Visitors and residents alike all find something to love about this town. Anything that cannot be found right in town is just a short trip away. South Elgin has long benefited from a close proximity to major transportation corridors. Residents routinely travel to Chicago for work or recreation and gladly return to their hometown at the end of the day. Of course, with so much to do around town, who needs to look any further?  

Latest Headlines:

New Kane County VAC superintendent working to get veterans their due
Fri, 24 May 2013 11:54:53 -0500

From benefits as complicated as health care to as simple as a free fishing license, Jacob Zimmerman works to get local veterans everything they have earned for their service to our country. Since starting his job two months ago as superintendent of the Kane County Veterans Assistance Commission, Zimmerman’s priorities have been making sure those who served are aware of any aid that might be available to them, and running an office that works to make sure any claims on their behalf are expedited and processed as soon as possible. “There are a lot of benefits that many veterans don’t …

Home for Habitat
Fri, 24 May 2013 21:02:10 -0500

ELGIN — Much like its clients, the Northern Fox Valley Habitat for Humanity office now has a home of its own. Since its inception in 1991, the local Habitat for Humanity affiliate has rented office space in Carpentersville. But last year, with its lease coming up and more space needed for employees, volunteers and build supplies, the board and Executive Director Barb Beckman began looking for new digs. The board was not looking to buy but was considering the option, Beckman said. Late last summer, Beckman and her board president looked at a building on north Grove Avenue in downtown …

East Dundee officials looking at  spraying option in beetle battle
Fri, 24 May 2013 14:27:55 -0500

EAST DUNDEE — Officials are looking into a spraying program for the village’s parkway ash trees similar to one used in Naperville and other communities that has shown some success in fighting the emerald ash borer. According to the Department of Agriculture, the emerald ash borer is a small, metallic green pest whose larvae feeds under the bark of ash trees, cutting off nutrient flow essential for a healthy tree. It has been found in several states from the East Coast to the Midwest, and in June 2006 it was first discovered locally in a residential neighborhood in Campton Township. …

Weather spotters keep watch over Hanover Twp.
Fri, 24 May 2013 22:12:55 -0500

HANOVER TOWNSHIP — As the thunder cracks and the lightning flashes most people head inside and turn on the radio or television for weather updates. But in Hanover Township, a group of specially trained volunteers heads outside with their eyes on the sky. The volunteers are members of the Hanover Township Emergency Services Unit and are trained weather spotters on the lookout for funnel clouds and other severe weather issues, according to a release from the township. Whenever a severe thunderstorm warning, tornado watch or warning, is issued for the Hanover Township area, the unit members are dispersed in marked …

Deadline extended for Elgin parade
Fri, 24 May 2013 14:26:38 -0500

ELGIN — The deadline has been extended for participating in the 2013 City of Elgin 4th of July Parade — Presented by Sherman Health. Interested participants and sponsors now have until 5 p.m. June 3 at 5 p.m. to submit completed parade applications at www.DowntownElgin.com. Parade staging and check-in information will be emailed to all registered parade applicants on June 4. The parade will step off at 9 a.m. Thursday, July 4, at the intersection of Slade and Douglas avenues, proceeds south on Douglas thru the NENA (NorthEast Neighborhood Association) neighborhood, into the heart of downtown Elgin and finishes at …

Charges dropped in Randy Hopp case
Fri, 24 May 2013 02:34:19 -0500

ELGIN — Criminal charges have been dropped against Randy Hopp, the Elgin man who had served on the Gail Borden Public Library District Board even while being banned from otherwise entering that library. The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office has dropped felony charges of aggravated battery against Hopp stemming from a March 2011 incident in which Hopp allegedly struck his elderly father, LeRoy K. Hopp, in their home. According to court documents, prosecutors conceded that they no longer had much evidence to support their case. They noted that Hopp’s father died late last year, and therefore cannot testify. And they …

Kids take a bad bounce on ‘bouncy house’
Thu, 23 May 2013 14:39:17 -0500

Six elementary students were taken to hospitals as a precautionary measure after the inflatable playground equipment they were enjoying at an Algonquin school tipped over Thursday afternoon. The 5th-graders and staff at Algonquin Lakes Elementary School at 1401 Compton Drive in Algonquin were celebrating the end of the school year when the mishap occurred, Community Unit School District 300 Asst. Supt. Sarah Kedroski said. The children were playing on a “bouncy house” when it went off-balance, she said. A total of 17 children were hurt, with six children taken to hospitals for evaluation, Kedroski said. The 11 other children who …

Aurora police: Elgin woman promoted teen prostitution
Fri, 24 May 2013 02:29:26 -0500

An Elgin woman faces felony charges for promoting the prostitution of a 17-year-old girl, following a three-month undercover investigation conducted by Aurora police. Gina Carbone, 24, 200 block of Locust Street, was charged on May 3 with felony promoting the prostitution of a minor, felony promoting prostitution and misdemeanor prostitution after she allegedly arranged a sexual tryst at an Aurora hotel with an undercover officer. According to court records, investigators met with a confidential source in February who told them that Carbone had been soliciting herself and at least one underage girl via an Internet website. Police located several ads …

Man accused of using fake $100 bills to gamble at Elgin casino
Fri, 24 May 2013 02:35:07 -0500

Elgin Gambling with counterfeits: A man was arrested Wednesday after he allegedly used counterfeit money to gamble at a blackjack table at the Grand Victoria Casino, police reported. Darnell Coleman, 30, of Sycamore was charged with four felony counts of delivering a forged document. According to Grand Victoria security officers, Coleman entered the casino Monday morning, pretended to use an ATM for the benefit of surveillance cameras, and then used four $100 bills already in his possession to play blackjack. All four bills later were determined to be bogus. On Tuesday, Grand Victoria officials said, Coleman came back and again …

Twice as many U46 teachers retiring than in average year
Fri, 24 May 2013 02:34:29 -0500

ELGIN — Twice as many teachers are retiring from School District U46 at the end of this school year as in an average year. And Elgin Teachers Association President Kathy Castle said “there’s not a single answer” why that number is so high, although she pointed to several factors: “age, fear and the complexity of the work.” “It’s just very wearing to have that constant media attack. Whatever the ills of the world seem to be fall in the lap of our schools. It’s become a very challenging job,” Castle said. A total 178 employees are ending their careers this …

Compromise may be in the works between Elgin and mobile pregnancy testing service
Fri, 24 May 2013 02:34:10 -0500

ELGIN — A compromise appears to be in the works between the city and The Life Center that will allow the group to operate its mobile ultrasound vehicle with fewer restrictions. At Wednesday night’s city council meeting, a group of about two dozen people showed up to support the group. Elgin attorney John Juergensmeyer noted that the faith-based, anti-abortion organization has set up its mobile in about a half dozen communities, with Elgin being the only one where the group has faced trouble. “This is an embarrassment to us,” Juergensmeyer said. “We want to get it over with. It’s time …

You can’t get there from here
Thu, 23 May 2013 02:35:36 -0500

“Randall Road is not part of anyone’s Christian journey. Just avoid it.” — Elgin churchgoer after her pastor admitted to being inspired to some not-entirely-charitable emotions during a long, long drive along a certain Kane County highway — a drive that is about to get even worse. Everyone has heard the phrase: “Illinois has two seasons — Winter and Road Construction.” Well, it’s not winter anymore. Drivers already have been suffering from backups and delays in many spots around the northern Fox Valley. But Monday was when the season that isn’t winter kicked in with a vengeance, especially for anyone …

District 301 School Board applicants sought
Thu, 23 May 2013 02:38:49 -0500

District 301: School board applicants being sought Central Community Unit School District 301 is seeking applicants to fill a vacancy on the school board created by the resignation of member Richard Perry. The person selected will serve on the school board from the date of appointment through the April 2015 general school board election. Interested applicants should submit a letter of application and resumé by Wednesday, June 5, to Laura Rabe, board of education president, at 275 South St., P.O. Box 396, Burlington, IL 60109. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18 years of age, a resident of …

Bike group’s trail work has made C’ville preserve into natural gem
Thu, 23 May 2013 02:35:02 -0500

CARPENTERSVILLE — Driving past Raceway Woods here on any given day, at least a dozen cars can be spotted in the parking lot, and several mountain bikers can be found perched on bikes, ready for a ride. The popularity of the forest preserve has grown in the past year, thanks to the creation of a mile-long natural-surface, multi-purpose trail open to the public and suitable for walking, hiking and mountain biking. The Chicago Area Mountain Bikers volunteer organization began building the trail in August last year, and it was completed by winter. About 1,200 volunteer hours and $8,000 in labor, …

Genoa man charged in jewelry theft months earlier in Elgin
Thu, 23 May 2013 02:38:12 -0500

Elgin Jewelry theft: A Genoa man was charged with felony theft on Monday based on a months-old case. Elgin police said a family living in the 200 block of Lyle Avenue reported in February that between October 2012 and then, someone had stolen $8,800 worth of gold jewelry. The family told detectives that they suspected a former house guest named Arturo Chino, 23, of the 200 block of Stearn Street in Genoa. Police said they arrested Chino this week after a witness recalled having driven Chino to a gold-buying store in West Dundee, where he allegedly sold some gold jewelry. …

Medical school graduate goes from Hampshire to Harvard
Thu, 23 May 2013 02:38:38 -0500

HAMPSHIRE — Sophia Kamran, daughter of Hampshire Village Clerk Linda Vasquez, will be graduating from Harvard Medical School in Boston on May 30. Kamran said that she first came to Hampshire from Streamwood with her mother and grandparents, Peter and Mary Vasquez, in 1996. She attended Hampshire Middle School for three years and Hampshire High School for one year before she enrolled at the Illinois Mathematics & Science Academy in Aurora. “I was involved in basketball, band and the gifted program at Hampshire Middle School,” Kamran said. “At Hampshire High School, I participated in marching band, the yearbook, the school …

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