West Aurora High School inducted its 2017 Sports Hall of Fame class earlier this month before the West-Oswego basketball game. Inductees from left are Brian Wells, Aurora, Class of 1992, swimming; Cindy McGinnis Sutto, Toledo, Ohio, Class of 1998, basketball, volleyball, soccer; Roger Curless, Aurora, Blackhawk Sports Boosters; and Nate Eimer, Aurora, Class of 2001, football and basketball. Eimer has been Blackhawk head football coach since 2011. Oswego won 60-58. (Al Benson photo)

AURORA

Downtown bike lanes called one of best in U.S.

People For Bikes, a nationally bicycling organization, has recognized Aurora’s recently opened downtown protected bike lane as one of the top five best bike lanes in the country.

PeopleForBikes worked with industry experts to review the country’s newest bike lanes, with an extra emphasis on those that helped to connect bike grids in their respective communities.

Aurora ranked fourth in the national review. Other cities in the Top 5 include New York City (5), Tallahassee (3), Chicago (2) and Seattle (1).

“Chicago has nothing like the Fox River Trail that runs through the western collar counties,” said People For Bikes. “For years, the only flaw in the trail’s 60-mile span has been a one-mile gap near central Aurora – until last spring, that is, when the city unveiled a new one-mile curb-protected bike lane that brought everything together, complete with green paint and bike-only signals.”

Aurora church to dish pancakes for Habitat

The public is invited to Aurora Advent Christian Church, 905 N. Edgelawn Drive, as it hosts a 25th annual pancake breakfast from 8 to 11 a.m. on Feb. 25, to benefit Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity.

The menu includes all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, coffee, and orange juice. Admission is $7. Children under 10 are free.

The breakfast will benefit Faith Build 2017, a partnership of 31 Kane, Kendall and DuPage-county churches to build a Habitat house in Aurora. 

Call (630) 859-3333, email info@foxvalleyhabitat.org or visit foxvalleyhabitat.org for more information.

Adopt a Pet for just $14 Valentine’s fee

Some may call it puppy love, but it can also be called kitten love. The Aurora Animal Care and Control (AACC) is helping cats and dogs find their forever-families with a new Valentine’s Day Adoption Special.

On Feb. 13 and 14, all animals at AACC can be adopted for just $14. This price, which is normally $90, includes vaccinations, microchip, registration and spaying/neutering.

Adoption hours are noon to 4:30 p.m. at AACC, 600 S. River Street.

For more information on adoption, including a complete list of adoption requirements, call (630) 256-3630 or visit www.aurora-il.org/animalcontrol/adoption.php.

COUNTY

Sheriff hosts panel talk on race relations

Kane County Sheriff Don Kramer will host “Race Forward,” a panel discussion on race relations and law enforcement, from 6 to 8 p.m. on Feb. 22, at Santori Aurora Public Library, 101 S. River St., Aurora.

The public is invited to this free discussoin.

Kramer said the Race Forward conversation is imperative “to better understand the diverse perspectives regarding race, dispel racially-based myths and stereotypes, examine the racial inequities that exist at the institutional/societal levels and address racial tensions that exist in our own community.”

The conversation is an opportunity for the community to hear the perspectives of those who advocate for racial change, share their voice regarding racially based issues/concerns, and bring about social change that is mutually beneficial for all people, Kramer said.

Crash kills 20-year-old St. Charles man

The Kane County Coroner’s Office said Wednesday that blunt force trauma was the cause of death in crash on Randall Road last week.

The Coroner’s Office was called at around 11:54 p.m. on Feb. 7, by Presence St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin regarding the death of a 20-year-old male involved in a fatal motor vehicle crash.

The crash took place just north of Silver Glen Road on Randall Road in South Elgin, IL.

The Coroner’s Office identified the 20-year-old as Austin King of St. Charles.

Reports stated that King’s 2006 Lexus struck a utility pole along northbound Randall Road north of Silver Glen Road. The South Elgin & Countryside Fire Department extricated King and took him to Presence St. Joseph Hospital.

ELGIN

Nominations sought for preservation awards

The Elgin Heritage Commission is seeking nominations for the 2017 Elgin Mayor’s Awards for Historic Preservation.

The annual Mayor’s Awards, held each May during National Preservation Month, honor the outstanding contributions of Elgin citizens in their efforts to preserve the city’s heritage.

In addition, the event provides an opportunity to educate the community about the value Elgin’s unique architecture, neighborhoods and history. The awards also further the Elgin Heritage Commission’s goals of neighborhood and downtown revitalization to benefit the entire city.

Applications are available on the city’s website, www.cityofelgin.org, and in person at the Community Development Department in City Hall, 150 Dexter Court, Elgin.

Nominations are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 24.

For more information or to obtain a nomination form, please contact Christen Sundquist at 847-931-6004 or sundquist_c@cityofelgin.org.

FOX VALLEY PARKS

Registration for spring programs now under way

Residents of the Fox Valley Park District may register for spring programs and events beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11.

To register, each household must set up an account in Foxlink. Once the account is established, there’s no need to visit a facility to register. The WebTrac system provides each user with the ability to manage registration and payment info exclusively online.

Registrants can also view and track activity schedules for each family member and access information on rental availability at various facilities and parks.

The Park District is offering hundreds of programs and activities for youth, adults and seniors, ranging from sports to nature programs to performing arts and expanded offerings of health, wellness and fitness programs. For a complete listing, the Spring 2017 Activity Guide is available at all community centers and accessible online.

Registration is taken via walk-in at the Prisco Community Center, Eola Community Center and Vaughan Athletic Center via internet at foxvalleyparkdistrict.org. or by mailing a registration form to  FVPD, 150 W. Illinois Ave., Aurora, IL 60506. Make checks payable to Fox Valley Park District.

SOUTH ELGIN

McDonald Road Bridge to be shut for six months

The village of South Elgin has obtained a grant for the reconstruction of the bridge over Otter Creek on McDonald Road and will close the bridge from March 2 to Sept. 15.

According to the village of South Elgin website, the bridge is more than 100 years old.

The village has hired Baxter & Woodman Consulting Engineers to design the bridge. The plans were prepared and bid out following the state of Illinois bid process, and the project has been awarded to Dunnet Bay Construction to construct a replacement bridge in the same location.

The project is expected to cost $2.04 million to complete, according to the Illinois Department of Transportation Custruction Update Report.

For more information, contact the village of South Elgin Public Works Department at 847-695-2742.  Weekly construction updates will be available on the Public Works page Recent Road Construction Updates beginning March 9, 2017.

–Kane County News Briefs–