Pictured from left to right are: Commander Bobby Richardson, Sergeant David Lawson, and Commander Jason Langston at their recent graduation from Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command. (Photo courtesy of Kendall Co. Sheriff)

Aurora

47th Puerto Rican Parade back on after cancelation

Aurora Mayor Richard C. Irvin and Mirna Lopez-Rivera, vice-president of the Aurora Puerto Rican Cultural Council (APRCC), have announced the reversal of the cancellation of the 47th Annual Puerto Rican Heritage Parade in downtown Aurora.

Iris Miller, president of the Aurora Puerto Rican Cultural Council, and Lopez-Rivera, previously met with Mayor Irvin to discuss the importance of continuing the parade, develop a plan to host both the parade and festival and find ways to secure sufficient funding for both.

“For nearly half of a century, the Puerto Rican community of Aurora has proudly celebrated its heritage and we can’t stop now,” said Irvin. “The City is committed to working with the APRCC to plan and promote a day of festivities that will continue this honored tradition.”

The 47th Annual Aurora Puerto Rican Heritage Parade and Festival will be held on Sunday, July 28 at noon in downtown Aurora. Instead of having the annual festival at RiverEdge Park as originally planned, APRCC has decided to bring the festivities back to its original roots into the heart of downtown. Immediately following the parade, the festival will commence in the recently renovated Public Lot B across from City Hall.

“The community responded with both support and disappointment when we announced the cancellation of the parade,” said Miller. “After seeing the potential opportunities available to us and with the support from the mayor, we are very excited to be able to work together to save the parade. We are asking everyone to come together to help make this year festivities a success.”

Much like for the Pride Parade, the city will provide support in the form of a Festival Funding grant.

In an effort to raise the $17,000 needed to host the parade and festival, APRCC launched a fundraising campaign on Go Fund Me at https://www.gofundme.com/2019-aurora-puerto-rican-parade-and-fest.

Kendall County

 Sergeant graduates from Northwestern University Program

Sergeant David Lawson  of the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office recently graduated from Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command (SPSC).

Sergeant Lawson has successfully completed a 10-week leadership training program held in Plainfield. This program, which was implemented by the Center for Public Safety in 1983, has graduated over 14,000 students both nationally and internationally.

The School of Police Staff and Command provides upper-level college instruction focusing on the topics of: leadership, human resources, employee relations, organizational behavior, applied statistics, planning and policy development, and budgeting and resource allocation.

Lawson has worked in the Operations division of the Sheriff’s Office since 2005. He has held several positions there, including as a community oriented policing deputy, school resource officer, juvenile officer, evidence technician, certified ALICE instructor, domestic violence coordinator and has been trained by the Department of Homeland Security as an active shooter threat instructor.

Lawson also has served his country as a member of the United States Army and earned his associates degree at Joliet Junior College.

“We strive for our supervisors to continue their professional development in order to provide our deputies and support staff with the highest quality of leadership, education, training and resources,” said Sheriff Dwight Baird.

Montgomery

Village honored with SolSmart Gold Designation

In a ceremony packed with local, state and national officials, other leaders, and VIPs, the Village of Montgomery received an award at Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont for earning the SolSmart Gold Designation.

New officers for the Fox Valley Therapy Dog Club are (left to right) Sue Schumann, vice president (Tango); Judy Kratochvil, director (Wrangler); Jeff Corirossi, director (Comet); Jan Lauwers, president (Missy); Bridget Bois, treasurer (Hamilton); and Joe Sells, director, (Bella).  Secretary Sally Boeke with Dallas are not pictured. The teams of the FVTDC visit patients in hospitals, and nursing homes, along with reading programs in libraries and schools Learn more at fvtherapydogs.org. (Photo courtesy of Fox Valley Therapy Dog Club)

This designation recognizes solar power growth in the community with resulting new job creation, economic development and reduced carbon emissions. Twenty-two other communities were similarly honored.

The communities “did an exceptional job, working tirelessly in a multitude of ways to earn their designations,” says Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns, who chairs the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Environment Committee.

SolSmart is a national program designed to recognize communities that have taken key steps to foster the growth of mature local solar markets. Communities that meet the official criteria are designated SolSmart Gold, Silver, or Bronze. SolSmart is led by The Solar Foundation and the International City/County Management Association, and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Energy Technologies Office.

To achieve Gold, the highest designation, the Village of Montgomery earned at least 200 points for adopting solar best practices across eight categories of strategic SolSmart activities.

Most importantly, the community updated zoning codes to allow solar and indicate that the community prioritizes it. Montgomery staff committed to process rooftop solar permits in three business days or less, and inspection staff received hands-on training best practices for permitting and inspecting solar systems.

For transparency and efficiency, the Village of Montgomery also created a very important solar installation permitting checklist, and posted it on the community’s website. This not only allows local residents to see the process, but helps those applying for a solar permit to produce the necessary forms far more easily, completely, and quickly.

“Each community awarded SolSmart designation deserves their business owners’ and other citizens’ appreciation for providing clean, solar energy options, and advancing the Greenest Region Compact’s commitment to enhanced sustainability,” Burns says.

Oswego

Public invited to talk crisis intervention with police

The public is invited to the Oswego Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team Kickoff Meeting on Tuesday, May 28 at 6 p.m. at the Oswego Fire Protection District Station #1, located at 3511 Woolley Road.

A Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Program is designed to improve police officers’ ability to safely intervene, link individuals to mental health services and divert them from the criminal justice system when appropriate. It is an innovative, community-based approach to improve the outcomes of these encounters.

CIT programs create connections between law enforcement, mental health providers, hospital emergency services and individuals with mental illness and their families.

They also can enhance communication in the community and identify mental health resources for assisting families and individuals in crisis.

The Oswego Police Department CIT Kickoff Meeting is designed to bring together citizens and potential stakeholders to discuss the needs of community members living with mental illness. Meetings such as these can help identify what resources may already be available and what collaborations could provide additional resources.

The kickoff meeting will consist of a presentation, question and answer session and informal discussion.

Anyone seeking more information on the program or event may contact Oswego Police Deputy Chief Brad Delphey at 630-551-7300.

Yorkville

City releases update on 2019 Road to Better Roads

The contractor for the project, D Construction, has begun work on Yorkville’s 2019 Road to Better Roads Program (RTBR). The program will consist of the milling and resurfacing of the pavement along several streets. Impacts to traffic are expected to be minimal; however, daytime lane and roadway closures should be expected.

The contractor will be performing and completing removal and replacement of pavement on the following roads:

Kennedy Road – Route 47 to Autumn Creek Subdivision

McHugh Road – Jackson Street to Farmstead Drive

Elm Street – Freemont to McHugh

Park Street – Route 47 to McHugh

Sanders Court – East Main to end

For more information on the program visit: https://www.yorkville.il.us/447/Road-to-Better-Roads

:City ranks high in Nationwide “Water Wise” contest

Mayor Golinski joined mayors across the country asking residents to make a long-term commitment to manage water resources more wisely by taking part in the annual Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation.

Yorkville placed 13th in the 5,000-29,999 population category nation-wide. You can view the results on the website here: https://www.mywaterpledge.com/city-standings/.

The annual challenge that ran from April 1- 30, is a non-profit national community service campaign to see which leaders can best inspire their residents to make a series of informative and easy-to-do online pledges at mywaterpledge.com to use water more efficiently, reduce pollution, and save energy. “This challenge was a great way for cities large and small to do our part for the planet — and reward our residents for