Newcomer Ryan Bongard ousted longtime incumbent Art Lemke in last week s race for 2nd Ward alderman in St. Charles by claiming the most votes of any of the 12 candidates who ran across five wards.
Updated 4/5/2021 6:04 PM
St. Charles Police Chief James Keegan received numerous phone calls and emails last summer from residents concerned about department policies.
Protests and civil unrest were sweeping the nation in the wake of police brutality cases, but Keegan could tell residents the St. Charles Police Department follows procedures based on 490 standards established by an independent assessment group of law enforcement experts.
The police department first received certification from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies in 1987, becoming the first city in the Fox Valley and one of the first in the state to earn the distinction.
Last certified in 2017, St. Charles is beginning the process of again earning CALEA accreditation. While a team of out-of-state CALEA assessors will examine every aspect of department procedures next week, the public also is encouraged to provide input.
Updated 3/12/2021 6:33 AM
After pivoting for Halloween and the holidays during the COVID-19 pandemic, the St. Charles Business Alliance is hoping for similar success with its St. Patrick s Day celebration on Saturday.
The annual parade is canceled for a second straight year because of gathering restrictions, but unlike last year when all the St. Patrick s Day events were canceled organizers had time this year to create different ways for people to celebrate safely throughout downtown St. Charles.
A year ago, on the Wednesday before the parade, that s when everything kind of went down, said business alliance events manager Amy Curione. We were all ready, but we canceled everything. It really happened fast.
St. Charles Unit District 303 Superintendent Jason Pearson announced this week that graduation for the district s high schools will proceed as scheduled on May 24 at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.