Kane County News Briefs

Chronicle Media

Sears plans to close a store at Fox Valley Mall, among at least 63 shutdowns planned nationwide of Sears and Kmart retail operations.

REGION

Sears to shutter Fox Valley three other Illinois stores

First Carson’s, now Sears.

Sears Holdings, the long-struggling Hoffman Estates-based retailer, announced last week it will close a Sears story at Aurora’s Fox Valley Mall and three other Illinois locations.

The announcement comes in the wake of a Carson’s shutdown at the Aurora mall and Charlestown Mall in St. Charles as well as a Carson’s outlet store near downtown Aurora.

The latest closures announced last Thursday are among 72 targeting unprofitable Sears and Kmart stories around the country, including five in Illinois. A total of 63 closings were announced with nine more to come.

Other Illinois closures include Sears stores in Vernon Hills, Gurnee and Springfield plus a Rockford Kmart.

“As part of our ongoing efforts to streamline the Company’s operations and focus on our Best Stores, we have identified approximately 100 non-profitable stores, many of which will begin store closing sales in the near future,” Sears Holdings said in a statement. “We continue to evaluate our network of stores, which are a critical component in our transformation, and will make further adjustments as needed and as warranted.”

Sears Holdings announced the closings along with first quarter financial results, which showed a loss of $424 million. Revenue plunged more than 30 percent to $2.89 billion from $4.2 billion in the same period in 2017.

Liquidation sales are expected to begin as soon as June 14, the company said.

FOX VALLEY PARKS

District will issue refunds after canoe race cancelled

The Fox Valley Park District will issue full refunds to participants who registered for last Sunday’s Mid-Am Canoe and Kayak race.

“Historically fast water flow rates on the Fox River were most recently measured in excess of 5,000 cubic feet per second. Acceptable safe race conditions call for measurements of 2,100 cubic feet per second or less,” the District said in a statement. “Despite possible drops in levels by Sunday, we can’t assume a safe range will be reached.”

The cancellation was only the second in 15 years of racing.

Participants should call 630-859-8606 for refund information.

AURORA

‘Bonnie and Clyde’ duo rob West Side bank

The FBI and Aurora Police Department officials are seeking a Bonnie-And-Clyde-style duo accused of a bank robbery that occurred last Thursday at the Aurora Bank & Trust.

According to an APD Facebook post, Aurora police are assisting the FBI in the investigation of the robbery, which took place in the 2200 block of W. Galena Boulevard on the city’s Far West Side.

The preliminary investigation indicates that two suspects — a man and a woman and at least one of them armed — entered the bank at around 12:35 p.m. They then approached one of three employees working at the time and demanded money.

The employee complied and handed over an undisclosed amount of cash.

During the course of the robbery, at least one shot was fired by the suspects that did not hit anyone.

The pair then ran to a black Ford Fusion or similar vehicle and took off. They were last seen northbound on Orchard Road.

Any tips or information should called into the FBI at 312-421-6700.

ELGIN

South Elgin’s BEACON changes name, focus

South Elgin High School’s B.E.A.C.O.N. Academy is changing its name to the Beacon Academy of Media and Digital Arts to better reflect shifts in the media industry and the types of careers and post-secondary education for which it is preparing its students.

The SEHS academy is among five, one at each of School District U-46’s high schools, that offer intensive curriculum through focused, small learning communities to students who are admitted through an application and review process.

When it was founded in 2007, B.E.A.C.O.N. stood for “Broadcast, Education and Communication Networks,” but Kinasha Brown, the District’s career and technical education coordinator, said instructors believed that name no longer reflected the instructional content.

“The new name will better define and align the components of the curriculum to the ever evolving state of the broadcast communication industry,” Brown said. “Because of the name, the perception was that students there only studied broadcast and communication. But they are actually focused on the study of the converging components of media production as a whole, and broadcasting is just a small portion of that.”

Students, teachers and administrators have been using the new name since January 2018, but the Board of Education was expected to formally approve the name change this week.

Informational sessions for parents are scheduled on May 30, May 31 and June 7; details can be found at https://www.u-46.org/Domain/10260.

KANE COUNTY

Coroner identifies man found in Fox River

The Kane County Coroner’s Office has identified a 39-year-old male who was found in the Fox River over the Memorial Day weekend.

According to a Coroner’s Office news release, staff was notified transported on May 27 by Presence Mercy Medical Center in Aurora that a man was transported to to the Medical Center after being found in the Fox River.

The deceased was identified as Edward A. Poe of Aurora.

An autopsy was performed on May 30 at the Kane County morgue, with the preliminary cause of death pending further studies.

Toxicology samples were collected and sent to a forensic lab.

The Kane County Coroner’s Office is cooperating with the North Aurora Police Department in their ongoing investigation of this incident.

AURORA

Free summer concerts coming to downtown

Wednesdays at the Plaza, a free summer concert series, returns to downtown Aurora for three dates this summer. The concerts will be held at the gazebo at Millennium Plaza, 21 S. Stolp Ave., on June 20, July 18, and August 15.

Each third Wednesday evening from June through August will feature two bands along with food trucks, and a beer tent from 5 to 8:30 p.m.

On June 20, Soul Krave and Rebel Soul Revival perform. A-Town Hot Dogs and Foxy’s Ice Cream are visiting food trucks. Leland Legends hosts a beer tent in the lawn.

On July 18, The Reserve and Stumpwater perform. Grumpy Gaucho adds to the food truck lineup.

On August 15, Saint Astro and Kevin Andrew Prchal perform. A-Town Hot Dogs and Foxy’s Ice Cream are visiting food trucks.

The free and family-friendly concert series was started in 2016 by Marissa Amoni and Tony Scott, and is now presented by Aurora Downtown, a nonprofit of business and property owners in downtown Aurora’s Special Service Area #One.

REGION

International science fair to be hosted by IMSA

Aurora’s Illinois Math and Science Academy will host the 14th Annual International Student Science Fair, the first time the event has been held in the United States.

The five-day event runs from June 27-July 1, 2018 and will highlight three global challenges that transcend national boundaries: water, hunger and energy.

“When you trust youth to lead, you create space for young people to show you what is possible, through their eyes, in our world. You also create space for youth and adults to lead together,” communications and learning consultant Kelly Page said in a blog on the ISSF LinkedIn page.

More than 150 students, educators and school leaders from the best STEM schools in the world from across more than 25 countries, will spend those five days “ideating, sharing and collaborating on some big world challenges and the United Nations Global Goals to address them.”

The International Students Science Fair is a major annual event promoted by the International Science Schools Network. The ISSF provides a unique forum for budding scientists to display their enquiry skills and defend their findings in a non-competitive environment.

AURORA

Police to offer active threat training

In light of continued incidents of sporadic mass violence nationwide, Aurora Police officers will be holding training workshops at Waubonsie Valley High School for organizations within the city on the ALICE protocol.

ALICE, which stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate; covers how to react in active threat situations in settings such as houses of worship, schools, businesses, medical/municipal environments, and other public and private surroundings.

The class is presented in a brief, two hour instructional training module incorporating fundamentals that can be applied to nearly any setting.

Police will hold two workshops on Tuesday, June 19 inside the school auditorium, 2590 Ogden Ave., from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Space will be limited so requests should be submitted as soon as possible by emailing Lt. Jeff Wiencek at Wiencekj@apd.aurora.il.us.

Include the preferred program time, the name and physical address of the organization, the number of people that will attend and a name and phone number of the organization’s contact.

Preference will be given to larger organizations in order to maximize this rare training opportunity.

Questions should be directed to Lt. Wiencek at 630-256-5112.

 

 

–Kane County News Briefs–