A man was hospitalized after he was hit in the face by a fireworks mortar Saturday night near Crystal Lake.

Before losing reelection as Nunda Township Highway commissioner, "Iron Mike" Lesperance used taxpayer money for projects that went beyond the office's legal authority, his successor contends.

LeVilla Vaupell residents have fought with Nunda Township Highway Commissioner "Iron" Mike Lesperance over the tree for many years. He had it removed after losing reelection.

The McHenry County Department of Health encourages private well owners to test their water supply at yearly and is offering reduced-cost testing in April. .

Mike Shorten is a McHenry County Board member and is also now the supervisor-elect of Nunda Township. He plans to hold both offices; longtime township government critic Bob Anderson called on Shorten to resign from the county board.

With remaining votes reported in the April 1 local election, did any results change?

Voters this week in McHenry County determined who will make the important decisions regarding their communities, schools, townships, fire departments, parks and libraries. See the results here.

The hottest race in Nunda Township Tuesday was for the highway commissioner job. Incumbent “Iron Mike” Lesperance was losing to his challenger, Township Trustee Rob Parrish.

Voters in the McHenry County are selecting hundreds of local municipal leaders in the election that ended Tuesday. Here are a few things to watch for as results come in.

This spring, McHenry County voters get to decide who will make the important decisions regarding their communities, schools, townships, fire departments, parks and libraries.

"Iron Mike" Lesperance, who has been Nunda Township's highway commissioner for the past 12 years, is battling current Township Trustee Rob Parrish for the seat.

Mike Lesperance on top priorities for Nunda Township: Drainage, drainage, drainage. My idea of leadership is to plan ahead

Rob Parrish: With my 45 years of experience in asphalt paving and 38 years of experience in snow removal, I believe I can meet the needs of the Nunda residents by utilizing my skills to work collaboratively to develop “true” need-based budgets

Algonquin and Nunda townships will have new leadership this spring after their incumbent supervisors both lost their seats in Tuesday’s Republican primary.

Nunda Township voters appear poised to select Mike “Shorty” Shorten as the next supervisor, according to unofficial election results.

Voters in Nunda, Algonquin and Grafton townships still have time to cast their ballots in Tuesday’s Republican primary election.

Before most McHenry County voters get a chance to vote this April, Algonquin, Grafton and Nunda township voters will choose on who will appear on ballot.

Mike Shorten just won another term on the McHenry County Board. But he's running in Tuesday's GOP primary for Nunda Township supervisor against incumbent Leda Drain, and intends to do both jobs if he wins.

Mike Shorten: While Townships do provide important services to residents, I believe that there are other structural changes to State Statutes that should be made to improve transparency and oversight, eliminate nepotism and do away with the fiefdoms that exist in some Townships

Leda Drain: I’d like to continue building out the services the township provides that would be useful and convenient for our residents.

A selection of some of the best news photos from 2024 in the Northwest Herald.

An overnight fire left an Island Lake home uninhabitable.

Randi Freese will be the next McHenry County’s state’s attorney, the first woman to hold the job, after running unopposed in Tuesday's election.

A 33-year-old McHenry man who died in a watercraft crash Sunday afternoon on the Fox River in McHenry has been identified, officials reported.

A man was airlifted with serious injuries following a crash in the Island Lake area Thursday morning.

A man died in a suspected watercraft crash Sunday afternoon on the Fox River in McHenry, officials report.

Firefighters worked for nearly an hour on extricating a driver who crashed into a tree and suffered serious injuries Sunday morning in Prairie Grove, officials report.

No injuries reported in a crash involving three vehicles that shut down Route 31 for almost two hours Wednesday afternoon in Prairie Grove, officials report.

An unoccupied home near McHenry was destroyed from a fire early Tuesday, the Nunda Rural Fire Protection District reported.

Elizabeth DePouw’s destiny to work in healthcare and with paramedics was likely predetermined at a very early age. Her father was among the first paramedics in Illinois. He volunteered for the rescue squad in Lake Villa.

Randi Freese began as an intern in the McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office and soon could be leading it, making her the first woman to hold that position in the county’s history. She needs to win election in November; so far there's no one else in the race.

A former Crystal Lake attorney convicted in 2021 for driving drunk during a fatal three-vehicle crash was denied a request to shave 31 days off his five-year prison term.

Firefighters were able to contain damage from a house fire to one room Saturday morning in Crystal Lake, according to the Crystal Lake Fire Rescue Department.

A brush fire that started in Lakemoor burned about 20 acres of land before firefighters extinguished it Thursday, according to the McHenry Township Fire Protection District.

A person at the home in Nunda Township outside Crystal Lake suffered minor injuries.

The remains of a young Black boy found in the Fox River in 1963 were never identified. Advocates hoped this week's cemetery dig would change that.

Illinois Department of Natural Resources says Steuben Road parking lot solves access problems, neighbors had been making their own entrances to Moraine Hills State Park.

Residents of Steuben Road want to know why a parking lot and pathway is being built on their street as a new access point to the park.

A rollover vehicle crash in Prairie Grove, left driver trapped in car and was airlifted to Advocate Condell Medical Center with life-threatening injuries Thursday evening.

Nearly two weeks after a 28-year-old McHenry man was reported missing, police have no update on his whereabouts, police said Tuesday.

McHenry County Board member Kelli Wegener will hold a town hall meeting open to all McHenry County residents from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Nunda Township Hall, 3510 Bay Road in Crystal Lake.

A McHenry County judge ruled last week that a law passed and signed by Gov. JB Pritzker in 2019, allowing residents of only McHenry County to dissolve their townships in a referendum, is unconstitutional.

Ten additional early voting locations opened across McHenry County on Monday ahead of the April 4 election.

Those living in rural parts of eastern McHenry County may see people taking photos near their properties, but officials say there is no need to worry.

Early voting kicks off on Thursday for the April 4 election, allowing voters to begin casting their ballots at the McHenry County Administration Building in Woodstock.

The Illinois Department of Transportation handles maintenance and snow removal for Route 31, but Crystal Lake plows parts of Route 14 and 176 in the city under maintenance agreement

With the polls now closed in Illinois, the count can begin to see which candidates will take the 18 open seats on the McHenry County Board.

Ten additional early voting locations opened across McHenry County for the Nov. 8 general election.

The village of Cary is seeking state money to help pay for a bike path that would connect portions of the Fox River bike corridor.

Four people were injured Thursday in a rollover crash in Nunda Township, authorities said.