2014 in Review: Scary Clown Sparks Lawsuit; Crazy Bull Closes

It’s almost time to say goodbye to 2014 and hello to 2015.

As you take stock of your year and make your resolutions, here’s a look back at the stories that made headlines this year in Kendall County:

Mother accused of stabbing, poisoning daughters: A Montgomery woman is accused of attempting to poison her three daughters and stabbing the two younger girls in the chest in September. In November, a judge ordered psychiatric evaluations for 48-year-old Pamela Christensen, who allegedly met police at the door dressed in a white shirt covered in blood and told officers she wanted her children to “meet Jesus Christ.” Prosecutors allege that Christensen, the estranged wife of a pastor, mixed poison with dishwashing liquid and attempted to get the girls to drink it.

PrairieFest featured on Food Network Canada/Cooking Channel: In June, camera crews documented the unique eats at Oswego’s annual PrairieFest. The episode of “Carnival Eats” aired last month.

Revolving door at Oswego East: Oswego East High School is going on its fourth principal in two years after the resignation of Todd Martens this month. Martens replaced Dr. Louis Lee, who also served in the role for less than a year; Lee took over for Jeff Craig, who stepped down in 2013.

Scary Clown Sparks Lawsuit: A man dressed as a clown at a Montgomery haunted attraction was arrested in October after allegedly making sexual comments and touching a teen girl with a sex toy. The incident sparked a lawsuit, with the girl’s mother, an Oswego resident, suing both the employee and the Massacre haunted house. The lawsuit also named another employee who allegedly took part in the Oct. 11 incident.

New sheriff in town: Then-Oswego Police Chief Dwight Baird won the Republican primary for Kendall County Sheriff in March, effectively sealing the deal: With no Democratic challengers and Sheriff Richard Randall not seeking re-election, Baird went on to become the next sheriff.

Man freed from grain silo: Crews spent more than five hours freeing an employee who became trapped in a grain bin last July in Lisbon Township. Fire officials said the man was buried in a corn silo up to his head, and firefighters who arrived on the scene found “a male with his lower extremities stuck in the auger system with corn surrounding his body up to thighs, with additional grain towering 30 feet into the air angling towards him.”

Six people shot at Easter party: Four men and two women were injured when a gunman opened fire during an Easter party at a Montgomery home in April. Although children were in attendance at the party, none of them were outside when the shooting occurred, police said.

No more Crazy Bull: A problem-plagued bar in Oswego closed after numerous reports of fights and violence. The owners voluntarily surrendered the Crazy Bull’s liquor license on Nov. 5, officials said. The closing came after a report of shots fired at the bar on Oct. 30; on Oct. 10, a security guard was injured while trying to break up a large fight, receiving a deep laceration with a broken bottle, police said.

Parents cry foul over Dual Language: Parents spoke up after District 308 Superintendent Matthew Wendt called the future of the Dual Language program into question in June, citing what he called “unacceptable” test results. Parents pushed for the continuance of the two-way language immersion program, and even accused administrators of skewing the data and event alleged that Wendt and administrators had lied about a language program audit.