Author: Fox Valley Magazine

An interview with the President & CEO of the Wisconsin Dells Visitor & Convention Bureau, Jill Diehl. FVM: How big is tourism to the Wisconsin Dells and what is the economic impact? Jill Diehl: The year 2022 was record-setting for tourism in the Wisconsin Dells area, reaching $1.37 billion in direct economic impact and nearly $2 billion in total economic impact. FVM: Why is Wisconsin Dells the Waterpark Capital of the World? Jill: There are more waterparks in Wisconsin Dells of every size per capita than anywhere else in the world! All told, there are more than 200 waterslides with…

Featured selections of Craft Beers created by local Fox Valley area brewing companies. Wake and Bake Sour DieselWake and Bake Sour Diesel is a Mango flavored Sour the 93 Octane Crew and Dom Brown, host of Wake and Bake created. This beer is perfectly balanced between mango and sour which makes it a palate-pleaser and extremely refreshing. Currently available on draft in our Taproom located at 1825 Lincoln Highway in St. Charles and in 4-packs at the PRIDE Beer & Wine Plus Spirits next door and many PRIDE Stores and other retailers throughout Chicagoland. If your bar doesn’t have Mango…

Aurora’s monthly First Fridays will bring the party to the street this Friday when Aurora Downtown hosts its annual Stolp Block Party from 6 to 10 p.m. on Stolp Avenue. The block party has been part of August’s First Fridays since 2017. This year, Lynne Jordan and The Shivers will be the headlining musical act at 8 p.m. at Millennium Plaza gazebo. The Instinct will open at 6 p.m. The event is free and welcomes everyone. Stolp Avenue will be closed from Downer Place to Galena Boulevard. A handful of local artists curated by If These Walls Could Talk will…

MOLLY PARKERCapitol News Illinois  Dozens of state employees across multiple agencies are under investigation by a state watchdog for claims they fraudulently obtained payments from a federal pandemic-era loan program, Capitol News Illinois has learned. Neil Olson, general counsel at the Illinois Office of the Executive Inspector General, confirmed that “OEIG has been investigating allegations of Paycheck Protection Program fraud by state employees under our jurisdiction.” The review, he said, is “systematic,” involving multiple state agencies and the other governing bodies under OEIG’s jurisdiction, which include state universities, boards and commissions, and regional transit boards. Congress intended for the loans…

After a technical glitch on the day itself, Batavia’s July 4th fireworks will finally be set off this Saturday in Engstrom’s Family Park. The July 4 show was canceled when the fireworks vendor, Pyrotecnico, experienced a computer problem just as the show was about to begin. Pyrotecnico formally apologized for the July 4 cancellation, citing failures in both its primary and backup computer systems. Pyrotecnico will provide the fireworks on Saturday while covering a portion of the event costs as recompense for the previous failure. The event will begin at 5pm with vendors and twelve food trucks available. At 9pm, what the…

A man is in custody for allegedly supplying the cocaine that led to the death by overdose of a Wheaton man in 2021. DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Wheaton Chief of Police Bill Murphy announced yesterday that an Aurora man has been charged with one count of Drug Induced Homicide, a Class X Felony, in the death of sixty-two-year-old Raul Torres of Wheaton. According to prosecutors, it is alleged that on the afternoon of March 29, 2021, Wheaton police officers and paramedics found Torres unconscious and not breathing on the living room couch of his home with a…

An Aurora man was sentenced to 7 years in prison after pleading guilty to charges of domestic battery. Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie L. Mosser announced that Jose E. Avila has agreed to a sentence of seven years of imprisonment in exchange for a guilty plea to the offense of domestic battery causing bodily harm, Class 2 felony. On the evening of January 17, 2023, Avila went to the home of his former girlfriend and their four children. While at the residence, Jose was drinking alcohol and the two were arguing. At about 12:45 the next morning the victim told…

As the calendar turns to August, the dark cloud that lingers on the horizon of every child during the summer months is approaching rapidly, bringing with it the end of carefree days and late bedtimes and ushering in homework and early mornings. Meanwhile, for parents, the day of liberation is at hand. Kane County’s 9 school districts will resume classes at various points this month, commencing with St. Charles’ District 303 and Central District 301 on August 14. The students in East Aurora School District get the longest reprieve, opening on August 23. So, in order to set the mood,…

Tease up that hair and put on your dancing shoes as the music of the Bee Gees is coming to Aurora’s RiverEdge Park on Saturday, August 5 at 8pm. Stayin’ Alive is the ultimate tribute band to the Bee Gees, capturing the excitement of live performance and the tender subtleties of the human voice. Experience blockbusters like “Night Fever,” “Jive Talkin,” “How Deep Is Your Love,” and “You Should Be Dancing.”  Stayin’ Alive is the largest and most definitive production of its kind, offering big screen video clips, photos and dazzling imagery. It has played intimate settings as a six piece band…

The Chicago Steel and the United States Hockey League announced Friday the sale of the Steel to Wirtz Corporation, owner of businesses across professional sports & entertainment, real estate, insurance, banking, and wholesale distribution throughout the United States.  The sale culminates the eight-year ownership of Larry Robbins, during which the Steel became one of the most prominent junior hockey clubs in the world. Robbins, an Arlington Heights native, purchased the Steel in May 2015 and the club relocated from Bensenville to Fox Valley Ice Arena in Geneva that summer. “Eight years ago, Larry Robbins acquired the Chicago Steel and established…