Solar Panels were installed on the Support Techs building at 1 E. Benton St. in downtown Aurora. Dan Schmidt of Rethink Electric secures American-made 300 watt solar modules to racks held in place with concrete ballast blocks. (Photo by Joshua Schultz courtesy of GreenLife Media Group).

COUNTY

Board reaffirms policy on sexual harassment

The Kane County Board last week passed an ordinance affirming a policy to prohibit sexual harassment.

The county ordinance follows the state of Illinois’ Public Act 100, which passed the Illinois General Assembly last Nov.  requires units of local government to adopt such an ordinance within 60 days.

Kane County Human Resources Executive Director Sylvia Wetzel said Kane County has had a policy prohibiting sexual harassment in place for many years. Tuesday’s action simply affirms that the policy is in compliance with the new state law.

“Individuals should be able to work in an environment free from sexual harassment,” she said. “Human Resources offers reassurance, by creating policy, training, and procedures in order to respond to concerns appropriately.”

The county’s policy is specified in detail in the employee handbook, which defines sexual harassment and prohibits it in any form — verbal, nonverbal, visual or physical. The handbook also details the responsibility of individual employees and supervisors as well as the process for filing a complaint.

Wetzel said the county’s policy on sexual harassment is clear.

“We have shared our policy with our department heads, elected officials and employees alike, as it is the responsibility of each individual to refrain from such behavior and understand that such conduct is unacceptable,” she said.

GENEVA

No charges in crash that killed one, injured another

No charges will be filed in the fatal car crash that killed one person and injured another early Jan. 7 in the 1400 block of West State St. in Geneva.

The Kane County Coroner’s Office will be conducting an plans an autopsy on Adam L. Bruner, 28, 300 block of Augusta Avenue, DeKalb, who died following the two-car accident. Any determination of drugs or alcohol playing a contributing factor in the crash will be made by the Coroner’s Office following the autopsy.  

Bruner was driving at 1:18 a.m. Jan 7 on westbound State Street when he allegedly failed to maneuver a curve in the roadway, according to police evidence and witness statements. His 2000 Honda Accord then entered the eastbound lane of traffic and struck a 2013 VW Passat driven by an 18-year-old Geneva man.

Both men were transported by the Geneva Fire Department to Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva, where Bruner was pronounced dead due to injuries he suffered from the accident. The Geneva man was treated and released from the hospital Jan. 7.

The Kane County Accident Reconstruction Team, in conjunction with the Geneva Police Department, investigated the incident.

COUNTY

Sams Club closing four area locations

On the same day Walmart announced salary increases and bonuses for many workers the company announced it would be closing 63 Sam’s Club outlets, including three in the western suburbs.

The company announced closures of Sam’s Clubs at 501 N. Randall, Batavia, 808 S. Route 59, Naperville,  900 S. Barrington Road, Streamwood and 460 S. Weber, Romeoville.

News of the closures emerged last Thursday after Walmart announced it would raise staring salaries to $11 per hour and offer employees a $1,000 bonus.

“After a thorough review of our existing portfolio, we’ve decided to close a series of clubs and better align our locations with our strategy,” the company said on Twitter. “Closing clubs is never easy and we’re committed to working with impacted members and associates through this transition.”

Some of the stores may be converted into e-commerce distribution centers, according to reports.

ST. CHARLES

Police reach out to public to identify robbery suspect

The St. Charles and West Chicago police departments are asking the public for help in identifying a suspect believed to have committed two armed robberies in the area Dec. 27, 2017.

One was at the Domino’s Pizza at 1450 W. Main in St. Charles and the other at Thornton’s gas station at 1330 S. Neltnor Boulevard in West Chicago.

The departments have described the suspect as a 25-year-old male Hispanic who is about 6-feet tall and weighs 200 pounds.

Police are offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of the suspect. Contact the St. Charles Police Department at (630) 377-4435 or the West Chicago Police Department at (630) 293-2222.

To make an anonymous tip, call the St. Charles Crime Tip Hotline (866) 378-4267 or report it online at www.stcharlesil.gov/report-crimedrug-tip.

REGION

Meals on Wheels program seeks drivers

The Salvation Army Golden Diners Meals on Wheels program is  seeking volunteers to deliver lunch time meals to homebound seniors, Monday through Friday.

Volunteers are needed to deliver meals to seniors in the Aurora, North Aurora, and Elgin areas.

Volunteers can set their own schedule to deliver meals once a month, as often as they would like, or can sign up as a “substitute driver” to fill in when needed.

Service hours are basically from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Volunteer drivers serve a most important service to their communities. They are a link to the outside world for many recipients who may only see one person a day, their meals on wheels driver. Volunteers offer a nutritious meal, human contact, and a well-being check.

For more information contact The Salvation Army Golden Diners at (630)  232-6676, Ext. 15, or email Kathleen_loubsky@usc.salvationarmy.org.

AURORA

Aurora earns title of Best Water in Kane

At the 2017 Kane County Water Association’s Water Taste Test Contest held last month, a panel of judges tasted water from municipalities throughout Kane County and scored the water samples on taste, odor and color.

Aurora proved to have the best water among the 9 municipalities in the contest.

This year marks the seventh time that the City of Aurora has earned the top accolades in the contest. The previous wins were in 1998, 2000, 2006, 2008, 2013 and 2016.

Aurora’s drinking water has also earned state and national recognition both for its great taste and its safety.

The City won the best-tasting water in the State of Illinois in 1999, 2000, 2007, 2008 and 2009.

In 2015, the Partnership for Safe Water, a national initiative to improve the quality of drinking water across the country, recognized Aurora’s Water Production team with its President’s Award.

 This 2017 win in Kane County advances Aurora to the state water tasting competition next spring where cities will vie for the title of Best Water in Illinois.

AURORA

Downtown business taps into power of sunshine

Local collaborators are celebrating the power of the sun  with the completion of a state-of-the-art solar energy generation project in downtown Aurora.

In December, a new 56.7 kilowatt  solar power system was installed on the rooftop of the 113-year-old former Carnegie library building at 1 E. Benton St., the onetime home of Aurora’s Main Public Library and now home to Support Techs.

This renewable energy system is the first of its kind in Aurora’s historic downtown business district on Stolp Island.

After acquiring the former Aurora Public Library building in December 2015, owners of The Support Companies researched ways to reduce operating costs while “going green.” This solar solution was selected to reduce CO2 emissions, reduce dependency on utility companies, and reduce costs over the long term.

The new solar photovoltaic (PV) system is projected to reduce 58.72 tons of carbon emissions per year by generating 71,615 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity in 2018.  

The entire project took less than two months to complete. Michelle Knox, owner of WindSolarUSA designed the rooftop system to feature American-made products. Installation teams from local solar professionals at Rethink Electric in Geneva completed the project ahead of schedule.

ST. CHARLES

Police now using site to identify suspects

The St. Charles Police Department is now using IDThisPerson.com to identify subjects who may have been involved in, or have information related to, cases being investigated by the department. A link to IDThisPerson.com is on the Police Department page of the City’s website at www.stcharlesil.gov/departments/police.

Simply visit www.idthisperson.com, scroll to the “search the nation” section and type in St. Charles’ zip code, 60174. This search will show the most recent pictures submitted by the St. Charles Police Department and other agencies. The site allows search by zip code, city or state within a 50-,100-, or 200-mile radius.

Anyone with information about a subject posted on the site can enter it anonymously or leave contact information so they can be contacted for more information.

“We appreciate the public’s help in identifying a suspect or providing us with information that can help solve a crime,” said Commander Charles Pierce. “We embrace any opportunity to gain information, whether it’s an anonymous phone call, a comment on social media or use of a website like idthisperson.com to help us fight crime.”

ELGIN

School District U-46 will honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through a variety of events and community programs including the City of Elgin’s annual Prayer Breakfast on Saturday when a U-46 Board Member and a District administrator will be recognized for their work as the two finalists for the Humanitarian Award.

In addition, the City of Elgin’s MLK celebrations include awarding four Larkin High School students with scholarships at a Monday, Jan. 15 event, and several District middle schools will host public speaking events later this month.

U-46 Assistant Superintendent of Educational Support Programs and Alignment Ronald Raglin is one of two nominees for the 2018 Dr. King Humanitarian Award. The other nominee is Traci O’Neal Ellis, a U-46 graduate, member of the U-46 Board of Education and attorney who currently works as the Executive Director of Human Resources for the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy.

This year’s celebration will also include the 7th  annual MLK Day of Service & Youth Leadership Conference, during which U-46 students will participate and scholarships will be awarded.   The Dr. King scholarship recipients are: 

• Aris Johnson ($1,200 scholarship): Johnson attends Larkin High School and has been accepted into Berklee College of Music in Boston. She plans on majoring in music with a minor in music performance.
• Julia Escamilla ($800 scholarship): Escamilla attends Larkin High School and plans on attending Elgin Community College where she will focus on primary education.
• Emily Renteria ($250 scholarship): Renteria attends Larkin High School and has been accepted at Bradley University in Peoria, Ill.
• Sky Aranda ($250 scholarship): Aranda attends Larkin High School and has been accepted into Elgin Community College, where she will study science.

–Kane County News Briefs–