R. Christian Smith – Page 52

A pride flag hanging alongside HOPE United Church of Christ's sign on Ridge Avenue in Aurora was vandalized over the weekend. A church official said the flag was cut down, shredded and then hung back up, something the official said could not have been an accident. (HOPE United Church of Christ)

LGBTQ+ pride flag vandalized outside Aurora church

April 10, 2024 at 2:44 p.m.

HOPE United Church of Christ is hosting a community response to the vandalism on Sunday.

The Kane County Board has delayed a vote on placing a sales tax referendum question on the fall ballot. (R. Christian Smith / The Beacon-News)

Kane County Board delays decision on 1% sales tax referendum

April 9, 2024 at 4:13 p.m.

Board members voted unanimously to push the issue to the Finance and Budget Committee to get more information about the Special County Retailers’ Occupation Tax.

Rachael Mahmood reads a book to her fifth-grade class at Georgetown Elementary School in Aurora. (R. Christian Smith / The Beacon-News)

Far West Suburbs Regional Teacher of the Year hails from D204, sees strength in identity

April 8, 2024 at 1:39 p.m.

Rachael Mahmood, who teaches at Georgetown Elementary School in Aurora, does what she can to spread her message of inclusion and belonging in and out of the classroom.

Kane County Board Chair Corinne Pierog said she will ask the board Tuesday to vote on putting a referendum question on the fall ballot concerning a new 1% sales tax in the county. (R. Christian Smith / The Beacon-News)

Kane County Board to consider putting referendum question for 1% sales tax on fall ballot

April 4, 2024 at 12:14 p.m.

Officials say that the proposed Special County Retailer’s Occupational Tax would help to balance Kane County's budget.

The Aurora Water Treatment Plant gets about 60% of its water from the Fox River, with the rest coming from wells around the city. Officials with Aurora’s water production department recently tested the river water after a chemical foam spill in a creek in Batavia that feeds into the Fox River. (R. Christian Smith / The Beacon-News)

Batavia chemical foam spill did not impact Aurora’s drinking water, officials say

April 3, 2024 at 9:08 a.m.

Aurora’s water production department tested Fox River water after being notified by Batavia about the spill.

The Kane County Health Department’s main building is at 1240 N. Highland Ave. in Aurora. The Kane County Board this week voted down a proposal to move its headquarters from Aurora to a new facility proposed for St. Charles. (R. Christian Smith / The Beacon-News)

Kane County Board votes against construction of new health department building

March 28, 2024 at 1:42 p.m.

The building was proposed as a way to get the Kane County Health Department out of its aging headquarters in Aurora that officials have said is too small to support...

Man accused of firing shots at park in Kendall County

March 28, 2024 at 1:12 p.m.

The Kendall County Sheriff’s Office said a man from Michigan accused of firing shots at Saw Wee Kee Park between Oswego and Yorkville on Sunday was likely shooting at a...

Members of the fire crew wait near a line of fire to ensure it does not cross over onto the barrier, in this case a 30-foot-wide strip of green grass, during a controlled burn at LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles last Thursday. (R. Christian Smith / The Beacon-News)

Controlled prairie fire lets Kane Forest District showcase value of prescribed burns

March 26, 2024 at 1:28 p.m.

Using controlled fires, the district clears out thousands of acres of prairies, woodlands and even wetlands over the fall and late winter each year.

Aurora police recently collaborated with the Naperville Police Department to crack down on traffic violations on Route 59. (Aurora Police Department)

Aurora, Naperville police collaborate to crack down on traffic violations on Route 59

March 25, 2024 at 11:30 a.m.

In just one day, officers made a total of 94 stops, issued 99 citations and made four arrests, officials said.

Signs have been placed along Mahoney Creek in Batavia warning residents to stay away after a chemical foam spill. Booms, the white tubes sitting on the creek, have been installed to catch any foam, which is then vacuumed off the creek with large trucks. (R. Christian Smith / The Beacon-News)

Initial cleanup underway of chemical foam spill in Mahoney Creek in Batavia

March 23, 2024 at 10:26 a.m.

Crews have begun cleaning up a chemical foam spill in Mahoney Creek after officials at the city of Batavia warned residents to stay away from the creek earlier this month.

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