The Huntley Farmside

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SERVING THE PEOPLE OF HUNTLEY SINCE 1960
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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2,1995 - VOLUME 35, NUMBER 30 - HUNTLEY, ILLINOIS TWENTY-FIVE CENTS
Huntley Redskins win volleyball regionals
By Tim Lane
The Huntley Redskins took the wind out of the Hurricanes of Marian Central as they beat them 15-2 and 15-10 Sat. night in the Regional playoffs. This victory gave Huntley their sixth straight Regional title and advances them to the Sectional playoffs.
Huntley looked unstoppable in the first game, beating the Hurricanes 15-2. In the second game, Marian jumped to a 7-2 lead. Lindsey Lane ignited the comeback by serving up sixstraightpoints, including 4 aces in a row to give Huntley an 8-7 lead.
A Jackie Dalleska kill tied the score and Lisa Aschenbrenner put Huntley in the lead with a kill of her own.
Marian tied the game before Katie Beth served three straight to put Huntiey aheadfor good. Becky Weber finished off the Hurricanes, serving the final two points on kills by Kelly Kentgen and Lisa Ashenbrenner.
Ashenbrenner finished with nine kills, Katie Beth added six, and Summer Bakely had five. Beth and Lane each finished with nine points in the match while Weber added 13 digs and 20 assists.
Huntley advances to the sectional playoffs at Burlington Central on Tuesday and Thursday. The winner advances to the super sectionals on Sat. night in Byron. Support the Huntiey Redskins in their bid for a repeat trip to the state finals.
At left, the Lady Redskins celebrate
their Regional playoff win against
Marian Central.
Huntley C.A.G. seeks solutions with County
^li
By Beth Bemdt
TheHuntley chapter of Communities against Gangs (CAG) joined The McHenry County Gang & Drug Task Force on the Algonquin Princess last Saturday in an effort to learn more about what the community can do to continue to keep gangs out of Huntiey. There were several key speakers, ut perhaps the most striking was a young man who came forward to tell what motivated him to join a gang, and what subsequently made him leave it five years later.' 'Power and easy money" were his reasons, and selling drugs to junior high kids was very easy to do. Drugs were very easy to come by and the money was quick. Joining a gang gave him the networking means to the supply. He often would witness major drug and weapons purchases and even murders. He also found himself committing bigger crimes, which all
too often involved being arrested. He eventually met Jeanne Swanson, a probation officer, who kept the pressure on to encourage him to find a healthier alternate lifestyle.Whiie he says he is called every day, and he consciously has to make the decision to avoid them, leaving the gang behind is mainly because he wants something better for himself and his future. Swanson credits his success to the fact that there was always law enforcement out there to arrest him and let him know that this was not going to be tolerated in McHenry County. She has since helped found a "Bridges" program for alleged gang members and their parents. It is a court-ordered 13-week program that helps these troubledkids redefine their lives. It helps build bridges in the families and bring them closer together and, probably the key
purpose, helps break down the barriers that led to the kids joining the gangs in the first place. Parents are educated on all aspects of gang life, how to avoid those same pitfalls with younger siblings, as well as other parenting skills. It also gives them an outlet for their frustrations as they share time with other parents who are experienci ng the same thing.
The Bridges program currently recognizes a 70% success rate, which is pretty good for the first year. Swanson attributes this success to the fact that they validate the reasons the kids turn to gangs in the first place. "We help them understand those reasons and offeralternate ways to meet those needs."
Sue Krause, director of the Youth Service Bureau of Woodstock, believes parent education and prevention is very important in fighting the gang problem. Since
early intervention is key to turning troubled kids around, her goal is to see a Bridges program in every junior high and high school as opposed to suspension from school. In conjunction with local police, the trainedprofessionalswouldcomeinto the schools to help teach job skills. They would also like to see more local businesses come forward to offer internships for these kids. Someone needs to offer these kids a chance to make money legally.
"CAG was originally formed to prevent the great gang problems from coming to McHenry County," says Les Lunsman of tiie McHenry County Gang & Drug Task Force. It was formed to support structures already there. When everyone works together toward a common goal, the success rate is much higher. CAG will help provide the parent education, as well as try to find ways to keep the youth
of our community focused on positive choices. "Eveiygangmemberaffects the lives of at least five people around them,'' Swanson says,'' so when they start to come around in a positive way, that trickle-down affects at least five as well."
Law enforcement and our schools can only do so much. Parents are often so bogged down with second jobs and other responsibilities that they quickly find themselves overwhelmed when having to deal with more problems. Many troubled kids come from families with other home problems.
There is a serious gang presence all around McHenry County, but by taking the necessary steps now and supporting the local CAG group, everyone can work together to find alternatives to detention centers and jails, preventing the situation from getting out of hand.