Courier News

West Dundee enters ‘economic diet’ mode on expenses

Tue, 15 May 2012 21:19:22 -0500

WEST DUNDEE — The unexpected closing of the West Dundee Best Buy has village officials scrambling to make up the anticipated $350,000 loss in sales tax revenue. Last month, Best Buy announced the locations of 50 stores that it is closing this year. Six of those, including the one in West Dundee on Route 72, are in Illinois. “The location closing is obviously a substantial sales tax reducer and will have a significant financial impact,” Village Manager Joseph Cavallaro said. Village officials are looking at a number of potential cutbacks and reductions in order to accommodate the shortfall. Some proposals …

Medical examiner halts autopsies in drug, alcohol abuse deaths

Wed, 16 May 2012 13:56:00 -0500

A staffing shortage has prompted the Cook County medical examiner’s office to halt full autopsies in some cases where a person died from drug or alcohol abuse.

Kane Board considers lowering road impact fee

Tue, 15 May 2012 22:11:44 -0500

Kane County officials have a question for local municipalities regarding their road impact fees: they want to know what they charge developers, and how the charge affected growth. County officials renewed their road impact fee ordinance for a five-year basis recently, but they are given the freedom to adjust it. Board members recently discussed at length whether to reduce the impact fee paid by residential or commercial developers, or to abate the fee altogether. “Does it stimulate growth, or are we just giving something away that will effect our roadways in the future?” asked Kathy Hurlbut, R-Elgin, chairman of theTransportation …

Officials, student dispute prior testimony at U46 trial

Tue, 15 May 2012 21:16:00 -0500

CHICAGO — Once, former School District U46 Director of Bilingual Education Dionnes Rivera gave then-assistant director Carmen Rodriguez a list of teachers to write recommendations for to Aurora University, Rodriguez said. But Rodriguez protested she didn’t know all the teachers and certainly hadn’t evaluated them all, and Rivera took it back. Another time, Rodriguez interviewed the relative of an acquaintance of the two administrators, she said. She didn’t feel that person had sufficient English language skills for the position, she said, but some time later, Rivera gave her a slip that told her to hire that person. All this played …

D300 to weigh charter school renewal

Tue, 15 May 2012 21:16:17 -0500

ALGONQUIN — The Community Unit School District 300 Board of Education is considering renewing the charter for Cambridge Lakes Charter School in Pingree Grove through 2017. The school board pulled the renewal of the charter, set to expire in 2014, from its consent agenda Monday night so it could bring the issue up for discussion and a vote later this month. Charter holder Northern Kane Educational Corp. must submit a request for renewal every three years, according to District 300 attorney Brian Crowley. The school board then must approve the renewal unless it finds there is cause for revocation of …

New principal chosen for Blackberry Creek school

Tue, 15 May 2012 22:11:52 -0500

Kaneland Blackberry Creek Elementary students will see a new face when the doors open next year. The School Board this week approved the appointment of Andrew Gibbs, a dean of students in Central School District 301, to be principal at the Elburn school next year. Superintendent Jeff Schuler said Gibbs emerged as a candidate ready to assume the role of principal at the end of an extensive interviewing process. Gibbs will fill a vacancy created when Bill Becker accepted a position as head football coach and English teacher at West Chicago High School. Schuler said Gibbs has a vision for …