Author: Fox Valley Magazine

The consumer price index, which measures a wide-ranging basket of goods and services, increased 7.9% over the past 12 months, a 40-year high. The February increase was at the fastest pace since January1982, when the country was in the depths of “stagflation,” a combination of high inflation and low growth. On a month-over-month basis, the CPI gain was 0.8%. Economists had expected headline inflation to increase 7.8% for the year and 0.7% for the month. Food prices rose 1% and food at home jumped 1.4%, both the fastest monthly gains since April 2020, in the early days of the Covid-19…

50-year-old David Krawczyk of Aurora “purposefully and repeatedly groomed” a pre-teen girl that he knew over an 18-month period in 2016-2107. He will now likely spend the rest of his life behind bars. Last week, a Kane County jury found Krawczyk guilty of 8 counts of predatory criminal sexual assault, a Class X felony. Between January 2016 and June 2017, Krawczyk sexually assaulted the victim, who was younger than 13 years old at the time. “This defendant betrayed this survivor and her family,” Kane County Assistant State’s Attorneys Lori Schmidt said in a statement. “He purposefully and repeatedly groomed her…

The West Suburban Irish (WSI) has announced the return of the Naperville St. Patrick’s Day Parade after a two year Covid-19 hiatus. The annual parade, now in its 26th year, is set to march down the streets of Naperville on Saturday, March 12, 2022 beginning at 10:00 AM. The event will once again delight spectators from across the western suburbs with a mix of floats, marching bands, entertainers and St. Patrick himself. This year’s Grand Marshal, Dr. Mark Goodwin, has waited patiently for two years to lead the parade festivities. This year we are celebrating the health care workers for…

In anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day festivities, the Illinois State Police has announced that it will be conducting Roadside Safety Checks (RSC) in Elgin this coming weekend. In a press release, the ISP states that “the use of RSC’s combine a strong sense of public awareness and enforcement in order to save lives of the motoring public.” Officers will be watchful for drivers who are operating vehicles in an unsafe manner, driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, transporting open alcoholic beverages, and most importantly: Driving Under the Influence (DUI);Safety Belt and Child Restraint use;Speeding;Distracted Driving; and,All Illinois Vehicle…

A man who shot and killed a Rottweiller dog viciously attacking a 51 year-old female jogger last December in unincorporated St. Charles was honored Tuesday with Sheriff Ron Hain’s Heroic Citizens Award at a meeting of the Kane County Board. Chris Shanahan of unincorporated St. Charles was given the award for his courage in likely saving the woman’s life. On the morning of December 13, unincorporated St. Charles resident Laura Kizman was jogging in the 7N300 block of Windsor Drive in St. Charles Township when a Labradoodle dog ran from a yard to greet her in the street. Kizman stopped and…

St. Charles is preparing for a big weekend to celebrate the return of the St. Patrick’s Parade on Saturday, March 12th and a myriad of other events to enjoy around town. This year’s Grand Marshals are Bob and Sue McDowell. The celebration will kick off with an Opening Ceremony, in partnership with McNally’s Irish Pub at 10:30 a.m. in 1st Street Plaza. The Ceremony will have Irish dancers, music and entertainment. Be sure to stick around after the Ceremony to enjoy the melodic strains of the Roaming Bagpipers. The St. Patrick’s Parade will step off at 2 p.m. at Main…

On June 1, 2020, during a riot that erupted after a peaceful Black Lives Matter (BLM) protest in Naperville, 27-year-old Diego Vargas of Aurora threw a lit explosive device through the window of Egg Harbor Cafe in Naperville, resulting in two explosions.  The restaurant was closed at the time and no injuries were reported. In addition to the restaurant incident, Vargas on the previous night tried to steal cash from an ATM in Aurora.  Vargas struck the ATM with a baseball bat and a metal pole from a street sign in an unsuccessful attempt to pry it open. U.S. District…

(Xavier and Isaiah Butler) At about 10:30 in the morning on August 6, 2019, an apparent argument over women led to the shooting death of 24 year-old Joshua Bey of Elgin. Yesterday, two Elgin brothers, Xavier and Isaiah Butler, pled guilty to his murder. Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser announced yesterday that 28-year old Xavier Butler has agreed to a sentence of 30 years of imprisonment in the Illinois Department of Corrections in exchange for a guilty plea to the offense of armed violence, Class X felony, in the death of Bey. 26-year-old Isaiah Butler agreed to a…

CityGate campus restaurants – CityGate Grille, Che Figata, Tap In Pub, Lavazza and Zorba Cocktail Bar – located at Rte. 59 & Ferry Rd. in Naperville will donate 30 percent of proceeds from all food and beverage sales Tuesday, March 15, to support the #ChefsForUkraine campaign launched by World Central Kitchen (WCK), the front-line food provider founded by humanitarian and Michelin Star Chef José Andrés.  WCK brings volunteer chefs and food to the front lines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate and community crises. WCK personnel and volunteers have been on site and serving hot, nourishing meals within hours…

The timing could have been better for gubernatorial candidate and current Aurora mayor Richard Irvin. Irvin’s campaign began airing ads recently touting the mayor’s success in beating back crime in the city. Just as those ads hit the airwaves, Aurora suffered three separate shooting incidents overnight, two of which involved injuries requiring hospitalization. Just before midnight Sunday evening, police responded to two shooting incidents. The first involved what appears to be a drive-by shooting at the intersection of Inverness Drive and McCoy Drive. According to the APD, a vehicle pulled up next to another vehicle and fired shots. No one…