Kendall County News Briefs

Chronicle Media

The Kendall County Correctional Facility in Yorkville. (Photo courtesy of Kendall County)

Aurora

Police investigate scamming of senior citizen

Aurora Police are encouraging residents to talk with their elderly family members and neighbors about a recent scam that was reported in the city.

Around 5 p.m. Oct. 2, a male knocked on the back door of a home occupied by a 95-year-old woman and her son in the 300 block of S. State Street.

Police said the woman has both sight and hearing problems and her son was not home at the time. The man who knocked on the door asked for the lady’s son by name, mentioned something about a home repair, and walked into the home.

After a short conversation, the man suddenly left. When the son returned a short time later, he discovered numerous pieces of jewelry missing. It is not known if the man who entered the home was alone or may have had an accomplice.

There is no physical description of the suspect.

Police ask family members and friends to have regular talks with seniors about the mass availability of personal information on the internet and that con men asking for a family member by name is not at all rare. Family members should also reinforce the importance of keeping homes securely locked and calling 911 if they find themselves in a similar, or any suspicious, situation.

If you may have witnessed this ruse or have any information, please call Investigations at (630) 256-5500, Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000, or submit your tip with the department’s My PD app.

Gift from home program kicks off

The city of Aurora’s annual Gifts from Home program provides hardworking active members of the military a reminder from their hometown during the holidays.

Gifts from Home supplies Aurora residents who are actively serving in the military – at home or abroad – with a gift box that includes mixed nuts, Aurora memorabilia and a card during the holiday season.

“Thank you, Aurora, for the awesome gift. Your support is truly appreciated,” said Jeremiah Anderson Perez, a soldier in the United States Army who was surprised to receive his gift from home.

To register an active member of the military, visit www.aurora-il.org/GiftsFromHome to submit an online registration or email the following information to MyAurora@aurora-il.org:

  • Active military member name and rank
  • Complete military address as it should appear line-by-line
  • Branch of service and current station
  • Home address in Aurora
  • Name, relationship and daytime phone of person submitting

“As a young soldier, receiving mail from home was heartwarming,” said Mayor Richard Irvin, a veteran of U.S. Army who served in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. “Something like this from the City would have inspired me to work even harder.”

To ensure timely deliver for the holidays, the deadline to submit information for this year’s program is Friday, Nov. 17. 

Kifowit hosting family Internet safety seminar

To help parents and community members better protect their children online, state Rep. Stephanie Kifowit, D-Oswego, is hosting a Family Internet Safety Seminar on Thursday, Oct. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Aurora Library-Eola Road Branch, located at 555 S. Eola Road in Aurora.

“The internet can be an incredible resource for our families, but it is also a tool criminals use to prey on our children and target our personal financial information,” Kifowit said. “My event will address how to teach children to avoid scams, protect sensitive information, and avoid dangerous interactions with strangers. We will also show parents how they can monitor their child’s online usage and limit inappropriate content.”

Kifowit’s Family Internet Safety Seminar will be an information session featuring Oswego Community School District 308 Communication Director Theresa Komitas.

As seating is limited at the library, those interested in attending the information session are encouraged to RSVP by calling Kifowit’s constituent service office at (630) 585-1308 or by email at RSVP@IlDistrict84.com.

“When used properly, the internet is vital and helpful tool that can enhance our children’s education,” Kifowit said. “It is important that parents know how to ensure their children’s safety and privacy while online.”

Training sessions are coming up this month in Montgomery and Naperville for students looking to become 4-H Teen Science and Health Ambassadors. For more information, go to go.illinois.edu/science4Hdkk. (Photo courtesy of Illinois 4-H)

Kendall County

Youth can share time, interests through 4-H

From aerospace to wellness, 4-H Teen Science and Health Ambassadors have the opportunity to learn and lead hands-on educational lessons through 4-H.

Now in its sixth year, the local program continues to encourage youth to share their time and talents in their communities.

4-H Teen Science and Health Ambassadors are a group of middle- and high-school students who study different science, engineering and technology lessons that they then share with children and community members at workshops, science fairs, after-school programs and community events throughout the year. To do this, older youth receive focused training from 4-H staff and adult volunteers.

“They then pay it forward and volunteer to share these wonderful learning opportunities with others through supervised, organized activities,” said Donna Nuger, 4-H Youth Development educator. “Through it, youth build knowledge in the many STEM-related areas, while developing skills in public speaking, leadership, communication, and teamwork.”

Lessons may feature nutrition, physics, aerospace, engineering, electronics, biotechnology, and environmental science, just to name a few.

“We are kicking off a new 4-H year, and that also means the start of a new 4-H Teen Science and Health Ambassador year,” said Nuger. “We have two welcome and training sessions this fall to choose from, one in Naperville and one in Montgomery.”

The local 4-H Teen Science and Health Ambassadors program is designed for youth in grades 6 to 12, and serves DuPage, Kane and Kendall counties.

“We love to see these  4-H youth embrace new ideas and acquire new skills,” said Nuger. “Through all our 4-H Teen Science and Health Ambassador efforts in 2016-17, we directly reached more than 3,000 youth and community members.”

Interested youth can choose from two 4-H training events: Saturday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Naperville or Saturday, Nov. 11 from 1:30 to 4 p.m. in Montgomery. Cost is $30 per youth and includes training supplies and 2017-2018 4-H enrollment.

To learn more or register, visit go.illinois.edu/science4Hdkk or contact your local Extension office. If you need a reasonable accommodation to participate, notify two weeks prior to the event.

Correctional facility completes first phase of accreditation

In March  2015 the Kendall County Correctional Facility began a long and lengthy process of accreditation through the American Correctional Association (ACA).

The process moved to the audit stage which was completed with a two-day onsite assessment of our correction facilities by the ACA which concluded on Sept. 19.

The ACA reported that the jail met 100-percent of the mandatory standards and greater than 93.2-percent of the non-mandatory standards.

The goal of ACA accreditation is to improve facility operations through adherence to clear standards relevant to all areas and operations of the facility, including safety, security, order, inmate care, programs, justice, and administration.

The next step in this process will not come until January when the ACA’s Commission on Accreditation will review the final audit report and vote on initial accreditation at the 2018 Winter Conference in Orlando, Fla.

“It is imperative to perform to the highest standards to minimize liability to avoid lawsuits and reduce risk to staff. By having an independent assessment that examines your operations and services can greatly assist in accomplishing these goals. I would like to thank each and every correctional staff member for their dedication and professionalism. The Assessors had a lot of complimentary and supportive comments about the staff, great job everyone,” said Sheriff Dwight Baird.

Montgomery

Village makes changes to its recycling program

The village of Montgomery’s recycling events will be changing in October to quarterly events for Montgomery residents only, and the location will also be changing.

Quarterly recycling events will be offered on the third Saturday of the month in October, January, April and July from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Public Works facility at 891 Knell Road in Montgomery.  During the event, Montgomery residents can drop off electronics (anything electrical that plugs in, including TV’s of all types, computer monitors, etc.), rechargeable or lead acid batteries, and metal.  Also accepted will be household hazardous waste, including pesticides, flammables (oil-based paint, paint thinner, gas and oil), caustic cleaners, toxics (such as pool chemicals and weed killer), CFL bulbs, and propane tanks 20 lbs. or less.

The next upcoming event will be Saturday, Oct. 21 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.  A photo ID will be required to show residency.

Please note that this recycling event will not accept latex paint, appliances, regular light bulbs, regular alkaline household batteries, or tires.  More complete information may be found on the Village’s website at www.ci.montgomery.il.us.

Please call (630) 896-8080, Ext. 9003 with any questions.

Oswego

Village provides free curbside leaf collection

Curbside leaf collection, a service provided free to Oswego residents, begins Monday, Oct. 16 and continues through Friday, Dec. 4, throughout the Village of Oswego.

Leaves will be picked up three times in each of the three zones throughout the Village.

Zone A includes all properties that are west of the Fox River, plus the Hunt Club subdivision, and all properties that are both east of Fox Bend Golf Course and south of Route 34. Leaves in Zone A will be collected the weeks of Oct. 16, Oct. 30 and Nov. 20.

Zone B includes all properties south of Wolf Road; all properties that are south of Route 34, east of the Fox River, and west of Route 71 (downtown Oswego); and all properties south of Route 71 excluding Hunt Club. Leaves in Zone B will be collected the weeks of Oct. 16, Nov. 6, and Nov. 27.

Zone C includes all properties that are both east of the Fox River and northwest of Route 34. Leaves in Zone C will be collected the weeks of Oct. 23, Nov. 13 and Dec. 4.

Place leaves in piles in the grass on the parkway near the curb by 7 a.m. on the Monday of your specified week for collection. Leaves not places in the parkway by 7 a.m. Monday will be picked up on the following scheduled collection week for your zone.

For more information on proper leaf disposal, including a map of your zone, visit the Leaf Collection page.

Senior Center to host medical cannabis discussion

Come learn about Medical Cannabis, the health benefits, the misconceptions and the current Illinois Law from Rick Niksic of Greenhouse.

The program will take place at the Oswego Senior Center, 156 E. Washington St. from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Oct. 24.

R.S.V.P is required and a light lunch will be served. Call (630) 554-5602 to register.

 

–Kendall County News Briefs–