Aurora Police Chief Kristen Ziman, second from right, and Officer Chris Tunney were among Aurora police officers raising funds for Special Olympics Illinois Friday, May 19, at Dunkin’ Donuts, 2112 W. Galena Blvd. in Aurora. In an annual Cop on a Rooftop fundraiser, APD officers took to the roofs of five Aurora Dunkin’ Donuts shops. Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association volunteers accepted donations inside the store. (Al Benson photo)

MONTGOMERY

Butterball to shutter meatpacking plant

An estimated 600 workers will lose their jobs this summer as another major regional area employer has announced it will shutter a plant.

North Carolina-based Butterball announced last week it will end operations in July at its Gusto meatpacking plant at 2125 Rochester Drive, southeast of the intersection of Jericho and Orchard Roads in Montgomery.

The closing comes in the wake of the loss of around 800 jobs with the impending closure of Caterpillar’s manufacturing plant in Montgomery sometime in 2018.

SUGAR GROVE

Men’s golf finals this week at Rich Harvest

College golf fans will have a local favorites to cheer on as the NCAA Division I men’s golf finals get underway this week at the Rich Harvest Farms course.

The University of Illinois team finished third of five teams at the West Lafayette, Ind., regional to advance to the men’s championships. Illinois State’s Trent Wallace qualified as an individual.

The NCAA women’s finals were set to conclude Wednesday with the final championship round starting at 2:10 p.m.

The men’s tournament opens on Friday and runs through May 31.

For more information visit www.richharvestfarms.com/tournaments/2017-ncaa-national-golf-championships/ or call Rich Harvest Farms at (630) 466-7610.

ELGIN

EHS counselor honored by state association

Elgin High School (EHS) counselor Breann Tomaso was honored last week after she was named the 2017 Illinois High School Counselor of the Year by the Illinois School Counselor Association (ISCA).

The award acknowledges an exceptional counselor with at least three years of experience who exemplifies the highest standards in providing service to students, parents and the school.

Tomaso helps promote college readiness by organizing financial aid workshops, coordinates her department’s weekly professional learning committee meeting, and participates in the Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports interventions mentoring program.

Tomaso, an EHS counselor for four years, previously served as science teacher for seven years.

AURORA

Blackhawk Park work to begin this summer

Construction on the much-anticipated Blackhawk Park is set to begin this summer, following approval by the Fox Valley Park District Board of Commissioners for a $640,900 bid to R.C. Wegman Construction Company of Aurora.

Located alongside Galena Boulevard between Blackhawk and View streets, the 2.8-acre site is where the original West Aurora High School stood since 1905. After the building was torn down in 2015, the city of Aurora deeded the land to the Park District late last year in a land conveyance agreement.

Park District residents played a prominent role in planning the park. A public open house last winter allowed residents to view concept plans and offer feedback. Naming of the park was orchestrated through social media, allowing the public to vote, with Blackhawk resulting as the overwhelming favorite.

The park’s highlight design feature will be a centralized, circular “great lawn” area that encourages unstructured play. The northeast section of the park will feature innovative playground equipment, splash pad and a unique shelter reminiscent of the old West Aurora High School that occupied the site for over a century.

An interpretive plaza will offer educational opportunities and environmental awareness, marked by a flagpole at the entrance – the same flagpole location as it was for the high school. The plan also provides an area for public art displays.

Completion of the park is expected in the fall of 2017.

COUNTY

High winds rattle Kane, region

Gusts in Plainfield reach 71 mph and communities throughout Kane County sustained some damage as a storm ripped through the area last Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

A location off Plainfield Road in Kendall County reported the 71 mph winds at 12:05 a.m while gusts of 66 mph were reported at DuPage Airport at 11:17 p.m.

There were multiple reports of large trees down throughout Kane County. A large tree was reported down at around 11 p.m. in the back yard of a home in North Aurora. Branches of 4 inches to 6 inches in diameter were blocking streets in DeKalb. There were many reports of large hail and damaged cars. About 10 power polls were snapped on Cedar Road in Lee County, according the NWS reports.

Kane County Executive Director of Building Management Don Biggs said there was no major damage or trees down on Kane County building sites but power was out overnight at the Kane County Government Center in Geneva.

COUNTY

Mayo Clinic hosts tuberculosis clinic

Kane County and Kendall County health departments in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health and Mayo Clinic Center for Tuberculosis are holding a free educative opportunity on tuberculosis for area primary care physicians, pediatricians, nurses and infectious disease professionals June 14 at Rush Copley Health Institute in Aurora.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, although tuberculosis is preventable and curable, many people in the United States still suffer from this disease.

The health departments and the Mayo Clinic are focusing on TB because anyone can get it, and experts say current efforts to find and treat latent TB infection and TB disease are not sufficient. Misdiagnosis of TB still exists and health care professionals often do not “think TB.”

“It is erroneous to believe that TB no longer exists,” said Barbara Jeffers,  executive director of the Kane County Health Department. “That is why we believe in the importance of bringing awareness to our community as we are seeing more TB cases. We need to ensure that our physicians are aware of the signs and symptoms of TB.”

ST. CHARLES

Police continue traffic law enforcement

St. Charles police officers will be out conducting DUI and seat belt enforcement in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Click It or Ticket and Drive Sober or Get Pulled

The objective is to reduce the incidence of motor vehicle crashes and the resulting injuries and fatalities, through increased highly visible enforcement of occupant restraint, impaired driving, speed and pedestrian safety during national and state enforcement campaigns. 

For more information about the Click It or Ticket and the Drive Sober Get Pulled Over programs, please visit www.buckleupillinois.org.

GENEVA

Committee hosts open house on water trail

The City of Geneva Natural Resources Committee invites the community to an open house in June regarding regional efforts to secure a national water trail designation for the Fox River.

Local water enthusiasts have been working closely with the Fox River Ecosystem Partnership to pursue a National Park Service Waterway Trail designation for all 200 miles of the river in Wisconsin and Illinois. The National Water Trails System is a network of water trails the public can explore and enjoy.

The Geneva open house will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 7 at City Hall Council Chambers, 109 James St. Kane County Executive Planner Karen Miller will give a presentation about her involvement, along with the Partnership and other water organizations, regarding the progress accomplished to date and future endeavors to secure the national designation.

For more information regarding the open house, contact Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jay Womack at 630-299-9945 or by email at jay.womack@gza.com. People can learn more about Geneva’s Natural Resources Committee by visiting the City’s website or on Facebook.

More information about the Fox River trail initiative can be found on the Fox River Ecosystem Partnership’s website.

–Kane County News Briefs–