Ultimate Air Dogs Competition returns to the City of Yorkville Hometown Days Festival scheduled over Labor Day Weekend. (Chronicle Media photo)Ken

KENDALL COUNTY

 Sheriff’s Office joins with Mothers Against Drunk Driving

The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office will be joining Mothers Against Drunk Driving (@MADDILLINOIS) and agencies across Illinois for #SaturationSaturday, an evening dedicated to DUI enforcement.

The Sheriff’s Office will be adding patrols for #SaturationSaturday, a statewide campaign of DUI enforcement on Saturday, Aug. 24.
Impaired driving is 100 percent preventable, and the hope is the enforcement effort is a reminder to always designate a sober driver, call a taxi, or hail a rideshare to get home safely. Sheriff Dwight Baird said, “My office will continue to prioritize the enforcement of impaired driving laws in order to make Kendall County roads as safe as possible. The Sheriff’s Office cannot and will not tolerate drivers who choose to drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”

The importance of this kind of enforcement is clear from the statistics.
10,497 people were killed in impaired driving crashes in 2016.
Every 2 minutes, someone is injured in a drunk driving crash.
Every 51 minutes, someone is killed in a drunk driving crash.
Everyday 28 people are killed by drunk driving.
For more statistics or information on the campaign, visit https://www.madd.org/

Sex offender compliance sweep conducted

On Aug. 8, the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office hosted a multi-jurisdictional police initiative to check compliance on all registered sex offenders and registered violent offenders against youth residing in Kendall County. Investigators from seven police agencies worked together to check a combined 81 offenders.

The police agencies involved were the Oswego Police Department, Yorkville Police Department, Montgomery Police Department, Plano Police Department, Joliet Police Department, Kendall County Sheriff’s Office, United States Marshals Service in Northern Illinois, and the United States Marshals Great Lakes Task Force. Investigators met at the Sheriff’s Office and received assignments for the initiative.
During the checks, investigators contacted 37 offenders and completed a verification check on each. Investigators identified five offenders that were possibly in violation of the Sex Offender Registration Act and criminal investigations were opened into these allegations. In total, investigators checked 81 residences in three hours.
The Sex Offender Registration Act places legal mandates on persons convicted of sex crimes. The act requires the sex offender to register his/her residence, employer, school, vehicles, and many other items with the police agency where they reside.

The act also has stiff penalties for violations of the act. Persons required to register as Violent Offender Against Youths are persons who have been convicted of an offense listed in Illinois Compiled Statutes 730 ILCS 154/5 when such charge results in the finding the offense was not sexually motivated. Most of these crimes are crimes against persons who are under the age of 18.

Montgomery

 Sign up begins for fall community garage sale

Community Garage Sales are scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 12, 13 and 14 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The fee to participate is $10 per participating address. Registration forms are available at Village Hall, 200 N. River St. in Montgomery or at www.ci.montgomery.il.us.
The Community Garage Sale will be advertised in local newspapers beginning on Wednesday, Sept. 11. The deadline to be included in the advertising is 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Garage sale flyers will also be created featuring a map showing all garage sale locations, plus a 15-word ad for each address describing the items for sale.

Maps will be available at the Village Hall and on the village website starting Monday, Sept. 9.

OSWEGO

 Village asks for public input on pedestrian safety

Help the village of Oswego make downtown Oswego safer for pedestrians.
The village of Oswego has been working with the Illinois Department of Transportation, which controls Washington Street (Route 34), to identify ways to improve safety and maintain traffic flow. Potential improvements could include new traffic signals and other enhancements to Washington Street to help shoppers, diners and residents cross the street safely.
Join the village for an open house on Wednesday, Sept. 18, anytime between 4:30 and 7 p.m. at Oswego Village Hall, 100 Parkers Mill, and learn about potential improvements that could improve safety for pedestrians in our growing downtown.

Residents will get the chance to ask questions one-on-one and offer input on the proposed improvements.
Questions? Contact Community Engagement Coordinator Jenette Sturges at jsturges@oswegoil.org or PM the village of Oswego here on Facebook.

District 308 scores high in Niche Best School Ratings
Niche’s 2020 Best Schools Rankings were recently released. Both Oswego and Oswego East High Schools earned an A ranking in the areas of academics, diversity, and sports. Two junior high schools and nine elementary schools received an A in academic ratings.
Overall, Oswego East High School earned an A rating, and Oswego High School earned an A- ranking. Scoring is based on a variety of factors including SAT/ACT scores, student-teacher ratio, the quality of colleges that students consider, and reviews from students and parents.
Community Unit School District 308 received an overall ranking of 42nd Best School District in Illinois out of the 406 ranked, and 23rd Best IL School District for Athletes; nationally the district ranks in the top 5 percent of best school districts for athletes. The district grade was A- overall. The highest scores received at the district level were in academics, clubs and activities, college prep, sports, and diversity.
“While the Niche ratings are just one look at how our schools compare with others across the state and nation, we are pleased to see our school district ranked in the top 10 percent of schools in Illinois,” said Oswego CUSD 308 Superintendent Dr. John Sparlin. “We know that the diverse educational experience offered in SD 308 is preparing our students for successful futures.”
For the full list of 2020 rankings, methodologies, and data sources, visit: https://k12.niche.com/rankings.

 YORKVILLE

Library Friends plan used book sale for holiday weekend

Book browsers will have thousands of titles from which to choose at Yorkville Library’s annual used book sale during Yorkville’s Hometown Days festivities.  Money raised by the sale goes to the library.

The Friends of the Yorkville Public Library will hold its annual used book sale during Labor Day weekend’s Hometown Days. (Photo courtesy of Friends of the Yorkville Library)

The sale will be during Labor Day weekend, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, and 10 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 1 in the Michelle Pfister Room of the Library.

Books are priced from 50 cents to $2 and include hard covers and paperbacks. There is a wide selection of children’s and adult books, fiction and nonfiction.  Checks will be accepted for amounts over $5; credit cards are not accepted.

The Friends of the Library are sponsoring the sale, and individuals may also join the Friends during the weekend event. Membership forms will be available at the sale, and those joining or renewing their membership during the sale may select three free books.

The Friends of the Yorkville Library is a volunteer group of individuals committed to supporting and promoting the services and programs of the Library.  The Friends meet the second Monday of each month at 10:15 a.m. at the Library.

The Yorkville Public Library is located at 902 Game Farm Road. 630-553-4354. www.yorkville.lib.il.us.

Police to Participate in Butter Burgers and Badges

The Yorkville Police Department is excited to announce an upcoming fundraiser they will be participating in. On Thursday, Aug. 29 from 4-8 p.m., the YPD along with the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office will be at the Yorkville Culvers participating in the Butter Burgers and Badges Event.

This would be your chance to dine with these officer’s as they will be part of the wait staff. Tips will be appreciated as they will go to the Illinois Special Olympics. The Yorkville Culver’s has been generous in that they will donate $1 for every concrete mixer purchased.

Hometown Days lineup announced

The United City of Yorkville Hometown Days Festival scheduled over Labor Day Weekend (Thursday, Aug. 29 – Sunday, Sept. 1) at Beecher Park, 908 Game Farm Road, is almost here. This festival is packed with events and activities the entire family is sure to enjoy including Carnival Wristband Specials (Saturday and Sunday from 1-5 p.m.), Pet Fest (Saturday, Aug. 31 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.), Ladies’ Afternoon Out: Wine Tasting (Sunday, Sept. 1 from 1-5 p.m.), Hometown Happy Hour (Saturday, Aug. 31 from 2-6 p.m.), Character Meet and Greets (Saturday, Aug. 31 from noon-3 p.m.) as well as a lineup of bands.

Also, the Ultimate Air Dogs Competition is back again and ready to put on a show throughout the weekend. For a complete list of events and more information go to https://www.yorkville.il.us/459/Hometown-Days-Festival.