Aurora

Foot prints in snow lead to weapons charges

Around 3 a.m. Dec. 29, several of the Aurora Police Department’s third shift patrol officers heard gunfire coming from the area of College Avenue and Union Street

Upon arrival, one of the officers came across two men in a parked car in the 600 block of College Avenue.

At least one of the men was known to the officer from previous contacts and both acted extremely nervous when the officer was asking them questions, according to police.

Police said the officer then noticed footprints in the freshly fallen snow, which he followed around the back of the residence. The prints stopped at a barbque grill and when the officer looked inside of a door that was partially open at the base of the grill, he found a 9mm handgun.

The officer was able to matchup the footprints to one of the suspect’s shoes while another officer located surveillance video that showed Javier Garibay, 24, of the 600 block of College Avenue., allegedly firing numerous shots into the air.

Garibay was charged through the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office with two counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and single counts of reckless discharge of a firearm and unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon. The other man, a 22-year-old Aurora resident was released without being charged.

The village of Oswego is looking to hire several college interns this summer in various departments.

Kendall County

Sheriff’s Office hires three new deputies

The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office has hired three individuals to fill vacancies in the Patrol and Corrections Division. Two patrol deputies and one corrections deputy were sworn in by Sheriff Dwight Baird on Jan. 3.

Christian Slinkard, originally from Peotone, was sworn in as a patrol deputy. Deputy Slinkard attended the Kankakee Community College, where he earned an associate’s degree in criminal justice before being hired by the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office.

Michael Smith, originally from Lemont, was also sworn in as a patrol deputy. Deputy Smith graduated with a master’s degree in education from Lewis University before working as a corrections deputy at the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office. Deputy Smith will transfer from the corrections division to the patrol division.

Both Deputy Slinkard and Deputy Smith will attend the Basic Police Training Academy beginning Jan. 7, for 14 weeks. Upon successful completion, the two Deputies will be paired with an experienced field training officer, to undergo a 14-week field training program.

Chase Wetenkamp, originally from Wisconsin, was sworn in as a corrections deputy. Deputy Wetenkamp attended the University of Wisconsin at Oshkosh, and earned a degree in sociology, before working for Kendall County Court Services as a probations officer. Deputy Wetenkamp will attend the five-week corrections academy, starting Feb. 18, before being paired with an experienced corrections field training officer for an 11- week field training program.

New child safety seat law goes into effect

The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office would like to remind citizens of a law change that went into place on Jan. 1 under the Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act. The new law requirements are as follow:

• Children under the age of two (2) must ride rear-facing.
• Children under the age of eight (8) must be secured in an appropriate child restraint system.

An appropriate system: 

• fits the child; fits the vehicle; and is used according to the manufacturer’s guidelines.
• The child restraint must be provided by parent or legal guardian.
• Every person transporting a child under age eight (8) is responsible for properly securing the child in the vehicle.

Exemptions:

• Children weighing more than 40 pounds.
• Children taller than 40 inches.
• Children being transported in a vehicle weighing more than 9000 pounds.

Penalties: 

• $75 fine for first violation.
• $200 fine for second violation.

For additional information please visit www.buckleupillinois.org. As a reminder, the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office can inspect/install your child safety seat. Call 630-553-7500, ext. 1167 to schedule an appointment. KE50

Oswego

Village seeks college interns for multiple positions

Gain hands-on experience and build your resume this year in a variety of fields with an internship with the Village of Oswego.

Current college students are encouraged to apply for internships in the following fields:

marketing and events: Our marketing and events interns get real world experience in marketing, content writing, social media and event planning and management.

They help write and curate content for our websites and social media outlets, and have fun staffing events throughout the summer, and add to their creative portfolios.

The village has openings for a marketing intern available immediately and in the summer.  

Public Works: Get outside and learn more about how a municipality operates. Public works interns perform a variety of tasks related to village streets, forestry, water and more.

Code Enforcement: The code enforcement intern helps identify and enforce code violations related to weeds, watering and other summer issues. Work independently and learn alongside our code enforcement officers, and gain valuable experience in government operations, customer service, and building and development issues.

Administrative: The administrative intern learns about local government operations and assists with preparing reports and correspondence, maintaining records, and assisting residents with questions for several departments includes the village clerk, community development and building and zoning.

All interns earn $10 an hour, work part-time hours, and offer opportunities to learn and grow in a workplace committed to coaching and career development.  

Visit the village of Oswego’s job openings page, http://www.oswegoil.org,  for more details about how to apply.

Lighthouse Day Program offered at Senior Center

Lighthouse Day Respite program is a social model program for participants who are experiencing mild to moderate memory loss, but who can interact, use the restroom and eat without physical assistance.

In this model, participants can gain social interaction, explore continued interest and improve their quality of life. While participants engage with peers, caregivers will have an opportunity for respite.

By delivering this model in our active and engaged senior center, we hope to have the opportunity to partner Lighthouse participants with volunteer/class participants to help them achieve individual goals of socialization, creativity, or physical activity outside of the contained Lighthouse space, while maintaining safety.

This approach is not only to integrate dementia-friendly concepts but will also hopefully help create compassion and understanding among the general participant population. With the age 85 and older population being the fastest growing population, and with a 50/50 chance of developing dementia after age 85, and a rise in early onset dementias, social model opportunities for caregiver respite and person-centered services are extremely important.

The general day at the Lighthouse includes greetings, news of the day (current/past) discussion, reminiscing, lunch, art, exercise, games, music and stretch to end the day.  We have also been able to incorporate woodcarving, ceramics, and gardening depending on participant interest.

This program takes place Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Oswego Senior Center, 156 E. Washington.   Participants must be 60 years old or older to participate in this private pay program, the cost is $40 per day.

Participants will need to register and go through an intake process with the executive director or Lighthouse coordinator. There is a $40 application fee.

School kids are invited by the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department and Go For It Sports for an afternoon of fun during the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. (Photo courtesy of Go For It Sports)

Yorkville

Parks plan get moving day for school holiday

Join the Yorkville Parks and Recreation Department and Go For It Sports for an afternoon of fun with your friends during your day off of school from 1-4 p.m. on Jan. 18. Kids will enjoy participating in sports activities and stations, and then will relax while watching a movie on the 30-foot inflatable screen all on the indoor turf at Go For It Sports.

This event is intended for kids third through sixth grade and costs $10 per child. Pre-registration is required to attend. Concessions will be available for purchase. 

For more information and to register, visit: https://www.yorkville.il.us/calendar.aspx?eid=825

–Kendall County News Briefs–