Heavy overnight rains ended before dawn and allowed last weekend’s Geneva Arts Fair to proceed. In fact, both Saturday and Sunday conditions were hot and sunny and helped draw art overs to the show, which took up several blocks of Third Street. (Photo by Jack McCarthy / Chronicle Media.

AURORA

Police seek information in shooting deaths of pair

Aurora Police continue to investigate the shooting deaths of two men whose bodies were found in an SUV parked in the driveway of a home in the 700 block of North Avenue around 6:45 a.m. last Thursday.

The men, Pedro Miranda, 25, who resided at the address where he was found; and Enrique Villalvazo Jr., 39, of the 1600 block of East River Road, Montgomery, were each shot more than once. They were discovered by a family member of Miranda’s when she returned home from working a third shift job.

It is believed the two men were shot sometime after 3:30 a.m. when they left their jobs at a Batavia factory. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

There was no one in custody late last and police are working on possible theories as to what could have led to their deaths. A definite motive has not been established.

Police ask anyone with information to call the Investigations Division at 630-256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at 630-892-1000.

Autopsies on the two men were scheduled for last Friday at the Kane County Coroner’s Office.

DUPAGE

Informational meeting on Prairie Path reroute

The DuPage County Division of Transportation will host an open house  on Aug. 3 on a proposed rerouting of the Illinois Prairie Path’s Aurora Branch.

The focus at the session, running from 4-7 p.m. at Metea Valley High School, would be on changes on the patch between theBatavia Spur and Eola Road in Aurora and Naperville. 

Work would feature construction of a 10-foot-wide asphalt path along Eola Road from Mustang Way to the Illinois Prairie Path-Batavia Spur.

The project will include widening the Eola Road bridge over Interstate 88 and constructing connections to the Batavia Spur, DuPage Technology Corridor Trail and the Aurora Branch bridge over Eola Road.

Exhibits showing the proposed improvements will be on display and County representatives will be present to answer questions. The event is an open house, allowing residents to arrive at any point during the three-hour window.

The Metea meeting will be held at the main entrance atrium, 1801 N. Eola Road, Aurora.

For more information, contact Michael Barbier at the DuPage County Division of Transportation at (630) 407-6900.

ST. CHARLES

Mobile Blood donation bus at fire station

 The Heartland Blood Center mobile donation bus will be in front of Fire Station 1, 112 N. Riverside Ave., July 28 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Everyone who donates will receive a $5 Target gift card.

Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are recommended. Call the City’s Human Resources Department at 630.377.4446 to make an appointment.

Your donation can help a child, a mother, a father. It is something you can truly feel good about. Visit www.heartlandbc.org for information about Heartland Blood Center and blood donation facts.

KANE COUNTY

Taxpayers save with top bond rating, state budget

Forest Preserve District of Kane County’s AA+ bond rating and Illinois passing a budget — combined to generate additional savings for Kane County taxpayers.

The district recently sold bonds for the $50 million land acquisition and preserve improvement referendum, approved by voters in April. The District sold $40 million in tax-exempt bonds as well as $10 million in taxable bonds, to provide more flexibility in acquisitions.

The District announced the savings at the July 11 Forest Preserve Commission meeting, as part of the approval of the  bond issuance.

“We did better than anticipated for the voters. The owner of a $250,000 home can expect to save an additional $17 over the next two-year period for debt, over and above what was stated in referendum information,” said Forest Preserve Director of Finance Ken Stanish.

With the bond proceeds, the District is projected to acquire an additional 2,500 acres of land and continue capital initiatives as outlined in the Comprehensive Master Plan.

For more information on the Forest Preserve District, visit our website at www.kaneforest.com.

STATE

Temperatures up in June, rainfall below normal

The average temperature for June in Illinois was 72.8 degrees, 0.9 degrees above normal, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel with the Illinois State Water Survey, part of the Prairie Research Institute at Illinois.

The statewide average rainfall was 3.27 inches, just 0.9 inches below normal.

“June had a split personality,” Angel said. “In the first 14 days, temperatures were nearly 4 degrees above normal with only a quarter inch of rain on average across the state. In the last 16 days, temperatures were almost 2 degrees below normal with 3 inches of rain.”

Rain in June varied across the state, with amounts of 5 to 10 inches along the Illinois-Wisconsin border, around Quincy, Iroquois County and in far southern Illinois. The rest of the state was much drier with only 2 to 4 inches of rain. 

A stretch between Havana and Champaign received only 2 inches of rain for the month. The station reporting the most rain in June was Belvidere in Boone County with 12.08 inches. On the other extreme, White Heath in Piatt County reported only 0.65 inches.

AURORA

New playground coming to Waubonsie Lake park

A renovated playground and new, modern equipment is coming to Waubonsie Lake Park, following approval by the Fox Valley Park District Board of Commissioners for a $121,093 bid to The Kenneth Company of Bolingbrook.

Located at the south end of Waubonsie Lake, the playground complements the adjacent community park nature-based play zone with a more traditional playground experience and is separated by the dam spillway to create a barrier for young children, bicycles and strollers.

 In keeping with best playground design and safety practices, separate play areas will be constructed; one area for children age 2 to 5 and another area for children in the 5 to 12 age range. A third, separate area will include the new and popular “expression swing” that promotes intergenerational as adults and children swing together. 

The Board also approved the purchase of playground equipment through the U.S. Communities Purchasing Cooperative for $48,671, bringing the total project cost to $169,671, more than $10,000 below the budgeted cost of $180,000.

Park District staff worked closely with neighborhood groups in designing the concept plan, fielding input and feedback throughout the planning process through open forums at the park site and ongoing communications. Residents requested a bench and permanent picnic table, which were added to the final plan. 

Construction is tentatively scheduled to begin in late August, with completion targeted for mid-October. The Kenneth Company recently completed a similar project for Fox Valley with a playground renovation at Verona Ridge Park on Aurora’s far west side.

BATAVIA

Fermilab subject of photography show

Water Street Studios’ Dempsey Family Gallery will be hosting an exhibit of photographs taken by the Fermilab National Laboratory’s Photo Club.

As part of Fermilab’s 50^th Anniversary celebration, photographs of the country’s leading particle physics laboratory and its 6,800-acre site will be on display. Twenty-three members of Fermilab’s Photo Club have captured images ranging from the on-site bison herd to the Lab’s Bubble Chamber.

During the opening night reception, you’ll get to meet a number of these photographers while also enjoying live music, free food by Gaetano’s Batavia, a cash bar featuring beer from Solemn Oath Brewery and wine from Bright Angel wines. Thank you to our gallery event sponsor K. Hollis Jewelers.

The Fermilab Photo Club exhibit will open from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Aug. 11, and continue until Sept. 2.

AURORA

Victorian Tea Room coming to downtown

Downtown Aurora will soon be the home of a unique Victorian tearoom.

Tanya Barkdoll of Lincoln Avenue’s Calla Lily Salon, plans to open a team room on LaSalle Street by early fall.

She hopes to bring an authentic tea room experience to Aurora. She previously apprenticed with a tea room owner in England and hopes to bring an authentic team room experience to Aurora.

Barkdoll ran Calla Lily Victorian Tea Room in Montgomery before relocating to Aurora. Barkdoll intends for her tea room to serve traditional English high tea as well as a more casual afternoon tea, functioning similarly to English tea houses.

She said that the former Montgomery tea room felt like a dainty women’s club, which she wants to bring to Aurora because she thinks it is a place for women to “relax and kick back and not feel rushed or hurried”. She added that the tea room will continue to host bridal and baby showers as well as women’s groups after hours as did the previous location.

–Kane County News Briefs–