Yorkville

Council OKs route for new bike path

The Yorkville City Council is agreeing with the state on the route for the proposed bike path along Route 34. Aldermen recently voted to keep the path on the north side of Route 34, from Eldamain Road to Orchard Road in Oswego, according to reports.  The path will include a section from Cannonball Trail to Center Parkway, which will be on the south side, according to reports. The project is included into the widening of Route 34 between Eldamain and Orchard roads.

Yorkville

Hearings scheduled on ampitheater plan

The Yorkville Plan Commission will be holding several public hearings regarding a proposed amphitheater. The plan, from Imperial Investments, involves a more than 800-square-foot pavilion and stage on Van Emmon Street, near Route 47. The theater is proposed to seat 150 people.

Oswego

District 308 breaks with bilingual group

Oswego School District 308 has severed ties with the Bilingual Parent Advisory Council based on a Feb. 12 memo from the administration to BPAC board members. Assistant Superintendent Paul O’Malley cited several legal compliance issues for the district, taking formal action against the BPAC, according to the district.

The 500-member BPAC, a state-mandated group, is comprised of a minority of parents of children who are English Language Learners and a majority of parents whose children are native English speakers and members of the district’s Dual Language program, according to O’Malley. Federal and state laws require that the majority of parents be ELL, O’Malley cited. The relationship between BPAC and District 308 has been strained for nearly a year over the future of the district’s Dual Language program. The district ordered an outside evaluation of Dual Language last year, and board members may vote over the next few months to dismantle the program, according to the district.

Oswego

Board candidate to run as write-in

Oswego School District 308 Board President Bill Walsh filed paperwork and will run as a write-in candidate in the Tuesday, April 7 election.

Walsh originally ceased seeking re-election in January after objections were raised regarding his nominating petitions by candidate Alison Swanson.  Walsh is reported to have said he plans to participate in upcoming School Board candidate forums.

Oswego

State OKs high school credit plan

Oswego School District 308 has earned the support of the Illinois State Board of Education in its proposal for a waiver to allow junior high students to get high school credit for the high school level courses they complete while in sixth, seventh and eighth grades.

Oswego

Local chiropractor arrested on drug charges

An Oswego chiropractor has been charged with illegally imported anabolic steroids from China, then sold the possibly harmful drugs to patients locally and nationwide, according to federal authorities.

Gregory Zimmerman, 43, is charged with possessing with intent to distribute a controlled substance, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Authorities worked with an informant who received shipments of bulk steroid powder from China on the Zimmerman’s behalf, according to federal authorities. That then led to a search of Zimmerman’s home on Jan. 30 by Homeland Security agents and found an apparent steroid manufacturing lab in the house, the statement alleges.  Zimmerman surrendered to authorities on Feb. 9 and was released on a $25,000 bond.

Kendall County

Sheriff’s group offering scholarships

The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office will participate in the The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association college scholarship program, which will award more than $53,000 in scholarships throughout the state for the 2015-16 academic year. The scholarships are to be applied to tuition, books, and fees only.  Sheriff Dwight A. Baird, Kendall County, will be awarding one scholarship in the amount of $500. The only requirements are:

• The student must be enrolled full-time at a certified institution of higher learning within the State of Illinois for 2015-16;

• Applicants must be permanent Illinois residents;
• Scholarships must be utilized at institutions of higher learning within the State of Illinois;

Applications are now available at the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, 1102 Cornell Lane, Yorkville; or online at www.co.kendall.il.us/sheriff or www.ilsheriff.org.

Sandwich

Sandwich to host Fox Valley best dessert competition

Chef Gale Gand, a nationally acclaimed pastry chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and television personality will serve as the celebrity judge for the upcoming best dessert in Fox Valley competition. The event will be held at 6 p.m. on March 5 at the Sandwich Opera House, 140 East Railroad St., and is sponsored by the Aurora Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Chef Gand has been recognized as Outstanding Pastry Chef of the Year by The James Beard Foundation and by Bon Appetit magazine and has been inducted into the Chicago Chefs Hall of Fame. Other judges on the panel will be Sandwich Mayor Rick Olson, Big Rock President Dean Hummell and Yorkville Mayor Gary Golinski. The event is free and open to the public.