Did you know that you can watch Lake County Board meetings live from your computer? Meetings stream live on our website on the second Tuesday of each month at 9 a.m. If you miss a board meeting, you can watch archived meetings online, and skip directly to the agenda item that interests you.

Lake County is committed to open government and transparency. Our Transparency/OpenGov website offers a wealth of information about county government, including meeting schedules, agendas and minutes, the budget and public records. 

The Solid Waste Agency of Lake County is offering tips to help make your Halloween environmentally friendly. Among SWALCO's recommendations are recycling your pumpkin into a Thanksgiving decoration (and then composting it), making Halloween crafts from recycled items, such as egg crates, and holding a parade of recycled costumes in your neighborhood.

Read the Putting the Green in Your Halloween booklet for more ways to keep the environment in mind during your Halloween celebrations. 

Occupying more than 1,600 acres and churning out nearly 4 million trained recruits over the last 101 years, Naval Station Great Lakes is a massive presence in Lake County. But even people who live alongside the naval base have misconceptions about what goes on there.

The base's mission is training, but few people know that it functions much like a city. The base pulls its own water from Lake Michigan and produces steam for heating. It has its own fire and police departments to serve the 15,000-20,000 people living and working there each day. And the base's public works department can do everything from fixing a broken pipe to renovating a building.

With college facilities, restaurants and football fields on the premises, Naval Station Great Lakes is a city of its own. But sailors and staff also venture beyond the base's gates and contribute to the local economy and volunteer in the surrounding communities.

Watch a video about Naval Station Great Lakes' day-to-day operations. 

Property owners residing in unincorporated Lake County may be eligible to save an average of more than $200 a year on their flood insurance policies.

Since 2008, thanks to the leadership of the County Board, Lake County has participated in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS) program. With a Class 6 community rating, residents within unincorporated Lake County who meet certain requirements are eligible for up to a 20% savings on flood insurance premiums. Residents should contact their flood insurance agent to obtain individual savings information.

In order to maintain its favorable rating, an Annual Evaluation Report for the County-Wide All Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan for unincorporated Lake County was prepared. This report is available on the County's website.

Read the full press release.

Each year, over 25,000 people are summoned to the Lake County courthouse for jury duty. About 8,500 are chosen to serve on juries, hearing more than 180 cases each year.

In an effort to recognize the role those jurors play in the legal system, the Lake County Board passed a resolution recognizing October 9-12 as Juror Appreciation Week. Chief Judge Fred Foreman told board members at their September meeting that "an excellent group of people" attend jury duty in Lake County. "People want to serve," he said. "They feel that this is a very important step in addressing their public service."

The resolution recognizes the sacrifices jurors must make in their personal, family and professional lives, and notes that "our democracy has been dependent on over 230 years of the common sense and hard work of jurors."

Did you know that the flu vaccination can take two weeks to become fully effective? Getting your flu shot early can help you stay ahead of illness.

Watch this video about the flu, flu symptoms and how immunization can help you avoid getting sick from the flu this year. 

The Lake County Health Department/Community Health Center reports that the number of pertussis cases in Lake County thus far this year (178) have already surpassed last year's total for the full year (175). This is the highest number of cases reported since 1959. The Health Department is encouraging adolescents and adults to receive the Tdap booster for additional protection against this illness.

"To address this outbreak, everyone 11 years of age and older should receive the Tdap booster," said Irene Pierce, the Health Department's Executive Director.  "While this illness was on the decline just a few years ago, it is now a major reportable disease in Lake County. And not only Lake County is affected. Illinois currently has the fifth highest number of pertussis cases nationwide."

Read the full press release, or read more about pertussis.