Courier News

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 …

Bill imposing one-year moratorium for online charter schools heads to Quinn for signature

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:35:12 -0500

A yearlong moratorium on new online charter schools has passed the Illinois Senate and now goes to Gov. Pat Quinn for his signature. Bill sponsor state Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, said Wednesday that she and other interested parties, including Illinois Superintendent of Schools Christopher Koch, have requested the governor expedite that process. That’s because the Illinois Charter School Commission confirmed Tuesday night that appeal hearings for an online charter school in 18 Fox Valley-area districts will continue as planned until the bill is signed or allowed to pass into law. House Bill 494 will put a hold on any …

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, …

Diagnosis leads D300’s Magerko to back Lupus Foundation

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:35:23 -0500

Diane Magerko has long been a champion of furthering the arts in Carpentersville-based School District 300. Now, the performing and fine arts chair for the District 300 Foundation is rallying for another cause. Magerko was diagnosed recently with a mild case of lupus, a disease for which there is no cure. “When you hear something like that, at first you’re just stopped in your tracks,” she said. “You’re just so stunned. It attacks your organs.” She already had been planning to step back from her work on the District 300 Foundation. “I wanted to do something different, and I thought …

One less liquor seller in Pingree

Thu, 23 May 2013 02:38:03 -0500

PINGREE GROVE — Trustees have reduced the number of liquor licenses available to area businesses after a local restaurant declined to renew its license. The board amended the village’s liquor code with a unanimous vote this week. Village Administrator Ken Lopez said Butler’s Restaurant changed its hours and no longer needs the license. It will offer breakfast and lunch menus but not alcoholic beverages. The restaurant is at Stark’s Crossing, where Routes 20, 47 and 72 converge on the west side of town. Lopez said two other local businesses hold licenses to sell alcohol, which are renewed annually. They are …

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 …