The Village of Montgomery will be holding an electronic recycling event on Saturday, Jan. 20, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Public Works facility.

Aurora

Bystander rescues man from burning home

At 2:56 a.m. on Dec. 19, the Aurora Fire Department responded to a reported structure fire in the 400 block of South Ohio Street on the East Side of the city. It is unknown at this time who called 911.

A bystander driving on his way to work saw a blaze and stopped to help. He saw one adult male victim in the front yard however, there was a second adult male victim still trapped inside.

The bystander entered the home and rescued the second victim but before he could offer up any information he left and continued on his way to work.

Upon arrival firefighters found one-story single family home with heavy fire showing from two windows.

It took 29 firefighters to fully extinguish the fire in under an hour. There were no injuries to firefighters however, the two adult male victims were transported to area hospitals for smoke inhalation. Their conditions were not released.

Damage to the building is estimated at $80,000 and the home has been deemed uninhabitable. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Kendall County

VAC Scholarship applications being accepted

The Veterans Assistance Commission of Kendall County (VACKC) is now accepting applications for the 2018 Veteran Memorial Scholarship: In Honor of Gene A. White, Arnold J. Bitterman, and Bradley “Steve” Barrett.

This year, three scholarships will be available in the amount of $1,000 each.

Applicants must be Kendall County residents that meet one of the scholarship’s eligibility criteria.  All completed applications must be received no later than the close of business on March 1, 2018.

Scholarship forms can be obtained from the website www.co.kendall.il.us/veteransassistance/scholarship/   

Any questions or concerns regarding the application process should be referred to the Superintendent. 

Optimist Club essay contest submissions sought

The Oswegoland Optimist Club announces the start of their annual Essay Contest. The entry form provides all the details for the essay and who to submit it to, which is due Feb. 1.

Monetary awards will be given for first place ($150), second place ($125), and third place ($100), along with a medallion for each winner.  Winning essays from our district will be entered to compete for subsequent awards/recognition with Optimist International.

This contest is open to all area students. You do not have to live in Oswego.

Winners receive a cash prize, and the opportunity to advance to the district level, where he/she will compete for a $2,500 scholarship.

The essay contest is sponsored by the Optimist Club to give young people the opportunity to write about their own opinions regarding the world in which they live.  The approach can encompass a young person’s personal experience, the experience of their country or a more historical perspective.

All entries must be sent no later than Feb. 1, 2018 to:
Tracey Contino
Oswego High School
4250 Route 71
Oswego, IL 60543

Montogmery

January recycling event set for Montgomery

Beginning in October, the recycling events in Montgomery changed locations and are now quarterly events. These new events are provided by DC Trash, the Village’s contracted waste hauler.

The next quarterly event (for Village of Montgomery residents only—ID required) will be Saturday, Jan. 20, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Public Works facility at 891 Knell Road off of Route 31.

(This does not include businesses, apartment buildings, or residents in Boulder Hill or other unincorporated areas. The event is only for residential addresses inside the corporate limits of Montgomery that pay the monthly fee for trash pickup as part of the DC Trash program with the Village.)

TVs of all types, all electronics (basically anything with an electric plug or that uses batteries), metal, rechargeable and lead batteries, and household hazardous waste will be accepted for recycling with no charge. Going forward, the new quarterly events will take place on the third Saturday of January, April, July and October.

Here is a link to more details on the batteries and household waste: http://ci.montgomery.il.us/index

Tube TVs are taken for free.

Oswego

Senior Center volunteers needed

The Oswego Senior Center has multiple opportunities for volunteerism, for all ages, individuals and groups throughout the year.

If you are interested in volunteering, please call Ruth Mattson for a volunteer application and interview, (630) 554-5602 or email volunteer@oswegoseniorcenter.org. Current positions available:

Kitchen Volunteers— Help us prep food, drinks and snacks; serve food and/or clean/up. Volunteers must be able to work with others in a fast-paced environment and must complete a food sanitation class provided by the Oswego Senior Center. Lunch Mondays/Wednesdays/Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Gift Shop Volunteer —Must be able to lift, carry and move up to 20 lbs. Work with the Gift Shop Manager to arrange and rotate inventory. Gift shop is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 9 a.m. to noon and for special events.

Special Events Help:

• Valentine Dinner Dance — Saturday, Feb. 10. Set up, Serve, clean up event
• Volunteer Bus Driver —Drive our 12-passenger bus to pick up participants for our lunch program, go shopping or go on day trips. Drivers need to be competent, friendly, and at ease with driving on the highway and in the city. Will need to go through a training program prior to driving the bus. Time commitment: 3 hours per week (lunch program Monday or Thursday); 4 hours per week (Wednesday shopping); or up to 8 hours for day trips on weekdays.
• Kids Younger than 14: Make crafts or cards at home and drop off at the senior center for distribution.

Oswego Police engage in holiday crackdown

This holiday season, the Oswego Police Department will work around the clock to keep drivers and passengers safe as they search for distracted drivers and unbuckled vehicle occupants. From Dec.  20, through the early morning hours of Jan. 2, 2018, the Oswego Police Department is partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation, Illinois State Police and local law enforcement agencies throughout Illinois in a year-end Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over and Click It or Ticket enforcement efforts.

Officers also will be looking for, and ticketing, individuals who aren’t buckled up. It is the law in Illinois to wear your seat belt, no matter where you are seated in the vehicle.

Last year, 37,461 people were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States. Of those killed, 28 percent (10,497) died in crashes in which a driver had a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) over the limit of 0.08.

As of Dec. 8,  1,019 people have died in traffic crashes in the State of Illinois. Of the 488 cases in which seatbelt usage was reported, 43 percent of fatality victims were not wearing seat belts or were using them improperly.

Wearing a properly adjusted and fastened seat belt remains one of your best defenses against injury or death in the event of a crash.

Yorkville

Y115 seeks locals to speak on social/emotional topics

For the 2017-18 school year, District 115 has  implemented a program called “Second Step” as a tool to address the Social Emotional Learning Standards; a component of the Illinois Learning Standards. 

This particular intervention has been shown through rigorous study to benefit students.

In order to provide a tangible connection for students to the topics covered through this intervention, speakers within the community are needed. District 115 is seeking speakers who deal effectively with social and emotional topics through their professional and personal work. All speakers should be deemed appropriate to speak in a public school. Parents and other community members are encouraged to nominate possible speakers who have meaningful connections with children in the community through activities, sports, and other youth and volunteer activities.

Community partners and other youth activity sponsors may be considered appropriate nominees. However, each nominee will go through a selection process by the district and each individual school.

Please thoughtfully consider nominating a respected community member who connects with students as a positive role model and mentor. 

Visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3Q3ZCTL to complete the form to nominate a speaker.