Democrats seek trifecta
Eleventh District Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (center) is joined by fellow Democrats seeking election this fall to the House of Representatives during a last Saturday’s gun violence town hall meeting in Naperville. Flanking Foster is Sixth District Democrat Sean Casten (left) and 14th District nominee Lauren Underwood. (Photo by Jack McCarthy / Chronicle Media)

AURORA

Driver dies after minivan collides with semi near mall

An Aurora man will killed and an intersection was closed for almost eight hours last week after a minivan he was driving collided with a semi truck near the Fox Valley Vally.

The Far East Side crash happened at around 11:35 p.m. on Wednesday, June 13, at the intersection of Commons and McCoy Drives and involved a 2014 Chrysler Town & Country Minivan and a 1995 Freightliner Semi.

The preliminary investigation indicates that the minivan, driven by Paul E. Lydston, 43, of the 300 block of Cane Garden Cr., was eastbound on McCoy when he blew the red light at Commons and struck the northbound semi.

Lydston became pinned beneath the semi’s trailer and was dragged about 100 feet. He had to be extricated by Aurora firefighters.

He was taken to an Aurora hospital and then airlifted to a suburban hospital. Aurora police later received word that he died at 6:22 a.m. on June 14.

The 28-year-old semi driver refused medical treatment. The two men were the sole occupants of their respective vehicles.

Lydston was cited for two counts of DUI, and single counts of disobeying a traffic control device and driving an uninsured vehicle.

The intersection was closed until just after 7 a.m. for reconstruction. The Illinois State Police, Naperville Police, and volunteers from Aurora’s Emergency Management Agency assisted.

AURORA

Seven shot during child’s birthday party

Seven people were shot in an apparent gang-related shooting early Sunday, June 10 on Aurora’s Near West Side, according to an Aurora Police Department Facebook post.

Just after midnight, Aurora responded to a home in the 300 block of West Park Avenue and discovered six people suffering from gunshot wounds. The seventh person was driven to an Aurora hospital by a relative during the initial investigation.

The shooting apparently occurred during a child’s birthday party.

Police said the shooters arrived on bicycles and on foot, fired multiple rounds, then fled north on Grand Avenue. The only suspect information is that the shots were fired by several males dressed in dark hooded sweatshirts. It also appears that someone at the party returned fire, police said.

Those hit were five men, ages 21, two 22-year-olds, and a 25- and 28-year-old. The 21-year-old is in critical condition. Two women, ages 27 and 30, were also shot.

Anyone with information is asked to call Aurora Police at 630-256-5500 or Aurora Area Crime Stoppers at 630-892-1000.

GENEVA

City switches refuse pickup in five-year deal

Geneva residents will save money and see several new service enhancements as the city transitions its refuse program to Lakeshore Recycling Systems as part of a five-year contract effective in July, according to a city of Geneva news release.

The service will drop residents’ sticker price to $2.60 and include some new recycling services, including food-scrap recycling and curbside electronics recycling.

Televisions and monitors will be recyclable at curbside for the $2.60 sticker price.

Residents will still have the option to “pay-as-you-throw” using one refuse sticker per bag/32-gallon can or can opt for a garbage cart that carries a monthly fee. Garbage pickup will remain on the same Thursday-Friday schedule, although Lakeshore Recycling’s first collection will take place one day later than normal due to the Independence Day holiday.

Full program details about garbage, recycling and more can be found on the city’s website, including a transition page on what residents can expect in the coming weeks.

Residents who have questions also can contact Lakeshore’s customer service department by calling 630-581-8650 or emailing geneva@LRSrecycles.com.

All homes serviced by the Lakeshore contract will be receiving a free 65-gallon recycling cart the week of June 18. A flyer will be attached to the cart highlighting some of the new services that will begin in July.

AURORA

Hometown hero named July 4 parade marshal

Mayor Richard Irvin has announced that Jose Martinez—a hometown hero who rescued a man from a burning car—will serve as Grand Marshal of Aurora’s 2018 Fourth of July Parade.

“Jose is truly an inspiration to everyone in our community,” said Mayor Richard Irvin. “He put his own life on the line to save the life of a total stranger. That is absolutely remarkable.”

After a car accident occurred outside of Martinez’s east side home in the early morning hours on Easter Sunday, Martinez opened his door to see the vehicle being consumed in flames. Without hesitation, Martinez ran to the car and pulled the driver to safety just as first responders arrived and captured the life-saving heroics on dash cam.

“Honestly, I just did what anyone else would have done in my position,” said Martinez. “I’ve been so shocked by the attention, but I really appreciate it. I would never have imagined any of this, especially being grand marshal of a parade I’ve enjoyed attending since I was a kid.”

A lifelong Auroran, Martinez graduated from East Aurora High School and later returned to serve as head coach of the high school’s wrestling team. In 1996, he started the Fox Valley Wrestling Club and in 1998, he began his own wrestling program, Martinez Fox Valley Elite, which has trained hundreds of championship wrestlers over the past twenty years.

Martinez will lead Aurora’s 2018 Fourth of July Parade on Wednesday, July 4 in downtown Aurora. The parade will step off at 10 a.m. from the Santori Public Library at the corner of River and Benton Streets.

He will also be honored during a public presentation at the next Aurora City Council meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 26, 2018 at Aurora City Hall, 44 E. Downer Place.

SUGAR GROVE

New members for WCC foundation board

The Waubonsee Community College Foundation has approved Matthew Miller and Jenni Shook-Harris to join its board of directors.

Miller is a senior vice president at Aurora Bank & Trust. He has more than 20 years of commercial banking experience in the Fox Valley area. He has an Associate in Arts degree from Waubonsee Community College, a Bachelor of Science degree from Rockford College and a Master of Business Administration in Finance degree from Aurora University. 

Shook-Harris is the vice president of human resources and administration at McCloud Services. She has nearly 25 years of experience in human resources in a variety of industries. She has an Associate in Science degree from Waubonsee Community College and a Bachelor of Science in Management degree from National Louis University. She also holds the Senior Professional in Human Resources certification and the Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional certification.  

The Waubonsee Community College Foundation is a nonprofit organization that seeks to obtain funding for scholarships, educational opportunities and services to students and residents of Waubonsee’s district.

Contact the Advancement Office at (630) 466-2316 or visit www.waubonsee.edu/foundation for more information about the Waubonsee Community College Foundation.

KANE COUNTY

Redesigned web site debuts and price is right

Kane County has redesigned its website — a homepage improvement project that represents a lot more than a new coat of paint.

The County Board website — www.countyofkane.org — is now easier than ever for Kane County residents view and use, and the upgrade was done almost entirely in-house.

The new, mobile look lets you pay bills, get property tax information and check out an A-Z list of services at the touch of a button.

The newly designed site launched last Friday features a mobile-friendly design, improved user functionality, enhanced ability to pay bills online and an elegant, streamlined appearance. It is, in fact, a leap into 21st Century web design at a fraction of the cost other units of government have paid for similar overhauls.

By using the internal Kane County Information Technologies Department website team with the help of a design contractor, the redesign and implementation of the new design cost less than $9,000. For comparison purposes, if the county had sought to have the entire website redesigned with an outside vendor, the cost was estimated at more than $100,000.

Ongoing maintenance costs by an outside vendor can cost as much as $40,000 a year.

Perhaps the most significant changes to the site is its mobile-friendly design, which adapts to the screen size of mobile devices. County website analytics showed that more than 30 percent of all users access the site via mobile devices.

FOX VALLEY PARKS

District holds Amazing Race

In this four-hour adventure held by the Fox Valley Park District, teams are given a map and sets of clues to try and get from start to finish, completing mental and physical challenges along the way.

Check-in begins at 8:30 a.m. Registration also includes awards ceremony, pizza celebration and a T-shirt if registered by July 23. Early bird registration rate of $84 is now available through July 6. Beginning July 7, the normal rate of $96 will be in effect. Registration ends Aug. 4.

This event takes place throughout the Fox Valley Park District on Saturday, Aug. 11, 9 a.m. and begins at West Aurora High School.  Must be ages 21 and older.

–Kane County News Briefs–