claims 4

The lives of four young men were cut short in a Sept. 8 crash west of Huntley.

Five friends between the ages of 18 and 24 were driving on Dietrich Road around 3:30 a.m., when the 2003 Infiniti G35 they were in left the road and hit a tree.

Twenty-year-old Ayush Joshi of Hoffman Estates and 18-year-old Zohair Husain of Huntley were pronounced dead at the scene.

Zohair's 20-year-old brother, Kumail, of Algonquin died shortly after the crash at Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge.

Henry Onwualu, 19, of Huntley was initially in critical condition. Onwualu died at a Rockford hospital after a week without consciousness.

The driver, 24-year-old Muhammad Jaffrie of Crystal Lake, is the only survivor.

The Husain brothers and Onwualu were students at Huntley High School, where former teachers and coaches say they excelled in and out of the classroom.

Kumail was the lone senior on Huntley High's soccer team and was inseparable from his brother, who focused on his studies.

Onwualu also enjoyed soccer and had recently begun classes at McHenry Community College.

Joshi was an honor roll student and cross country runner at Conant High School, and planned to attend medical school.

All five involved in the crash had immigrated to the United States: Onwualu was from Nigeria; the other four are from India or Pakistan.

Jaffrie, accused of driving while high on marijuana, now faces six to 28 years in prison and deportation to his native Pakistan.

3. Taylor triumphs

The little girl with the gap-toothed smile dove right into the hearts of people across northern Illinois -- and stayed there.

Early in October, Taylor Radtke's parents, Laurie and Jeff Radtke, reached out to the media in a desperate quest to save their daughter's vision, mobility and life. Doctors had just told them a tricky tumor was threatening vital parts of Taylor's brain and would do great harm without quick action by someone whose specialty was removing such difficult growths. The already-challenging hunt for that specialist was heightened when an ophthalmologist discovered the tumor had already caused some vision loss, and threatened more.

The public plea for a miracle sparked an incredible outpouring of medical suggestions, offers to help, donations and prayers. People shared their own difficult medical journeys, suggested specialists, offered advice and linked the Radtkes to potential help.

Several people suggested Dr. Robert Spetzler, an Arizona neurosurgeon known for his willingness to tackle tough cases. His name was also on the list of specialists suggested by Taylor's doctors here. Within days, Spetzler had reviewed the medical records and agreed to do the surgery. A local corporation donated one of their jets to fly the family west, where the Make-A-Wish Foundation -- literally overnight -- arranged Taylor's special visit to the San Diego Zoo before the risky operation.

Days later, as countless strangers who had taken a little girl into their hearts kept vigil from thousands of miles away, doctors were able to remove the entire tumor. Less than 48 hours later, Taylor was released from the hospital.

"We got our miracle," a tearful and relieved Laurie Radtke said.

Now back home in Johnsburg, Taylor is back in school partial days. She still gets headaches and tires easily, and will have to be monitored for the rest of her life. But the prognosis is good. And her parents say they will forever be grateful for the outpouring of kindness from strangers that helped save their daughter's life.

4. Murder/suicide

It takes a lot to shock veteran police detectives and coroners, but what they found Aug. 28 in the home a Crystal Lake woman shared with her parents and 7-year-old daughter did just that.

In a crime that months later still had everyone asking why, police said Magdalene Kamysz, a 28-year-old single mother, murdered her precocious and likable daughter, Sydney, and then took her own line by jumping in front of an oncoming train near Cary.

According to information revealed at a coroner's inquest, a deputy coroner discovered Sydney dead in her bedroom when he went to Magdalene's home to inform her parents of her suicide. The girl, authorities said, had been suffocated then carefully tucked in bed, her arms wrapped around two stuffed animals.

Magdalene Kamysz left no suicide note or anything else to explain her actions, McHenry County sheriff's police said. Phone records showed she tried to call her father just before walking in front of the train, but was unable to reach him.

Despite a teacher's allegations that Kamysz was often harsh with her daughter, police said investigators never were able to verify those claims or find any other evidence of abuse.

Kamysz had been in a legal dispute over visitation rights with Sydney's father at the time of the murder-suicide, but attorneys for both sides said the fight was not unusually bitter or contested.

5. Subway crash

What started out as a St. Patrick's Day like any other quickly turned to tragedy when a sport utility vehicle rammed into a West Dundee Subway restaurant, killing a Crystal Lake accountant and injuring eight others.

Shakuntala Rajagopal was driving her 2004 Acura MDX in the McDonald's drive-through lane next door when she apparently lost control of the vehicle, skipping the curb and crashing into the south wall of the Subway.

The crash couldn't have come at a worse time. It was during Subway's lunch rush, just hours after St. Patrick's day revelers marched down Main Street and packed Emmett's Tavern downtown.

John Venezia, a 56-year-old accountant who worked at an office a short walk away, died less that two hours later at Provena St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin.

The eight who were injured included employees, lunch-goers and the couple in the SUV.

Employee Bhavesh Patel suffered multiple fractures and was in critical condition after the crash.

Paul Mallers, who was then a Dundee-Crown High School basketball player, was in stable condition.

Most of the other injured people were released after brief stays in the hospital.

Almost three months later, police announced they would not file charges or traffic citations against Rajagopal, saying there was no evidence Rajagopal was driving recklessly or was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

Since then, victims of the crash have filed two civil suits against Rajagopal seeking more than $100,000 in damages.

In a strange coincidence, Rajagopal's husband, Kesavan, was involved in an accident in September at Harris Bank in Carpentersville.

Kesavan's brakes apparently failed, causing him to jump the curb and crash into an unoccupied parked car.

The civil suits stemming from the Subway crash are still pending.

6. Violent essays

When he sat down in April to write an essay for his creative writing class, Allen Lee probably was thinking about how he didn't care for the assignment.

He may even have been thinking unflattering thoughts about his rookie teacher. And he very likely was thinking about how he could not wait to graduate in a few weeks and move on to the next phase of his life -- as a U.S. Marine.

But one thing the Cary-Grove High School senior could not have been thinking was about how the words he wrote that day would spark debate across his hometown and around the world about students' rights to free speech, and how far schools and law enforcement should go to ensure no hint of violence goes unchecked.

Lee's essay, penned for a creative writing assignment that encouraged students not to censor themselves, described a shooting spree, drug use and stabbings. It ended with a comment that his teacher could one day inspire a school shooting spree.

Shortly after turning in the essay, Lee, an 18-year-old honors student, was arrested and charged with two counts of disorderly conduct for a writing authorities said disturbed and alarmed his teacher.

The case drew attention not only from across the country, but around the world, as Lee's attorneys fielded phone calls from north of the border and overseas.

Ultimately, McHenry County prosecutors dismissed the charges about a month later, saying they were convinced Lee was not a threat to anyone and had learned a valuable lesson.

7. Bias lawsuit

Once the dominant issue in Carpentersville, the illegal immigration debate was jolted when a former resident sued the village and two of its fire department's emergency medical technicians for $30 million.

In September, Gloria Lopez, 28, who now lives in Elgin, filed a federal lawsuit against paramedics Diane Graham and Martin Gruber, alleging they did not take her baby to a hospital after a 911 call last year because he was Hispanic, and he suffered brain damage as a result.

The lawsuit claims the event was part of a villagewide effort to reduce services to Hispanics.

Lopez says the paramedics acted with gross negligence and violated her son's civil rights in failing to take him to a hospital after a 911 call in September 2006.

Fire chief John Schuldt and village officials have denied the accusations.

8. District 158 dysfunction

The spring elections touched off a contentious year for Huntley Unit District 158.

The election brought Aileen Seedorf and Jim Carlin to the board and ousted longtime board President Mike Skala.

Carlin was a vocal presence on the board, butting heads with fellow board member Larry Snow until Carlin's surprise resignation just six months after being elected.

But Carlin didn't resign before trying to censure Snow for remarks he made on a Northwest Herald blog.

Carlin's move came after Snow tried and failed to demote new board President Shawn Green.

After Carlin resigned, the board appointed Skala to the vacant seat, sparking accusations that the three other candidates weren't given proper consideration.

After the meeting, Seedorf filed a police report accusing board Vice President Tony Quagliano of threatening her during the meeting.

Four audio and video recording systems failed to record much of the Nov. 13 meeting.

It was later revealed that Snow filed a criminal complaint against Skala and that the district filed complaints with the McHenry County state's attorney and the U.S. Postal Service.

In response to Seedorf's and Snow's actions, Green called them "terrorists without the violence," and likened the way they operate to terrorist attacks.

The controversy concerning the Nov. 13 meeting is far from over, and details continue to emerge about the complaints filed by Snow and the district.

9. Election upheaval

Incumbency may still be a huge advantage when voters head to the polls, but as the spring 2007 election proved, it's far from a sure thing.

Incumbents, particularly on Fox Valley school boards, took a beating on election day this year as voters fed up with perceived mismanagement, rising taxes and labor strife sent many packing.

Perhaps nowhere was this more evident than in Carpentersville-based Community Unit School District 300, where voters unseated board President Mary Fioretti and fellow incumbent David Alessio. Both had supported a controversial tax-rate hike.

Incumbents also fell in Elgin Area School District U-46 and Huntley School District 158, where board president Michael Skala lost his re-election bid. Skala later was re-appointed to the board when Jim Carlin, one of the three newcomers who unseated him, resigned abruptly.

School districts weren't the only government body to lose veteran board members.

Elgin voters removed a pair of incumbents from their city council, and West Dundee citizens did the same.

Carpentersville lost one incumbent, and voters in Pingree Grove ousted their mayor as well as one village trustee.

Political observers offered several theories on the high number of incumbents unseated, but most agreed that voters simply were tired of the status quo and were looking for leaders who don't see higher taxes as a solution to all their problems.

10. Abuse claims

Past allegations of domestic abuse reported by the wife of Carpentersville Trustee Paul Humpfer surfaced just weeks before the spring election, when the village president ordered local police to provide county authorities with documentation regarding the 2005 incident.

In March, less than two weeks before the municipal election, Village President Bill Sarto requested that the Kane County state's attorney's office investigate the case further.

No charges were ever filed.

Humpfer's wife, Jacqueline, sought and received an emergency order of protection in November 2005, alleging Paul Humpfer hit her, called her names and pinned her down, cracking a rib.

Jacqueline Humpfer later told the Daily Herald in a series of interviews that the incident was an accident, and that she did not fear her husband of more than 15 years.

Kane County State's Attorney John Barsanti closed the investigation in April, citing the age of the allegations and the absence of charges as reasons for dropping the case.

But Jacqueline Humpfer again accused her husband of domestic abuse in June of this year, and filed for a second emergency order of protection as part of a divorce proceeding. This time, Jacqueline Humpfer accused her husband of hitting her in the legs with a baseball bat, as well as repeated physical and verbal abuse.

Paul Humpfer was charged with four counts of domestic battery.

The case is ongoing, though the order of protection has since been dropped.