The Oswego Cultural Arts Commission celebrates women in the arts with the return of LUNAFEST, a fundraising film festival of shorts by, for, and about women on Saturday, Feb. 3 in Oswego. (Photo courtesy of Oswego Cultural Arts Commission)

Aurora

Police Special Operations confiscate drugs, money

The Aurora Police Department Special Operations Group has been busy recently with the serving of two search warrants.

The most recent was around 4:10 p.m. Jan. 11, when they snagged more than 200 grams of heroin, almost 129 grams of cannabis, 13 grams of crack and $584 in cash at a home in the 200 block of Plum St. Charges include two counts each of unlawful possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver; and single counts of unlawful possession of cannabis and unlawful possession of cannabis with intent to deliver against Vincent J. Lewis, 31 who lives in the apartment that was searched.

Lewis was treated by paramedics on the scene for cuts to his hands caused when he broke a window and threw contraband out of it when police announced their presence. He declined further treatment. He’s being held on $450,000 bail at the Kane County Correctional Center. The charges against Lewis were authorized by the Kane County State’s Attorney. One of the charges is a Class-X felony which calls for enhanced sentence.

Man charged with robbery of gas station

A 33-year-old Aurora man has been charged with armed robbery in connection with the robbery of a gas station on Dec. 12, 2017.

The charge filed against Juan Morales of the 600 block of Alyce Lane is a Class-X felony which calls for an enhanced prison sentence if he is convicted. Morales is currently being held in the Will County Jail on a $2 million bond in connection with a residential burglary in Plainfield that occurred the same day as the armed robbery in Aurora.

Morales was also arrested Dec. 12 by the Plainfield Police.

The Aurora incident occurred just before 9 a.m. when Morales entered the gas station in the 600 block of North Broadway and demanded money at gunpoint from a 32-year-old woman working as a clerk.

After being handed about $500 in cash, Morales ran to his vehicle which he had parked in a neighboring parking lot and fled westbound on Illinois Avenue.

Using still photos from security systems at the gas station and the neighboring business, Aurora Detectives issued a bulletin to area law enforcement agencies the afternoon of Dec. 12 depicting both Morales and the vehicle he was driving.

Shortly after sending the bulletin, Plainfield Police contacted Aurora Investigators and notified them they had just arrested Morales who strongly resembled the subject in the bulletin. They also had his vehicle which was also similar. The ensuing investigation led to the charges in Aurora that were authorized Jan. 10.

Morales is a suspect in at least one other armed robbery in Aurora.

Kendall County

Illinois Sheriffs’ Association announces scholarships

The Illinois Sheriffs’ Association announces that it will be awarding over $53,500 in college scholarships throughout the State of Illinois to students wishing to pursue higher education during the 2018-19 academic years.

The scholarships are to be applied to tuition, books, and fees only. The student must be enrolled full-time at a certified institution of higher learning within the State of Illinois.

Sheriff Dwight A. Baird, Kendall County, will be awarding one scholarship in the amount of $500.

There will be no restriction on any applicant by reason of race, age, creed, color, sex, or national origin. The only limitations are as follows:

• Applicants must be permanent Illinois residents
• Scholarships must be utilized at institutions of higher learning within the State of Illinois
• Students must be enrolled as a full-time student during the 2018-2019 school years. (excluding summer session)

Applications are now available at the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, 1102 Cornell Lane, Yorkville, IL 60560, on the Kendall County website @ www.co.kendall.il.us/sheriff or on the ISA website www.ilsheriff.org.

Students must complete the application; answer the essay question and return all documentation to the Sheriff’s Office in their permanent county of residence by March 15 (must be postmarked by this date).

For more information, please contact your local Sheriff’s Office, Illinois Sheriffs’ Association, high school advising center or college financial aid office.

Sheriff’s Office warns of Facebook scam

Kendall County Sheriff’s Office Warns of Facebook Scam

The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office would like to warn residents of Facebook scams.

Be aware of some of the posts you comment on that may ask questions such as; who was your childhood best friend, what is your favorite color, what was your favorite teachers name? These are the same questions asked when setting up accounts as security questions.

When you are answering these questions, and posting them, you are giving out answers to your security questions without realizing it. Hackers are setting these up as a “get to know each other better” game on Facebook. They will build a profile of you and use this information to hack accounts or open new lines of credit in your name.

Experts say one of the best ways to protect you from hackers is to keep secure passwords and change them often. It is also suggested to never click on or respond to a suspicious post or message. Not all of these on Facebook are scams, however it is best to remain vigilant and refrain from participating in such activities as there is no way to tell which ones may have been created by scammers.

Oswego

LUNAFEST Film Festival Comes to Oswego

The Oswego Cultural Arts Commission celebrates women in the arts with the return of LUNAFEST, a fundraising film festival of shorts by, for, and about women on Saturday, Feb. 3 in Oswego.

LUNAFEST is a fundraising film festival dedicated to promoting awareness about women’s issues, highlighting women filmmakers, and bringing women together in their communities.

This unique film festival highlights women as leaders in society, illustrated through nine short films by women filmmakers. The films range from animation to fictional drama, and cover topics such as women’s health, body image, relationships, cultural diversity and breaking barriers.

Tickets to this year’s LUNAFEST are $20 and are available at https://www.lunafest.org/screenings/oswego-il-020418.

Tickets are $25 at the door, subject to availability. In addition to the films, the festival offers artisan vendors, light snacks, wine for sale by the glass and live music courtesy of Fox River Academy.

All proceeds from LUNAFEST will benefit Mutual Ground in its mission to create a community free of domestic and sexual violence through its shelter and education programs, as well as Chicken & Egg Pictures, a national nonprofit organization that supports women nonfiction filmmakers whose artful and innovative storytelling catalyzes social change.

Event information is also available at www.GoOswego.org.

Thus far, LUNAFEST, which is created and funded by LUNA, The Whole Nutrition Bar for Women, has raised more than $3 Million for nonprofit organizations across the U.S. and Canada.

Yorkville

Dual Language information night scheduled

Yorkville School District 115 is hosting a Dual Language information night from 6-7 p.m. on April 5 in the Autumn Creek Elementary School cafeteria, 2377 Autumn Creek Blvd., Yorkville. Childcare will be available.

Dual Language kindergarten is open to all students enrolling in the fall for the 2018-19 school year. A lottery will be held if there are more students interested than spaces available. The Dual Language Information Night provides parents an opportunity to turn in their children’s application form to enter the program, and to ask questions.

The Dual Language Program involves the following:

• Monolingual English-speaking students integrated with Spanish-speaking students in the same classroom
• All students develop high levels of proficiency in Spanish and English and learn to read, write, listen, and speak two languages equally well over time
• Students achieve grade level academic performance in Spanish and English
• Students develop positive cross-cultural attitudes and behaviors
• Students gain an upper edge in high school, college, and the workplace of a global economy

Questions can be directed to the district’s Coordinator for Bilingual and English Learner Services, Jill Zapata, at jzapata@y115.org or (630) 553-4048.

–Kendall County News Briefs–