Author: Fox Valley Magazine

The Elgin Symphony Orchestra will be presenting “The Magic of Hollywood,” a concert full of classic Hollywood movie scores, this weekend at The Hemmens Cultural Centre in Elgin. The performances, conducted by ESO Musical Director Chad Goodman, will feature musical moments from Hollywood’s biggest movies – E.T., Star Wars, Cinema Paradiso, the Harry Potter series, and more. The 2023/24 season marks Goodman’s inaugural season as Music Director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra—only the fifth leader in the orchestra’s prestigious seven-decade history. He has received widespread praise for thrilling conducting that combines “precision, agility and fervor” (N. Stanić Kovačevic, South Florida…

Aurora’s The Venue will be offering a free show and open house on Friday, February 2. Doors will open at 5pm with the show beginning at 6pm. Take a peek inside The Venue and experience their premier music listening room. This is an Open House and the bar will be open for soft drinks, beer, and wine. Playing a mixture of R&B, Delta, New Orleans and Chicago style Blues as well as well as Jazz and a taste of Rock and Roll has kept the Chicago-based Downtown Charlie Brown Blues Band gigging on a weekly basis for over 20 years.…

By PETER HANCOCKCapitol News Illinois Former President Donald Trump’s name will appear on the March 19 Republican primary election ballot in Illinois, barring any extraordinary action by state or federal courts to remove him. The Illinois State Board of Elections voted unanimously Tuesday to deny an objection based on the “insurrectionist clause” of the 14th Amendment, which prohibits former public officials who engage in insurrection or rebellion against the United States from holding public office again. An attorney for the objectors said in an email that they would appeal the decision to the Cook County Circuit Court. Board spokesman Matt Dietrich…

Blues, Duke’s BBQ and Rookies RocHaus. Now that’s a great combination. On Friday, February 2, it will be Duke’s Blues Night at Rookies RocHaus in West Dundee. The fun begins at 6pm with the DRD Blues Band taking the stage, followed by the Tom Holland Band at 7:30pm, Omar Coleman Band at 8:45pm and Luke Repass Band at 10pm. And of course, great food will be available from Duke’s Blues N BBQ. This is a 21-and-up event. To get tickets, contact Duke at (224) 587-2677 or purchase tickets at the door. Rookies RocHaus is only allowing 300 attendees. Rookies RocHaus…

An Aurora man and his two sisters were found guilty of assaulting a police officer after a routine traffic stop in June 2021. Paul Sherrod Taylor and his sisters Jennifer and Sheba Taylor were convicted of the following crimes by Judge Alice Tracy after a bench trial: Paul Sherrod Taylor, 32, was found guilty by Judge Alice Tracy of the following offenses: Sheba A. Taylor, 29, was found guilty by a jury of the following offenses: Jennifer M. Taylor, 26, was found guilty by a jury of the following offenses: Just after 10:30 p.m. on June 21, 2021, an Aurora…

“I am just blessed that we are all still here to share the story.” That’s what City of Aurora Community Outreach Specialist Brian Moreno said about a harrowing involving a man with a firearm at one of the city’s warming centers recently. Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin presented Moreno with the Mayor’s MVP Award, the highest award given to a City staff member, thanks to his help in securing guests from a man wielding a gun at the City’s overnight warming center this past Saturday. Moreno, who was staffing the warming center, witnessed the gunman striking a guest at the warming…

Funeral arrangements for Father Jonathan Bakkelund, pastor of Geneva’s St. Peter Cathoilic Church, have been announced. Fr. Bakkelund passed away last weekend at age 39. Visitation will take place Tuesday, January 30th from 3-8PM at St. Peter Catholic Church in Geneva, followed by the funeral on Wednesday, January 31st at 11AM, also at St. Peter Catholic Church. Burial will take place at Calvary Cemetery in Winnebago, Illinois. St. Peter Catholic Church is located at 1891 Kaneville Road in Geneva.

The Batavia VFW Post #1197 will host a no-cost event on Friday, February 2, to provide information about resources for veterans and promote veteran-owned businesses. The event will be held at 645 South River Street in Batavia beginning at 10am. The resource fair and business showcase will be open from 10am until 4pm. At 4:30 p.m., Veterans association leaders from the state and national level will discuss important issues concerning the veteran community. A free lunch will be provided to all who register on Ticket Leap. The Batavia VFW has partnered with the Batavia United Way, the American Legion, Kane…

A 44-year-old homeless man has been found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman near the Illinois Prairie Path in 2018. DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin announced that Thursday evening a jury found Robert Davison guilty of twelve counts of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault, a Class X Felony and one count of Unlawful Restraint, a Class 4 Felony. On May 18, 2018, at approximately 12:30 a.m., the Wheaton Police Department was notified of someone screaming for help near the PADS Shelter in Wheaton. Officers found the victim with dirt on her face and scratches and cuts to her upper body.…

According to a notice from the City of Elgin, recent drinking water quality monitoring has found elevated levels of lead in drinking water in some homes and buildings in Elgin. The notice indicates that the source of this lead is likely lead service lines leading from the city’s municipal water pipes to homes of Elgin residents.  Lead is not present in Elgin’s source water (wells and river water), nor is lead in Elgin’s treated drinking water. Some homes and buildings, however, have water service lines, solder or fixtures made of lead, and lead can enter the drinking water through the…