Insects will take center stage once again when Bug Fest returns Aug. 19. The free family event will be staged at Lippold Park, located on Route 25, one-half mile north of Red Oak Nature Center.

COUNTY

Kane looks to join suit against opioid makers

The Kane County Board voted last week to have its State’s Attorney’s Office look into the possibility of joining a class-action suit against opioid manufacturers.

The board passed a resolution requesting expert legal determination on the pros and cons of the opioid litigation.

St. Clair County, near East St. Louis, voted in April to file suit against Abbott Laboratories and Purdue Pharma for overstating the benefits of opioids and pushing the prescription of opioid medications for pain relief. The suit alleges that the “opioid epidemic” of the past several years is due in part to use and abuse of heroin and other opioid drugs.

Kane County’s resolution cites “an opioid addiction crisis that crosses all socioeconomic classes and often leads to illicit drug use, crime, overdose and death.”

If the county were to file suit, it would be “to recoup county costs associated with fighting the opioid epidemic” within its borders, the resolution states. That includes costs associated with addiction treatment, anti-opioid programming and training, healthcare, criminal justice and lost productivity.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s Office along with attorneys general across the country have been investigating several opioid manufacturers since last year to determine whether the manufacturers have engaged in unlawful practices in the marketing and sale of opioids and what role the companies may be playing in creating or prolonging the country’s opioid epidemic.

GENEVA

Batavia man killed in motorcycle accident

A 45-year-old Batavia man has died after his motorcycle went off the roadway striking a light pole and two trees last week in the 1300 block West State Street in Geneva, according to a city of Geneva news release.

Geneva police were originally dispatched for a report of a suspicious noise. After searching the area, officers discovered John Akin, of the 300 block of Douglas Road, had been involved in a single-vehicle accident.

According to police reports, Akin was driving his 2015 Harley Davidson Softail Standard motorcycle east on State Street (IL Route 38) when he exited the roadway.

Geneva paramedics responded to the accident to perform life-saving measures, but Akin was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Akin was not wearing a helmet, police said.

Last year, Kane County law enforcers reported seven motorcycle fatalities between July 2 and Aug. 10, many of them preventable, according to the Kane County Sheriff’s Office. Many of those fatal crashes included what Kane County Sheriff’s Office Director of Administration Pat Gengler called “the same mechanics”: increased speed, attempting to pass in no-passing zones, failure to yield when turning and failure to stop at a stop signal.

STATE

State experienced weather extremes during July

Northern Illinois experienced heavy rain and widespread flooding in July while parts of central and southern Illinois experienced dry weather that caused crop damage, according to Illinois State Climatologist Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey at the University of Illinois.

On average, however, the statewide precipitation was 4.81 inches, which is 0.73 inches above normal.

In the northwestern part of the state, the average precipitation for July was 7.83 inches, and the third wettest July on record. The average wettest July on record was in 1902 with 9.21 inches.

The northeast experienced an average of 7.55 inches, and also the third wettest July on record for that region. Again, the number one year for the wettest July on record was in 1902.

Three of the highest monthly precipitation totals for July in Illinois were Cary (McHenry County) with 13.34 inches, Gurnee (Lake County) with 13.21 inches, and Chadwick (Carroll County) with 13.15 inches.

On the other extreme, some areas in western and southwestern Illinois were very dry with precipitation amounts of less than 2 inches. The lowest monthly total was at Quincy Dam with 0.68 inches.

AURORA

City, Columbia link on TV content

The City of Aurora announces a new partnership between Aurora Community Television (ACTV) and Columbia College Chicago to share resources and produce new content for the station.

The partnership allows the City of Aurora the use of Columbia College content and resources to produce high-quality content. In addition, Columbia College will share student interns with ACTV each semester to produce new, educational and Aurora-centric programming. In exchange, students will get credited hands-on experience in video production, editing and engineering while building their portfolios.

This summer, ACTV will begin airing student-driven content from Columbia College, including daytime children’s programming, short-form documentaries, and late-night variety and animated shows.

 “This partnership is a win-win for Aurora and Columbia College,” said ACTV Coordinator Alex Perez. “As a graduate of Columbia and a native Auroran, I am excited to see the progress that will be made as we enhance ACTV in both its traditional and more contemporary digital

AURORA

Applications for grants for non-profits available

Applications are now available to local non-profit organizations that are interested in applying for a 2018 Quality of Life Grant from the City of Aurora.

Quality of Life Grants are annual competitive grants provided to 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations that serve the residents of Aurora in one of the following service areas: child care|youth, education, job training, homelessness, elderly|disabled, or veterans.

“City government alone cannot make lasting change in the community,” said Mayor Richard C. Irvin. “Our non-profit organizations are on the front lines and know firsthand what our residents need. Quality of Life Grants can assist with their respective missions while bettering Aurora as a whole.”

Previous grant recipients include food pantries, museums, youth services providers and other local agencies serving the Aurora community.

Applications are available online at https://www.aurora-il.org/1808/Quality-of-Life-Grants.

COUNTY

Forest commission okay land purchase

The Forest Preserve Commission of Kane County has authorized acquisition of lands that will expand the footprint of forest preserves or greenways at locations throughout Kane County.

The commission OK’d resolutions authorizing acquisition of:

• The Cutsinger property as an addition to the Sauer Family Prairie Kame Forest Preserve in Sugar Grove.
• The Imhoff property as an addition to the Ferson Creek Greenway in St. Charles.
• The Kelly property as an addition to the Ferson Creek Greenway.
• The Deihs property as an addition to the Otter Creek Forest Preserve in Elgin Township.
  
• The Faber property as an addition to the Cardinal Creek Forest Preserve in Hampshire.
• Forest Preserve District President Mike Kenyon said the property purchase is the first of many to come and was made possible by the passage of a $50 million referendum voters approved in April.

The acquisition of land in the Ferson Creek Greenway will continue to link up creek-side.

–Kane County News Briefs–