The City of Aurora will honor the service men and women who gave their lives for our country during the annual ceremony and parade beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Memorial Day.

AURORA

11 injured as minivan, ambulance collide

At least 11 people were injured, some sustaining head injuries, when an ambulance with lights flashing T-boned a minivan last Wednesday at Galena Boulevard and West Street in Aurora.

According to an Aurora Police Department Facebook post, an Aurora Fire Department ambulance with a patient in the vehicle and lights and sirens activated was heading west on Galena Boulevard at around 4:10 p.m. when it struck a minivan going south on West Street at the stop sign.

Eleven people were transported to hospitals.

The minivan driver was identified only as a male age 22 or 23. There was a 27-year-old female and six children — twin 1-year-old boys and girls age 4, 6, 12 and 13 — riding in the minivan.

“At least some or all are related,” the post said.

Two Aurora Fire Department paramedics and the patient in the ambulance were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

The area was shut down for about four hours.

ST. CHARLES

Police seek three men in Pheasant Run robbery

The St. Charles Police Department is offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of three men reportedly involved in a May 2 robbery in the parking lot to Pheasant Run Resort, 4051 E. Main St.

The Police Department on Tuesday (May 15, 2018) released photos of three persons of interest, as well as an image of the vehicle in which the men fled.

According to police, two offenders approached a male victim while he was walking in the Pheasant Run parking lot.

The offenders demanded the victim’s backpack, which contained personal items and an undetermined amount of cash. The victim turned over the backpack and was not hurt during the robbery.

The two offenders entered a vehicle driven by a third suspect. All the suspects fled in the vehicle eastbound on East Main Street (Illinois Route 64).

Officers checked the area for the offenders and vehicle; but neither was located.

Suspect No.1 is described as a male Hispanic about 25 years old, 5 feet, 11 inches tall and 160 pounds. He was wearing a dark shirt, blue jeans and a dark hat.

Suspect No. 2 is described as a male Hispanic, about 25 years old, 5 feet, 6 inches tall and 140 pounds. He has short hard and a dark complexion.

No description was give for Suspect No. 3, according to police.

GENEVA

No injuries after lightning strikes house

No one was injured after a house was damaged by fire on May 12 on Fox Run Drive on Geneva’s east side.

The Geneva Fire Department was dispatched to a reported structure fire at 1:47 p.m. after the homeowner called 911 to report a lightning strike to the roof with a possible fire on the second floor.

As the first units arrived, heavy fire was showing from the roof. The initial response was immediately elevated to a Mutual Aid Box Alarm System first‐level box alarm for additional manpower, equipment and resources.

Firefighters initiated an interior attack and brought the fire under control in 45 minutes.

The preliminary cause of the fire is a lightning strike to the roof. The home sustained significant fire damage in the attic and smoke and water damage throughout the structure.

Damage estimates were are being compiled, but the house has been deemed uninhabitable at this time.

Firefighters from Batavia, St. Charles, Elburn, West Chicago, Fermilab and the North Aurora fire departments assisted Geneva at the scene. The South Elgin and Winfield fire departments filled in the Geneva fire stations during the call.

ELBURN

Village upgrades system for weather warning sirens

The village of Elburn has installed an upgraded control system for its weather warning sirens.

The new system provided by Sentry Siren Inc. allows sirens to be activated through a link to the National Weather Service notification system. The link allows weather sirens to be activated automatically when NWS issues a tornado warning for any part of the village of Elburn.

“Previously our only methods of activating our weather warning sirens were by a manual activation controller located inside the police department or via a mobile radio connection in the squad cars,” Elburn Police Chief Nick Sikora said. “Both of those methods required a department member to either be in the Police Department or inside one of the squad cars.

Sikora said police still are able to manually activate sirens from both of those previous methods a well as the “automatic” notification from the weather service.

“This is an improvement for the safety of our residents to offer what should be a quicker activation of our sirens in the event of a weather emergency,” Sikora said. “In particular, this will be a benefit if the officers are busy handling another call for service and no one is on duty at the administrative
office.”

Police remind residents that the outdoor sirens are intended for notifications of people who are outside and away from other traditional means of notifications. Although the outdoor sirens can often be heard inside of homes or businesses, police encourage everyone to have a weather radio and other means of notifications for weather emergencies when you are inside your home or business.

ST. CHARLES

Volunteers sought to help with American in Bloom visit

The America in Bloom St. Charles Committee seeks volunteer help ahead of the America in Bloom program judges’ visit July 16-18, 2018.

Volunteers are needed to help prepare the City for its time in the spotlight, as well as when the judges arrive to help ensure St. Charles is looking its best.

Volunteer opportunities include:

• Helping care for and maintain landscaped areas and flower boxes
• Participating in planting days with the Pottawatomie Garden Club
• Participating in Park District Volunteer Days
• Assisting Park District Naturalists in St. Charles Parks
• Hanging red geranium drawings around town for the judges’ visit

For more information contact Marcia Koenen, Volunteer Coordinator at 630.205.2868 or mkoenen@att.net.

–Kane County News Briefs–