Author: Fox Valley Magazine

Update: The 24-year-old woman critically injured in Monday’s traffic accident on Bilter Road in Aurora has died, according to police. Maria Gonzalez of the 1200 block of Coventry in Aurora died on Tuesday from injuries sustained in the accident. She was previusly identified as being from West Chicago. Police continue their investigation of the crash. A 24-year-old West Chicago woman was hospitalized in critical condition after being rescued from a submerged vehicle following a traffic accident along Bilter Road in Aurora. The crash happened around 7pm Monday evening on Bilter Road just west of DuPage Parkway. Details of the cause…

Batavia’s House of 423 and Urban Style Salon are partnering for the second time for a spring fashion show hosted by Sturdy Shelter Brewing at 10 Shumway Ave., Batavia, on Sunday, April 30. Doors open at 10:30 a.m., with the show beginning at 11 a.m. Tickets are $25, which includes the show and one drink. Fernando’s Street Kitchen will have breakfast tacos for purchase to enjoy during the show. Sarah Whitt, owner + curator of House of 423 is celebrating her 2-year anniversary and will be launching her private label clothing and jewelry line. The House of 423 clothing line includes…

Geneva’s water and sewer customers should take note that scheduled rate increases will occur starting Monday, May 15. The Geneva City Council approved a five-year rate plan April 3 to pay for upcoming water main and lead service line replacement, a sanitary line crossing the Fox River, Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades, and other water-related capital projects. The plan calls for 7.5% rate adjustments during the first two years followed by 5% in each of the remaining three years. A residential water user (700 cubic feet per month) will see an annual average increase of $5 per month through April 2028.…

Auroran Robert Boatright apparently thought he needed a drink. So much so that beat and threatened his girfriend with a knife, demanding money to buy some alcohol. Judge Salvatore LoPiccolo has found Boatright guilty of the offenses of: He has been sentenced to eight years in prison for the attempteded armed robbery and six years for the domestic battery. The terms are to be served concurrently. On June 7, 2022 at about noon, Boatright returned to his Lincoln Avenue home in Aurora, banged on the door and demanded to be let in. Once inside he demanded that the victim, his…

It would appear that the accelerating national trend of school board revolts and school choice advocacy have had little impact on voters in St. Charles, Geneva and Batavia. According to unofficial returns, candidates backed by the Illinois Education Association, the state’s largest teacher’s union, won every race in the tri-cities in Tuesday’s election except one, going 10-1 with the sole loss being in the race for an unexpired two-year term in St. Charles District 303, won by Thomas Lentz over union candidate Mike Backer. A “Perverse Form Of Equity” In Illinois Schools: Nobody Can Read – Part I In the…

Kane County is one of the state’s healthiest counties, according to a new report from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute (UWPHI). The 2023 County Health Rankings and Roadmap ranked Kane County as the 6th healthiest in Illinois, up one ranking from 2022. DuPage County ranked first on the list out of the state’s 102 counties. UWPHI looked at data of more than 90 health influencing factors in each county including housing, education, jobs and access to quality health care. The report indicates that Kane County is strong when it comes to access to exercise opportunities, with 94% of…

On an evening in late May, 2021, 46-year-old Samuel Ortiz-Rodriguez of Aurora was standing outside a residence talking with a few individuals. At that moment, three street-gang members from a nearby neighborhood walked by and mistakenly identified him as a member of a rival gang. One of the gang members shot him dead. Fidel Bello, 19, the street gang member who shot Ortiz-Rodriguez, has now pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. On May 24, 2021 at 7:30 p.m., Bello and two fellow members of the same street gang went in search of rival gang members. Bello was armed with a revolver.…

Businessman Scott Wehrli defeated Councilman Benny White to become Naperville’s next mayor, replacing incumbent Steve Chirico who is stepping down after two terms. The mayoral race was closely watched, as White was vying to become the city’s first black mayor, while the hot-button issue of gun control was a focus. In the wake of last year’s Highland Park July 4th massacre, the Naperville City Council passed a controversial “assault weapon” ban, effectively making it illegal to sell such firearms within the city. As Councilman White voted in favor of the ban, saying that “something had to be done.” Wehrli opposed…

Elgin’s incumbent Mayor Dave Kaptain fought off a spirited challenge from Alderman Corey Dixon to win his fourth term as Elgin’s mayor. The race was largely a referrendum on “staying the course” under Kaptain’s leadership or changing the dynamics of the city under the more youthful Dixon. Issues such a the direction and pace of downtown development, the homeless situation and the labor turmoil within the Elgin Police Department were sources of contention between the candidates. In Elgin’s City Council races, where 4 Council Members are chosen for at-large positions, Tish Powell, F. John Steffen, Rose Martinez and Anthony Ortiz…

By a surpringly large margin, incumbent St. Charles 4th Ward Alderman David Pietryla defeated challenger Laura Moad in Tuesday’s municipal elections. The latest tally is 824 votes for Pietryla versus 362 for Moad. The race was enlivened by the candidates’ differing views on a number of hot-button city issues, the most recent being the dispute over granting a bar/restaurant access to certain public streets to allow for outdoor seating in the city’s downtown area. Pietryla voted against the measure, while Moad expressed her support. The access was denied by the Committee of the Whole in the City Council. Following his…