Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles welcomed its final guests last weekend as the facility on the east side of St. Charles shut down after an attempt to find a new owner via an auction failed last month. The facility, which opened in 1963, featured 293 rooms, plus dining, shopping and entertainment and generated more than $500,000 in yearly tax revenue, according to reports. (Photo by Jack McCarthy / Chronicle Media)

KANE COUNTY 

New coroner’s office part of proposed $13.2 million facility

Members of the Kane County Board Committee of The Whole on Tuesday (Feb. 25, 2020) heard a presentation on a proposal to build a new, $13.2 million multi-use facility at the Kane County Judicial Center campus in St. Charles.

 If approved, the facility would include a new home for the Kane County Coroner’s Office and storage space for Kane County Sheriff’s Office SWAT team, bomb squad equipment, vehicle maintenance and the county’s Facilities Maintenance Department.

According to the report, funding for the project, presently estimated at $13,246,008, would come from the sale of bonds, a $749,347 contribution from the Public Building Fund and a $600,000 grant from the state of Illinois.

If approved by the County Board Executive Committee, the proposal could be voted on by the full County Board on March 10, according to the report.

In a PowerPoint presentation on Tuesday, Kane County Board member Drew Frasz said the need for a new Coroner’s Office facility has been a topic of discussion for more than seven years.

Frasz said the present Coroner’s Office facility, located on the Kane County Government Center campus in Geneva, is in need of an upgrade.

The presentation also outlined the advantages of consolidating the SWAT team, bomb squad equipment, vehicle maintenance and facilities maintenance.

The new facility would allow the county to move several storage facilities and vehicle maintenance functions presently located at the former jail property on Fabyan Parkway, opening opportunities for sale or other uses for that property. 

Officials said the interest rate now is 44% lower than it was a year ago, making the project more affordable and shortening the bond-repayment period from 9.5 to 8.5 years.

AURORA 

Pratt memorial exhibit extended until March 14

The Aurora Historical Society is extending the exhibit commemorating the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at the Henry Pratt Company until March 14.

“There has been considerable interest in the exhibit,”  said Historical Society Executive Director John Jaros. “We hope to make sure everyone who wants to pay their respects at the crosses and view the memorabilia and the thank-you posters sent to the police and fire departments will have a chance to do so.” 

The display was originally set to close Feb. 29.

The exhibit’s extension was announced prior to the news of last week’s Milwaukee mass shooting, but the similarities of the events are many. Both involved a disgruntled employee who brought guns into the workplace and opened fire on employees.

Five people were killed in the Milwaukee rampage. Five were killed in the Pratt shooting spree.

Within the exhibit, the city of Aurora has provided note cards and envelopes which the public may use to share their thoughts with the families and the first responders.

Cards will be collected when the exhibit closes and distributed to those named. 

The exhibit is at the Pierce Art and History Center at 20 E. Downer Place, 60505. Hours are noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. 

Admission is free but donations are appreciated. 

AURORA 

Paramount announces ‘bold’ series at renewed Copley Theatre  

Paramount Theatre will pull the curtain on another venue – the remodeled Copley Theatre – where it will launch its new Bold Series, a four-show subscription ready to bring a new type of theater to downtown Aurora.

Paramount’s new Bold Series, announced last week, will offer intimate, professional live theater experiences that are fearless, unexpected and thought provoking.

Copley Theatre, a 165-seat theater located right across the street from Paramount in the North Island Center, 8 E. Galena Blvd, was best known as home to The Second City’s annual holiday revue.

But the Copley has been underutilized

 “Until now,” said Tim Rater, President and CEO, Paramount Theatre. “The Copley is in the middle of a $2 million, top-to-bottom renovation to transform it into a beautiful, state-of-the-art theater. For everyone who loves live theater, there’s going to be lots more of it in downtown Aurora.” 

By September, the Copley will be fully reactivated and ready to host Paramount’s inaugural, four-show Bold Series: A Streetcar Named Desire (Oct. 7-Nov. 22), Rabbit Hole (Jan. 13-Feb. 28, 2021), Hand to God (March 24-May 9, 2021) and Fun Home (June 9-July 25, 2021). 

“The world of theater is vast,” said Corti. “Writers and directors raise our humanity like prisms to light reflecting a spectrum of comedies, dramas and music in ways you never knew existed. Paramount’s Bold Series offers adventures to edify, entertain and gather us together in this latest addition to the artistic hub burgeoning in downtown Aurora.”

 ELGIN 

ECC hosts annual Immigrant Women’s Roundtable event

Elgin Community College will host its annual Immigrant Women’s Roundtable from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Thursday, March 5. 

The roundtable gathers immigrants from ECC and the community to tell their stories about coming to the United States, struggles they faced, and hopes that helped them to endure.

The event takes place in the Heritage Room, Building B, Room B180 at 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin, and is free and open to the public.

This year’s theme, “Immigrant Women and the U.S. Economy: Your Path to Success,” explores the roles that education and training play in the lives of immigrant women. 

Attendees will hear from many women and men whose paths to success were positively influenced by their education and training in the U.S. and abroad.

Guests are invited to share their diverse experiences, aspirations, and advice during the event. Community organizations and agencies that provide resources and assistance for immigrants are welcome to attend the event.

 For additional information about the event, to become a roundtable panel participant, or to attend the event as a community organization or agency representative, please contact Irina Del Genio at 847-214-7864 or idelgenio@elgin.edu.

AURORA 

One Earth Film Festival screens ‘The Need to GROW’

One Earth Film Festival, billed as the Midwest’s premier environmental film fest, will return to Kane County for its ninth season with a screening of “The Need to GROW” in Aurora. 

Fox River Ecosystem Partnership and other local sponsors will host the event, set for 7 p.m. Monday, March 9, at Waubonsee Community College’s Aurora Downtown Campus, 18 S. River St.

Doors will open at 6 p.m. for a Sustainability Resource Fair, and a discussion session with the filmmaker will follow the screening. 

“The Need to GROW” delivers evidence on the importance of healthy soil — revealing not only the potential of localized food production working with nature, but our opportunity as individuals to help regenerate our planet’s dying soils and participate in the restoration of the Earth. 

Several Fox River watershed organizations are co-sponsoring this screening: Fox River Ecosystem Partnership, The Conservation Foundation, Kane-DuPage Soil and Water Conservation District, Kane County Environmental & Water Resources Division, Sierra Club Valley of the Fox Group, Fox River Study Group, Friends of the Fox River, and Campton Township Parks and Open Space. 

Additional funding sponsors include Hey and Associates and Applied Ecological Services. All will participate in the Sustainability Resource Fair, along with additional guests involved in the organic farming movement.

To find out more about the film and the March 9 screening, visit http://foxriverecosystem.org/film.htm

The screening is free, although advanced ticket reservations are highly recommended as seating is limited. A donation of $8 per person is suggested; donations can be made online with the ticket reservation or at the door. 

ELGIN

 Fire investigators probe to fires in homes

The Elgin Fire Department Fire is investigating the cause of two afternoon house fires on Feb. 26, both of which were discovered while residents were still inside the buildings. 

Both homes, located on the city’s east side, sustained extensive damage and were red-tagged as uninhabitable. 

No people were hurt in either blaze, but in the fire on Elma Avenue, one dog and pet rabbit were killed by smoke inhalation. 

According to a pair of Elgin Fire Department news releases, firefighters first responded at around 4:27 p.m. Feb. 26 to the 600 Block of Elma Ave. for a report of a possible structure fire with people trapped in the basement, at which time additional fire companies were dispatched to assist.

Responding fire companies found a single-story home with fire burning throughout the first floor and flames coming out the front windows. 

Officials said the residents were in the basement of the home at the time of the fire but were unaware of the fire until objects from the first floor fell to the floor of the basement.

The residents evacuated just prior to the Fire Department’s arrival.

One dog was rescued, but another dog and rabbit succumbed to the smoke. The home was red-tagged as it is uninhabitable and the city’s code compliance division was notified for follow-up. 

Firefighters also responded to the second house fire at 6:31 p.m. on Feb. 26 in the 100 Block of Joslyn Drive.

Responding fire companies found a two-story home with fire burning through the roof and into the ceiling of the second floor

The residents were home at the time of the fire, but evacuated prior to the Fire Department’s arrival.

The first crew arrived on scene in just under five minutes. Fire crews deployed two hand lines to extinguish the fire. The fire was brought under control about 15 minutes after the arrival of the Fire Department. 

Damage estimates are in excess of $100,000.

 There were no civilian or firefighter injuries due to the fire. The home was red-tagged as it is uninhabitable and the city’s code compliance division was notified for follow-up. The Elgin Fire Department’s Fire Investigation Team is investigating, and the cause is undetermined at this time. 

KANE COUNTY

Ducks Unlimited joins in effort to revitalize Nelson Lake Marsh

Ducks Unlimited is partnering with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County to revitalize Nelson Lake Marsh.

“This is one of our premier local wetlands, located in the Dick Young Forest Preserve west of Batavia and is an Illinois Nature Preserve,” said Robert G. Walker, one of the organizers of a March 6 fundraising dinner sponsored by the Central Kane County chapter of Ducks Unlimited. 

Nelson Lake Marsh provides migration and nesting habitat for waterfowl — including the pelicans that will be coming north soon — among the 251 species of birds that can be found there. It also provides water quality and flood control benefits, as well as recreation opportunities for Kane County residents. 

Ducks Unlimited is assisting the Forest Preserve to plan and develop the necessary berms and water control structures to enhance moist-soil and semi-marsh wetland habitat.

The final component of the project is the installation of the new infrastructure to ensure that the wetland can be flooded at the appropriate time of year. These improvements will improve habitat conditions and food resources for a number of waterfowl, wildlife and other wetland-dependent species.

Ducks Unlimited is one of the nation’s leading conservation organizations. Founded by conservationists concerned with the decreasing duck populations caused by the droughts of Dust Bowl Era in 1937, DU has partnered with governmental agencies and private landowners to conserve over 11.3 million acres of wetlands. 

In its 14 years as a local chapter, the Central Kane County Chapter of DU has raised enough money to conserve more than two square miles of wetlands.

The Central Kane County Chapter of Ducks Unlimited invites any and all conservationists to attend the organization’s 15th annual banquet on Friday, March 6, at Riverside Receptions in Geneva.

Tickets range from $45 to $170. For more information call 630-234 – 8497 or 815-482-3999

ELGIN 

Man charged with leaving scene of December accident

Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon has charged 42-year-old Scott M. Brown with failure to report an accident with injuries, Class 2 felony, and driving an uninsured motor vehicle, Class A misdemeanor.

 Kane County prosecutors allege that the morning of Dec. 2, 2019, the 2019 gray Chevrolet Tahoe that Brown was driving struck a vehicle at the intersection of Summit Street and Preston Avenue in Elgin, causing injuries to the victim, the driver of the other vehicle.

The victim was hospitalized following the crash.

Brown fled the scene without stopping or calling the police.

Seven weeks later, Elgin police received notification that Brown reported that his vehicle was damaged in a crash on Dec. 6, 2019, and that a subsequent investigation revealed that the damage to Brown’s vehicle occurred in the Dec. 2, 2019, crash at Summit Street and Preston Avenue in Elgin.

Brown’s next court appearance is set for 9 a.m. March 11 in Courtroom 217 at the Kane County Judicial Center. He remains free on $1,000 bond.