Kane County News Briefs

Chronicle Media

AURORA

Police seek information about shooting at party

Aurora Police are seeking information on the shooting of a 24-year old Montgomery man that occurred around 1:55 a.m. Sept. 24 apparently during a large party in the 600 block of North Randall Road.

The man, who was hit numerous times, was dropped off at an Aurora hospital by two other men, ages 21 and 23. When officers went to the scene of the shooting, they found that the home was also struck more than once. The victim’s injuries were all non-life threatening.

As police tried to investigate, the two men who dropped off the victim, the partygoers and residents of the home on N. Randall were all uncooperative. There is no suspect information. The shooting did not appear to be random and there were no other injuries.

Anyone with information is asked to call Investigations at (630) 256-5500, Crime Stoppers at 630-892-1000, or submit tips with the department’s My PD app.

COUNTY

Inmate from Tennessee dies while in custody

A 53-year-old Tennessee inmate at the Kane County Adult Justice Center died last Wednesday from what Sheriff’s Office officials are calling a medical-related incident.

Sheriff’s Office correctional officers and jail medical staff responded at around 7:40 p.m. last Wednesday to a medical emergency in the day room of the medical housing unit, where they found inmate Thomas Roberts had collapsed and was unresponsive.

Roberts was in the day room with several other inmates at the time of the event.

Officers and medical staff began cardiopulmonary resuscitation, including deploying an automated external defibrillator, until the arrival of a Fox River & Countryside Fire and Rescue emergency medical service unit.

Roberts, of Clarksville, TN, was pronounced deceased at 8:11 p.m. Wednesday at the Kane County Adult Justice Center.

The Sheriff’s Office news release said Roberts recently had been in the medical unit after he complained of chest pain.

Roberts was booked in on Feb. 22, 2017, and charged with criminal sexual assault of a victim under the age of 18, and was being held on $500,000 bond.

AURORA

Police, fire departments collect for  Puerto Rico

Three Aurora police and fire departments are collecting supplies for Puerto Rico Hurricane Maria relief through Wednesday Oct. 4.

Partnering agencies are Aurora police and fire departments and Puerto Rican Fraternal Order Lodge in Aurora.

Dropoff locations are APD,1200 E. Indian Trail Rd., Aurora; AFD, 2390 W. Illinois Ave., Aurora; and PRFOL, 306 S. Union St., Aurora.

Supplies requested are canned goods, can openers, bottled water, baby-care items, wipes, hygiene essentials, gloves and cleaning supplies.

Call (630) 688-3732, (630) 234-1631 or (630) 464-0989 for more information.

AURORA

Rush Copey names Dienst as chairman of board

Rush Copley has named Bruce W. Dienst as chairman of the hospital’s Board of Directors.

Dienst is president and chief executive officer of Simpson Technologies Corporation in Aurora. He is a graduate of Miami University (Ohio) where he received a bachelor of science degree in finance and the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Business at Northwestern University, where he received a master’s degree in management.

Dienst initially joined the Rush Copley Board of Governors in 1999 and served as chairman of the medical center’s Finance Committee since 2008. He also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Rush Academic Health System in Chicago.

Dienst and his wife Kristie are residents of Geneva.

Stepping down as chairman is Mark Metzger, an attorney and mediator. Metzger joined the Rush Copley Board of Governors in 1998 and served as chairman since 2011.

As chairman, Metzger guided the medical center during a period of significant growth while enhancing patient satisfaction and quality outcomes. He also championed furthering the corporate and clinical integration with Rush University Medical Center this past year. He will continue to serve on the medical center’s Executive Committee.

ST. CHARLES

Morton offers grant to assess parkway trees

The City of St. Charles was recently awarded a grant of $13,000 from Morton Arboretum which will be used for the inventory and assessment of the City’s nearly 21,000 parkway trees.

The inventory and assessment process includes evaluating and documenting each individual tree to identify any required maintenance, as outlined in the City’s Urban Forestry Management Plan.

This past spring, the City’s Public Services Division outlined a four year inventory and assessment process, but the grant from Morton Arboretum means the process can be finished a full year earlier than expected. 

The preservation and care efforts of its thousands of trees have earned St. Charles a Tree City USA designation, an annual distinction granted by the Arbor Day Foundation, for 19 consecutive years.

For more information on the Morton Arboretum Grant and the City of St. Charles Parkway Tree Program, contact A.J. Reineking at (630) 377-4405 or areineking@stchralesil.gov.

COUNTY

September heat wave was unprecedented

How bad was was September’s heat wave?

According to the National Weather Service Chicago, it was so bad …

  • It was the only occurrence on record of seven consecutive 90-degree days entirely within September.
  • It was only the 27th overall stretch of seven straight 90-degree days in Kane County … ever.
  • All seven days of the heat wave were 92 degrees or above. And it’s only the second time that’s happened in the past 50 years.

The truth is that late September has never seen this kind of heat.

According to the NWS, the latest 90-plus degree reading on record was on Oct 6, 1963, when it got up to 94 degrees.

The latest 95-plus degree reading on record was 99 degrees on Sept 29, 1953.

The previous latest streak of four days in a row of 92 degrees was Sept 16-19, 1955. In fact, this year`s streak of seven days in a row with highs of 92-plus  is only the secondnd time in the past 50 years that

Chicago has seen such a stretch of heat. The other time was during the heart of summer in the infamously hot and dry summer of 1988 (July 27-Aug. 4).

The Sept. 23 high temperature of 95 degrees tied for the hottest day of 2017.

GENEVA

No one hurt at Ice Arena fire

No one was injured after a fire damaged a refrigeration compressor on Sept . 24 at the Fox Valley Ice Arena, located at 1996 S. Kirk Road on Geneva’s east side.

At about 6:26 am the morning of Sept. 24, the Geneva Fire Department was dispatched to a commercial fire alarm. While enroute, responding companies were notified by Tri-Com Central Dispatch that there was smoke reported in the building, and the alarm was upgraded to a working fire response.

The first arriving fire company found heavy black smoke showing from the roof area on the west side of the building. Firefighters initiated an interior attack and brought the fire under control in approximately 40 minutes.

The building sprinkler system had activated and held the fire in check until the fire was extinguished. The fire was contained to the refrigeration compressor room.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. Damage estimates are still being compiled, but the facility resumed operations during the afternoon hours.

Due to the size and occupancy of the building, the response was upgraded to a MABAS box alarm for additional manpower and equipment.

Firefighters from the Batavia, St. Charles, Elburn, West Chicago, Fermilab, South Elgin, Elgin, Wheaton, Bartlett, and North Aurora fire departments assisted Geneva at the scene.

The Winfield, Fox River, and Sugar Grove fire departments provided backup at the Geneva fire stations during the call.

AURORA

Prisco Center to host Oct. 6 job fair

Local and regional companies and dozens of other powerhouse employers will be on hand at a community job fair set for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6, in Aurora.

Invest Aurora, the Quad County African American Chamber of Commerce, the Quad County Urban League and the Aurora Regional Chamber of Commerce are partnering to sponsor the event that takes place at the Prisco Community Center, 150 W. Illinois Ave., Aurora.

In addition to Amazon and LTD Commodities, other  headliner employers include Aurora Bank & Trust, Barton Staffing, Cintas, Denny’s, DHL, First Student, Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois, Hollywood Casino, International Paper, MAPEI, Manufacturing Careers Internship Program, NAPA Auto Parts, Sam’s Club, Support Techs, Target, Valley Fastener, Visiting Nurses Association and Walmart.

For more information, contact Invest Aurora at info@investaurora.org or call (630) 256-3160.

GENEVA

Residents can safely dispose of hazards

Geneva residents will once again be able to safely dispose of household hazardous waste materials from the convenience of their front door after the City has joined forces with Kane County.

With the closest household hazardous waste collection site being in Naperville, the home collection program proved quite popular when Geneva worked with an independent contractor from 2013-16. In January, the company notified the City it would no longer be able to offer those services due to business restructuring.

The City began researching alternatives and became aware Kane County was submitting a bid to conduct its own household hazardous waste program. Through a collaborative effort, the City was able to reach an intergovernmental agreement with the County to expand the program into Geneva effective immediately.

Residents can schedule a collection by calling U.S. Ecology at 866-373-8357 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday to Friday or by emailing curbside@usecology.com. Once an appointment has been finalized, a 30-gallon bag and kit with labels and instructions will be mailed to the resident. The company will call the resident the day before collection with a reminder to place the full bag on the porch or driveway for pickup.

Residents can schedule one home collection per year to dispose of paint, pesticides, fertilizers, household chemicals, cleaners, auto fluids, batteries, fluorescent lights and more. Kane County, who will be administering the program, has a full list of accepted items on its website.

The program is for residential customers only, and no business materials will be collected.

For more information call the Geneva Public Works Department at 630-232-1501.

 

 

–Kane County News Briefs–