Beacon News

Watts’ way

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:56:32 -0500

Years before anyone started talking very seriously about riverwalks and the like, May Theilgaard Watts had an idea. “We are human beings. We are able to walk upright on two feet. We need a footpath,” the Naperville naturalist wrote in a 1963 letter to the editor. “Right now there is a chance for Chicago and its suburbs to have a footpath, a long one.” Few anticipated that 50 years later, residents would fete the response to Watts’ words, which soon changed the region’s landscape — and the hikes, runs and bike rides taken by its residents — for good. The …

Heads-up: Helicopters, gypsy moth spray might be coming your way

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:32:46 -0500

Brett Otte was probably not the only one who didn’t get the memo … or, more specifically, read the local newspaper. Which is why he was caught by surprise last Thursday when, while driving his son to school in Oswego, low-flying helicopters appeared overhead and began spraying a gooey substance onto the good earth …. and his car. “It hit my windshield from about 40 feet high,” said Otte. And when he put on his wipers to clear off the sticky spray, it “smeared all over” the glass. Otte didn’t find out until later, after making a call to the …

Multiple vehicle crash closes U.S. 30

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:15:48 -0500

A multiple car crash Tuesday morning at U.S. Route 30 and Wolf’s Crossing trapped one person inside a vehicle. While crews worked on helping the victims, police, including those from both the Will County and Kendall County Sheriff’s Departments, closed U.S. 30 between Heggs and Harvey Roads in Oswego. After tow truck crews removed the cars and removed wreckage from the road, U.S. 30 was reopened about 8 a.m. …

FEMA teams to help Kane, Kendall flood victims

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:33:07 -0500

Federal Emergency Management Agency Disaster Survivor Assistance Teams (DSAT) are now in Kane and Kendall counties to provide information and give residents who were affected by the April flooding an opportunity to register for federal disaster assistance. The teams will be visiting homes, businesses, and high traffic locations in the affected areas providing support to disaster survivors directly in the communities where they live and work, according to a release from the Kane County Office of Emergency Management. DSAT members may offer residents the opportunity to use a tablet computer to register for assistance. Residents will not be required to …

Kane to deliver $1 million in riverboat grant monies

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:35:06 -0500

The Kane County Riverboat Committee will issue $1 million in external grants to 67 outside applicants at the beginning of June. The county saw $4.4 million in revenue from the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin this year. Those funds are split between an internal grant program for county use and the outside grants to benefit local organizations. At its meeting Monday, the committee agreed to a $3.5 million budget for internal programs and used previous funds in the account to arrive at the $1 million figure. There was an $80,000 shortfall between what the county budgeted and actual revenues, said …

Aurora shooting incidents on par with all-time low

Wed, 22 May 2013 02:34:00 -0500

With the end of May in sight, Aurora is on track to be close to last year’s all-time low for the number of shooting incidents occurring throughout the city. As of Monday, there had been 30 confirmed shootings in Aurora since the first of the year. This number is just about half of 2012’s total of 59. According to recent crime statistics released by the police department, confirmed firearm discharges were decreased by 1.7 percent last year, reaching record lows. The 59 confirmed shootings were the fewest number of incidents reported since 1996 when the statistics began being documented, police …