Note to Readers: Information presented here is obtained from the city police and sheriff's departments. Individuals listed in reports who have been charged with a crime have not been proven guilty in court.

The Oswego Fire Protection District is urging everyone to be careful when using space heaters. With the drop in temperature, it might sound like a good idea to put a space heater in a cold basement or garage unattended to keep pipes from freezing. It is not.

A Marseilles man was sentenced on a drug dealing charge in LaSalle County earlier this month.

In four years, the Oswego School District 308 Board of Education has sliced over $14 million from its budget.  Now it is poised to cut over $5 million from its new budget proposal at the February meeting.

The Yorkville Police Department is adopting the Ten Shared Principles of the NAACP and the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police (ILACP). The ten shared principles are meant to bridge the gap of mistrust between police agencies and communities of color.

The sheriff's offices in Kendall and DeKalb counties are offering scholarships through the Illinois Sheriffs' Association. The Illinois Sheriffs' Association will be awarding over $50,000 to Illinois students pursuing higher education in the 2021-2022 school year.

A Plano man, already accused of sex assault charges, is now being charged with failure to register as a sex offender. Plano police say 65-year-old Jose Juarez-Hernandez, of Plano did not register his vehicle vehicle with police.

The Sandwich City Council on Monday voted to authorize Mayor Rich Robinson to sign a letter of intent to work with a solar power company to possibly build a solar energy array at the city sewer plant south of Route 34 on the east side of town.

Aurora police say a man was shot and killed, possibly in an exchange of gunfire between two vehicles, on the city's far east side on Monday afternoon.

Affecting over 50 city workers on Monday night, the Plano City Council moved a new day-off holiday to a vote in two weeks.

A winter storm warning storm warning remains in effect until noon in DeKalb, Kane, and DuPage counties. LaSalle and Kendall counties remain in a winter weather advisory until noon.

Schools:

The Aurora Fire Department says a 39-year-old woman died and a firefighter was hurt in a fire in a two-story home early Monday in the 500 block of Spruce Street.

Though most of this week’s reports have focused on vaccines to cure an endemic or epidemic, there is much to be said yet for the value of  human analysis and modern technology to quell an outbreak.

The next COVID-19 vaccination phase begins Monday in Illinois, but Kendall County already has a head start. Kendall County Health Department Director RaeAnn VanGundy says the county finished up phase 1A that covers healthcare workers early.

Two people are dead as a result of a two-vehicle crash at the intersection of North Ohio Street and East Indian Trail in Aurora Saturday evening. The two people who died were in a vehicle that had allegedly fled from police earlier.

After an employee survey, letters of support and opposition, and months of deliberation, the Plano City Council will look again at the possibility of a Juneteenth holiday for its city staff, including police and public works departments. The meeting takes place at 6 p.m. Monday at city hall. 

A winter storm warning goes into effect at one Monday afternoon and will be in effect through noon Tuesday. Total snow accumulation across Northern Illinois is expected to be around five to nine inches. Locally, snow is expected to start after three. Ice accumulation is also expected mostly south of I-80.

The Kendall County Sheriff's Office has recognized Andy Peters as the Fourth Quarter employee of the quarter. Peters has been with the Kendall County Sheriff's Office since May of last year and serves as Evidence Custodian, Fleet Manager, and Quartermaster.

Waubonsee Community College has received an Aa1 rating from Moody's. A statement from the college says it's just one step away from an Aaa rating, which is the highest possible.

The Voluntary Action Center, which operates the Meals on Wheels program in DeKalb County, used grant money to create a weekly newsletter for Meals on Wheels clients. Community Relations Manager Barb Nadeau says many seniors who are part of Meals on Wheels program don't use social media.

Some light snow and freezing rain is likely in the WSPY listening area Saturday evening into Sunday morning with around an inch of accumulation possible. Roads and sidewalks will be slick as a result.

As temperatures continue to drop, warming centers are available in Kendall County.

The DeKalb County Community Foundation is creating a new scholarship that will be available to seniors at Sandwich High School.

Yorkville High School junior Danica Touhy is being recognized for her skills in music.

In the spring of 1922, Morgan county established the first, full-time county health department in our state.  Others followed suit, in order that the county health departments could help facilitate reports and responses to the state health department during any endemic, epidemic, or pandemic.  Those county health departments became more and more valuable as Illinois’ population increased.

The Montgomery Village Board Last week approved the first payment of $200,000 from the Montgomery Development Fund for the Gray's Mill Development project.

Down below the ice at Foli Park in Plano, the fish are lurking.  Some lunkers will be fooled by fake lures or live cold worms and pulled through a hole to daylight. 

The Bristol Kendall Fire Protection District was sent to the 1100 block of Mill Street in Yorkville early Friday morning for a report of a fire in a garage attached to a home. The fire had fully engulfed the garage and was extending into the house.

A fourteen-year-old boy has died from injuries sustained in a vehicle accident near Elgin on Monday.

Note to Readers: Information presented here is obtained from the city police and sheriff's departments. Individuals listed in reports who have been charged with a crime have not been proven guilty in court.

Indian Valley Vocational Center has received a grant for 5,000 which was used to purchase equipment for the school's certified nursing assistant program and emergency medical services program.

The Kendall County Sheriff's Office has received use of force certification from the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police.

Polio, just the mention of the word can still probably strike fear into the hearts and minds of those old enough to remember its two main symptoms.  The thought of a loved one contracting paralysis or needing an iron lung due to polio hung over everyone’s head like a dark cloud that would not go away.

The Newark Village Board is reviewing their 2021 Street repaving program.  Public Works Supt Gary Clauson indicated that Broadway St and Center Street have serious breakdown. There are also other smaller areas needing rehab.  Larger projects are being postponed to 2022. A resolution to spend up to $65000 in Motor Fuel Tax funds for Broadway and Center Streets was approved.

The LaSalle County Coroner's Office says a twenty-year-old Mendota man was killed in a crash south of Mendota Wednesday.

The Aurora Police Department says a vehicle that was stolen from a Wendy's parking lot on Saturday has been found. A police spokesman says the investigation is still ongoing. Police haven't said if any suspects have been identified.

An Aurora woman was sentenced to 43-years in prison last week by Kendall County Judge Robert Pilmer for attacking a couple in their home with a box cutter and a metal pipe.

In a little village surrounded by farms, they will remember her this week. 

A woman had to be freed after being pinned in a vehicle following a crash early morning Sunday on Eola Road just south of McCoy in Aurora.

Smallpox had been around since early recorded history, both as an epidemic and pandemic.  In fact, mummies unearthed in Egypt from 3000 years ago showed signs of having contracted the disease.

The Yorkville Police Department is investigating a burglary that happened at the Target store in the 1600 block of Beecher Road Wednesday morning. Police have confirmed that there were no injuries. Police are also saying that rumors of looting at the store are untrue. There is no danger to the public.

An Aurora man has been charged in a shooting that led to the death of another Aurora man on the city's east side last week.

46 Oswego businesses have received money in a second round of grants from the village. The program is funded through the federal CARES act and is meant to help businesses struggling because of the COVID-19 pandemic.