Kane County News Briefs

Several lane closures and alternate traffic patterns on Aurora’s South. River St. between Prairie St. and North Ave. due to an environmental cleanup project for Nicor Gas and ComEd.

ST. CHARLES

Wife charged after trying to kill husband with bat

A 58-year-old St. Charles woman faces charges of attempted murder for attacking her husband with a baseball bat, St. Charles police said.

The St. Charles Police Department said officers were called to 406 Valley View Dr. at 4:31 a.m. on Oct. 29 for a domestic battery in progress. The caller, an adult daughter, reported that her mother was on top of her father and was hurting him. She was awoken by the disturbance and her father’s call for help.

The offender, Donna J. Black, had attacked her husband with a baseball bat while he was sleeping, police said. The victim, a 57-year-old male, sustained several lacerations to his head and a broken arm while trying to defend himself. Black also pushed the bat down onto her husband’s neck in an attempt to strangle him, police said.

The victim was transported to Delnor Hospital–Northwestern Medicine. The offender was also transported to Delnor for an unknown medical condition. After her release, she was taken into custody and processed at the St. Charles Police Department. She was transferred to the Kane County Jail on Sunday and was held for bond call.

Black appeared at bond call on Monday, Oct. 30 and was charged with the following:

  • Attempt Murder – a Class X felony
  • Aggravated Domestic Battery – a Class 2 felony
  • Aggravated Domestic Battery Strangle – a Class 2 felony

Bail for Black was set at $750,000. The next court date is Nov. 3, 2017, in room 319 of the Kane County Judicial Center.

A review of police records shows that there have not been any previous domestic related calls at this residence.

AURORA

Turkey Fest fundraiser to benefit East schools

The Communities In Schools Turkey Fest 2017 will take place Saturday, November 11, from 1 to 5 p.m. at Mike & Denise’s Pizzeria, Bar & Grill 2760 N. Farnsworth Avenue, Aurora.

Activities include frozen turkey bowling contest, turkey raffle, themed raffle baskets from local businesses, and a 50/50 drawing.

Admission is free; bring a new child’s winter hat or gloves for free raffle tickets. Proceeds from the event will help the “Coats for Kids initiative”, ensuring that children in our community have adequate winter gear.

Communities In Schools partners with District 131 to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.

For ticket booklets or more information, see the flyers or contact Anna Toole at agtoole@cisaurora.org or (630) 640-8462.

GENEVA

Cougars’ perfect game top performance in minors

Minor League Baseball has announced that fans have selected Kane County Cougar Connor Grey’s perfect game as the top performance of the season during the 2017 Minor League Baseball Yearly award online voting process.

The MiLBY’s are awarded annually to the most outstanding players, teams, performances and promotions of the year. The online voting process takes place at MiLB.com, the official website of Minor League Baseball.

Among the other 10 nominees, Grey’s perfect performance received 25 percent of the votes to earn the Fans’ Choice.

On Sept. 1, in his final outing of the 2017 season for the Cougars, Grey tossed the first perfect game in franchise history using exactly 100 pitches, 70 of which were strikes. Grey’s perfect game was also the first by a Midwest League pitcher since 2004 and the first for an Arizona Diamondbacks minor leaguer.

Following the historic outing, the Cougars front office is now proudly displaying a signed Connor Grey jersey along with the game rubber and official scorecard from Sept. 1.

AURORA

Environmental cleanup closes South River St.

Several lane closures and alternate traffic patterns on S. River St. between Prairie St. and North Ave. are in effect as a result from an environmental cleanup project for Nicor Gas and ComEd.

During the project, S. River Street will be closed between Prairie and North. The intersections of Prairie and S. River; and North and S. River, will remain open. Later in the project the intersection of North and S. River will be closed.

In addition, the following alternate traffic patterns will be in place:

  • Left turns onto River Street. from westbound North Avenue are restricted. Drivers will only be able to turn right on northbound River. Drivers will need to follow the detour taking River to Gale Street to Lake Street to Prairie and back to River to go south on River.
  • Left turns onto River from eastbound Prairie are restricted. Drivers will only be able to turn right on southbound River. Drivers will need to follow the detour taking Lake to Gale to River to go northbound on River.
  • River between Prairie and North will be closed. Drivers will need to follow the detour using Prairie Street, Lake Street and Gale Street.

During the initial phase of work, trucks will use the same posted detour as cars. A separate truck detour will be posted in later phases of the project, when the intersection of North Ave. and S. River St. is closed.

Detour routes along River Street, North Avenue, Gale Street, Lake Street, and Prairie Street. will be posted.

The project is expected to be completed in 18 months, conditions permitting.

BATAVIA

MetroNet to start work  on fiber optic network

MetroNet has announced it will begin construction of their multimillion-dollar 100% fiber optic network in Batavia in early November. 

MetroNet construction crews will soon be working throughout the city placing fiber underground and on utility poles. As segments of the network are completed, MetroNet will offer Internet speeds of up to one Gigabit per second and interactive fiber TV service with incredible picture quality, plus feature-rich and reliable fiber phone service: all at affordable rates.

MetroNet also plans to offer a full suite of business communications services ranging from a scalable-hosted PBX phone solution for small and medium businesses all the way up to customized network services tailored to the specific needs of larger customers.   

Prior to starting construction work in a neighborhood, MetroNet will mail each resident a letter explaining its construction process and providing contact information to report any issues or concerns.  

Informational yard signs will also be placed in each yard with company contact information.

Residents may also go to the company’s website www.metronetinc.com/construction to view construction areas and details about construction process and to submit questions.

ELGIN

ECC hosts part two of program on hate speech

Elgin Community College will host part two of its Targets of Hate series:Hate Speech and Freedom of Speech, a conversation about the intricacies of the First Amendment, on Wednesday, Nov. 8. The event is free and open to the public, and will take place from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. in the college’s Spartan

Auditorium in Building G of 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. 

A panel of experts will discuss the First Amendment and the highly debated topic of what is considered hate speech versus one exercising their right to freedom of speech. The experts include Junaid M. Afeef, J.D., director, Targeted Violence Prevention Program – Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority, State of Illinois; Wayne B. Giampietro, J.D., First Amendment Lawyers Association; Laura Haske, J.D., ECC paralegal professor; and Jeffrey Moore, agent, FBI – Chicago Office. 

The event is sponsored by the ECC Multicultural and Global Initiatives Committee (MAGIC), who has developed a cohesive series of out-of-class, campus-wide learning conversations for students, faculty, staff, administrators, and the community. Part one of the Targets of Hate series, Confederate Flag and Monuments: Why are they a big deal?, took place on Sept. 13, where ECC’s history professors provided historical perspectives surrounding the controversy.

ELGIN

Trail repairs planned for Trout Park this week

Trail repairs are planned for the Fox River Trail at Trout Park in Elgin this week.

Forest Preserve District of Kane County staff will be replacing a culvert under the trail, just south of I-90 and north of Cedar Avenue.

The District asks Fox River Trail users to be mindful of the possibility of intermittent closures, Nov. 6-10.

A detour will be posted through Trout Park, on an existing bike path, during the repair project.

For more information, call the Forest Preserve District at 630-232-5980 or visit www.kaneforest.com.

 

–Kane County News Briefs–