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As 2021 comes to a close, see what updates are in store for 2022! External

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Resume McHenry County Update!
Through our collaboration with McHenry County, we will continue to share important information on stimulus programs, COVID-19 updates, and where the county is opening up through Resume McHenry County Updates.
Please take a moment to scroll down to see new advancements this week as more and more are opening up in McHenry County. If MCEDC can be of any help, please call. Forward this email to your friends and family to help get the word out!

 

Illinois minimum wage increases to $12 on Saturday

The state’s minimum wage will increase by another dollar, to $12 an hour, with the new year, according to the Illinois Department of Labor.
The increase is the fourth scheduled hike since Governor Pritzker signed a 2019 law increasing the Illinois minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025. The wage was $8.25 before the increases began.
Employers may offset wages for workers who regularly earn tips to 60 percent of the hourly rate, but workers must still earn the minimum wage after receiving tips, or the employer must make up the difference.
Workers younger than 18 who work fewer than 650 hours in a year – or an average of 12.5 hours a week – will earn a $9.25 hourly wage effective Jan. 1. Their set of wages will gradually rise to $13 an hour by 2025.
You can find a wage chart by clicking here.

 

Student loan freeze extended in to Spring

The Biden administration last week extended a pause on federal student loan payments through May 1.
The freeze on payments that was imposed during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic was set to expire at the end of January, but was continued in the face of the surging of new cases fueled by the omicron variant.
More than 40 million borrowers are affected by the pause, which was put into place in spring 2020 as part of the pandemic relief bill; it has since been extended by the Trump and the Biden administrations.
Click here for more information, and for steps to take to prepare once your student loan payments resume.

 

Government to distribute half a billion COVID rapid tests

The federal government plans to start delivering more than half a billion free rapid COVID-19 tests in January.
President Biden made the announcement Dec. 21, as holiday travel and gatherings with family and friends created major demand for the kits; retailers have had a hard time keeping them in stock, and many have imposed purchase limits. These rapid tests detect protein components of the viruses and can provide results in 10 to 15 minutes.
Officials are in the process of setting up a website where Americans can order them through the mail. This is on top of a plan to require insurance companies to reimburse clients for at-home tests they buy themselves.
We will keep you posted as information about how to apply for the free tests comes in.

 

More than 300 new Illinois laws take effect January 1st

The minimum wage increase isn’t the only change coming with the new year.
More than 300 new Illinois laws will take effect as of Saturday, and several of them affect businesses.
·    Senate Bill 58 will increase the sales tax on vehicle purchases by $75 for vehicles less than $15,000, and by $100 for vehicles priced above that amount. The registration fee for trailers weighing less than 3,000 pounds will drop to $36.
·    Senate Bill 2007 will allow small farms and home bakers to sell their products through home sales, pickup, shipping and delivery, not just farmers’ markets.
·    Senate Bill 1846, will require restaurants to serve water, milk, milk alternative or juice as the default beverage in children’s meals.
·    And for our younger entrepreneurs, Senate Bill 119 prohibits public health authorities from regulating or shutting down lemonade stands or similar operations run by children younger than 16.
Click here for a complete list of the new state laws taking effect in 2022.

 

Lake in the Hills Ice Bowl to take on hunger

No wimps or whiners allowed! You’ll be cold for a good cause, and you’ll like it!
Lake in the Hills is hosting an Ice Bowl Disc Golf Tournament on Monday, Jan. 17 – if you’ve never heard of it, the Ice Bowl is a series of worldwide winter disc golf events to collect donations for area food pantries.
Tee times start at 9:30 a.m. at Linda K. Fischer Park, 5962 Grafton Farm Drive – you can register and select your tee time by visiting https://bit.ly/LITHDiscGolf. Tickets are $25 for ages 15 and up ($27 for non-residents), and children 14 and under play for free with a paying adult – the fee
includes an event souvenir, hot lunch, fire pit party, and disc golf awards.
A six-item donation (non-perishable food item or household cleaning products) in addition to the registration fee is required for players ages 15 and older. Donations will be accepted during your tee time check-in. Click here for a list of most needed items.
Donations will go to the D-300 Food Pantry, the Grafton Food Pantry, and the Algonquin-Lake in the Hills Interfaith Food Pantry.

 

Congratulations to the Light Up McHenry County winners!

The voting is in, and the public has spoken! Congratulations to the winners of Visit McHenry County’s second annual Light Up McHenry County Contest!
The overall favorite, pictured at right, was the festive display at 4819 Inmans Way, Ringwood. Winners for the other categories were:
·    White Christmas (all-white lights): 1241 Amber Court, Woodstock
·    The Griswold (many lights): 2201 Country Lane, McHenry
·    Disco Fever (best light and music display): 5515 Chantilly Lane, Lake in the Hills
·    Blow it Up (most inflatables): 5213 W. Shore Dr., McHenry
·    Best Community Display: Veterans Memorial Park, McHenry
Thank you to the more than 40 entrants – you can see the winners, and photos of all entries, by clicking here! See you next Christmas – let’s hope it’s a white one.

 
We hope we got your attention. We need your help reaching more McHenry County residents and businesses to share this important information about the COVID-19 response and connect them with vital resources.
Please take these four steps:
1. Share/forward to your email/newsletter contacts.
2. Post information to your website.
3. Follow us on social media (see below); share our posts with your followers.
4. If you are not on the McHenry County Constant Contact list, please subscribe here
 

Follow McHenry County Government On Social Media

Staying connected and informed is more important now than ever! Follow McHenry County on social media for regular updates on COVID-19 in our region, resources to help you navigate the pandemic, safety tips and more!

 

What is Resume McHenry County?

Resume McHenry County is a collaborative initiative being implemented by McHenry County and the McHenry County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) in partnership with the McHenry County community, including cities and villages, businesses and residents. The goal is to ensure a successful reopening of our economy so that we can return to our lifestyles safely and responsibly.