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- November 18 Newsletter: Batavia on display at Main Street conference
November 18 Newsletter: Batavia on display at Main Street conference
Plus local candidates begin filing for April election while Batavia and Geneva make deep high school football playoff runs
Sam Kraft
November 18, 2024 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes
Welcome to Tri-Cities Central, a twice-weekly newsletter highlighting local happenings in Batavia, Geneva, St. Charles and surrounding communities.
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🏆 Downtown Batavia on display
Batavia took center stage last week, hosting the 2024 Illinois Main Street State Conference — and it certainly appears that the city shined.
The annual conference is a two-day event celebrating historic Main Streets and downtown districts of Illinois communities. The program brought industry professionals, state leaders (including Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton) and community advocates together in downtown Batavia for a variety of networking and educational sessions.
Some highlights:
State officials presented awards to Brittany Sabatino for her community volunteering efforts and Batavia MainStreet for its 2024 Restaurant Guide. See photos here.
Together with an urban design nonprofit, conference goers built and installed 12 colorful “Batavia” signs in various locations throughout downtown. See photos here.
Attendees participated in events at various establishments in the downtown area. See photos here.
Experiencing the recent evolution of downtown Batavia has been fun — and it’s great to see the city receive statewide recognition for its ongoing enhancements and its growing local business ecosystem.
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📰 News to use
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☑️ Development progress: A Geneva commission recommended approval of the Kane County Recycling Facility project on Fabyan Parkway near Settler’s Hill Golf Course. City Council will review the project on 12/2.
☑️ Watchful eyes: Officials responded to nine calls that came in through the Kane County election complaint hotline on Election Day, half of which were related to electioneering activity.
🔒 Financial planning: A proposed property tax rate increase, city staffing and other budgetary issues were hot topics at the most recent Batavia Committee of the Whole meeting. View a video recording of the discussions.
☑️ Felony offense: An Island Lake man has been sentenced to six years in prison for drug-induced homicide after supplying heroin and cocaine to a 31-year-old St. Charles resident.
🔒 Social media backlash: A Geneva alderperson is embroiled in controversy after a post in a Facebook Group disparaged local pro-Trump businesses. She was previously an administrator of the group.
☑️ Transition period: Fermilab laid off 53 employees last week amid budget constraints after a new management group was announced for the facility in October.
☑️ The next election: Let’s take an early look at who’s running for local elected positions in the April 2025 election, including candidates for mayor and other key positions.
🏘️ In the community
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☑️ Area of agreement: The residents of Kane County joined DuPage and Lake counties in voting to support forest preserve efforts to protect hundreds of acres of land and drive other environmental benefits. These measures could make a significant impact.
☑️ Input invitation: In addition to several in-person meetings, the City of Geneva is conducting phone surveys with residents as part of its public facilities evaluation process. Folks can provide feedback via this online form as well.
☑️ Funding futures: The Kayla's Hope Scholarship Fund supports graduating seniors at Tri-Cities high schools who are pursuing the fields of music, literature and psychology. Learn more about the program and how to apply.
☑️ Top of its class: Geneva's Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital received an "A" grade in a recent report ranking hospital safety nationwide.
☑️ Public amenity: The Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva unveiled a new gazebo and patio with benches — perfectly timed for holiday shoppers looking to take a rest and enjoy the 3rd Street atmosphere.
✳️ Pajama Drive: Give a foster child the gift of coziness by donating new pajamas for infants, children and teens (all sizes). Drop donations at Alphagraphics St. Charles or call 630-513-7711 to arrange pickup. Donations will be given to CASA Kane County. Deadline is 12/2.
🎸 Live music
💥 See all of Preservation’s upcoming events
Music lovers should note a performance this Friday at the Batavia Fine Arts Centre by TAKE3: Where ROCK Meets BACH. The unique show is described as "classical music infused with rock-star charisma” and features an eclectic mix of popular songs from a wide range of eras.
Check out the rest of the mid-week shows.
🛍️ Local biz
☑️ Decades of dedication: The Kane County Board issued a proclamation recognizing Ream's Meat Market in Elburn for its 70th anniversary, highlighting the Ream family for its numerous contributions to the community.
☑️ Ribbon cuttings: Cody’s Belly Bites (a catering business in Geneva) and Parkside Skincare (a wellness treatment center in Batavia) recently celebrated ribbon cutting events.
☑️ Fall glam up: The Fruitful Yield health food store in Batavia recently unveiled its remodeled space at the Windmill Lakes Center on Randall Road.
🗞️ Un-classifieds
☑️ Local home sales: See recent property sales for Kane County — including this $880K home on Highgate Course in St. Charles.
☑️ Local obits: Recent obituaries posted by Tri-Cities funeral homes.
☑️ High school football playoffs: Batavia beat Downers Grove North 17-7, advancing to the 7A state semifinals to play at Lincoln-Way Central (Sat 11/23, 5PM). Geneva dominated Lake Forest 49-14, advancing to the 6A state semifinals to host Cary-Grove (Sat 11/23, 1PM).
☑️ City meetings:
🗓️ Events & Things to Do
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Special note: Evidently, several fake Facebook event listings claiming to be affiliated with St. Charles’ upcoming Holiday Homecoming event (Nov. 29-30) have been circulating online. Here’s the real event website and the real Facebook event listing.
☑️ Using Native Plants in Your Landscape | Tues 11/19, 6:45-9PM | Batavia Public Library | A local gardening expert leads this Batavia Plain Dirt Gardeners meeting.
🎟️ “The Perfect Couple” Line Dance | Wed 11/20, 7:30PM | Vargo’s Dance, Geneva | If you’ve seen the Netflix show, you 100% know what this is about.
🎟️ Casino for a Cause | Thurs 11/21, 5-8M | Riverside Receptions, Geneva | An entertaining evening of gaming, food/drinks, networking and raffles benefitting charity.
🎟️ Batavia Lions Club Underwear Party | Thurs 11/21, 6-8PM | Pal Joey’s, Batavia | Support local charities with donations while having a fun, festive time.
🎟️ Art of the Dessert | Mon 11/25, 5:30M | The Graceful Ordinary, STC | Bid on locally made Thanksgiving desserts and toast to the holidays!
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🌖 Weather snapshot
🌦️ Today: High 58F | Low 56F | Sporadic rain
🌧️ Tuesday: High 62F | Low 40F | Mild + wet
☁️ Wednesday: High 43F | Low 34F | Cold front
🌧️ Thursday: High 41F | Low 35F | Flurries possible
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