The Public Investigator

NEWS ALERT: A North Barrington subdivision with excess sewage is getting bailed out by Lake County. Subscribers can read on to find out why residents of Wynstone subdivision have too much sewage and how county tax dollars will be spent to solve their problem.

Why this news is important to you: It’s spending your tax dollars to subsidize private enterprise. The system that is supposed to serve a private development cannot handle the volume, so a public sewage treatment system funded by taxpayers will assume the excess and allocate a portion of its capacity to serve the private development.

NEWS ALERT: The lighting of more than 140 traffic signals in Lake County will change this summer. Subscribers can read on to find out details of this bright idea and how much this conversion project will cost.

NEWS ALERT: Lake County has agreed to expand a water treatment facility in north-central Lake County if deadly phosphates are banned from farm fields draining into Mill Creek. Subscribers can read on to find out why phosphate-based insecticides in fertilizer are so dangerous and how much more implementing safe-water measures will cost in expanding the facility.

YET ANOTHER PUBLIC INVESTIGATOR EXCLUSIVE: A reliable source inside Waukegan’s municipal government reports the stage has been set for the appointment of the next fire chief, as new Mayor Robert Sabonjian continues shading the city’s administration with his own palette. Subscribers can read on to find out who the mayor’s pick for next chief will be when current Chief Patrick Gallagher retires.

 GRANT ALERT: The Stormwater Management Commission recently received a grant to restore an area waterway. Subscribers can read on to find out what stream will be restored and what projects the grant will fund.

NEWS ALERT: To improve east-west traffic in southern Lake County, a lengthy segment of Riverwoods Road is getting resurfaced. Subscribers can read on to find out what segment will be under construction this summer and how much it will cost, along with statistics on road resurfacing projects this summer.

NEWS ALERT: Keith Turner announced Friday he was declining his controversial appointment to replace Robert Sabonjian on the Lake County Board. Subscribers can read on to find out the real reason behind the refusal, who is almost certain to get the appointment and what Board Chairman Suzi Schmidt can do to really stick it to county democrats.

 PUBLIC INVESTIGATOR EXCLUSIVE: Old-guard democrats on the Lake County Board are charging Chairman Suzi Schmidt with playing politics in not choosing their endorsed selection to fill Robert Sabonjian’s former seat. Read on to find out who got passed over and why, and who got the appointment and why.